Penasquitos Stake Institute

 

1• QUESTION: “I have a key by which I understand the scriptures. I enquire, what was the question which drew out the answer, or caused Jesus to utter the parable? . . . To ascertain its meaning, we must dig up the root and ascertain what it was that drew the saying out of Jesus” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 276–77).

Ask yourself about the background and setting for each parable. What drew out the parable? Who was with Jesus? Where were they? What happened just prior to his telling of the parable? What happened directly after?

 

2• QUESTIONER'S PREPAREDNESS: “[Jesus’] purpose . . . in telling these short stories was not to present the truths of his gospel in plainness so that all his hearers would understand. Rather it was so to phrase and hide the doctrine involved that only the spiritually literate would understand it, while those whose understandings were darkened would remain in darkness” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed. [1966], 553).

Prepare yourself to receive revelation by studying prayerfully, asking for guidance, remaining humble when the answers come.

 

3• CUSTOMS: “When Jesus of Nazareth taught and ministered among men, he spoke not as did the scribes and scholars of the day but rather in language understood by all. Jesus taught through parables. His teachings moved men and motivated them to a newness of life. The shepherd on the hillside, the sower in the field, the fisherman at his net all became subjects whereby the Master taught eternal truths” (Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 155; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, 119).

“We find in the teachings of the Savior such words as camels, sheep, salt, light, candles, fish, leaven, hens and chickens, lilies, sparrows, things that people knew about and had experience with. He likened the abstract ideas of his teaching to these concrete things that people knew about. His new ideas were related to known facts” (A. Theodore Tuttle, in Conference Report, Apr. 1959, 84). Study the customs familiar to the Savior's audience. He spoke to every man, but we can understand his teachings more clearly as we take time to learn about shepherds, sowers, fishermen, and all the everyday examples his listeners understood.

 

4• COMPARISON: “The essential feature of a parable is that of comparison or similitude, by which some ordinary, well-understood incident is used to illustrate a fact or principle not directly expressed in the story. . . . The narrative or incident upon which a parable is constructed may be an actual occurrence or fiction; but, if fictitious, the story must be consistent and probable, with no admixture of the unusual or miraculous” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3d. ed. [1916], 298).

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto...." What comparisons did Jesus Make in his telling of the parables? How do they relate to our lives today? How can we come closer to our Father in Heaven by understanding the examples offered in parables?

 

5• KNOW WHEN TO QUIT: “There are many pitfalls in parables. Like poetry, they gain a good deal of power by creating a mood through comparisons. Yet their weakness as an effective way of communicating is the weakness found in any analogy. Analogies present one situation as being similar to a second, but since two situations always differ in some details, analogies can easily be pushed too far. . . .

“. . . To press the analogy to unwarranted detail forces it to break down. . . .

“Avoid the temptation to make every small detail of a parable have significance. Try to understand the main comparisons Jesus intended without bending his story to illogical lengths” (Richard Lloyd Anderson, “How to Read a Parable,” Ensign, Sept. 1974, 60–61).