Three Years in 30 Days: Jesus' Life and MissionSample

Jesus spoke in parables

“And He told them many things in parables…” (Matthew 13:3 ESV)

Next, we will reflect on a couple of parables. You may be wondering: What exactly is a parable? A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. The Greek term used in the New Testament is ‘parabolè’ which literally translates to ‘setting side by side’.

In Jewish tradition, parables were regularly used to explain something. Often, an example from everyday life was used so that people could relate to it.

Jesus' parables are about the kingdom of God. And that is why they are worth thinking about. One of the parables we are going to reflect on is about a small seed. The parable that follows is about a little bit of leaven. Sometimes they are just a few sentences that you might read over quickly, but they have a deeper meaning.

The fact that Jesus used parables raised an important question among His disciples. You can find it in Matthew 13:10. In the next devotional, we will read Jesus' answer to this question.

Before you read Jesus' answer in Matthew 13:10:

• What do you think the answer to the disciples' question is?