Parable Notes
Parable of the Great Feast (Luke 14:7-24)
Context: Jesus is telling the story to the host of a dinner party and the guests who are all very full of themselves and concerned about where they are sitting.
Important Background Information:
- In Jesus' time, whoever you ate with at meals was a very big deal. Your company was seen as being more important than the food.
- People were often associated with the people they ate with.
- If you ate with someone of a lower status it was seen as being an insult to you and your guests.
King
- Invites guests to his feast so they can join him. When they decline he extends the offer to people who are vulnerable - poor, crippled blind and lame.
- Symbolism: God who invites people to accept him in their lives
Feast
- A place or festival that people are invited to celebrate with the king.
- Symbolism: Heaven or God's Grace
Servant
- He is sent by the King to deliver the invitation to the people. He tells the guests about the king's invitation.
- Symbolism: Jesus and other people (prophets) sent to bring us God’s love and message of peace and salvation.
3 Guests
- The First group of people invited to attend the feast but they decline for various reasons.
- Symbolism: People who refuse God in their lives (can mean all of us at different times)
The Vulnerable - Poor/Sick/Blind/Lame
- Suffering people who accept the invitation to the feast.
- Symbolism: Vulnerable or suffering people who know that they need God in their lives and accept him.
Messages
1)God wants to be a part of every person’s life, but he will not force people to accept him. It's up to us to accept God's love.
2)There are many distractions that make it difficult for people to focus on God. Even good things or people can bring us away from God if we don’t understand them or treat them correctly.
3)Sometimes people who are poor and suffering develop a stronger relationship with God than people who don’t have any big problems. Experiences of suffering can help us to turn to God for help and trustmore in him. They are not always bad things. Even in the worst situations we can always find God.
4)We are called by God to help the people who are in the most need and are suffering.
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
Context: Jesus is responding to the question asked by Peter, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often should I forgive him?” (Basically asking how often should I forgive people) Jesus answers him by saying that you should always forgive and then tells the parable to show the message.
Money
- Payment owed by one character to another in the story.
- Symbolism - Represents sins committed against another person or God
King
- Agrees to let Servant #1 go free when he asks him for forgiveness of his debt without having to pay anything.
- Gets upset with his Servant #1 when he finds out he didn't forgive Servant #2 of his debt.
- Symbolism - Represents God who is all forgiving when we ask him for forgiveness. However, He is unhappy when refuse to treat others the same way.
Servant #1 (Debtor)
- Asks the king to forgive his debt when he can't pay it back.
- After being set free, he refuses to forgive Servant #2 of his debt and has him punished.
- Symbolism - Represents people who want forgiveness when they do something wrong, but are unwilling to forgive others when they have been offended = hypocrites
Servant #2 (Servant to the Debtor)
- People who aren't forgiven by others even when they are sorry, often causing these people to feel guilty or hurt.
- Symbolism - Is unable to repay his debt to Servant #1 and is punished for it.
Messages
- Always try to be willing to forgive others when they are sorry as God does.
- Sometimes it takes an experience of asking others or God for forgiveness in order for us to be more forgiving of others.