Definition of a parable

Definition of a Parable
Parables are a widely used tool implemented by Jesus when it comes to teaching. “In light of the fact that Jesus put none of his teaching into writing but counted on the impressions they made upon the minds of those who heard them, his selection of parable form was a fortunate one.”1 He was not a wordy theologian that would spout out knowledge to impress people. Rather, he spoke pictorially in order to illustrate the point he was trying to get across. In the cathedral Constantine had built over Paul's burial ground, he had twenty six paintings or murals of his life painted up on the ceilings. This was so the illiterate could see what Paul's life was all about. Jesus was speaking to humans who have a hard time understanding heavenly things, and this may be a central reason that he speaks in pictorial language. Through the pictures that are formed in our head, we can begin to realize what Jesus was talking about. There is a problem here though. We are so far removed from Jesus, that we have a hard time understanding the pictures that Jesus uses. “Most of us, for example, are not familiar with the disastrous effect of putting new wine into old wine skins, or with the dangers of the Jericho road described in the parable of the good Samaritan, nor with the political and religious background to the story of the nobleman going to get a kingdom.”2
Being that Jesus' teachings were carried around as oral traditions, the form of a parable made it easier to remember and pass it along. I like the definition given by John Carter; “ A parable is an illustrative comparison, with or without narrative, used to teach or imply religious truth, in which something that is well known is placed beside something that one desires to make known or to clarify.”3 There are a couple of rules that Carter lays and they are as follows:
1.Be careful to understand the language of the parable it's self. Know its references to Palestinian life and customs.
2.Determine what subject it is intended to illustrate.
3.Then see how the parable illustrates that subject. Look at the parable as a whole.
4.Finally one might determine what extent separate details are significant.4
The parable itself has come under much scrutinizing because of the sometimes vague nature of them. They tend to leave a lot to be interpreted and have many scholars arguing over their intentional meaning. Many do not believe that they were originally intended to be so complex to the original audience, thought some were. The problem has come trying to be the original audience and figuring out what the meaning is. It is clear that he sometimes speaks on matters that are hard to understand but the effort of Christ to make them know is appreciated. Clement of Alexandria would agree. “Clement came under the influence of Gnosticism and this may be reflected in his understanding of Jesus; intention in speaking in parables. He speaks in mystery and the hidden wisdom of God-which is in Christ-which he makes known in parables.”5 The mystery of God, and even God himself, has always been hard to understand. So any attempt to interpret what Jesus is saying about Godly things will eventually come up short. That is why it is wise to simply shoot for the ballpark. Before this section on the definition of parable is finished, it must be made clear that it is possible to interpret what Jesus is saying, but one should not expect to understand all the complexities of God from the interpretations.
It is both a blessing and a curse that Jesus uses parables to get his point across. With them we form pictures in our heard and grasp a better understanding of what is being said. With them though, we are left a little short on trying to narrow down the meaning that they originally intended to the listener at the time. While we appreciate the pictorial imaging, we can not simply take the picture for what's there. We must dig back and find out, historically, what the picture is talking about and alluding too.