Parables and Miracles

What is a parable, and why are they important?

Here is a definition of a parable, according to the Bible Dictionary: "The word parable is Greek in origin and means a setting side by side, a comparison. In parables divine truth is presented by comparison with material things." A parable is a story used to teach truth, and allows for different levels of understanding and application, based on spiritual depth and understanding of different individuals. Jesus almost always taught in parables. In the Bible Dictionary it also says, "From our Lord’s words (Matt. 13:13–15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10) we learn the reason for this method. It was to veil the meaning. The parable conveys to the hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to the dull and uninspired it is a mere story, “seeing they see not,” while to the instructed and spiritual it reveals the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Thus it is that the parable exhibits the condition of all true knowledge. Only he who seeks finds."

Parables can teach us many things and can be applied to our times and to our lives. Here are a few examples of parables Christ taught:

The parable in Mathew 13: 24-30 (parable of the tares) can be seen as describing the future growth of the Church.

The parable in Mathew 13: 31-32 (parable of the mustard seed) helps explain the growth of the Church, even though it's fairly new.

The parable in Mathew 13: 44-46 (parable of the pearl of great price) helps answer the reasons why so many members of the Church are willing to sacrifice so much.

The parable in Mathew 13: 47 -50 (parable of the gospel net) explains why the Church has so many missionaries.

In considering the parable of the treasure and the pearl of great price, one might ask the self, "What am I willing to give up, or what sacrifices am I willing to make, in order to obtain the gospel." Being born into the Church, it's easy to sometimes take the gospel for granted.  This parable helped me ponder what it is I'd be willing to sacrifice in order to have the gospel in my life if I didn't have it, and also what I'd be willing to sacrifice in order to keep it in my life, and a full part of my life. I would (hopefully) give up anything in order to have the precious truths contained in the gospel and the scriptures in my life.  In my extended family, my grandparents (my dad's parents) made some sacrifices in order to bring the gospel into their family. My grandparents were not members of the Church, and sought many answers to deep questions regarding life before finding the truth. They had old habits and thoughts that needed to be let go of in order to join the Church and embrace the gospel.  Because of some of the sacrifices associated with this, I was able to be born into the gospel and enjoy the blessings of the everlasting covenant from my parents.

Another parable I've pondered about this week is the parable of the net being cast into the sea.  The net represents missionaries (full-time and member missionaries), and their efforts to bring others to the gospel.  It can also be representative of the Atonement. As the net is cast in, it is representing those who are being brought into the Church and are converted to the gospel. Not everyone will be a member of the Church in this life, thus the "good" and " bad" fish; once we've been gathered in, and it's judgment time, we have the opportunity to partake of the gospel and come unto Christ (for some of us this will mean converting to the gospel and being baptized, etc., and for others it will mean repenting and utilizing the Atonement), otherwise we will be like the "bad" that was cast out of the net and destroyed.

If we learn to use parables to deepen our understanding of spiritual and gospel matters, we can be richly blessed.  There is so much to learn from and draw out of Christ's parables, if we take the time to study them.

Miracles of the Lord

Christ performed many miracles while on the earth.  In each of His miracles, someone exhibited amazing faith.  We can learn from these miracles, and those demonstrating faith, below:

Reference	Miracles of the Lord	Who Demonstrated Faith
Matthew 8:1-4	Christ heals a leper.	The leper ("Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean").
Matthew 8:5-13	A centurion's servant is sick with palsy, and Christ heals him.	The centurion (Christ says, "As thou hast believed, so be it done...").
Matthew 8:14-15	Christ heals Peter's mother from a fever.	Christ exhibits faith.
Matthew 8:16	Christ casts out spirits of the devil from many people.	Christ and those who brought the people to Him for healing.
Matthew 8:23-27	Christ calms the winds and sea.	Christ (as it says, the men were fearful).
Matthew 8:28-34	Spirits of the devil are cast into swine.	Christ, and those whose bodies had been inhabited by the evil spirits.
Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34	A woman with a blood diseased is cured by Christ.	The woman with the disease ("If I but touch Him, I will be whole").
Matthew 9:27-31	Christ gives sight to two blind men.	The two blind men believe they will be healed.
Mark 2:1-12	Christ heals a person with palsy, and they take up their bed and walk.	The people in the area and around the home have faith in Christ's power to heal the bed-ridden individual.

What kind of faith do we each have?  Have we exercised our faith recently?  What can we do to increase our faith?