How do we interpret parables?Yes it was a parable...a parable to tell an absolute truth. The unregenerate want nothing to do with God or His ways. They do not want to keep company(hang out with them) with the children of God. There is an old saying...'birds of a feather flock together.' I wanted nothing to do with the church. I would be respectful to them when I was around them, and even enjoyed their company, but I did not want to hang out with them. At the end of the parable Jesus stated "But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”[Lu. 19:27] Then in Matthew 21, Jesus told them the parable of the tenants overseeing the vineyard. He would send delegation to collect his portion of the fruits due him, and they would kill them. Even when he sent his son, they killed him, knowing he was the heir to the vineyard. This was a parable of God and the Jews, who killed Jesus by the sovereign will of God. God then rented that vineyard out to other tenants(Gentiles) after the king brought those 'wretches to a wretched end.'[vs 41a]
A person once said that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
A parable is an illustration meant to convey one essential truth. Not everything in the parable must be absolutely corresponding to some other truth. For example, in the parable of the lost coin what does the broom (or whatever she uses to sweep the floor) represent? It represents nothing more than a broom to clean a floor. It doesn't have a corresponding deeper truth such as representing "the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit," etc. Not everything in the parable corresponds to something. They are what they are.
It is an illustration mean to convey one essential truth.
Now I don't know how you come to the conclusions you do from the parable given in Luke 19. It was a parable about responsibility.
He gave his servants ten pounds, and told them to "occupy till I come."
When he came:
One servant's pound had gained ten pounds.
One servant's pound had gained five.
And the other servant had simply wrapped it up and done nothing with it.
He was "irresponsible. Thus the Master said:
Luk 19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
Luk 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
Luk 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
He was speaking to the Pharisees. The overall topic was the Kingdom, which he had been speaking on for much of the time The subject here was our responsibility in relation to the Kingdom. An irresponsible person would not be fit for the kingdom.
Walvoord summarizes it this way:
If the nation did not turn to Jesus, it would be punished.
Jesus gave this parable because… the people with Him thought He was going to reinstitute the kingdom immediately. Since they were close to Jerusalem, Jesus wanted to dispel any disappointment on the part of His followers.
Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, to those that hated him, to those who even at that time were plotting to kill him. You are applying the motives of these people to every single person on earth. Do you really think that is a fair assessment of all mankind when the Bible says otherwise.Yes He directed it towards the Pharisees. They wanted nothing to do with Him. They, being in darkness, hated the Light. Jesus stated When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”[Jn. 8:12] And then He also said "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”[Jn. 9:5] Then in John 1, John noted There was a man sent from God whose name was John(the Baptist). He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.[Jn. 1:6-9] Then in John 3 Jesus stated This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.[Jn. 3:19,20]
The truth of the matter is, God has set the conditions about us, around mankind that they will indeed seek him.
Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
--They can seek him. They will seek him. There is nothing to prevent them from seeking him.
There is plenty of evidence of this world-wide that goes directly contrary to Calvinistic teaching demonstrating what I believe the Bible to be true and Calvinism to be wrong. I have seen it in my own personal witness and read about it in other Christian media.
I have related this to you before: A Muslim college student, upset with the teachings of Islam, is now seeking out the truth of Christianity because she no longer can believe in what they are telling her about Islam.
In the Middle East many are turning to Christ for that very same reason. They seeking out "the true "God." When the Bible says, "No man seeks after God," first realize:
It is a quote from a psalm which is a general observation about mankind, not an absolute statement about all man.
Secondly, It does not say that man cannot seek God or does not have the ability to seek God.
Christ is the light of the world.Sinners are in darkness and what Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?[2 Cor. 6:14b] Sinners can not come to the Light unless first drawn by the Light. Why? As Jesus stated "It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”[Jn. 11:10] Sinners are in the night, in the darkness and can not see. Just as the blind man said, "I was blind but now I see!”[Jn. 9:25] They are blinded in and by their sins and can not see their need of a Saviour. They are deafened and can not hear the gospel. They have sin-hardened hearts that can not Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.[Jas. 1:21]
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
He dispels the darkness away. Do not say "They cannot see their need for a Savior," for many do. Why would you say such a thing? The Bible doesn't teach that for each and every person. Obviously it didn't teach that for Cornelius.
Even for the Philippian jailer, he wasn't regenerated before he saw his need for a Savior. Why do they ask to be saved? They see their need.
Your Calvinism has taken you too far. The Bible does not teach Total Inability.They wanted nothing to do with Him because they were not of His sheep. They hated Him, hated the Light, and wanted nothing to do with that Light, Jesus Christ.
Yes, they were trying to kill him; to crucify him on false charges. Really, do you put everyone in that same boat? I don't.The Pharisees wanted nothing to do with Him. They even sent spies to try to catch Him up in His sayings. Yet, when He was before Annas and Caiaphas, their witnesses would never agree. They were always accusing Him wrongly. They accused Him of having an evil spirit when they said “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”[Matt. 12:24]
I believed in the deity of Christ before I was saved. I accepted his "Messiahship" before I was saved. I accepted the fact that He was "the Lord" before I was saved. The RCC teaches many orthodox teachings. But I wasn't saved. The Pharisees denied all of this and out of hatred of these claims crucified him. They were envious of him. Not everyone is like the Pharisees.
Who is arguing against that?Christ was just as much Man as He was/is God. He gets no delight in the death of the wicked, yet in His holiness, sin must never go unpunished. It is either punished in the sinner or the Sinbearer. If the Sinbearer was punished for their sins, then the ones whose sins He atoned, they will not be punished in hell for them. He took what was rightly our punishment, by But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.[Isa. 53:5]