Why Did Jesus Use Of Parables In His Ministry

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Parables are tools to compare something physical to something spiritual. Jesus begins several parables by saying “The Kingdom of God is like…” so he could tie an abstract concept (the Kingdom of God) to something more concrete and visible (like a mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32). (Smith, C. 2014, October 09) Why did Jesus use parables to teach during His ministry? The following paper will bring great insight into why Jesus used parables and what that says about Him.

Jesus spoke in parables to differentiate between the true believers i.e. the disciples and those unwilling to believe. “He did so that his disciples would comprehend his teachings and that unbelievers would be without comprehension. Those interested in understanding the truth …show more content…

(Matthew 7:29) "He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." The scribes often quoted both long passages of the Law as well as traditions of other Jewish teachers to support their message. Yet Jesus spoke from His own authority, breaking from this tradition.” (Does the Bible…, (n.d.), 2017) The Good Samaritan parable provides an excellent example of the spiritually depth Jesus’ parables held. (Luke 10:29-37) “The moral sense of the parable is to be loving and merciful as the Good Samaritan. Jesus instructs his listeners: "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37). The Parable of the Good Samaritan provides a sound basis for social justice. (The Parables of Jesus Christ, 2012)

The third reason Jesus spoke in parables is so simply it can be easily missed. Jesus is fulfilling a prophecy, which is why He uses parables. “I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.” (Psalms 78:2-3) “The prophet of old had foreseen that the Christ would teach in parables, making him say, "I will open my mouth in parables". So Jesus spoke in parables because the scriptures said he should, and "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).