He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
Parallel translations
- WEB He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
- KJV And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
- BSB And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,
- NKJV Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
- NASB And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus teaches many things in parables. It matters because parables both reveal kingdom truth to the receptive and conceal it from the hardened.
Overview
Parables are vivid earthly stories that carry heavenly meaning, inviting hearers to ponder. They reward those who seek understanding while leaving the indifferent unmoved. This method reflects Jesus' wisdom in teaching the kingdom and the responsibility of each hearer to respond rightly to what they hear.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 13:34–35Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them,
- Mark 4:11He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
- Mark 3:23He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
- Ps 78:2I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,
- Matt 13:3He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow.
- Ps 49:4I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.
- Matt 13:10The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
- Mark 12:38In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces,
- Mark 4:33–34With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
- Matt 7:28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
- John 7:16–17Jesus therefore answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
- John 18:19The high priest therefore asked Jesus about his disciples, and about his teaching.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 4:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.