Bible scholar C.H Dodd said of parables, “At its simplest, the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt to its precise application to tease the mind into active thought.” Parables are meant to instill a healthy doubt about the direction we are naturally inclined to move in life and then reorient us towards life in the Kingdom. Parables frustrate our flesh, yet they free us to live as God intended, towards joy, wholeness, and vitality.


In Matthew 13:44-46, we discuss the importance of digging beyond the surface of parables to the treasure of the Kingdom. The Kingdom could be right underneath our feet, or right around the corner.