WHY DID JESUS TEACH USING PARABLES?
When studying the Gospels, it is not long before one observes that a Jesus often used parables as he taught.[1] Briefly defined (albeit through a strictly biblical context), a parable is a real life analogy that illustrates a more important spiritual truth about God and his kingdom. Much ink has been spilt concerning Jesus’ use of parables; nevertheless, many still misunderstand why he used them. A common misconception is that Jesus used parables because he was an amazing teacher; consequently, he knew that by them he would reach the masses “more effectively.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus did not use parables because they are the best way to reach a lot of people but because by them he could draw out from the masses those that were genuinely seeking to understand him. With this distinction in mind, Jesus used parables for 3 specific reasons: he used them to fulfill prophecy; as a tool of judgment; and lastly, to disciple those that genuinely believed in him. Consequently, Jesus never used parables because they were best way to reach as many people as possible.
In order to understand Jesus’s reason for teaching through parables, one should first examine his explanation concerning why he used them. First, Jesus explicitly stated that he used them in order to full a prophecy found in Isaiah 6.9-10, his explanation reads as follows:
“And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You shall keep on hearing, but will not understand; you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive. For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13.14-15; NASB)
It is essential to observe that this quote is not Matthew’s theory about Jesus’ teaching methods; instead it is Jesus’ own explanation as to why he used parables. Consequently, Jesus primarily used parables in order to fulfill this prophecy concerning his first coming.
Second, he used parables to secure judgment upon those that were listening to him with no interest in believing his claims about himself. A tragic observation concerning Jesus earthly ministry is that the masses did not really care about understanding him. Although they often surrounded him and were excited about him, their enthusiasm had nothing to do with who he actually was. Instead, they were attracted to him because of the temporary benefits that he was providing (e.g., physical healings, food, entertainment, political commentary, a hope for relief from Roman oppression, etc.). They never appreciated the opportunities that they were squandering, neither did they understand what was actually happening to them. God was teaching them but they were not really interested in obeying him or understanding what he was saying (cf. Mt 13.34-35; Ps 78.2). If they had cared about truth and the things that really mattered, then the Lord would have received them. He would have healed their souls, forgiven their sins, and provided them with eternal life. However, that was not what they desired; instead their focus was on satisfying temporal physical appetites and carnal felt needs. Consequently, judgment awaited them for their apathy and rejection of what Jesus was actually offering to them.
Lastly, Jesus used parables as a discipleship tool to communicate truths concerning the kingdom to those that Father was drawing to him. Jesus explained this phenomenon in John 6.44-45, in which he said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’” Again, Jesus has appealed to another prophecy found in Isaiah 54.13. This passage refers to the promised Millennial Kingdom, where upon the Lord himself will actually instruct its citizens. While this prophecy will be ultimately fulfilled in the future, from it Jesus drew a principle concerning those that were coming to him. That principle is that people only come to him because God draws them to him; and having come to him, then they as well will be “taught by God.” The salient point is that Jesus’s parables are always about something that truly matters, they are always about the God’s kingdom. He did not use them because they are an entertaining method for effectively communicating “life hacks.” He used them to teach his disciples about realities concerning Kingdom of God. Consequently, to interpret his parables with any other focus in mind is to commit interpretive malfeasance.
With that in mind, the question arises concerning how can anyone identify someone that the Father is drawing to salvation? The answer is found in Matthew’s Gospel, which reads: “Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’” (Matthew 13:10). And with this simple action the disciples modeled how one can tell the difference between apathetic hearers and motivated listeners. Those that are being drawn to Jesus are those that not content with simply “hearing” him, instead they want to understand him. To put it another way, those that God is drawing to Jesus are people that seem to have an itch is never satisfied until they receive Christ as savior. They are the ones that are always asking questions about the implications concerning what they have heard. Sometimes their search for truth makes us feel uncomfortable by the questions they ask, while other times they require us to think harder. Nevertheless, understand that Jesus used parables so that those seeking God would be unsatisfied with sound bites and entertaining stories. And their discontent was the impedance that drove them to the Lord in order to find clarity concerning the truths that he was teaching to them.
These types of people are genuine truth seekers; concerning them Jesus himself said “. . . For this purpose I have been born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, so that I may testify to the truth. Everyone that is from the truth hears My voice” (Jn 18:37 translation mine). And these unsatisfied seekers are the ones that endure until they learn the truth from Jesus. Concerning these truth sojourners, Jesus explained that they will be the ones that receive answers to the mysteries about the Kingdom of God. When the disciples asked Jesus about why he used parables and what he meant by them, he replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables” (Mark 4.11). For those that endured in seeking to understand Jesus, the blessing of discovery is promised. Jesus put it this way, “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear” (Matthew 13:16). When confronted with these enduring truth seekers, Jesus revealed to them plainly his purpose for coming and the glorious realities of the Kingdom of God. The key was that they only had to thirst for truth and to hunger for more of it from him.
Consequently, what can be learned from Jesus’ use of parables? One thing that is obvious is that he did not model following the latest fades concerning how to effectively engage in mass communication. He obviously was willing to speak to large crowds; nonetheless, he never practiced dummy down his message so that it would entertain the broadest possible audience. If anything, he made his points harder to understand instead of easier. And therein lies the beauty of his method, by making his message more mysterious, he motivated those that were discontent with their lack of understanding to come to him in search for answers. Jesus understood that the best way to recognize those that the Father was drawing to him was to communicate spiritual truth in such a way that it required them to ask for more. He knew that when it comes to evangelism, sometimes a more effective tool is to only wet one’s lips so that they will thirst for more instead of drowning them with a fire hose.
Copyright @ 2023 Monte Shanks (PhD)
[1] Jesus explained why he taught through parables in Mt 13.10-17; Mk 4.10-12; Luke 8.9-10.