Hope for the Sinner
Rev. Dr. William Sanders
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Reformation Sunday
What is a parable? A parable is, literally, something “cast alongside” something else. Jesus’ parables were stories that were “cast alongside” a truth in order to illustrate that truth. A common description of a parable is that it is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” There are 39 parables in the synoptic Gospels, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each of these distinct parables make up about 1/3 of the teachings of Jesus....