Parables in the New Testament

C.H. Dodd defines a parable as “a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its application to tease it into active thought” (Dodd, Parables, 16). The term “parable” encompasses a broad range of meaning, including full narrative stories, proverbs, riddles, and one-liners. Jesus’ warning against casting pearls before swine may be classified as a parable (Matt 7:6), and His statement about contamination in Mark 7:15 is expressly called a “parable” (Mark 7:17). However, it is not always possible to restrict a parable to one lesson; the parable of the Prodigal Son and several others were designed with more than one point in mind.

Some of the best-known Gospel passages are parables. The word “parable” (παραβολή, parabolē) occurs 48 times in the Synoptic Gospels and twice in Hebrews (Heb 9:9; 11:19). Although Jesus used metaphors such as light, vine, gate, and shepherd in the Gospel of John, none of His teachings recorded there are typically classified as parables (and the word “parable” is not used).