What is a Parable?
“All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:” -- Matthew 13:34
It has been said that a parable is ”an earthly saying with a heavenly meaning.” What the word parable (Grk. parabolé) means is “placing one thing by the side of another,” to have a parallel case used as an illustration. One way to state this is that what is known and common is used to explain that which is unknown and unfamiliar. Spiritual truth is illustrated by earthly examples.
In today’s text (Matt. 13:34) the Lord Jesus Christ had spoken to “great multitudes” (Matt. 13:1-2) from a boat on the sea. “He spake many things unto them in parables,” (Matt. 13:3) during this discourse. The Lord Jesus did teach using a variety of methods, but in this passage (Matthew chapter 13) everything that He taught was given parabolically.
For the next few weeks, we are going to be studying the parables of our Lord. We need to understand what parables are so that we can learn what God wants us to know through them and subsequently apply them to our lives. “And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” (Luke 8:10) A parable is generally a lesson to believers based upon what is commonly known that is used to illustrate and explain spiritual truth. To truly understand what God has for us in His Word requires that we understand the parables.
Are you willing to dig, think, study and meditate on God’s Word to discover His truth?
“All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:” -- Matthew 13:34
It has been said that a parable is ”an earthly saying with a heavenly meaning.” What the word parable (Grk. parabolé) means is “placing one thing by the side of another,” to have a parallel case used as an illustration. One way to state this is that what is known and common is used to explain that which is unknown and unfamiliar. Spiritual truth is illustrated by earthly examples.
In today’s text (Matt. 13:34) the Lord Jesus Christ had spoken to “great multitudes” (Matt. 13:1-2) from a boat on the sea. “He spake many things unto them in parables,” (Matt. 13:3) during this discourse. The Lord Jesus did teach using a variety of methods, but in this passage (Matthew chapter 13) everything that He taught was given parabolically.
For the next few weeks, we are going to be studying the parables of our Lord. We need to understand what parables are so that we can learn what God wants us to know through them and subsequently apply them to our lives. “And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” (Luke 8:10) A parable is generally a lesson to believers based upon what is commonly known that is used to illustrate and explain spiritual truth. To truly understand what God has for us in His Word requires that we understand the parables.
Are you willing to dig, think, study and meditate on God’s Word to discover His truth?
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