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Illustrations of Sermon

Parables

The story is told of an ancient stoic philosopher Epictetus (C.A.D. 50~120) who wanted to teach his students that truth understood is of no value; it is truth acted upon which changes things. This is of course a great truth. Sometimes we try putting it in a little saying like “Practice what you preach.” The problem is that we tend to remember only the words in these little sayings and ignore the truth they are intended to communicate.

Epictetus once gathered his students around and said “Have you ever noticed that a sheep does not vomit up the grass it ate at the feet of the shepherd in order to impress him? The sheep digests it to produce wool and milk.” What a vivid illustration of the idea that it is truth acted on that changes things. Certainly it is a word picture that you are unlikely to forget!

This is exactly what a parable is. It is truth put into a form that is so succinct compelling and accurate that you will not forget it. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》