Why Did Jesus Preach in Parables?

Jesus preached with parables throughout the gospels.

What are parables?

Parables are short, didactic stories that express a moral lesson or principle. The parables use allegory to express important truths about the Kingdom of God.

The Parables in the Bible

There are a lot of different parables in the gospels. The content of the stories relate to a number of familiar settings in the lives of the crowds to whom Jesus preached.

He shared stories about farmers, shepherds, workers, landowners, servants, kings, rich men, moneylenders, widows, judges, families, virgins, bridegrooms, and even a Samaritan. These were all familiar roles, images, and experiences, but they were placed within stories that challenged conventional wisdom of the time.

Why did Jesus preach in parables?

The disciples asked Jesus this very question:

“The disciples approached him and said, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’” (Mt 13:10).

So, why does Jesus preach to the crowds of people in parables? He answers, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted” (Mt 13:11).

The parables teach people who have not yet become disciples what God is like. They express what it will take to become a disciple.

Rather than demanding people follow him, Jesus explains in stories how much God loves them and what they should do in response.

Jesus didn’t teach in parables; he proclaimed salvation in
parables. Each parable conveys something essential about the
kingdom of God.

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[macwade]

Great video, The Religion Teacher! God bless you!

[SRAVALM]

The essence in meaning is Spiritful and never superficial. An experience, expression, feeling, a knowing, longing, sense, resonance is beyond the veil. One cannot even comprehend the layers of parables if they're not Heart(Spirit) centered.
Parables, metaphors, synchronicity, symmetry, symbology, correspondence is going within and is a form of language in Spirit.
People think repenting is about going from bad to what's good; really it's about turning away from ego so going the Spiritual path -- to even seek out Christ's parables, one has to value & care, in doing so commences Spirituality through seeking the Christ light in aquiring enlightenment.

[annajames]

So well explained! Thank you Jared! This is useful for my catechism class.

[veronicamiller]

Thank you. You explained this so perfectly! I looked at different teachers and yours was far the best!! So simple!! Thank

[truthbyjesus]

JESUS deliberately spoke in PARABLES in order to BLOCK the UNDERSTANDING of some people. Are YOU one of those who will HEAR His parables but NOT understand, NOT be converted, and NOT be forgiven?

“…all these things are done in PARABLES: That seeing they may see, and NOT perceive; and hearing they may hear, and NOT UNDERSTAND; lest at any time they should Be Converted, and their sins should Be Forgiven them.” (Mark 4:11-12)

[stanblackburn]

Excellent, Jerry! I am glad to see the camera in a better position. Tip: Edit out the last two seconds when you walk away from the camera. I love your videos. Keep them coming. Have you ever thought about doing an adult series (maybe for RCIA or people like me who need spiritual food) on the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults?

[Levien-vttc]

Parables have also the meaning to research ourself if we know him or if we don't.

[edgarmorales]

Because only a few has been given to understand the secrets of the kingdom, but it has not been given to the church.

The church certainly hear the word of God, but the church still live and think according to the false teachings of religious teachers.

Their consciousness is unknowing and empty, therefore the church must first learn to live and think.

What would be better to make the church come alive and think, if not through speaking in parables?

[endtimeawakening]

A Parable is a brief Narrative that teaches a moral or Life Lesson.  Parables rely on the use of Allegories which are stories in which the characters, settings and events stand for abstract or moral concepts.  Because these characters, settings and events in these narratives have deeper meaning, Symbolism [Symbolic Language] is a frequent component used in Parables.

[tugatgalut]

👍👍How many parables Jesus gave us? 50-60? He was bigger than Jesus. Shlomi the Messiah from Israel gave us more than 200 parables. My favorite is called 'The poor farmer and the precious wine' 🙏🙏

[douglashagan]

Parables mean riddles he did not want you to understand that's why they're parables in other words only his chosen select followers were to know this secrets of life and eternity and truth that's why he had it in riddles riddles that only his closest followers could understand but now for the first time let me decipher The parables The riddles what are the riddles mean and what does that mean for us today

[shashankfromindia]

The opposite of parables is factual knowledge. Jesus Christ teaches in parables so that the evil people might not understand the truths about the kingdom of God and turn from their evil ways and be healed by Jesus (Isaiah). He teaches in parables and not factual knowledge because 'if the servant knew when his master would arrive, he would not have let his house be broken into'. Likewise, if we get factual knowledge: such as Jesus knowing every future event or past event or the exact date of his coming, none of us would be bad. We would all be good to enter heaven, as we would know heaven to be a fact. That's why jesus teaches in parables. (The opposite of parables would be actual factual knowledge.)

[geezeuspoker]

I speak in parables to the masses ....

[edgarmorales]

The Truth Jesus came to teach is Love! Love your neighbor as yourself, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Such simple yet powerful truths and guidelines that, if applied, could change the world. Love is simple, and it is self-evident; although not easy to practice.

Knowing Love is the beginning of changing the world. Too many were and still are living according to false beliefs, instead of Love.

Jesus came to try to change that, to be a voice in a vast desert of misunderstandings; and Jesus continues to be a voice for Love. Jesus has never really left us, Jesus has never ceased being in service to humanity and our beautiful planet.

Jesus came to change people's hearts and minds, but most people don't like their beliefs questioned; people who do this will always be attacked by the ignorant, the narrow-minded and the power-hungry.

Mistaken beliefs come from Satan and support Satan, and Satan doesn't want his monopoly on beliefs disturbed.

Such beliefs uphold the hierarchy and the supposed superiority of the few at the top, and Jesus came to earth to topple that; by promoting equality, freedom, peace and happiness for all.

If this situation sounds familiar, it's because not much has changed over the centuries.

Satan is still in power, and creating inequality and unhappiness for all; even for those at the top.

[vaithegimurugan]

How many parables in the Bible?Sir from India 🇮🇳

[dirktenhaaf]

this is not what Jesus told His disciples why he spoke in parables It was to confuse the unbelievers It was NOT to convince the unbelievers to His side

Matt 13: 15; NKJV - - -- 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.’

I other words He spoke in parables so that they will NOT be spiritually healed It sure sounds like Jesus did NOT want the masses to understand "lest" they repent and believe

Jesus is LORD HEAR the Gospel and BELIEVE

Believe WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME John 12:36: "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them."

I believe I am correct on thins but until if you can convince me this is how I see it Thanks

[userscnamesux]

Jesus also said those that have ears let them hear, discernment is from the Holy Spirit now. Revelation in the O.T. came from the Father, remember Peter & that he said Jesus was the Christ.

[ConceptsInHealth]

Parables were used to teach the multitudes, to purposely obscure the message. Then Jesus would explain them to the disciples in private. He also told the disciples not to preach that he was the Son of God. Matt 16:20 “Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man he was Jesus the Christ.” See also Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18-20. We are told exactly what (and only) they were instructed to preach in Matthew 10. Don’t read into the passage what’s not there! They were to preach readiness for the earthly kingdom—John’s baptism of repentance—-prepare to endure the forthcoming tribulation without giving in to Antichrist worship (Matt 24:13, 1 John 5:16-21) and live by the charter of the Messianic kingdom given in Matthew 5-7.

Very few outside Jesus’s closet circle understood who he was during his earthly ministry. And when they did get it, it came from a place of spiritual maturity, faith, and keen insight into the OT prophecies, not because the 12 were holding large rallies proclaiming his identity—quite the opposite.

Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection did Peter begin to boldly proclaim Jesus’ identity to crowds (and Israel’s leadership) and make the first official offer of the earthly kingdom which had to come after Jesus death, of course. Acts 2-3.

The Body of Christ truths, for which Paul laid the foundation (after receiving direct revelations concerning the secret purpose of the cross) were not known to Peter on the Day of Pentecost, so he certainly did not preach the Good News by which you and I are saved. The Jewish nation would (and will) hear the purpose of the cross for the first time on their national Day of Atonement when the all-encompassing, efficacious blood of Christ is revealed as the basis upon which Christ can offer permanent atonement. Peter realized that (hence his statement—future tense—in Acts 15:11) after Paul explained to him (15 plus years after Pentecost) at the Jerusalem Council, what God had revealed to him.

On the Day of Pentecost Peter’s good news was simply God had forgiven Israel for the rejection and crucifixion of His Son. They could still repent and Jesus would soon return—after the Time of Jacob’s trouble—and the times of refreshing (Kingdom) could commence. Notice they would still have to wait for the final Day of Atonement at Jesus’s second coming to have their sins blotted out. Acts 3:19, Zechariah 3:9, I Peter 1:9.

Jesus spoke in parables in order that the prophesied timeline was precisely carried out. With Israel’s rejection of the Holy Spirit at the stoning of Stephen, God turned from national Israel to Paul and began a “but now” age never before prophesied. But as explained by Paul in Romans 11, this age (of the fulness of the Gentiles) will come to a close. And after that God will pick up right where He left off with Israel—-judgment, the Tribulation, followed by the 1000 year kingdom.

Paul wants all to understand the Dispensation of the Grace of God we currently enjoy! See Galatians 1: 11-2:8, Ephesians 2 and 3 and Colossians 1:25-27.

Read the parables in light of that full understanding and they all make sense! Kingdom messages for Israel!

[jeffreystewart]

So I have an interesting and personal take on this. I'm not religious at all but I have come to a deep, natural spiritual enlightenment through psychological studies, looking inward at myself, facing my past, mindfulness, meditation, and living a quiet life in harmony with the natural world around me. I'm basically a hermit in the woods who lives alone on a small homestead. 🤣

Disclaimer: I don't believe in anything supernatural, spirits, deities, afterlives or anything like that. I use the term spirituality to describe a purely natural function of the human brain through many cognitive processes. I'll gladly acknowledge that there are things I simply don't have enough evidence to understand fully and I'm fine with saying I just don't know. I have no need to ascribe my lack of knowledge to any supernatual entity or means. Now that I've cleared up that I'm a very rational and scientific person (yes, I'm the evil atheist you've all heard about. WooOoo.😛), I'll continue.

In my studies of human psychology (not a student or therapist or anything like that. I just think it's really neat), I've found a sort of wonder at the world and awe and a sense of just how tiny we are compared to our conceptually impossible to describe universe(s). I've been absolutely amazed at the capacity of our minds to bend reality to its will by conceptualizing an idea and then literally making it real. Everything around us, ever bit of technology, someone thought up and made real based on previous technology and concepts. That shows the incredible capacity of humanity. We are creators at our core, capable of creating and molding our reality.

But i digress.

Remember that wonder you had at the world as a child? That amazement and hope for life and the world? That enjoyment of life just for enjoyment's sake? When was the last time you gave someone a rock just because it was cool. Remember that feeling?

Natural spirituality is that. That's it.

But it goes SO much deeper, because now you have adult knowledge to answer some things and drive even deeper questions, making it that much more incredible. To really really find this is to find pure happiness and to take full control of your life. You understand yourself and you begin to understand others for who they really are. You see the suffering in the world and you see how to solve it. But you also see that people will not listen. They can not understand the solution you present. Its like this weird mental block kicks in and shuts them down. The only way to truly understand it is to experience it by looking inward and dealing with all the mess thats hidden inside. Even most who read this will see it, but wont truly GET it and how it can shape their lives. It's weird man, because it's like the simplest concept, but only once you've already got it.

So anyway, to the reason I typed this long book out, I was trying hard to explain this concept and how to find it within oneself to a friend so that she could apply it to her problems in life. Try as I did, I just could NOT. Like she just could not comprehend what I was trying to say, even though i explained it just like this. I remember thinking 'Parables. This is why parables are told. I need a freaking parable. Something simple and anecdotal that applies to everyone, but still conveys the message. Unfortunately I haven't been able to come up with any as of yet, but they will come.

And before any one asks or tries to convert me. No, im not interested in your religion or gods. Seriously, dont comment it. I'm literally beyond the need for it so don't waste your time. Besides, most religions arent even close to this concept in its entirety, especially the Abrahamic ones. (Buddhism is ball park though, kinda.) No, i dont know what happens after death, nor do i care any more than I care about the first few billion years before I existed. We are here and now, thats it. The past is no different from death and the future is what you decide it to be.

Thanks for reading. I know it was a lot but I hope it was worth it for someone.

Now you have heard the thoughts of a natually spiritual atheist. 🙂 I hope you all have a wonderful life and keep seeking that childlike sense of wonder.

I'm definitely open to questions discussions about this concept if you have any, which I'm sure many will. I'll do my best to explain deeper if I can. Just be nice and respectful.

[wildjungle]

Matthew chapter 13. Many people have spirit of stupor, they see, but don't understand. Jesus gave them spirit of slumber for different reasons. First Corinthians chapter 2. Those who are spirtual can spirtualty discern. They can understand the bible, , because they have holy spirit. Without holy spirit, your walking in darkness. Those who are carnal minded can't understand the bible. They have spiritual scales on their eyes. When servant of God plants seeds for God. Only Jesus can germinate those seeds. Revelation chapter 20. The millennium is for the spirtualty dead. They will be taught during millennium by Elect and Jesus. Who are the Election ? Roman's chapter 8. Their predestined, foreordained, chosen before foundation of the world. Isaiah chapter 64, they will be called ministers of God, during millennium. They earned the right to be called Elect. Its what they did in first earth age. Were in second earth age. Those with spirit of slumber wont understand mystery of God. Until the millennium starts, when 7th trump sounds, that starts the millennium, Jesus in Jerusalem with His Election.