{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"From the Pulpit: An FBCOS Podcast","title":"The Parables of Jesus: Parables Defined","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3387,"description":"# The Purpose of Parables — Matthew 13\n**Sermon Date:** August 16, 2026\n## Episode Summary\nThis week we begin a new series moving into Matthew 13, where Jesus shifts from open, easy-to-grasp illustrations (light under a bushel, houses built on rock vs. sand) to a deeper, more deliberate style of teaching: the seven \"parables of the mystery of the kingdom.\" These parables give believers insight into what to expect during the age between Christ's first and second comings — the church age we're living in right now.\nThe heart of this message answers a question every reader of Scripture eventually asks: **why did Jesus teach in parables, and what does it actually take to understand the Bible?**\n## Key Takeaways\n**Two reasons Jesus spoke in parables:**\n- **To conceal truth** — from a multitude that had already rejected Him and hardened their hearts (built on the preceding rejection narratives in Matthew 11–12)\n- **To reveal truth** — to His disciples, who had come to Him in humility and were ready to receive it\n**The principle behind the parables (v. 12):** what you have will be increased, what you neglect will be taken away — like an investor moving resources toward what's bearing fruit.\n**Four requirements for understanding God's Word:**\n1. **It must be given and received** — spiritual truth can't be grasped by intellect alone; it has to be spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14)\n2. **You have to value the Word** — placing real worth on Scripture, not letting it collect dust on a shelf\n3. **You have to be intimate with the Lord** — spending unhurried time in prayer and study, letting Scripture interpret Scripture\n4. **You have to be a doer of the Word** — obedience unlocks further understanding; God doesn't hand over more truth until you act on what He's already given\n## Scripture Referenced\n- Matthew 13:1–17 (primary text)\n- Matthew 8–12 (context: miracles and mounting rejection)\n- Isaiah's prophecy of hardened hearts (quoted in Matthew 13:14–15)\n- 1 Corinthians...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/v8KTE1Pzf_y_tqipWVW3KR8hWRPW9YYTcwz4mIt-TMw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzI3NjUxLzE2NDI2/MzA5MzYtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}