The Plowing Parable in the Book of Luke The teachings of Christ were sometimes done in parable form so those who were listening to his wisdom could visualize in their minds what He was speaking about. He used parables so they would be able to relate to what His teachings were in terms and observations that they could understand from their own daily lives. An example of His parable teaching is found in the Book of Luke, Chapter 9 starting around verse 57 and the following verses. (Luke 9:57-62 (KJV). Christ was en route from a short teaching stay in Bethsaida and was going to Jerusalem to fullfill the prophesy of His persecution, arrest and death. While on His journey, many followed along to listen to His teachings. He asked a couple of followers to join Him as His disiples, but each had an excuse as to why they couldn't join Him right away. They had earthly duties to complete before they could follow Him. One man said that he would follow Christ but he had to go say goodbye to his family first. Luke 9:62(KJV), "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." The parable that Christ spoke of in verse 62 is to illustrate a point as taken from farming and the country folk who knew of such things. When a field is plowed, straight narrow furrows are plowed all in the same direction and it takes concentration by the tiller to acomplish this. If someone who is tilling the field looks to one side or another or behind them, the plow will probably go in that direction rather than going straight ahead. And so it is with those who wish to follow the teachings of Christ: If they stray away from the straight path to Him, they can fall away from His teachings because they are distracted and follow a different path. The parables of Christ were used to illustrate His teachings so the common, uneducated man could understand His message in their own terms. When we study God's Word, we must recognize the parable teachings and understand their meaning as those in Christ's own day did. God bless and rejoice in God's Word.