Matthew 13:3 notes, "[Jesus] told them many things in parables." In fact, much of what Jesus taught came in the form of parables, often described as stories with spiritual principles. Some well-known parables from the synoptic gospels are the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46), the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:3-9; Luke 8:5-8), and the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). All of those have the traditional storytelling elements of a parable. The Gospel of John contains parabolic analogies rather than stories (10:1-18; 15:1-8). Jesus explained to his disciples why He taught in parables (Matthew 13:11-13): These spiritual principles were often clear to his followers but concealed to the crowds. He used ordinary illustrations but spoke with authority. Parables and storytelling were a familiar method of communicating truths at that time; however, those with unbelieving hearts were unable to process the truths.
Several observations can be made regarding why Jesus used parables. First, Jesus used parables in order to make His message clear to all, but the meaning was revealed only to those able to understand. The audiences gathered to hear Jesus speak about sheep, birds, farmers, and other familiar images, but often left without understanding the larger picture of the stories He spoke. Jesus would frequently tell his disciples the full meaning of the stories later.
Jesus also used parables to communicate to both the common people and the religious leaders. Rather than using the words of the learned scholars, Jesus spoke in everyday language that connected with His audience.
Third, Jesus used parables in part because He spoke with authority. Matthew 7:29 says, "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.
Jesus spoke as the Messiah and could have used any teaching format He desired. His choice of parables, stories with a spiritual purpose, was used for a variety of reasons. Among these were the ability to reveal information to those "ready to hear," to communicate with the common people, and to assert His authority. These factors and others reveal a Messiah whose love extended to all yet also revealed information to different people in different ways, something God continues to do in the lives of individuals today through His Word.
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