Have you ever been on the verge of sleep in the middle of a long lecture or sermon when suddenly the speaker takes a turn and begins to tell a story?
Interest is now sparked. We’re drawn to stories.
Stories are a point of connection, and they can be amazing tools to teach a lesson without boring listeners to tears with fact after fact, stat after stat, etc.
Jesus knew this. And during His ministry on earth, He told many stories recorded in the New Testament.
But not just any old stories. Matthew 13:3 tells us that “He told them many things in parables…” (ESV).
In fact, there are about 31 of Jesus’ parables in the synoptic gospels, which include Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Considering this, Jesus Christ, who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves, surely had good reasons for using this method of teaching. So let’s learn more about the purpose and mechanics of parables.