Á-°parableÁ-? literally means Á-°a placing beside or together or a comparisonÁ-?. Everyone is
familiar with the parables of Jesus, in which a fictional story illustrates spiritual truths.
These are not the only parables; the word is also used to describe proverbs, prophetic
utterances, and Á-°dark sayingsÁ-?.
When a parable is read in the Vespers service, we should consider that the content of the
text refers in some way, whether directly or allegorically, to the service being celebrated.
Typically, the parables for celebrated saints are from the OT, except in the case of one of
the 12 Apostles, when they are taken entirely from the NT epistles. The parables for
Feasts of the Lord or Theotokos are from the OT.
The Old Testament is a very difficult book to understand. We who are Orthodox are
helped immeasurably in this task by the church services, which are replete with
references to the OT, and the right interpretation of the myriad types and prophesies
contained in it. All the services interpret the meaning of the Old Testament in the light
of the New.
Anyone who attentively and consistently worships in the Vespers and Matins services
will learn the most important parts of the Old Testament. Those whose Christian
worship is almost entirely confined to the Divine Liturgy will not receive the benefit of
this teaching.
The major portion of the pedagogy of the church is Vespers and Matins, whose content
varies considerably day by day and season by season, The textual content of the Divine
Liturgy, on the other hand, varies very little throughout the year.
One CANNOT understand the Old Testament without worshipping in the Vespers and
Matins services. Also, one CANNOT understand the New Testament without
understanding the Old, and one CANNOT understand anything in the scripture without