The Face of God in the Parables
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed,
The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
(Exod 34:6)
By Stephen W. Hiemstra
The image of God in the New Testament takes three forms: The person of Jesus, Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God with the parables, and the founding of the church on Pentecost by the Holy Spirit. This is a trinitarian revelation of God, not by words, but by action. Here I will focus on the image of God the Father found in the parables.
The authenticity of the parables as Jesus’ own words are seldom questioned, in part, because Jesus’ parables are unique, a genre unto themselves. The parables invite the hearer to participate in the story and require a response to the call to faith, many times without explicitly mentioning God.
Circumlocutions
Explicit in some parables and implicit in others are the words: The kingdom of God is like… Because the covenantal name of God, YHWH, is sacred in Jewish thought, the Bible uses numerous circumlocutions—indirect references—for God’s name. The most common circumlocution is Lord, which in Hebrew is Adoni. Another common circumlocution is The Name, which in Hebrew is Shem.
Indirect speech, like poetry, is most common in repressive societies. Jesus began speaking in parables after the Pharisees began to plot against him (Matt 12-13). In this sense, a parable is an elegant form of circumlocution.
New Testament references to the Kingdom of God (Mark, Luke) or the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew) are circumlocutions for the name of God. Almost all of Jesus’ parables refer to the kingdom of God, while rabbinic parables typically elucidate a passage of scripture (Blomberg 2012, 77).
God’s Self-Revelation
Because we are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27), it is important that we understand what God’s image implies. After the second giving of the Ten Commandments, Moses is given a description in Exodus 34:6, cited above, of who God is that is repeated throughout the Old Testament (Ps 86:15, 103:8; Joel 2:13; and Jonah 4:2).
This latter reference is interesting because Jesus described his mission in these words: “For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Luke 11:30) If Jesus knew the story of Jonah, he most clearly knew Exodus 34:6 because Jonah’s reason for running away from Nineveh hinged on it: “That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah hated the Ninevites and refused to preach God’s forgiveness them because he knew God would forgive them if they repented of their sin.
These five characteristics of God—mercy, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness—therefore provide a powerful classification for Jesus’parables. A sixth classification—the response and characteristics of disciples—provides another obvious classification for many parables.
Jesus’ Authority
Why is Jesus an authority on the image of God? Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection credential his link to God as the author of our faith (1 Cor 15:20-28; Heb 12:2). In fact, because the New Testament was written after the Christ’s death and resurrection, every sentence in the New Testament should be read as if pre-pended with the words: Because Christ rose from the dead, therefore…
The parables of Jesus therefore read as if penned by God himself, something worthy of further study.
References
Blomberg, Craig L. 2012. Interpreting the Parables. Downers Grove: IVP Academic.
Kreeft, Peter. 2007. The Philosophy of Jesus. South Bend, IN: Saint Augustine Press.
The Face of God in the Parables
Also see:
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:
Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com
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