Jesus and His Parables
"That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lake side, but crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables."
Matthew 13:1-3 NSRV
Since Jesus was, by then, not always welcome in the synagogues, we find Him teaching on the seashore in a boat. He used the temple of the open air and taught people in the village streets, on the roads, by the side of the lake and in their homes.
At this time, His style of teaching changed. He started using parables or a short story.(1) Whatever is true of Jesus, it is certainly true that He was one of the world’s supreme masters of the short story.(2) He did not invent the parable, but is the only one who used that form of teaching in the New Testament 46 times or more.(3) A parable is defined as a comparison from nature or daily life to teach a spiritual truth.(4)
In Matthew 13:10-11, we read, “Then the disciples went up to him and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’” In Matthew 13:13-14, Jesus says, “The reason I talk to them in parables is that look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.”
How does a parable work?
The first quality of a parable is that it creates a picture to which others can easily listen and understand. It opens one’s mind and eyes starting from a common frame of reference, and then leads to the point of the story. Put another way, parables illustrate truth in the form of a short story and help people discover truth for themselves.
The parable, as Jesus used it, was spoken not read, so its impact had to be immediate and clear.
My favorite parable is Matthew 20:1-16, Workers in the Vineyard. Workers come at different times of the day and when the day ends, they all are paid the same amount. (Labor unions do not like this story.) For me, it shows that God treats us all the same way. It is His grace and love that accepts us regardless of how long we have followed our Lord or what we have done in his name.”
"By grace we have been saved and accepted of God… Grace, therefore, is the unmerited favor of God toward each and every one of us.”
Ephesians 2:4
Thanks be to God our Heavenly Father for His Grace, Love and understanding. Amen.
(1) (2) (3) Pictorial Bible Dictionary: Southwestern Co.P 621.
(4) Holman Bible Handbook: Broadman & Holman P 551
