That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying:

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13:1-9 NIV

The Parable of the Sower is one of the most well-known parables of Jesus. In it and the following verses we see a clear illustration, both of an exemplary parable, as well as some explanation of the importance of parables in Jesus’ ministry. Nearly 30 percent of what Jesus spoke was in the form of parables. For this reason, it behooves us to learn how to interpret his parables. For even Jesus said, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Parables may sometimes appear to be common stories about everyday activities, but hidden within their figurative language are truths that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. Even Jesus’ disciples, those who knew Christ and his teachings better than anyone else, sometimes struggled to know what Jesus was communicating in his parables. It is for this reason that Jesus’ parables have often been one of the most misinterpreted parts of Scripture.[1]

What Is a Parable?

Parables are short stories of everyday experiences that are used to illustrate an eternal truth.[2] Some of Jesus’ parables were only a sentence or two while others, like the Parable of the Sower, were longer. Parables are often misunderstood as a type of allegory. Although both allegories and parables use figurative language to illustrate truth, parables tend to have a single central truth or message that is emphasized. In a parable, the specific details of the setting usually do not have a spiritual application,[3] While allegories will give a spiritual meaning or application to many of the objects in the story. A common example of an allegory is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.

There is considerable overlap between parables and allegories, so determining whether a story is an allegory or a parable can be difficult, if not impossible. The main thing to remember is that parables will often have a central truth, while allegories have layers of meaning from the many objects in the story that are given symbolic or spiritual significance.

Why Teach Using Parables?

Why did Jesus teach the people using parables? Certainly, one reason was that using stories and everyday examples can be an effective way to communicate spiritual truth that could be otherwise hard to understand. The other reason, which might seem like it goes directly against the previous reason, was to confuse and drive away listeners. You can clearly see this in the passage that directly follows Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Matthew 13:10-13 NIV

This is a hard saying! How can we align this statement with Jesus’ goal for people to understand the truths of the Kingdom? It is not completely clear, but it seems that those who were already opposed to him or who didn’t have their ears ready to receive his teaching would have their eyes blinded and ears stopped against the truth in the parables. This would drive away those who were not following Jesus for the right reason or who were against him.[4] For those who wanted to know what Jesus was saying, he would often explain his message to them. Their desire to understand Jesus would open their ears.

Because some parables have been difficult to interpret, there has been a journey through history of using different approaches to interpret parables. Each of these approaches attempts to help the reader arrive at an accurate understanding of what Jesus was communicating.

History of Interpreting Parables

The approach to interpreting parables has shifted substantially over the last two thousand years. From the 2^nd century to the present, many readers have allegorized the parables by giving meaning to many objects in parables. One of the best examples is from Augustine (354-430). Augustine thought in the parable of the Good Samaritan that the Samaritan was Christ, the oil was the comfort of good hope, the animal was the flesh of the incarnation, the inn was the church, the innkeeper was the Apostle Paul, and he gave significance to many other details that aren’t listed here.[5] This approach is attractive—a simple story transforms into a rich tapestry of meaning and significance. Yet, this approach lays meaning over top of the inspired story that was not given to it by its Author. When we allegorize a parable, we risk obscuring the central message of the parable. The allegory is rich, but it distracts from what Christ was communicating.

In the late 1800s the German scholar Adolph Jülicher pushed back against the allegorizing approach by saying that a parable contains only a single picture and teaches a single point. He believed that parables should not be treated as allegories and could not be interpreted in that way. His teaching was quite influential and many theologians used Jülicher’s approach to rid themselves of historic interpretation and to get back to what they saw as Jesus’ original meaning for his parables.[6]

While Jülicher’s influence reaches into the present, many are now pushing back against his rigid approach. This is largely due to the fact that not all parables are the same. When parables differ, applying a single-point approach to all parables can distort or even change their meaning. A second reason is that the distinction between parables and allegories is fuzzy and somewhat arbitrary. Some parables are even explicitly allegorical. For example, when Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower to his disciples, he assigns spiritual significance to many of the objects in the parable.[7]

Each of these approaches have some truth. There are parables that have allegorical elements, and there are parables that would benefit from being read as giving us a single idea. We can learn something from both the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches.

Guidelines for Interpreting Parables

We can use several general guidelines to guide our journey of understanding, interpreting, and applying the truth of Jesus’ parables. These guidelines aren’t foolproof, but they can help us arrive at the intended meaning of a parable. The five basic guidelines are: begin with immediate context, identify the central point, identify irrelevant details, identify relevant details, and base doctrine on clear, literal passages.[8]

1. Begin with immediate context

Start your interpretation by first reading the context of the parable. See where the author of the Gospel placed the parable in Jesus’ ministry. Who was he talking to before he told the parable? What question did someone ask Jesus right before he told the parable? The parable of the Good Samaritan was given in the context of someone who asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” The parable then goes on to answer that question. Jesus will also sometimes explain the meaning of the parable after he gives the parable. After Jesus’ disciples ask for him to explain what the parable of the Sower means, Jesus gives them a detailed explanation.

2. Identify the central point

Most parables have a single main point or message. Often this will be the story’s climax, which usually comes closer to the end of the parable. The climax of the parable of the Prodigal Son comes when the son returns to his father’s house. We see there his father running out to greet him. This clarifies that the central point of the story is that God is waiting to forgive us if we decide to return to him. This meaning is further reinforced when we look at the larger context and see that the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin come directly before the parable of the Prodigal Son. These have a similar message of God searching for the lost and rejoicing when they are found. The Prodigal Son does also give us a message about how that it is unwise to act selfishly and leave the presence of God, but the central point remains the same.

3. Identify irrelevant details

Not all details in a parable are necessarily meaningful. They add color and context, but they do not necessarily add to the meaning of the parable. Just because Jesus used wheat as the example of the good seed in parable of the Tares does not mean that we should decide that wheat is a superior grain to rice or corn and that we should stop eating those grains. In the setting of the 1^st century AD in Palestine, wheat would have been the primary crop. The selection of wheat as the “good grain” probably had more to do with what the people were familiar with than any special characteristic of wheat. Using wheat as an example would make more sense to 1^st-century Palestinians than using quinoa or maize.

4. Identify relevant details

Relevant details will reinforce the central message of the parable. In the parable of the Tares, the tares (weeds) are gathered up and burned after the harvest. This detail is relevant because it illustrates the fate of those who are sons of the evil one who sowed them in the field. The father running out to meet his son in the parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the love that the father had for his son.

Details will also be relevant if immediate context reveals that Jesus gave meaning to the details. For example, Jesus told his disciples in the parable of the Sower that the seed was the words of the kingdom and the birds were the evil one that snatches away the word that has been planted in a person’s heart.

5. Base doctrine on clear, literal passages

After you have done all the work to interpret a parable, you must apply it to your life. Even with parables that you aren’t completely sure about their meaning, you can draw meaning and application. However, you must be careful to not draw absolute doctrinal statements from parables that are not clear or that are not giving literal directions.

In the parable of the Tares, for example, the weeds are not separated from the wheat until harvest. This is not saying that we shouldn’t use church discipline to remove members from our churches who are in open sin or rebellion. Instead, this parable is more likely describing what will happen our churches. There will be some members who appear mostly good on the outside, but who will be judged and found wanting at the end of time.

Having Ears That Hear

After Jesus’ disciples asked him to explain the parable of the Sower, he told them.

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Matthew 13:16–17 (NIV)

In Jesus’ parables we have a rare gift. They contain truth that righteous people for all of history have wanted to see, but many of them didn’t have the opportunity. We have this gift, but we must devote some effort to glean all the latent meaning within these stories. The work can be difficult, but it’s worth it.

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[1] Osborne, Grant. The Hermeneutical Spiral, pg. 235

[2] Osborne. pg. 236

[3] McQuilkin, Robertson. Understanding and Applying the Bible, pg. 212

[4]   Elwell, Walter A. “Parable” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible pp. 1606-14

[5] Elwell.

[6] Osborne.pg. 250

[7] Osborne.pg. 250

[8] McQuilkin. pg. 210-219