During Jesus’s ministry, He used parables to tell a story that would engage an audience and also present the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel of Luke contains both the largest total number of parables (24) and eighteen unique parables; the Gospel of Matthew contains 23 parables of which eleven are unique, and the Gospel of Mark contains eight parables of which two are unique. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parables_of_Jesus
While Jesus used various approaches to share the Gospel, parables are one of His most effective conversion tools due to their ability to meet people where they were in life. Parables incorporated present-day life situations that any human could relate to. For instance, THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL found in Luke 12:16-21, and in Thomas of who I am unfamiliar with.
There are at least (27) famous parables, and each one has one thing in common. Parables have a distinct purpose, which outweighs the purpose of mere entertainment. Barr, J. (2009) wrote, [Jesus declares that the parables reveal the “good news” of the kingdom to those with open ears and hearts, people who are eager to hear his message; but the parables are “bad news” for those whose ear and hearts are closed to his message of salvation, revealing the only judgment.] Jesus created parables for all those willing to listen to His Word. Parables are designed to teach and are God’s gift of clarity to Scripture.
The Gospels are unique within themselves and each writer perceives things differently. The Gospel of Mark reveals Mark as a servant of God, Luke as a Savior of all a messenger warning people of the Messiah’s mission. It seems that nobody got in each other’s way or became confused about their God-given mission. We can learn so much from parables revealed through passages found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
I have read the books before but did not realize they had unique as well as collective reasons for writing their own personal Gospels. On the surface, one may think the three are copying from each other but that is not the case.
Matthew 7: 15-20, is a Parable about insincere Christians, perpetrators, or wolves in sheep’s clothing: The Tree and its Fruits. The passage warns God’s people to be on the lookout for false prophets. Matthew also reveals that “false prophets come disguised as sheep but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
The Parable of the Trees and its Fruits,” told in Scripture was evangelistic in nature because the purpose of the passage sought to warn people that false prophets existed, or in our case fake Christians as well. convert others to the Christian faith through divine storytelling.
The principles or truths Jesus is teaching in the parable emphasize the importance of being alert, able to discern people’s intentions, actions or words so that you will not be led astray.
References
Barrs, J. (2009). Learning Evangelism From Jesus. Crossway Books, ISBN: 9781433503184.
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I like how you called the parables story telling. I guess that is another reason why our witness is important. We all have our own personal story. I always enjoy reading your posts!
Thank you. I appreciate you and your support. And yes, our witness is important. I think we underestimate the importance of sharing our life stories with others. The use of parables is a perfect example of how important relatable stories are. Have a blessed day!
Very well said. God Bless You as well!