Bible passage: Psalm 78:1-2
Prophet: Asaph
Written: About 1000 BC (about 3,000 years ago)
The Old Testament book of Psalms, which contains 150 psalms, foretold and foreshadowed many details about Jesus as the Messiah, including that he would speak in parables.
Asaph, a prophet (2 Chronicles 29:30) who lived about 1,000 years before the time of Jesus, wrote Psalm 78, which foreshadows that the Messiah would speak in parables:
1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old-- (Psalm 78:1-2, NIV)
As explained in the book, 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies, Jesus gave about 30 to 60 parables, depending on how one defines a parable, in the four Gospels of the New Testament.
Isaiah 6:9-10, as a prophecy, also alludes to the Messiah speaking in parables. Jesus paraphrases Psalm 78:1-2 and Isaiah 6:9-10 when, after giving a parable, he speaks out against the religious leaders who vigorously opposed him during his public ministry, in Matthew 13.
A parable is often defined as a short story that is meant to illustrate a moral teaching. Sometimes that story will use symbolism, metaphors or analogies. Parables are sometimes told in such a way that a person with an open mind will understand the meaning, whereas a person with a closed mind will fail to understand.