In Matthew 12, Jesus is accused of performing miracles not by the power of God but by the power of Satan. From then on, Jesus speaks in parables.
The English word parable comes from the word paraballo: para meaning alongside and ballo meaning to throw. Essentially, parables are truths thrown alongside. A parable has a context and a specific meaning within that context, and it shows a deeper meaning of how the people of God ought to act. It’s a truth that points to a bigger truth.
Parables are meant to be approached from different angles. The different characters bring different perspectives, and they are meant to suck you in. When you can identify with a character, the story comes to life and the meaning is communicated more clearly.
The parables in this series are taught by a variety of teachers, who all have different personalities and different styles. Our hope and our challenge is that you will learn to value content over your preferred style, because a sign of spiritual maturity is being able to look beyond preference to see Christ.