Milking the right part of the cow

There’s no doubt that the parables of Jesus are difficult to properly interpret. One common error is to become fixated upon some incidental element of the story and push on it for a lesson, forcing the parable to answer a question that just wasn’t being asked.

For instance, in the parable of the prodigal sons (Luke 15), someone might observe that the younger son decides by his own willpower to return to his father’s estate. They might then conclude this passages teaches that sinners can choose on their own to seek God.

Likewise, in the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20), someone might notice that, even though the workers were all paid the same, they all had to work hard to earn the pay. They might conclude this passage teaches that salvation is earned by our effort.

Although it feels a bit feeble, the only correct response to such errors is to say that this just isn’t what the passages are about. All parables invite us to draw out the meaning, but the challenge is pressing on the right part. Those who don’t are like a farmer trying to get milk by adamantly pulling…on the hoof of the cow.