Jesus used parables as a teaching mechanism. For a multitude of reasons. One being the earthly parables teach heavenly truths.

I believe since God is the creator of all there are natural or earthly parables that point to heavenly things.

Curious what some of yalls favorite parables are either in scripture or life itself.

One of the ones I find always compelling to me is a parable of food. For humans to live something has to die. There is no way a human being can keep on living without the death of something else. Primarily animals for meat but even for vegetarians tbe plants must die so the consumer can have life.

Which is an obvious parable that for eternal life Jesus had to die so that we may live.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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One of the ones I find always compelling to me is a parable of food. For humans to live something has to die. There is no way a human being can keep on living without the death of something else. Primarily animals for meat but even for vegetarians tbe plants must die so the consumer can have life.

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Somewhat tangential, I think that's not exactly the case. Fasting, at least in the Orthodox Church, helps connect us back the garden, where life was not taken for nourishment.

Parable of the Talents sticks out for me. As we homeschool our son, that lesson is front and center regarding what God has entrusted to us and to not waste it. Finding the things God has allowed us to excel in and pursue them for his glory.

I can talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan for days. There are just so many layers

Lol obviously that doesn't exclude fasting. Which is another parable of itself. But if you stop eating indefinitely you will die.

For me it is the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Probably because I can see some of myself in each of the two sons. The youngest, at first feeling entitled enough to ask for his share of the inheritance, then later coming to his senses. This coming to his senses came about after hitting rock bottom while feeding pigs! Even the servants at his father's house ate better.

The best part for me is when he resigns himself to become a servant no longer a son to his father, then deciding to return home. The whole time, his father (our Father in heaven) was vigilantly awaiting his return, seeing him always in the distance "ran" to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him! (I'm tearing up just thinking of God, the creator of the universe running for wayward child returning home).

The son couldn't even get his full apology out before the Father put a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, and the best robe on him. My gosh, what joy awaits us in heaven!

Then there is the older son. Bitter. Somewhat jealous, maybe? Wondering what all the fuss is going on. "Your brother has come home!" One of the servants would say. He became angry (why?) and refused to go in. Is this what keeps some out of heaven? He tells his father that he has slaved so many years and was never once given a goat to celebrate with his friends. "This son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!"

"My son you are always with me, and everything I have is yours." The Father responded, then reminding him, "this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

The parable has just about everything we need to know about the love and mercy of God the Father. We can choose to be one of the sons.