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Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?
In Matthew Chapter 13, verses 10-17 we find Jesus
explaining the purpose of teaching in Parables:
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not,
from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand.
14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, by hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with
their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those
things which ye see, and have not seen them; and
to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
 There are three main reasons Jesus spoke in Parables.
Number 1:
To fulfill the Prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10 - 9And he said, Go,and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and
see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Number 2:
To illustrate the truth He was teaching the people and make it more attractive because they would not listen when He spoke the simple truth
and by teaching in stories it encouraged people to listen.
Number 3:
Jesus knew that those, then and now, who have hardened hearts and heard the stories would not have our hearts hardened further by
rejecting His message and teachings. We would merely hear a story without heaping up additional condemnation for rejecting God's word.
By speaking in Parables Jesus gave the perfect example of God's Love and mercy to even those with hardened hearts and those who would reject His
message. He was showing mercy even to the undeserving!
Parables were also a way of giving the Gospel message to the spiritually sensitive who would understand and gain the benefit of the spiritual
truth illustrated in a manner the hearer could respond to by the Holy Spirit.
By studying the teachings of the Messiah we can gain an understanding of God's will for our lives, learn His truths for today and tomorrow, grow
in our daily walk and gain in wisdom as the Holy Spirit leads us into learning how to reflect Christ in our daily lives so others can see Him
through and in us His children.
I cannot stress enough how important I believe it is for us, His children, to understand His teachings. I have been working diligently studying
the parables and will start sending them out soon. If you miss any please check our web-site www.walk-by-faith.com as we will post them there as
soon as I send them out.
Bob Goulding © 2006
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