Parables

Tom: Jesus used parables as a defense against the Sanhedrin. Upon reviewing the list of criteria, parables seem to transcend mere stories. Is this means of communication still effective today? Where does one go to find parables? Are your examples actually parables in themselves?

Elyon: You have in your reference source, The Urantia Book, a well displayed, portrayed, list of elements that make up a parable worth reviewing. I would contribute more to that expert list of qualifications that define a parable, and that is that a well crafted parable intuitively speaks to the soul in a manner which is adapted to the efforts of the divine indwelling Thought Adjuster. Holding this in mind with a parable, if you are the one uttering such a story, you are speaking to the spirit within the other individual knowingly cooperating, providing external input that has a junction with the internal efforts of the Adjuster to speak to the mind and soul of the creature who is hearing.

A parable may contain the element of entertainment that a story does, but it also contains this principle of kinship, if I may use that word, with the efforts of the Adjuster.

Few of you are in a position like Jesus where you address large multitudes of diverse backgrounds, even languages and cultures, at one time. You will have less opportunity to demonstrate truth in a parable form. More often than not you will encounter smaller situations and opportunities to convey truth tactfully to another so as to not raise the ire of the Sanhedrin, in a sense, in the individual.

You can apply the principle of the parable by addressing issues using a "for instance" format. One can bring to the forefront of the mind of another a truth to be considered by relating the story of a third individual, what they encountered, how they reacted, and what they have done based on a similar experience. The effect of the parables the master taught was to allow the listener to identify the key element in the story and to identify with a key character. By relating your own story to another they may likewise draw into sympathetic affiliation and conclude from your portrayal a possible course of action for their own situation.

In your desire to discover a presentation in parable form or to even create one yourself, I advise that it is important to not directly convey the moral of the story, the point to be made, but to develop a picture/context, a visual, imaginatively tangible arena, series of episodes, that in their portrayal uncover
the point. The effective use of the parable is to not get to a conclusion and say, "The point of the story is...". The effective use of parable is to stop short of making that conclusion and allow the Indwelling Spirit to work with the one who hears to draw the conclusion. How often does one recoil from a friend who says, "You know what you ought to do...", "You should...".  A parable does not seek this end. Its effort is to create a scenario with key elements which can contribute to the one hearing the story the ability to compose a
conclusion. 

This conclusion developed within their own minds is far more acceptable than is advice directly given. If you wish to experiment with such compositions, become skilled at identifying contributing elements, compose them into a sequential story line, and leave the conclusion for the listeners to create themselves.

Tom: How does humor qualify in there? The punch-line is still vague and allows a listener to participate. How does humor differ from parables?

Elyon: Humor can disarm another from the tendency to guard against being told what is right by another individual. Humor can draw camaraderie to the surface. The parables of Jesus spoke of events that happened elsewhere, happened to other people than those to whom he was relaying the story. It draws the
teller and the hearer closer together as they share in an experience about another. Humor, likewise, draws the humorist and those who are listening into the camaraderie of laughter. Its drawback is the potential that the truth that is lying dormant within the message will be overlooked because of the light heartedness, the potential for it to be trivialized or (rendered frivolous). Seriousness does help to emphasize the import of the lesson to be gained. But that should not rule out the use of humor as a means of creating a comfortable environment through which the lesson may be learned.