Key Verse: Matthew 13:52--And He said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old." (NASB)
-Utilizing the familiar to explain the unfamiliar-
Warm-up
- Introductions
- 1 (only 1!) area of interest
- Share a movie story (those who've seen the movie to those who haven't)
Exercise
Greek parabolay from para beside + ballo I throw; therefore "to throw beside" = parable
7 Parables of Matthew 13
- The Sower: MT13.3-9 (HW: XPLNTN in MT13.18-23)
- The Tares of the Field: MT13.24-30 (HW: XPLNTN in MT13.36-43)
- The Mustard Seed: MT13.31, 32
- The Leaven: MT13.33
- The Hidden Treasure: MT13.44
- The Merchant: MT13.45, 46
- The Dragnet: MT13.47-51
Lesson
*When parabling or hearing parables, listen for 4 key phrases (or variants):
- "Just as"
- "Is like"
- "In the same way"
- "May be compared to"
The PATMOS Method (ref. RV1.9)
Patmos is the island to which John the Apostle was exiled and the place where he by God's inspiration wrote the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which may be arguably the MOST parabolic of the canon of Holy Scripture.PATMOS is here used as a memory device to help remember the six elements of any story that need to be identified in order to tell the GOSPEL story through any story.
Protagonist - Who or what is the good guy in the story?
Antagonist - Who or what is the bad guy?
Tribulation - What is the trouble or the problem in the story that needs solving?
Miracleworker - Who or what can bring about the solution?
Operation - What action does the miracleworker need to undertake?
Solution - What is the result of the operation?Life Application
Here are two examples of parabling, starting with the template, the standard, the Greatest Story of all: the GOSPEL. (Remember: God's Own Son Provided Eternal Life!)In the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Protagonist = Whoever will may come
Antagonist = sin
Tribulation = the wages of sin is death
Miracleworker = Jesus Christ
Operation = Died & Rose
Solution = Whoever will will have eternal life, they'll be saved.Contemporary Example
The Window Washer - An article in a magazine tells about a newly hired window washer who, in his inexperience, tied his safety tether to the scaffold he stood on instead of the building to which the scaffold was anchored. The scaffold failed and he fell 50 feet to his death.The PATMOS Analysis
Protagonist = the window washer
Antagonist = gravity
Tribulation = the scaffold failed
Miracleworker = the building, which stood firm
Operation = the building stood firm, it would have supported his weight
Solution = Had his tether been to the building, he would not have died.When sharing this particular story, I make the point of stressing the window washer's safety tether is like our faith, and how crucial it is to be sure we are tied to the building, which may be compared to Jesus Christ, and not the scaffold, which is just as the world--sooner or later it will fail, it will pass away, because of the gravity, which pulls down in the same way sin will pull down to hell. (Do you see the key phrases?)
So now, christian, go forth and plug into our Lord Jesus Christ, plug into people and their stories, and relate their stories to the Greatest Story; His word will not return without benefits for everyone who hears it! God bless you greatly and keep you well in His will, in Jesus' name, Amen.