Why did Jesus teach using parables? This is the question his disciples asked him, to which he replied by quoting from Isaiah: And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes;lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10 Did Jesus purposely use parables to obfuscate the meaning of his message? Did he actually not want the people to be transformed by his teaching? At a surface […]
Tag Archives: Parables
To What Can it be Compared?
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old Psalm 78:2 The sages in Jesus’ day used two basic teaching methods: aggadah and halachah. Aggadah involves using stories and parables to convey a message. Halachah is a more direct approach, diving directly into the legal details. Both methods are important. Parables make complex ideas easier to understand but can lose some of the details. Halachah can communicate the raw, technical details, but it can lose anyone who doesn’t have enough knowledge. Jesus used both approaches, depending on his audience. He was in […]