As one studies the Gospels (the first four books of the New Testament- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the parable will be a common literary form that is seen. It is important to lay a groundwork for understanding both what a parable is and how it fit into the culture of Jesus.
The first question we must look at is- what is a parable? Most people would say it is some sort of allegorical, wise saying, although maybe not in those words. That is basically correct. Coming from Greek roots meaning "to throw alongside," the word parabole can mean a "story thrown alongside the truth to illustrate the truth... short statements (sometimes called similitudes) and to proverbs."1 This would often be the use of some object lesson to illustrate a point. Making our interpretation of these challenging is that they used things familiar to the people the speaker was directly addressing; thus, the culture of the time must be explored in depth. Many things, although understandable as a literal thing, carried far deeper meaning. In our culture, we can understand what a car literally is, but a fully-restored 1969 Camaro means a lot more than just a car. A thousand years from now, that meaning will likely be lost. For the parables to make sense and be properly understood, we just have to get to the bottom of the culture of Jesus's day. Given the nature of this blog, I will post information from what I believe to be reputable sources and my understanding. You are welcome to dig deeper, but that is simply not going to be a good use of time for most readers.
To be continued...
1. Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1999), 194.
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