The Bible Book

214

O

ne of the many reasons

the Bible is still so popular

today is its use of story.

As humans, we are captivated by

the power of narrative, so skilled

orators use stories to convey

concepts. Jesus is no exception.

He uses short, meaningful stories

called “parables” to engage and

teach His listeners.

The word “parable” comes

from the Greek parabole, meaning

“placing beside” or “comparison,”

and refers to the fact that parables

use extended analogies to explain

God’s teachings. Parables allow

readers to draw comparisons with

the situations in the stories and

their own lives as servants of God.

They are sometimes called earthly

stories with heavenly meanings, as

Jesus uses common socio-cultural

contexts, such as farming, to explain

the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew

13:3–8, for example, Jesus tells the

story of a farmer whose seed falls

variously on a path, rocky ground,

thorns, and good soil.

A farmer sows his seeds in Marten

van Valckenborch’s 1590 depiction of

the parable of the sower. The painting

also shows Jesus (in a boat) telling the

story to His followers.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Matthew 13:1–53,

Luke 8–20, Mark 4–13

THEME

Teaching through stories

SETTING

c. 27–29 ce The Galilee region.

KEY FIGURES

Jesus The Messiah and Son

of God during His ministry

in Galilee and Judea.

Jesus’s disciples A group

of Jewish men and women

who call Jesus their rabbi or

teacher. They travel with Him

during His ministry and

preach about Him and His

teachings after His death.

WHOEVER HAS

EARS, LET

THEM HEAR

MATTHEW 13:43, PARABLES OF JESUS

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215

See also: The Good Samaritan 216–17 ■ The Prodigal Son 218–21 ■

Workers in the Vineyard 223

THE GOSPELS

Unsurprisingly, only the seeds on

the good soil yield abundant crops.

Jesus explains what the parable

signifies: the seed stands for the

truth of the kingdom, while the

various soils represent the people

hearing the truth (18–23). If people

are not “good soil”—receptive to

the word of God—they will not

come to understand it. Only those

who comprehend the word and let it

transform their lives will bear fruit.

Speaking in parables

Jesus uses everyday images, but

some fail to grasp the complex

spiritual truths they communicate.

For instance, after Jesus tells them

several parables, the disciples ask

Him to explain the story about the

weeds in the field (13:36), which

explains the existence of good

and evil people in the world.

Once Jesus explains them, the

stories make complete sense to

the disciples. However, when Jesus

does not clarify their meaning, they

are not always so obvious. This is

the very nature of parables—and

one of the reasons Jesus uses them.

He uses parables not just to convey

the truth to those who believe, but

to conceal it from those who harden

their hearts to Him. They will not

know the truth because “they

hardly hear with their ears ... they

have closed their eyes” (13:15). ■

The oral tradition

Before the Jewish and

Christian traditions existed

in written form, they were

almost always passed down

orally. The history, values, and

folklore of these communities

were verbally transmitted

from teacher to student in

familial or educational circles.

Since the spoken word was

the main form of education,

students refined their listening

skills, while teachers sought

to be riveting orators. They

used rhetorical devices to help

structure their teachings and

make them more memorable.

Jesus learned and taught

in this method, which is why

He often quoted the scriptures

from memory and chose to

teach with parables: they

were short, rich with meaning,

and easy to remember. The

number of parables recorded

in the Gospels—decades after

Jesus’s death—demonstrates

their memorability and His

skill as a rabbi and storyteller.

Five main types of parable told by Jesus:

Jesus uses parables to teach several different religious lessons.

Describing

Heaven

as in The

Hidden

Treasure

(Matt 13:44).

Describing the

lost being

redeemed

as in The

Lost Sheep

(Luke 15:1–7).

About love and

forgiveness

as in The

Unforgiving

Servant

(Matt 18:21–35).

Explaining

the nature

of prayer

as in The

Unjust Judge

(Luke 18:1–8).

Explaining

Judgment

Day as

in The

Ten Virgins

(Matt 25:1–13).

Jesus spoke all these

things to the crowd in

parables; he did not say

anything to them without

using a parable.

Matthew 13:3

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