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Have you ever been in a situation where you’re trying to explain a difficult concept to the other person, and they’re just not getting it? What do you do? You would probably try and compare the new concept to something they can relate to, perhaps using examples from their daily life. We as humans learn best when we can take something we know as a starting point and stretch our brains a bit to learn the new concept.

That’s exactly what Jesus did when He was telling parables to the people back in biblical times. A parable can be easily defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” A parable is a story that the listeners can relate to but that helps explain a deeper truth. The word parable is from the Greek word parabole, which means “a common experience.” Jesus would use experiences that were common to the people of the day to illustrate truths such as about the kingdom of God.

There are a few parables where the meaning is explained by Jesus and recorded in Scripture. One such parable is known as the parable of the sower, and it’s recorded in Mark 4:1-9. Click the link and go read it now; I’ll wait.

So, did you understand the deeper meaning of that parable? If you haven’t studied this parable before and you’re not a farmer in the ancient world, it probably didn’t completely make sense to you. We see in Mark 4:10-12 that it didn’t even make sense to Jesus’ disciples at the time! So, in Mark 4:13-20, Jesus provides them (and us) with an explanation.

The society that Jesus was a part of when He walked this earth was an agrarian one, and so many of the people were either farmers themselves or were close enough to them that they would understand the analogies of the different places the seeds fell, and how that would all work. Jesus used a common situation to help explain the deeper truth of how people would respond to His message of salvation.

Jesus’ parables are a great way for us to try and understand Him and His kingdom better. I would encourage you this week to check out some more parables as listed in this link. What truths about God can you learn from each of those parables?