Meaning and Use of Parables in the Bible

1167 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay of jesus parables

The Meaning and Use of Parables in the New Testament The New Testament gospels in the Bible are full of parables by Jesus. A parable is defined as “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson” (as told by Jesus in the gospels). There were many parables he would tell to make the essence of the lesson easier to fathom. There are several reasons why he would use parables. One of the reasons is because parables would make principles easier to understand. Another reason is because they were so easy to remember. Parables were used to explain and teach on controversial problems without getting him into conflict with religious figures of that time. Also you can find in one passage that Jesus answers the question himself as to why he spoke in parables. There are different explanations of why these reasons exist and through this paper they will be illustrated and thoroughly explained. The more abstruse an idea is, the more difficult it is to get across to someone the actual meaning. One reason Jesus used parables was due to it being easier to grasp the full concept of the idea he was using. For example in Luke 10 Jesus is using the parable of the Good Samaritan. He was speaking to a lawyer who asked a question about inheriting eternal life. The bible says that Jesus explained the parable of a “Good Samaritan” to the lawyer. The story is about a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. During his travel he is robbed of everything and beaten nearly to death. Jesus mentions that a priest walked by the man and showed absolutely no compassion for him and did not stop to help. This was written due to the fact a priest was (and still is) known for a person who desires to help others and full of love, so “love” was not a word fo... ... middle of paper ... ...s intended them all to be something everyone could relate to and/or recognize in their own life. In conclusion, there are multiple reasons as to why parables were used. Jesus intended reason and purpose behind every parable he gave. Some of the parables had more than just one thing to gather from them. All of the parables can be found in the Bible under the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The reasons for the use of Jesus’s parables were for someone to be able to fathom more easily, to be more interesting so a person could remember more vividly, so that Jesus could safely use them without being charged with crime for it, and as he spoke in Matthew that the listeners would have a more firm knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through these few reasons it can be perceived that there was such utter importance of Jesus using parables when he would teach a lesson.

Show More
Related

  • Jonah Archetypes

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    All biblical stories are dedicated in providing a life lesson. They are God’s ways in teaching His people on how they should behave and how to better their relationships with Him. In addition, the accounts also give insight to characteristics and truths of God. The lives of numerous biblical characters serve as archetypes that affirm the fact that God is the sovereign Creator, the supreme Judge, and the merciful Savior.

    Read More

  • Sermon On The Mount Rhetorical Analysis

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    When reading The Sermon on the Mount, it is important to note who the intended audience was, the crowds of people who were there to witness Jesus. These crowds of people most likely were not the most educated; however, Jesus attempted to educate them about the Word of God. To facilitate his teaching, Jesus employed rhetorical techniques such as the metaphor. This crowd required simple and relatable ideas to become educated on his teachings of the Word of God. Many of Jesus’s teachings during The Sermon on the Mount were symbolic in nature, and not meant obeyed explicitly; Jesus merely employed these rhetorical devices to help the followers understand the underlying message, which was to be obeyed.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mere Christianity By C. S. Lewis

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    The analogy breaks down messages that are revealed in the Bible in order for the average person to understand what it being said, similar to how Jesus used parables to explain his teachings to mass audiences. The people listening to Jesus’ sermons weren’t very educated and had little prior knowledge about who Jesus was. He had to make his sermons relatable to the audience, just as C.S. Lewis does with his readers. Within the novel, Lewis also only covers what he considered the “basic teaching of orthodox Christianity.” Many theologists either focused on details that were unimportant to a new believer, or they wrote in ways that were difficult for the average person to understand. Lewis did not see himself as educated enough to provide a detailed theological and historical explanation of the doctrines that he discusses, but because of the lack of simplicity in religious works of literature, he strove to educate people on the basic outline of Christian beliefs (Mueller). Lewis explained his purpose for writing Mere Christianity in an interesting way,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Gospel Of Thomas

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    One statement that is believed to have been said by Jesus of Nazareth, according to the gospel of Thomas, was of the parable of an intelligent fisherman. In this parable, Jesus

    Read More

  • How Should Jesus Parables Be Read Analysis

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Parables And Teachings Of Jesus

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the parables and teachings of Jesus in the book of Matthew, when Jesus is faced with describing how one should judge others he states, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged…” (Matthew, pg. 179). To Jesus withholding judgement was crucial to stemming hypocrisy and empowering his followers to self-reflect. When thinking of the philosophical implications of Jesus’ teachings it is important to ask what the principles upon which he defines goodness are. How might his teachings differ from the works of Aristotle when it comes to defining relationships and defining what makes people good or bad?

    Read More

  • The Old Testament: Foreshadowing the New Testament

    1955 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.

    Read More

  • The Parables in Matthew Chapter Thirteen

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Parable of the Sower is one of seven parables in Matthew, chapter thirteen that was from familiar ideas and sources, and natural to men. (Broadus, 285) It was normal to see a farmer sowing grain in Galilee. The "truth" is this parable was designed to teach. The varied types of soil are the emphasis in this parable, rather than that of "the sowing of the seed ("word," v.19) of the kingdom." "Jesus called it 'the parable of the sower' because it was a sower who inspired the lesson." (Hobbs, 164) The sower is a Christian teacher or Christ, "but not a prominent figure in the parable." The seed stands for "Christian truth, 'the word of the kingdom', or 'word of God,' because when implanted in the heart and conscience, it grows, develops, and brings forth spiritual fruit. (Dummelow, 672)

    Read More

  • The Parable of the Sower

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Parables consist of tales that Jesus is said to have been a crowd of people following him and they explained Goods word and moral by using ordinary events. Following each Parable is an interpretation of it –made to state what the parable actually wants to explain to us.

    Read More

  • The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

    2328 Words  | 5 Pages

    Jesus was a phenomenal communicator. In fact, Jesus was the greatest communicator to ever live. He used strategies and techniques that were previously unheard of to get his point across in any situation, regardless of the circumstances. What is interesting is that his most common form of speaking was in parables. He would use these analogies to provide a way of application for the gospel in people lives. The parable about the workers in the vineyard is one of many, but is one of the few that were only told in the book of Matthew. Although there a many assumptions as to the reasoning for this, nobody can be sure of the reason why this parable is nowhere to be found in the other gospels. It is especially confusing because in this parable Jesus talks about end times and entrance into heaven; which would have been, and still is, an important subject to any believer.

    Read More

  • Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our parable is the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, found in Matthew 18:23-35. It is in the parable category of parables, so...

    Read More

  • Biblical Exegesis

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    First I will give you a background of exegesis. Webster's New World Dictionary(1990), defines exegesis as, the interpretation of a word, passage, etc., esp. in the Bible. This definition is a worldly. To understand the true meaning and background I looked in John H. Hays book called, Biblical Exegesis, for the answer. He says that the term "exegesis" itself comes from the Greek word exegeomai which basically meant " to lead out of." When applied to texts, it denoted the " reading out" of the meaning. The noun, therefore, could refer to "interpretation" or " explanation." Thus whenever we read a text or hear a statement which we seek to understand and interpret, we are involved in exegesis.

    Read More

  • Parables Of Jesus Christ Essay

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    What are parables of Jesus Christ? The word parable in general may mean the placing of two or more artifacts together to make a comparison or explain an ideology. This same concept could be related to the parables of Jesus Christ the son of God. Some people may choose to define these in various meanings depending on their own understanding. However, in my opinion, a parable is basically an analogy consisting of human circumstances that is accompanied with a spiritual or biblical lesson. Altogether, there are thirty-two parables; which could be found in the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke. Out of all these parables, eighteen of them are found in Luke and ten in Mathew. The eighteen parables found in Luke include, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son, the Unrighteous Steward, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Unprofitable Servants, the Unrighteous Judge, the Pharisee and Publican, the Pounds, the Two Debtors, the Good Samaritan, the Friend at Midnight, the Rich Fool, the Watchful Servants, the Barren Fig Tree, the Chief Seats, the Great Supper, the Rash Builder, and the Rash King. The ten in Mathew include, the Laborers in the Vineyard, the Two Sons, the Marriage of the King's Son, the Ten Virgins, the Talents, the Tares, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, the Draw Net, and the Unmerciful Servant. Again, the parables of Jesus Christ could be compared to a class of students with a teacher in the front. Basically Jesus Christ was the teacher and the whole world would be considered as the students. Out of all the parables of Jesus Christ, the main ones I will be talking about will be the parable of the good samaritan, and the parable of the sower.

    Read More

  • Essay About Jesus Christ

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is about a son who abandons his family to “squander his wealth in wild living” (New International Version, Luke.15.13). After losing all his wealth he recognizes the importance of family and returns home. His father lovingly welcomes him because he will always love his son, regardless of the incident. God loves all His children; even the ones that abandon Him. All He asks of us is to repent from our sins and seek Him with all our hearts. This parable motivates believers to always repent because God is the most merciful and forgiving. Besides teaching about the good news, Jesus also performed miracles that caused many people to believe in his

    Read More

  • Kingdom Of God Essay

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    The parable is about second chances, just as the gardener gave the fig tree a second chance, so is God giving us a second chance to join His Kingdom. This is the over-generosity nature of God’s mercy, and it is an important theme in Luke’s Gospel. The fig tree as being symbolic to humans, the fig tree may be given another year to demonstrate its ability to produce fruit, but if it fails to do so, it will be cut down. It has been supposed by some scholars that there is a concealed significance, that the Kingdom of God has still yet to come, and right now it is recruiting those who trust in the Lord and in

    Read More

More about Meaning and Use of Parables in the Bible

Open Document