--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jesus told parables. When he wanted to…" description: "\"Jesus told parables. When he wanted to say something really profound about God, he went into parable. I don't find it surprising then that when earlies..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/john-dominic-crossan-29819_christianity_jesus-told-parables-when-he-wanted-to-sa_1579204.jpg" --- # Jesus told parables. When he wanted to say something… ![“Jesus told parables. When he wanted to say something really profound about God, he went into parable. I don't find it surprising then that when earliest Christianity wanted to say something profound about Jesus, they went into parable too. That doesn't mean everything is a parable. When it says…” quote by John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/john-dominic-crossan-29819_christianity_jesus-told-parables-when-he-wanted-to-sa_1579204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/john-dominic-crossan-29819_christianity_jesus-told-parables-when-he-wanted-to-sa_1579204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d4/john-dominic-crossan-29819_christianity_jesus-told-parables-when-he-wanted-to-sa_1579204.jpg) > “Jesus told parables. When he wanted to say something really profound about God, he went into parable. I don't find it surprising then that when earliest Christianity wanted to say something profound about Jesus, they went into parable too. That doesn't mean everything is a parable. When it says Jesus was in Nazareth I don't think that's a parable, I think Jesus was in Nazareth. When it talks about Jesus walking on the water, I don't think that's the point at all, I think the point is that the church without Jesus sinks.” [John Dominic Crossan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dominic-crossan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parables convey deeper truths; literal events may be symbolic. **In simple terms:** Stories teach deeper meanings beyond facts. Key Takeaway Seek the underlying message, not just the story. Themes interpretation symbolism religion history Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type explanatory scholarly When to use this quote - theology - education - personal reflection - community teaching Key Concepts biblical studies mythology spiritual insight Questions to Reflect On - What deeper truth does this story reveal? - How do you differentiate symbol from fact? A Different Perspective Not all narratives are metaphorical; some are historical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-told-629139/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Nazareth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazareth/) [Parable Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parable-doesn-3067525/) [Parable Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parable-says-5961675/) [Parables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parables/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Says Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-jesus-1049319/) [Surprising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprising/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Told Parables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-parables-5961674/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“I thought of the parable of the prodigal son. 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