“Jesus’ Parables”
How to Read the Parables of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth was a master storyteller. Many of his most well-known teachings were told as parables. But these stories were designed to do much more than simply “teach.” Jesus said the parables were designed to both reveal and conceal his message about the arrival of God’s kingdom. In this video, we explore the main themes in Jesus’ parables and ask why he used them as the primary vehicle for his message.[1]
• Watch this 2020 animated video by BibleProject (6 min.): narrated by Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins.
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One story, many styles. The Bible can be broken into several categories of writing. Approximately 43% of the Bible is made up of narrative, from historical narrative to parables. Roughly 33% of the Bible is poetry, including songs, reflective poetry, and the passionate, politically resistant poetry of the prophets. The remaining 24% of the Bible is prose discourse, including laws, sermons, letters, and even one essay.[2]
• Warren Camp has written these commentaries on each of Jesus’ ±43 parables.
