“Parable” comes from the Greek word which means “to put things together in order to compare them.” Parables are usually short stories told to teach a lesson. Sometimes they are just short sayings that compare something people do with something in the world of nature or some common human experience. For example, Proverbs 6:7,8 compares an ant, which on its own collects food and plans for the future, and human beings who should be dependable and carry out their own responsibilities. The prophet Isaiah compared the people of Israel in his day with a vineyard that failed to produce grapes (5:1-5), so the owner quit taking care of the vineyard. In the same way, Isaiah says, God will not keep taking care of the people of Israel if their lives do not produce good fruit (do what is right).

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus often uses parables to describe God and tell how God expects people to live in the kingdom. Some are only short sayings, such as the blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14), the family that fights and destroys itself (Matthew 12:25), throwing pearls down in front of pigs (Matthew 7:6), and the eye as the window of the body (Matthew 6:22-23). More than forty parables are short stories, such as when Jesus compares the coming kingdom of heaven with a farmer planting seed (Matthew 13:3-9), with hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44), and with weeds mixed with wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). In some of these, an explanation of the parable has been added to the story itself, as in Matthew 13:36-43. These explanations helped new followers of Jesus better understand his message.

Other well-known parables are the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21), the Unfair Judge (Luke 18:1-8), the Great Banquet (Matthew 22:1-10), and the Man with Two Sons (Luke 15:11-32).