A parable is a story that takes common, easily understandable situations to explain a spiritual truth or convey an important lesson.
A simple definition that I was taught as a child is that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Key verse about Parable: Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable (Matthew 13:34, NIV)
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.