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 Jesus' favorite teaching device was the parable. A parable is a succinct story that is purposed to instruct or illustrate abstract lessons or principles. Parables typically describe concrete, real-life settings and subjects and discuss the outcomes of particular actions or choices. In his parables, Jesus often made reference to common and simple aspects of the human experience to convey deep theological truths. For instance, consider the parables in the Gospel of Mark that refer to seeds and sowing. These agricultural metaphors would have been meaningful to the audiences to which Jesus was speaking because agriculture was a significant part of their everyday life. Choose a parable from the Gospel of Mark and discuss the meaning of the parable. Describe how the parable uses simple, real-life ideas and events to convey abstract, theological truths.