The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-12-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON x DEC. Q -CHRlsr
TEACHING BY PARALLELS.
Gotdcn Text: The Seed Is the Word NJ
God-Lukc VIII. 4.lj

Introductory. There are some por.
ables in the old tcstumcn.. but not
many. "Parables are also fnand scat.
tered throughout the literature of the
world; they abound in the poems and
sacred books Of later religions bnt
those of Jesus Christ are unapproach.
ably superior to all Others. No other
part of the teaching Of Jesus is So
well known as that which is embodied
in his parallels. The reason for this
fact is that in them he has presented
the gospel to us in the form Of living
pictures which cannot fade out 81
mind and memory. Who, for example.
could ever forget the parable Of the
prodigal son? The one which is.
brought to our attention to-day has
likewise an imperishabie charm.
The group Of eight parallels spoken
at this time (scven in Matt and one,
othes in Mari) were concerning the
kllGNOl1l VI hth|tii III oil LN)b0 ASPECTS,
and should be read and studied asa
group in order to obtain view Of the
drift and burden Of Jesus teaching
at this time.
|. The Parable Itself, verses As, 4.
"Whcn much people were gathered
together" Jesus used all the oppor-
tunities that came to him 70 preach
the truth.
5. "A sower went ont TO SOW"
Not merely out of his house, but out
of the village in which, like all the
farmers of Palestine, he lived The
waysde.' There were no regular
roads in Palestine, but beaten paths.
ran around the margins of the fields
AS the sower scattered his seed, some
would necessarily fall on these paths.
ut was trodden down. But not GOV.
cred up. THE fowls . . deyoured
it, Eagerly gathering it up for food
6. "a rock" Not loose fragment,
but a broad and firmly placed rock,
covered over with only the thinnest
layer of soil. at withered away be-
cause it lacked moisture" And it
lacked moisture because il had mo
depth of EARTH"
I. "Some fell among thorns"
Which then abounded in that coun-
try, as they do now, and which the
imperfect cultivation did not kill out
of the fields. "Choked it," Anybody
that has ever seen a freshly sprouted
plant Of any sort struggling for its
life in the midst of patch of weeds
or briers will know what this means.
8. Good ground" Both fertile
and we'll prepared. Bare fruit
hundred fold" st. Matthew men
lions also thirty and sixty fold HE
that hath ears to hear, let him hear"
This means: PAY attention to the
truths which are proclaimed to you,
and try to understand them"
II. The Meaning of the Parable,
vers. Oils. .. What might this para
BILE be?' What is the meaning Of
this parable?
TO- Unto you" Who have sin.
cere desire to learn. ut is given to
know the kingdom of God" The
mystery is not thing incompre.
hensible, but simply thing concealed
or covered up. When it is uncovered
it may be understood To the disc.
pies, who were prepared for such dis
closures, the parallels We're uncovered
by the explanations of Jesus, but not
so to others. ''That seeing they
might not see." Unwillingness TO-
see was punished by incapacity for
seeing.
II. THE seed is the word o. Sod. y
AS spoken by prophets and apostles,
and especially by Jesus Christ.
IL. ''Those by the wayside are those
that hear" But pay no attention,
and so fail to understand, and soon
forget. "Then cometh the devil
Flying. hither and thither, on mis-
chief bent "Taketh away the word"
Removes it utterly from their minds.
10. "They on the rock ). receive
the word with joy" They are mpul-
sive, ready to welcome any new mes
sage. but not deeply nor permanently
affected by what they hear. "These
have no root" Are not firmly ground
ed. "In time Of temptation fall away.
When the test comes they fall.
Ia. "Choked with cares and riches
and pleasures These are three
things that most of all hinder the
hearers of the word from bringing
forth fruit to perfection.
Is. IAN honest and good heart" A
heart ready to take in the truth and
profit by 1t. Keep it." Do not let II
slip away from them. "With pa
tience." Literally, "with persever- 4
ance."