What is the point of parables? (It’s not what you think)

Many Christians are well-versed in the parables that Jesus shared in the New Testament. The Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Talents, and the Prodigal Son…these are a few that most Christians could recall if you asked them, but what is the purpose behind Jesus sharing these stories? 

The answer seems obvious: to teach, of course. Parables aren’t just stories, parables are meant to also emphasize a moral lesson to those who hear them.

But still, there is a deeper component at play.

Over the next several weeks, I will be diving into many of these parables, including some that aren’t as well-known. But in order to establish a foundation for this multi-week study, we should first establish why Jesus felt it necessary to share parables in the first place. 

Let’s take a look at Matthew 13:10-17 , where Jesus addresses this specific topic.

Here’s some context: In the beginning of chapter 13, Jesus shares his very first parable—the Parable of the Sower—with multitudes of people who came to hear him speak (we’ll touch on this parable in depth next week). The 12 disciples also hear the parable and once Jesus is done, they have a question for him: “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

It’s important to note that when the disciples say “them”, they mean the crowds (so they’re not referring to themselves). This distinction is the basis for the answer Jesus is about to give them. Let’s continue on with verses 11-15.

“He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’”

Let’s unpack this passage. Instead of taking this verse by verse, I think it would be more helpful to look first pay close attention to the prophecy Jesus mentioned, which is in Isaiah 6:9-10.

The prophecy in Isaiah says that the hearts of the people who don’t understand or perceive what they hear and see are dull. It’s as if their hearts don’t burn with any curiosity or passion for the things of God so they’re blinded to truly understanding and perceiving. 

Honestly, it reminds me of Hosea 4:6 which says that the people of God are destroyed for a lack of knowledge because they reject knowledge. As a results, the Lord says He will reject them. 

The idea is this: if you’re rejecting knowledge and understanding in the first place, if your heart isn’t open to it, why would you get more of it? How would you get an abundance of something you don’t even have or desire? So because they reject it, the Lord rejects them which means even more understanding and wisdom is kept from them. 

Going back to Matthew 13, the saddest part is this bit in verse 15: “Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” 

If we take one more trip back to the Old Testament, Proverbs 11:9 says that “through knowledge, the just shall be delivered”. 

So in his explanation for the parables in Matthew 13, Jesus seems to be saying that if these people had understanding and knowledge, he would be able to heal them or “deliver” them from whatever is ailing them. 

Even Matthew 13:58 tells us, “He (Jesus) did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

The “there” being referred to is none other than Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. The people of Nazareth were so befuddled by this man who they had watched grow up from humble beginnings as a carpenter’s son with multiple brothers and sisters, suddenly come back to them and speak with so much wisdom and even perform miracles.

They could even admit that he spoke with wisdom, but due to their pride toward the idea of not being taught by someone they viewed as being on the same level or as lesser than them, they refused to listen. 

They became offended instead. Because their hearts were dull, they rejected knowledge and understanding by refusing to seek after these things. As a result of lacking this understanding, they also lacked belief, so the Lord would not do much for them. 

On the flip side, we have an example of someone who was the total opposite of these people: a Roman centurion. A gentile.

Matthew 8:5-13 tells the story of a Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus offered to come and heal the servant, but the centurion responded with this:

“Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Jesus was so pleasantly astounded that He said He had “not found such great faith, not even in Israel”.

Jesus then told the centurion that as he has believed, so it would be done for him. And the servant was healed that same hour.

This centurion had no doubt heard of the teachings and maybe even seen the miracles of Jesus, just like Jesus’ countrymen in Nazareth. But what the centurion had that the Nazarenes didn’t is understanding. 

He understood that Jesus was a man of authority, similar to himself as a centurion. So due to that understanding of who Jesus was and what He could do, the centurion had belief that Jesus could heal his servant with just a word. And the result of that understanding and belief was the healing spoken about in Isaiah 6:9-10 and a “mighty work” spoken about in Matthew 13:58.

With all of this in mind, let’s go back to the original question: Why did Jesus speak to the crowds in parables?

Jesus is essentially guarding this knowledge against those whose hearts “have grown dull”, whose “ears are hard of hearing”, and whose “eyes they have closed”. 

The disciples are followers of Christ. They put their faith in Jesus already, and because of that, the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are open to them. They are part of the “Christ Club”.

But for those who do not yet believe Jesus is their Messiah, including the gentiles and the Jews who still religiously adhere to the Law of the Old Testament, true understanding of the parables remains hidden.

Yes, they may understand the gist of what Jesus is explaining through the parables—they can read through the metaphors, but without a change of heart, without confessing that Jesus is the Messiah as a result of hearing these parables, they are still hard of hearing and their eyes are still closed. As Isaiah says, “Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’”

What would they be “turning” from? Unbelief. You might’ve heard other believers say that “faith is the currency of heaven” and I think that phrase is completely true in this case.

Without the currency of faith in Jesus, a person cannot gain heavenly wisdom. They may “get” the message Jesus is sharing, but they will not understand the direness of the message and how it is directly relevant to them. When you know better, you’re supposed to also do better. But a person with a dull heart and without ears to hear will only register these parables as interesting moral stories, not as lessons to actually live by.

Whether you’re a new follower of Jesus or the church has been your second home since you were in diapers, it’s important that we remain rooted in our faith in Christ. The Pharisees believed in God and the Law of the Old Testament—they even understood some of the parables Jesus taught, yet they were His biggest adversaries because they refused to understand the gospel with their hearts.

It’s not just, “Yeah, I understand what this parable is about”, it’s “I understand this parable and I know what it is trying to warn me about, so as a result, I must act in accordance with God’s will”. 

Our faith in Jesus is meant to shield us from any pride or willful ignorance toward the things of God. And when we remain in that faith, God is able to entrust us with more heavenly wisdom and understanding.