I will incline mine ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying upon the harp. -- Psalms 49:4 Jesus teaching was probably best known for his use of parables: short fictional stories pointing precisely toward the lesson he was going to teach. At the same time they revealed certain truths while concealing still others. Jesus was not the first to use parables. The first biblical usage of the word is in Numbers 23 and 24 where the messages of the heathen prophet Balaam are spoken of as parables. The word itself is simply descriptive of a story in which the objects specified are not the objects meant but illustrate the same principles as the lesson at hand. Simple details of everyday life familiar to all his listeners became the subject matter of these tales-a shepherd losing one sheep, a traveler beset by thieves, virgins waiting to lead the procession of the bridegroom to the house of his intended. The lessons of many of these parables are obvious. Some are even explained by Jesus himself, furnishing not only the key to that particular story but also the method to be employed in comprehending all such stories. Other parables have become matters of debate in the Christian church throughout its history, and remain so today with varying schools of interpretation being offered.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 19:52:16 +0000
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