Lexicon index Lexicon
Parables
Earthly stories with heavenly meaning — Christ's primary teaching method; each a window into the Kingdom.
The parables (parabolai, comparisons) are Christ's primary teaching method in the Synoptic Gospels: earthly stories that illuminate the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven by analogy. Each parable presents a paradox, an unexpected reversal, or an open-ended question that demands a response. In Orthodox homiletic and theological tradition, the parables are read typologically and allegorically as well as literally: the Prodigal Son images both the Fall and the return to God; the Good Samaritan images Christ's own ministry to wounded humanity.