The parables of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Mark

Abstract

The parables are perhaps the most characteristic element in the teaching of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels. The parables are like pictures and we know that pictures leave a deep impression on the mind than abstractions. In the case of Jesus' parables in particular, it must be added that they throughout, reflect with peculiar clarity the character of his goodness, the eschatological nature of his preaching, the intensity of his call to repentance, and his conflict with Pharisaism. Besides this, the parables' imagery is drawn from the daily life of Palestine. For instance the sower in Mark 4:3-4, curiously sows so clumsily that much of the seed is wasted, one would have expected a description of the regular method of sowing, and in fact this is what we have. This is easily understood when we realize that in Palestine sowing precedes ploughing. So, the sower in this parable strides over the unploughed stubble, and with this in mind the reader can comprehend why some seeds fell along the path, he sows intentionally on the path, since he intends to plough up the path with the rest of the field. He sows intentionally among the thorns standing withered in the fallow, because they will be ploughed too. Nor need it surprise us that some of the grain fell on the rocky ground, the underlying limestone, thinly covered with soil, hardly shows above the surface till the ploughshare jars against it. So what seems to the western mind to be bad farming is simply customary usage in Palestinian conditions. Jesus' parables are something entirely new. The uniqueness of Jesus' parables comes out clearly when they are compared with analogous productions from the same period and cultural context, such as the Pauline similitudes or the rabbinic parables. Comparison reveals a definite personal style, a singular clarity and simplicity, a matchless mastery of construction. These are only hints of what we will be seeing throughout this dissertation among other things; 1. We will try to dig up in the gospel of St. Mark the cultural context in which the parables were set, i.e. the setting in life; the 'Sitz im leben'. 2. We will see how the gospel of Mark was composed, and to whom it was addressed. 3. We will make comparisons with other literature productions coming from other periods and cultures. 4. We will rediscover their original meaning, and why they were told. 5. We will see the problem of the certain amount of reinterpretation that these parables underwent. 6. We will ask ourselves what was Mark's intention for recording these parables in his gospel. 7. We will ask ourselves what spiritual richness can we gain from stories having 2000 years of age. The conclusion is inevitable that we are dealing with a particularly trustworthy tradition. We are standing right before Jesus when reading his parables, as recorded in the gospel of St.Mark.