There’s a reasonable and important question that Jesus’ disciples may not have always asked out loud, but one that I have no doubt they asked themselves and one another repeatedly. It’s the kind of question that would naturally follow times when their beloved Rabbi would unexpectedly pause and interrupt their activities or travels to tell a brief story and/or point out something that was “like” the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Simple Images of Complex Principles ~
Those little impromptu vignettes came to be referred to, of course, as “parables.” Parables were a familiar teaching tool in Jesus’ day and one that He used masterfully throughout His ministry. Parables used commonplace scenes and circumstances to create metaphorical illustrations intended to make lofty, profound, and sometimes complex principles more understandable. The challenge to achieving that objective lay in determining what the items, actions, or characters in the parable were intended to represent. When Jesus talked about mustard seeds, for instance, He wasn’t really concerned about flowering vegetation. And His comments about grapevines had nothing to do with making Israel’s vineyards more productive. We could cite many more examples, but you get the point. All of His parables tend to prompt that key question . . . What’s He ‘really’ talking about?

Jesus often chose to make the questions unnecessary by answering them Himself. In other cases, the point was so obvious that no further clarification was needed. But we face a unique challenge in that things that seem to be crystal clear from our modern perspective turn out not to be nearly as clear as we thought. Though we’ve been blessed by 2,000 years of preaching, teaching, singing, and reading about those marvelous parables of Jesus, we’ve also been lulled into thinking that we know all there is to know about them. We understand that the “seeds” and the “soils” He taught about were not literal seeds and dirt. It’s clear to us that the “pearl of great price” wasn’t a shiny thing grown in some oyster’s digestive system. Hopefully, we know not to hang ourselves from lampposts expecting to glow in the dark because we’ve been declared to be the “light of the world.” And we don’t try to add a little flavor to our soup by sticking a finger in it because we’re the “salt of the earth.” Sometimes we just instinctively know what He’s not really talking about.

Mistakes Can Happen ~
Parables are always a blend of literal and metaphorical elements, and understanding requires accurately determining which is which. Jesus explained what some of His parables represented, but in other cases, His hearers were left on their own to decide where to draw the line between literal and metaphorical elements. The problem is that we’re subject to getting the categories confused and/or misinterpreting what the metaphorical elements represent. In which case, we basically end up eating the garnish and tossing the steak in the trash. 

And by now, some of you are probably wondering what I’m really talking about. That’s a fair question, so here we go … The parable that compels me to explore this issue is situated as a fitting conclusion to the most powerful concentration of Kingdom principles and values Jesus ever delivered. We call that dissertation the “Sermon on the Mount.” Matthew’s account is found in chapters 5-7, and he records the parable I’m referring to like this:

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matthew 7:24–27 NKJV)

Could We Be Missing Something? ~
Most of us have heard this story expounded in sermons, explored in commentaries, dissected in Bible studies, animated in videos, and woven into music and theater presentations. On the surface, it’s simply a clear, uncomplicated warning about what happens when people hear what Jesus says, but decide not to apply those principles in their lives. The parable’s primary objective is obvious, especially to those of us who have seen, or perhaps experienced, what a violent storm can do to a house. So, if the implications are so clear, what could we possibly be missing?

Could finding that answer begin by considering the images emerging in our heads as we think about Jesus’ story? Virtually all of us picture two guys building a house like the ones we’re accustomed to seeing. One guy brings in the heavy equipment, does some good site prep and pours a strong, solid foundation. The other dude decides to cut some corners. He locates a reasonably smooth flat spot and just starts throwing some 2x4s together. Then the storm comes. We watch a hurricane force storm unleash its fury on both houses. The first guy’s house might lose a shingle or two, but it stands firm and basically unscathed. The cheapskate’s house, on the other hand, is turned into a pile of useless rubble. 

So, let’s ask the questions . . . First, what’s Jesus really talking about here? Are the houses literal, or metaphorical? And all the Bible nerds among us immediately jump up and say, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s metaphorical, and He’s talking about the guy’s life.” 

A Different Perspective ~
While that’s certainly better than thinking it’s a literal house with a street address, it’s short of what I’m convinced Jesus had in mind. But before delving into what I think Jesus was really saying … what His audience was hearing … and what He wants us to know, let’s look at a few ways God talked about houses long before Jesus came along to walk among us. Among the psalms of Ascent, we find the pilgrims singing this:

Bless the Lord, O ‘house’ of Israel!
Bless the Lord, O ‘house’ of Aaron!
Bless the Lord, O ‘house’ of Levi! (Psalm 135:19–20 NKJV)

None of us are thinking that the house of Israel was a brick and mortar edifice that the whole nation lived in. There were no spiritual “smart homes” in those days capable of lifting up blessings to God. So I’m thinking that God’s probably not really talking about that kind of “house.”

And how about this comment by Samuel? 

Now it was so, while there was war between the ‘house’ of Saul and the ‘house’ of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the ‘house’ of Saul (2 Samuel 3:6 NKJV)

Nothing Literal Here ~
I’m pretty confident that God’s not suggesting Saul’s opulent uptown mansion with all the latest upgrades was conducting ongoing assaults against David’s modest, three-bedroom brick rancher. It seems to me that God’s talking about something much broader, more lasting, and more important than places where people get their mail. 

We’ll add just one more for good measure . . .

The Lord make the woman who is coming to your ‘house’ like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the ‘house’ of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your ‘house’ be like the ‘house’ of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.” (Ruth 4:11–12 NKJV)

A Far More Expansive Vision ~
As space demands that we wrap up our first installment in the series on this topic, I want to emphasize that the houses Jesus was talking about were not only more than physical houses. Their significance also extended far beyond anyone’s individual life. His mission was to redeem those who live in those houses and the families that they represent. In this parable, the house Jesus was focused on represented the potential for a world-changing legacy that resides in every one of us. He didn’t come into this world to give His life for houses. He came to redeem those who live in them, and to enable them to secure for their children a place to belong, and to provide for them a legacy of love and hope that will withstand every storm.

We’ll need to pause our discussion about what Jesus was really talking about until next week, but we can’t leave without a reminder that Jesus made another metaphorical reference to a house that has very personal implications for every one of us. He said: 

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions [dwelling places–lots of rooms]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:1–2)

So, we hope you’ll join us next week as we break our pause and continue our quest to understand what Jesus was really talking about in that regard.

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