Parables Mean: The Jesus Academy

Parables Mean:

The Jesus Academy

WAYNE C.FREDRICK

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© Copyright 2005 Wayne C. Fredrick..

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Contents

PROLOGUE

PART ONE: THE BOOK OF MATTHEW

PART TWO THE NOTES OF LUCA

PART THREE: THE BOOK OF ACTS

EPILOG

AUTHOR’S COMMENTARY

IN MEMORY OF

BAIZE VESTEMENT

Prologue

I grew up a farm boy but went into the city later, because of that incident with the hay raking. As a country bumpkin I know when somebody’s putting me on with stories about crops and how you handle problems on a farm. So the parable in Matthew 13 that Jesus tells about the tares among the wheat was either a joke or something got screwed up in the translation of it. Something else is going on there.

I’ll review the story for you. A field is sown, an enemy sneaks in and sows weeds; the slaves ask, what they should do, should they pull out the weeds. No, says the master, we’ll let them grow up with the wheat until harvest, and we’ll then collect the weeds separately, tie them in bundles, and burn them before harvesting the wheat.

Now when my minister explained it he relied on the explanation that is in the Bible after the parable. In Jesus’ quoted words he says the harvest is the end of the age, the harvesters are angels, and the enemy is the devil. But I object to that! There’s no way in hell that that explanation explains anything in a good-God way. Instead it points to a set-up based on predestination (once a weed, always a weed) burning people in fire, that the age will end (the harvest, you know) and that judgment should be withheld until the end of time and that judgment is the right of God alone.

Well I don’t accept that God didn’t want us to right wrongs here and now, nor do I accept that Jesus gave that phony-baloney explanation to the parable. The parable itself is his however, clearly his, and I’ll tell you how I know that. First off, you have to know farmers. They criticize each other’s work. I remember Dad scoffing at how poorly the neighbor handled his field cutting and how he managed his herd. And when I look at the parable, at the errors there in farm management; I see a set-up to raise some hackles to get the rural people thinking. The parable is not saying, ‘Sit back, wait, and rely on God to bring justice in an apocalyptic end-time.’ Instead, it’s a stimulus for discussion to get the farmers of the time, who are being oppressed by absentee land owners, to think about their strategy for dealing with stupid leaders. Did I say stupid? The master who says wait and we’ll gather the weeds and burn them separately doesn’t know beans and the farmers of the day would have recognized that.

When I was a kid, Dad would promise me and my brothers a penny for each mustard plant that we’d pull out of the oats field. He didn’t wait until the harvest; that would have been stupid. By then the mustard would have multiplied, shaded the oats, pulled moisture from the good plants, and seeded out to be a bigger problem for the next year. Wait till harvest? No, you weed early, doing as little damage as possible (our little feet as kids were perfect for not tromping down the oats) and then harvest a clean field when it’s ripe. There’s no good way to pick out weeds in a ripe wheat field; you knock out too many ripe kernels and lose crop.

When someone added that bogus explanation and put words in Jesus’ mouth, it was because they didn’t know from planting. They muzzled the farmers who

had the point of the story pointing at them. If you want to equate who’s who in the story, make the householder Rome and the slaves Judah and Israel. The Rome guy lies. He tells the slaves a sneaky enemy planted the weeds, but weeds grow all the time. (Perhaps the guy bought tainted seed from a crony who added bad seed in a kickback scheme). Then he gives them bad instructions that will result in a much reduced harvest (which affects their portion too) and which makes more work for them to repair his error at harvest time, making their lives all the more unbearable.

If you look at the master’s arbitrary decision about weeding, it is much like the way other decisions would have seemed to listeners, including those made by the priests that also controlled aspects of their lives. The litany of rules about cleanliness and sacrifice served to regulate, impoverish, and oppress the people. As farm hands or slaves they were already the ones who had lost their land and were now subservient, so it was a short step to being shunned as well, when they couldn’t bring in a sacrificial animal to make restitution for themselves before the priest.

I can imagine the discussions after Jesus first told this parable. At the end of arguments and revelations about what was really being alluded to, it must have led to questions about the right of overseers to their high positions, about what to do in the face of arbitrary rules controlling their lives, and how they could resist the tyrants that were making their lives miserable. Would the talk have gone also into strategies for skirting bad rules, for resistance to oppressive taxation and cleanliness laws, and for helping each other and joining forces to counterbalance the leadership?

The priests of the day would have actively preached against this. They might have lied in temple saying they heard Jesus explaining the parable and the farmers had it all wrong. Priests wrote, the farmers didn’t write. So the latter writers connected the two parts as though Jesus was a simpleton about farming, when it was more that the scribes invented a beclouded explanation that nobody believed at the time but which later became etched in stone. Or else it’s a cover story to keep the rulers from finding out what the real purpose of the parable, and maybe of all the parables, was.

Wayne C. Fredrick

Part One:

THE BOOK OF MATTHEW

John called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers. He did this publicly to their face. Jesus was baptized sometime after this incident by John, despite John’s reluctance. Jesus counseled that it was an obligation, Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness. (MT 3:15; NIV Study Bible. Double quotation marks show passages that are from the NIV book.)

Jesus was endangered by being baptized by John. John’s brashness in his public confrontations with religious and political leaders would lead to his arrest, imprisonment, and beheading; thus ending his mission. Jesus struggled to identify a different approach. He went on a 40-day fast in the desert to think and plan. This led to the writing of his first parable: the tri-part temptation by a mythic devil.

PARABLE 1: A DEVIL TESTS JESUS

 (MT 4:1-11)

If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread, said Satan, and waited for Jesus to respond.

If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down [from the highest point of the stone wall of the temple]. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone,’ he continued.

[While standing on the stone of a high mountain, seeing all the kingdoms]: All this I will give you if you fall down and worship me, Satan’s third challenge.

Jesus expects a listener to hear this set of temptations and think about their deeper meaning. On the surface these are tempting because of selfishness; we want our own daily bread, our own recognition by God, and riches and power over others. This encompasses our economic, religious and political life. Jesus, a man having taken on a mission of his own design, rebuffs this as follows: ‘When I answered the Tempter, I was telling him that I reject miraculous intervention for either small or large problems. I reject the expectation of angels saving me from myself. I reject the idea of doing good works for self-serving reasons. If a mentor asked me, ‘Jesus, What learn you from your three tests, Locust?’ I would say that I want to improve the condition of this world, here and now, for the good of today’s people and of those to come. I want to devote my life to social change. I also learned that the writings and past interpretations are not sufficient to guide me in this. I must add my own supposition and reasoning to construct new responses that are relevant to the current situation and times.’

‘Has ‘devil’ then stumped you with his riddles?’

‘No, Spirit, it is easy. Each temptation includes the stones; they are the key. There are stones of three sizes that impede one’s mission; medium, like the stones used in raising a wall, small like loaves of bread, and huge like mountains. A medium impediment requires us to invent strategies that can be used to deal with them, so we need no help from angels. Angels do heaven’s business; we do earth’s business.

‘Small impediments, like the daily indignities of our lives, we ourselves can solve by a little forethought and planning, and thus we do not need to waste the patience of our God. Finally there are the large impediments, as big as mountains. These are the attacks on our lives and livelihood caused by the oppressive rulers of Rome. And these are the priestly perversions of the temple rules and of the Mosaic laws. The priests’ merciless and unending hurdles for keeping ritual purity and then the constant sacrifices serve more to control than to glorify. Likewise, the Roman rulers and their puppets are dispassionately lethal with their non-Roman subjects. These two huge stones need to be fought with coordinated effort and sustained planning for the long term. The rulers want our honor, but we should honor only what is true to God, for only by right service to our fellowmen do we rightly serve God.

‘So I say, a prophet should get over the small things; devise strategies to handle the medium-level problems; and go into prolonged mission to solve endemic and systemic problems. For these long-term challenges, one needs to respond by training and coordinating a crew of followers that is sufficient and ready to go the distance.’

‘Locust, you have answered well.’

THE FIRST CALL PREACHED BY JESUS

 (MT 4:12-17)

When Jesus heard about John’s arrest, he got out of Bethany fast. He went 75 miles north to Capernaum, a sailing port on the Sea of Galilee, for he knew people there, and, it was away from the authorities in Jerusalem. He began preaching something new, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Now Peter and Andrew, brothers; and James and John, sons of Zebedee; were fishermen at this port, and they heard of him and went to listen. One of them, mildly intrigued, asked deceptively, ‘Rabbi, is that a face-value communication or is there deep meaning to it?’

Jesus replied, ‘Disciple, you know how far your hand can reach, you know how far your softly-talking voice can carry, and you know the length of a yell. And how the eye can see a kindness or a blow; and how the skin of one’s shoulder can feel respect or disdain. The nose smells fear, it smells sickness, it smells death; but it also smells lovemaking and childbirth and well-made food. The mouth tastes of bitter and of sweet, of fear and confidence, and also of wrong and right. When I say ‘heaven is near’ I am telling you that you are a source of power for heaven, just as I am. You and I bring it near by the manner of discourse against oppression.

‘When I say ‘repent,’ I am encoding a new meaning, and that is to turn things around by the means I will show you. Those who join with me will do secret battle with the current authorities. Yes, we will battle, but we will be smart by being inconspicuous as to our involvement or intention. This smartness will seem devious and foolhardy, but everything else has been tried. Look to the sorry disarray of John’s followers in Bethany. When I am ready to resist arbitrary rules, I need to resist my overlords instructively so that I model a new relationship between ruler and servant. The elders promised a Jubilee every fiftieth year, wherein homesteads revert back to the family and debts are canceled. We will work to find such Jubilee for today’s oppressed. I will teach you the ways to do this, and together we’ll recruit another cadre and teach them too, and more and more will join and learn to do this work.’

JESUS RECRUITS DISCIPLES

 (MT 4:18-22)

Jesus told the fishermen working the Galilee, Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Four of them decided to hear more of the plan, and these men were Peter, Andrew, James and John. Also Matthew and others, serving as tax collectors and functionaries for the Romans, came enquiring and listened.

They listened and considered, but then wondered at the magnitude of what was being proposed. They asked, ‘How shall we eat, Rabbi, if we leave our work?’

‘I tell you true, Fishermen, you no longer have control of your boats. The nets you pull have no pleasures for you. Let Antipas catch his own fish and salt them for the Roman feasts. And you, Matthew and Jude, because you can calculate you are forced to work in heinous jobs to levy egregious double taxes on your own people. The people hate you double, too. Double because you should be on their side for one thing, and second, you are point men put between the taxed and the taxing. For their gain and protection you are sacrificial lambs if any revolt comes.

‘I tell you, ‘follow me’ because we can fight this forced labor (needed for the rebuilding of Sepphoris and for construction at Tiberias, being built over graves) only by uniting in our actions against it. Ten men not complying, not working, will weaken them; a hundred gone will do more. We will take to the hills and recruit others, teach them and other people how to resist in secret and yet openly, without being beaten and killed. This is the means to turn these despots into fairer men. By oblique confrontations, passive malingering, non-lethal sabotage, unintended consequences, group solidarity, and other means we will slow the work, and the failure to reach their goals will make them look for other relationships with us. We will supply new modes. They will realize we are people of stomach, equal to them.’

JESUS BEGINS A TEACHING AND HEALING MINISTRY

 (MT 4:23-25)

The region of Galilee included the two cities being rebuilt by Herod Antipas. Clearing of the graves at Tiberias released dust of the dead into the air. Anyone downwind needed to do ritual cleansing and be approved by the priests to rejoin temple society. This required fees and purchase or donation of sacrifices. So not only were the men and women of Galilee paying stiff taxes, they were put into servitude as laborers and suppliers, subject to impurity through someone else’s action, and had to host a larger than usual regiment of troops and enforcers. Where could they get relief? Jesus set up shop preaching that there was good news!

They were ready to listen to ideas about passive resistance and of mildly subversive retaliation against Herod. They heard and were pleased about a God who had become less angry and less demanding, who promised to count fewer sins and forget sheaves of sins when the people, men and women, did communal work. And the healings! How wonderful to learn that people could be excused from certain rituals during this hard time. It was exciting to hear that shunning would no longer be allowed. There would be new social acceptance for skin diseases and paralysis; that would attain by covering the offending area or limb. Mental problems were to be mended not by ostracism but by intentionally interacting with the individuals so beset. Demons they saw chased away on the spot. ‘Get out,’ the healer would say; and people could gather around and see that the afflicted man or woman felt better. They believed. The pain from loneliness left them, the embarrassment of low status soon would be removed, and the sin offering owed a priest could be given directly to the offended party. They began to control their lives. It was miraculous but not supernatural.

PARABLE 2: JESUS LISTS BEATITUDES

 (MT 5:1-10)

Jesus spoke from a hillock that was marked by palm fronds stuck into sand in a semicircle behind him. As he talked, he paused so disciples who were posted a few yards away could relay the message in a clear voice for all the listeners, seated in groups on blankets, to hear again. Eight Beatitudes were listed, having the form: Blessed are so-and-sos, for they will receive so-and-so. It took some time to ponder the list of eight items, but after awhile a man who was scrunching up his face dared to complain, ‘But tell Sire there is a problem. He has given to the persecuted ones the same prize as was given to the poor in spirit. Is that fair? Then, you see, some receive everlasting awards like ‘inherit the earth,’ while others get temporary comfort or may be granted just a small mercy. What gives?’ Andrew passed the questions forward to Jesus, who on hearing of these motioned to the man.

‘Come here to me, my man. I will give you audience for further discussion. And to a few others of you if you feel the same, come up here. Sit, sit. You have listened well. By using logic, you have gotten close to the deeper meaning in this list. There is a problem, and it is the problem of unfairness, as you point out. Even good gifts can be unfairly given. Instead of gratitude, a blessing given inequitably can raise up envy and resentment. In a like way, punishments can be unfairly meted out. Of course, unfair punishments are doubly insulting, while unfair gifts may be merely annoying. But unfair laws in society incite people. Why should the firstborns and the males get larger inheritances than the sisters and the latter-born brothers?

‘You men who have come forward can do some more thinking along with me. Listen again to the overall gifts in the beatitudes that were listed. Take some time and then tell me how you characterize the lot.’ A re-recitation of the list was given.

A different man raised his hand, ‘These gifts are promised, not yet given. It says in six of these beatitudes that gifts will be given, which puts the recipient in a waiting mode, one that could last a long time. Thus those in mourning, the meek, those wanting righteousness, those who are merciful, the peacemakers and the pure in heart must all wait in anticipation of a future gift.’

Another man added that most of the gifts seemed to come from heaven and he knew that heaven only came at the end times, at the apocalypse. Why weren’t there gifts that helped the people who were so poor and savaged in their lives right now?

Jesus thanked them for these insights. He went on to explain it was his belief that the promise of future gifts made people apathetic about current times, just as the promise of future punishments paralyzed them through fears, or made them desperate. He wondered aloud whether the apocalypse was a healthy concept for mankind. Did it make people better or worse? Jesus asked the men to attend future sessions.

JESUS TEACHES THE FIRST RECRUITS

 (MT 5:11-12)

‘Prophets have the feeling that by seeking persecution they will store up the treasures of heaven for themselves. They have in them the mantra of the beatitudes, that in the end they are avenged by glorious gifts. I could write, Blessed are you when persecuted, because your reward is great in heaven. But listen to me. Do not look to the former prophets for the model of our mission. They were persecuted, even killed for speaking directly to kings and rulers. They stood alone and took it. And when they died alone nothing happened. So do not seek their brand of blessings because of me, but follow me for a new kind of blessing, one not given to us, but a blessing that we give to those after us. We won’t look for our reward from heaven, we are not selfish in that way; we bring the goodness of Eden back upon the earth and bestow its bounties on ourselves and others by our actions. This process will be long and will require planning and coordinated work by many people, as though in battle.

‘When the fight is going to be long and hard, do not seek foolishly an end to your life by obvious confrontation. Rather seek to build alternatives clandestinely, to cause consequences to those who think only of themselves. Such seemingly natural events will make them rethink what they are doing. There are others who qualify only as fence-sitters. These we will work with to co-opt them to become those who do our bidding as blithely as they now do the bidding of their overlords.

‘The authorities will feel endangered by what we do. If they fervently believe and hope we are mere religious nut cases, we can use this as cover for our efforts at correction of the government. Under guise of preaching, we can plan; under guise of religious