An important factor in the context of today’s parable was Jesus’ growing popularity and influence, which made certain religious leaders jealous. Jesus was invited to dinner at a religious leader’s home on the Sabbath and put to a test: a crippled man was brought to Jesus—would He heal him on the holy day of rest? Jesus heals the man (and before they can get too offended) launches into a parable about a party and how people jockey for the best position rather than live in humility.
The Jews called storytelling to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, was known as parables to the Greeks. Parables didn’t have to be long stories; they could also be simple illustrations conveying deeper spiritual concepts. In Luke 12 when Jesus says, “Consider how the wildflowers grow,” that was still considered Aggadah. It was a way of conveying that even everyday things can speak to the nature of your life in the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, parables are/were all about living in the Kingdom of God today. Eternal life with God begins now. Jesus creates word pictures so we would understand more of God, the world He made, and how we are to live in it.
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