Have you heard that the messages of Christian parables don't really fit with real life?
Knowing what it feels like to be treated right at work, school, or home by someone who tries to live out the parables says volumes about their real-world applicability.
As Christian parables are talked about more widely again, a past criticism will resurface that these parables don't often fit with real life and then people need to worry about being punished for not following rules that don't work in the real world. However, it can often be a misunderstanding of the parables and their applications or an underlying aversion to listening to their messages that is the real source of this criticism. For example, a person may argue about the applicability of a parable about selflessness mainly because they don't want to give up their self-centered behavior.
Others may have tried to live out the message of a parable and found that they faced some difficulties. However, it has to be kept in mind that living a life for others can be difficult and involves self-sacrifice. That is one place where misunderstanding comes in and why people think the parables don't fit real life; following the messages of the parables isn't to avoid all difficulties. Listening to the parables also isn't for self-centered material gain, for example, but the benefits of living out the messages of the parables are far greater.
It can't be argued that we live in a world where people need help and want to be treated right, and that's what many of the parables are about. Knowing what it feels like to be treated right at work, school, or at home by someone who tries to live out the parables says volumes about their real-world applicability. This is also why the point of following the messages of the parables is also not just to avoid punishment.