A Parable is a story or comparison Jesus used to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to those who have ears to hear.
He spoke of sowers, seeds, weeds, nets, treasures, virgins, and servants so that the hidden things of the kingdom might be made known.
Parables both reveal and conceal.
The same story that gives light to the disciple hardens the one who will not hear.
The Gospels say that Jesus said nothing to the crowds without a parable, and that this fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” When the disciples asked why He spoke this way, He answered that to them it had been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to the others. Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear. A parable is therefore more than an illustration to make a lesson easy. It is a kingdom word that searches the heart. The sower sows the word. The soils differ. Some hear and do not understand. Some hear and fall away. Some hear and bear fruit. Jesus explained the parables to His disciples in private, and He ended many of them with the charge, “He who has ears, let him hear.” The church still reads the parables in that light: not as riddles for the clever, but as the word of the King to those who will receive it.
- A parable is a comparison drawn from ordinary life to disclose the kingdom of God.
- Jesus used parables to fulfill Scripture and to speak things hidden from the foundation of the world.
- Parables give the secrets of the kingdom to disciples and conceal them from the hard of heart.
- The difference is not intelligence but hearing: the condition of the soil.
- Jesus interpreted key parables for the Twelve so that the church would know how to read them.
- Many parables end with a call to hear, to watch, or to do.
- The center of the parables is the King and His kingdom, not moral advice detached from Christ.
- Comparison – Earthly pictures that point to heavenly reality.
- Kingdom Secrets – Given to those who follow Jesus; hidden from those who will not hear.
- Twofold Effect – The same word enlightens and judges.
- Call to Hear – “He who has ears, let him hear.”
- Private Explanation – Jesus opened the meaning to His disciples.
- Ordinary Scenes – Farming, fishing, weddings, money, and household life become vehicles of truth.
- Demand for Response – Parables press the hearer toward faith, repentance, watchfulness, or mercy.
- Matthew 13:10-13, 34-35 – “Then the disciples came and said to him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ And he answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’… All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.’”
- Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23 – The parable of the sower and its interpretation: the seed is the word of the kingdom; the soils are the hearts of hearers.
- Mark 4:11-13, 33-34 – “And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables…’ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”
- Luke 8:10, 18 – “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables… Take care then how you hear.”
- Psalm 78:2 – “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old.”
- Isaiah 6:9-10 – The prophetic word Jesus applies to those who hear and do not understand.
- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 – The weeds among the wheat; the harvest is the end of the age.
- Matthew 13:31-33 – The mustard seed and the leaven: the kingdom’s hidden growth.
- Matthew 13:44-46 – The hidden treasure and the pearl of great price: the kingdom’s incomparable worth.
- Matthew 13:47-50 – The net: the final separation of the righteous and the wicked.
- Luke 15:3-32 – The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son: the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents.
- Luke 10:30-37 – The good Samaritan: mercy that defines the neighbor.
- Luke 16:19-31 – The rich man and Lazarus: hearing Moses and the Prophets now.
- Matthew 25:1-13 – The ten virgins: watch, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
- Matthew 25:14-30 – The talents: faithfulness with what the Master has entrusted.
- Luke 18:1-8 – The persistent widow: pray and do not lose heart.
- Luke 18:9-14 – The Pharisee and the tax collector: the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
- Matthew 21:33-46 – The wicked tenants: the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone.
- Matthew 22:1-14 – The wedding feast: many are called, few are chosen.
- John 10:6 – “This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.”
- Jesus Parable Index
- Kingdom of Heaven
- Kingdom of God
- He That Hath Ears
- Secrets of the Kingdom
- Sower
- Word of the Kingdom
- Take Care How You Hear
- End of the Age
- Mysteries
- Teaching of Jesus
- Faith Comes by Hearing
- Word of Christ
Jesus spoke in parables. He uttered things hidden from the foundation of the world. To the disciples it was given to know the secrets of the kingdom; to others the same stories remained closed. The difference is hearing. Take care how you hear. The seed is still sown. The soils still differ. Ask Him to open the parable. Receive the word in an honest and good heart. Bear fruit with patience. The King who told the stories still speaks through them, and the one who has ears to hear must hear.
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