Although Jesus is certainly one of the most-quoted religious speakers in all of history, his recorded public addresses are strikingly different than the sermons and speeches we’re accustomed to hearing from religious leaders and teachers today. Jesus made heavy use of the parable as a teaching method. His parables are provocative, memorable, and occasionally mystifying. They have a timelessness that wouldn’t come across if their message was delivered as a straight sermon or speech.
While browsing through the archives of professor Mark Goodacre’s NT Blog, I came across an interesting short video in which two scholars discuss the significance and distinctiveness of Jesus’ parables:
It’s a nice introduction to Jesus’ teaching style, and contains a few insights I had not considered before. (I like the explanation of why a parable is more like a political cartoon than a dogmatic speech.)
If you aren’t familiar with Jesus’ parables, you might start with some of these famous ones:
- The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-36)
- The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:16-24)
- The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9)
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
- The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)