THE PARABLE

Dallas Willard (1935-2013) wrote, “Jesus teaches contextually and concretely, from the immediate surroundings, if possible, or at least from events of ordinary life. This is seen in his well-known use of the parable—which, from its origin in the Greek word paraballein, literally means to throw one thing down alongside another. Parables are not just pretty stories that are easy to remember; rather, they help us understand something difficult by comparing it to, placing it beside, something with which we are very familiar, and always something concrete, specific.”

Vine’s Dictionary says, “Christ’s “parables” most frequently convey truths connected with the subject of the kingdom of God. His withholding the meaning from His hearers as He did from the multitudes, was a Divine judgment upon the unworthy. Two dangers are to be avoided in seeking to interpret the “parables” in Scripture, that of ignoring the important features, and that of trying to make all the details mean something.”

“This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” Jesus