We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher," and tried to
point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our
Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are
setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.

At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
parables? We have our Saviour's answer to this question in St. Matt,
xiii: 11-18. And it is a remarkable answer. The meaning of it is that
he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do