Jesus conveyed different messages to various audiences. To the Jews, He spoke with the understanding of their possession of the Law and the prophets. To those who were not His followers, He communicated through parables, while to His disciples; He revealed the secrets of the Kingdom. To the Samaritan woman at the well, He disclosed truths that had not been shared with anyone else. To the Gentiles, He offered them milk instead of solid food, as they had not yet been sufficiently grounded in the faith to receive stronger teachings (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). Recognizing this reality alleviates any potential misunderstandings for those who earnestly seek to engage with God’s word.
The challenge with Christianity lies in the fact that the same Bible speaks to different individuals and is subject to varied interpretations. However, engaging with people at their respective levels of understanding does not imply that Jesus intended to create divisions among them. Ultimately, the objective is for all individuals to grasp the message of the gospel. Those who appreciate His gospel are not necessarily required to be His followers. The Samaritan woman, who implored Jesus to provide her with living water, may have undergone conversion; however, this does not imply she became a disciple of Jesus (John 4:13-26).
Furthermore, some of Jesus’ teachings were opportunistic. He seized opportunities to teach after some sceptical individuals posed questions intended to entrap Him. For example, the lawyer who received the Parable of the Good Samaritan was instructed to go and do likewise. Whether that lawyer derived any benefit from Jesus’ response remains unknown, as the inquiry was solely meant to entrap Him. Notably, the Jews often asked questions not to gain knowledge from Him but rather to trap Him. Nonetheless, those inquiries served to yield valuable answers for us today, even though we were not part of the original audience.
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
“Now by chance, a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:25-37 NKJV).
The profound lesson mentioned above was imparted to His listeners, whom He urged to emulate the Good Samaritan in their lives. He was instructing them on a principle of altruism, in contrast to a self-centred lifestyle. The response was crucial, illustrating the necessity of attaining God’s Kingdom. The Israelites were aware of the prophesied Messiah who would come to redeem humanity. However, they perceived the behaviour of Jesus as unworthy of one expected to conquer all the enemies of Israel. His teachings were at odds with their rationale. We need to comprehend the purpose of the messages conveyed to the various levels of His audience.
To those whom He taught in parables, there was a measure of how far those listeners would engage with what they heard. Jesus expected individuals to demonstrate their conviction before He could assess their level of understanding. Even as He spoke in parables, some people realized that He was indeed the anticipated Messiah. Spreading the message of the Good News about the Kingdom was the primary aim of Jesus and continues to be the aim for today’s disciples.
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of these people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them’ (Matthew 13:10-15 NKJV).
The most profound part of the above passage is where Jesus states: “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” My practical experience includes individuals who were committed to the faith, having been convinced that Christianity requires paying tithes and observing the Sabbath Day. When faced with the litmus test regarding this aspect of faith, these individuals lost credibility with Christianity.
This illustrates the reality that whoever does not have, even what he possesses will be taken away. Such individuals may have squandered their resources by observing the Sabbath and paying tithes. However, I have also known individuals who remained faithful in their Sabbath-keeping and tithing. Rather than becoming demoralized upon discovering that such commitments were based on an erroneous understanding, they expressed gratitude and a desire to learn more.
A superficial examination of the four gospel books reveals a focus on specific groups, as each gospel communicates with its intended audience. For example, Matthew seems to write for Jewish listeners, while Mark’s writings appear to target outsiders with no association with Judaism. Luke focuses on women, the impoverished, and the marginalized in society. John’s writings are more spiritual and less concerned with law-keeping, placing greater emphasis on the Kingdom of God. Thus, the gospel message effectively reaches individuals at their own level of comprehension. However, John summarizes the purpose of Jesus’ coming into this world and how He presents Himself as the light, previously unknown.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practising evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God” (John 3:16-21 NKJV).
John’s writings illustrate the divergence of Jesus’ messages regarding the distinction between the physical and the spiritual realms. John shows that He devoted time to assisting a prominent Pharisee, Nicodemus, in understanding the existence of a spiritual being distinct from the physical body. Whether Nicodemus ultimately comprehended this distinction remains unverified. However, it is significant that, although Jesus engaged in conversation with Nicodemus, the message conveyed resonates with those who hear His voice. John also recorded this spiritual concept when Jesus was speaking to that Samaritan woman, without applying the idea of preaching in parables.
Jesus addressed that woman as if informed of spiritual matters. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). These individuals may have existed during that era, but the majority belong to the present time. The paramount importance is that God’s people recognize and heed His voice, both in contemporary times and in the past.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so, I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me because I lay down My life that I may take it again” (John 10:10-17 NKJV).
The most significant aspect of Jesus’ message is that His sheep recognize His voice. Consequently, within a group of individuals who receive His communication, some hear His voice while others are unable to perceive anything. Those to whom Jesus spoke in parables are also contemporary individuals. Furthermore, the same applies to those to whom God communicates spiritually. The impact of Jesus’ messages on people from diverse backgrounds is not different. He considered individuals who received Him when He was physically present, just as He does the same today. There is no distinction between the people of that time and those of today.
Another important point regarding the gospel mission is that it is not intended to convert everyone. The disciples were not expected to convert every person they encountered on the streets. Among those who heard the preaching, some would receive the gospel, but this does not imply that they were necessarily meant to be converted. However, it is possible that some individuals would hear the word and take action. Jesus stated that His sheep hear His voice, in contrast to those who would not be of His sheep, for whom His word would not find a place.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 NKJV).
The preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the world serves as a testament that the mission is not solely focused on converting individuals. Jesus articulated this, being cognizant of the gospel’s purpose as a witness, before His arrival. This implies that when the gospel is proclaimed, only those who belong to His fold respond positively. In essence, the gospel message is disseminated primarily to serve as a witness to those concerned.
Not all individuals are simultaneously granted the same level of understanding; some are given insight before others. However, the crucial question pertains to how each person utilizes what he or she has received from God. This consideration leads us to reflect on the distribution of talents, where one individual is given five talents, another two, and yet another is allotted only one (Matthew 25:14-30). The person possessing only one talent chose to conceal it, prompting Jesus to illustrate that the Master was displeased with such an attitude.
A person who reveres God does not excessively dwell on what he or she does not comprehend; rather, he or she endeavours to make the most of the limited resources available. This expectation aligns with a Christian perspective, which emphasizes the importance of individual responsibility over comparison with others. A person who compares their understanding with that of others cannot be beneficial to God. The notion of being subordinate to other Christians, without considering one’s own talents and how they contribute to God’s work, is a misconception. Each individual is a distinct entity in terms of the talents assigned to them.
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:24-30 NKJV).
At the outset, we discussed Jesus’ use of parables to convey messages to outsiders. He emphasized a related principle, indicating that the one who possesses little will ultimately lose everything. The talent that was intended for such an individual would subsequently be bestowed upon someone with greater capability. While this notion may appear unjust, a thorough examination reveals the rationale behind it. The individual in question has disregarded their talent, opting to take no action, even though God would have regarded them favourably among others. This person may have observed another, more talented individual diligently applying themselves yet chose to scorn their own abilities. We are all children of God. The pertinent question remains: how do we utilize the talents entrusted to us?
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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