The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSampel

What Is the Significance of Parables?

Although parables in the context of Psalm 78 refer to history with practical teaching applications (see, for example, Acts 7), Matthew 13:35 also refers to Psalm 78:2 as a prophecy of Jesus’ parabolic teaching. A parable, from the Greek word meaning “comparison,” draws similarities between heavenly, eternal realities and the realities of earthly life. Although the Old Testament contains some parables (see, for example, 2 Samuel 12:1 – 4), Jesus is unique in his near-exclusive use of them as a teaching tool (for examples of well-known parables, see Matthew 13:3 – 23; Mark 4:30 – 32; Luke 10:30 – 37; 15:11 – 32). By tapping into the common knowledge of everyday life, Jesus enabled people to understand things that had been “hidden” since the beginning of the world.

Taken from NIV The Case for Christ Study Bible