Let Jesus’s Parables Read You

I’ve always been fascinated by the stories Jesus told, especially his parables. Why didn’t he speak the truth directly rather than tell tales of vineyards and prodigals?

Parables aren’t just stories that entertain; they’re agents of change. Jesus’s parables define and direct us in a way that gives us ownership in the journey.

Parables as a Teaching Tool

Jesus’s parables are famous, but his reliance on them in teaching may be overlooked. Mark notes, “He did not speak to [the crowds] without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” (Mark 4:34 ).

Why not explain things to the common people and save the symbolic stories for his disciples? The reason is that parables had certain effects on people.

1. The parables teach indirectly.

Craig Blomberg writes , “Whenever we face a hostile audience, the indirect rhetoric of compelling stories may help at least some people hear God’s word more favorably.” For example, I love to read, but I’m slow to apply what I’ve read. You could correct me directly: “You need to slow down and read more thoughtfully.” Or you could say,

There once was a man with a great library—full of all the books you could imagine, shelf upon shelf, many books only reachable by a tall ladder. Each time he read a book, he would race back to the shelf, place it there carefully, and pull down another. But he was troubled because the more he read, the heavier he felt, and the harder it became to walk. One day, he decided not to read another book but to page through the one he had just read. At the end of that day, he felt lighter. When he remarked on this to his servant, a wise old man, the servant replied, “Many books can weigh any soul down. We must wait for the words to grow wings.”

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Telling me that story might open the door of communication. I may be drawn in to confess my trouble. Why? The answer to that question is related to the next effect.

2. Parables invite hearers into the story, almost without their awareness.

Blomberg notes, “The power of good fiction is that it grabs one’s attention, sucks one into the plot, and makes one think it is about other people until it is too late.” If you told me the story above, I would’ve identified with the master of the library early. By the end, I’d long to be the wise old servant. In this way, the story would teach me without my knowing it. This is how stories define and direct us. We understand ourselves better when we see ourselves in the plot. Then we emerge with a new perspective on where we should go.

3. Parables reveal what their hearers think of God.

Parables distinguish and separate us from those who identify with a different character. Commenting on the parable of the sower in Mark 4 , Vern Poythress writes ,

Understanding a parable was not a matter that could be approached in a safe, antiseptic, neutral objectivity. The addressees were already committed. They found themselves already in process, already belonging to some kind of soil, already being questioned about the quality of their hearing. They were already for Jesus or against him (Matt. 12:30 ).

We always carry assumptions about Jesus. Sometimes we’re ashamed and hide them. Sometimes we’re ignorant of them. Either way, we have them. Jesus knew this about his audience. He knows this about us.

He told his disciples, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven’” (Mark 4:11–12 ). Those who hear the parables—both in Jesus’s day and in our own—are given truth both concealed and revealed. This mirrors Christ’s actions in Mark, where he both reveals who he is and yet conceals it, telling demons, the destitute, and beneficiaries of his miracles not to spread the word about him (1:24–25, 34, 43; 3:12; 7:33–36; 8:22–26).

Recognizing Christ is a matter of the heart. Our heart determines what we see. Those with hearts captivated by Christ have in him “the secret of the kingdom of God.” And Paul says we see spiritual realities because Christ reveals them by his Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13–15 ). But for those without Christ, the parables conceal.

Prepare to Hear

These three effects of parables help us see how stories define and direct us. They pry open our stubborn, ever-wandering hearts and tell us who we are and where we’re headed. That means the key to being shaped by Jesus’s parables lies in preparing ourselves to hear them. We can do this by asking for the Spirit’s help and by asking good questions as we read, such as the following.

1. With whom do you identify in the parable?

Jesus’s hearers always found themselves in his parables. They saw in the stories either who they were or who they wanted to be. In the parable of the sower (Mark 4 ), which type of soil represents you? Are you the ground pecked clean by birds who steal away God’s Word before it has a chance to grow? Are you the rocky soil that lacks depth and gives up on God’s promises when hardship comes? Are you the soil choked by thorns and thistles of worldly cares? When you’re reading a parable, identify where you live in the story. And be candid.

2. What’s your perspective based on where you are in the story?

Once you identify where you live in the parable, ask this question: “What’s my new perspective?” Where you are determines what you see. If I’m convicted that my heart is like the thorny soil from Jesus’s parable, I’ll begin to examine what worldly worries or desires pull me away from trust in Christ. Maybe it’s finances. Maybe it’s a desire for praise from others. Maybe it’s materialism. This is part of how parables direct us. They reveal what lies in front of us so we can rely on the Spirit to help us walk the godly path.

3. How does this parable reveal what you think of God?

Stay with the example of the soil among thorns. What does that reveal about my assumptions concerning God? It may reveal my lack of trust in God to provide what I truly desire. Or it may reveal that my desires are distorted. Perhaps my heart is chasing after all the wrong things. It may reveal that my head accepts the gospel but my heart resists Christ’s lordship in some area of my life—perhaps in parenting or work situations.

Asking questions like these helps us hear, understand, and practice the kingdom life Christ revealed in his parables. With these questions at the ready, we can read the parables knowing that the Spirit of the living God will meet us there and direct us to Jesus’s footsteps. As we prepare our hearts to hear, the Spirit prepares our eyes to see.

Pierce Taylor Hibbs (MAR, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary) serves as senior writer and communication specialist at Westminster Theological Seminary. He’s the author of more than 20 books, including The Christ-Light and the Illumination Award–winning title One with God . He also writes regularly for Westminster Media . He and his wife, Christina, live in Pennsylvania with their three kids (Isaac, Nora, and Heidi).