People are amazed at the preaching of Jesus always. People followed him to hear his preaching wherever he goes. He narrated everything in a special manner that they never heard. They might have heard many teachings from their Pharisees. But Jesus’ teaching style took people by surprise. It was captivating and approachable. He used parables to capture the heart of people. “He did not say anything to them without using a parable” (Mark 4:34a). That’s why people were fond of His teaching. His way of communication was accessible to everyone. It was new to them. Here are three reasons Jesus taught in parables:
1. Easy to Understand
Jesus spoke to the people who were in different categories. Their age, sex, education and thoughts are varied. Hence, He wanted to use an easily understanding medium to communicate with them. It was not easy then to pass heavy religious aspects directly. By using parables, Jesus was able to share religious truths that could immediately connect with His listeners. When these truths corresponded with things from their daily lives-like bread baking, farming, and traveling-they understood.
So, people become more engaged when they listen to a story. Their involvement went on both their mind and brain simultaneously. As people heard the parable of the prodigal son, they’d feel shocked at a child asking for his inheritance early, or empathize as the young son began to suffer. Engaging people’s imaginations allowed Jesus’ teaching to really hit home.
2. Easy to remember
Even though Jesus’ teachings are higher ideas, they should be recorded in the minds of the listeners. A story gives the listener a hook to hold onto and an easy method to communicate the same lesson to others.
We connect new information and choices through prior experiences and knowledge. Parables allowed salt-of-the-earth folks to connect abstract spiritual ideas with patterns that were meaningful to them. When new information is presented in a familiar narrative form, our brains are better able to retain that information.
3. Reveals the Hearts of the Listeners
Jesus’ parables were accessible to everyone, the Pharisees likely dismissed them as silly and irrelevant.
This fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that people would be “hearing, but never understanding; ever seeing, but never perceiving” (Isaiah 6:9b, NIV).
Jesus shared the truths of the kingdom in ways that even a child could grasp. But because of their hardness of heart, many in Israel would not accept them. Jesus addresses this fact when the disciples ask Him why He speaks in parables.
“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’” (Matthew 13:11-13, NIV).