The Power of Parables
A sermon about the vital role that narrative
plays in our regeneration
The Rev. Jeremy F. Simons
And with many such parables He spake the Word to them as they were
able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when
they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. (Mark 4: 33)
D
epending on how you count, people have identified as many as 98 parables
in the four Gospels. Another 29 can be found in the Old Testament. You
may not easily recognize every one of them as a parable, and some of them
may be unfamiliar even to people who know the Word well. But all of them fit
the definition of a parable: “conveying an intended meaning by a comparison
or under the likeness of something comparable or analogous.” (American
College Dictionary)
The statement here that the Lord taught by means of so many parables that
it is said, “without a parable He did not speak to them,” may make us wonder.
He clearly said things that weren’t parables. The meaning, though, is that He
apparently always attached stories to the things that He said.
Our topic is why this is important, and about the vital role that stories like
these play in your regeneration.
Many people have observed that humans have an almost insatiable
appetite for stories. From gossip to incidents recounted to friends, to novels
and films, people world-wide have a great need to hear and to tell stories. In
the words of the Irish storyteller Pat Speight, “A story is the shortest distance
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