Why did Jesus tell stories (‘parables’) in order to communicated his message?

Jesus taught in parables so that the people listening to him would understand what was being taught. For example, in one of his teachings about the kingdom of God, Jesus used a parable about a sower and his seeds to portray God and His Word. You should understand what Jesus is teaching us here, so I won't explain that. There were many farmers and sowers that people back then could relate to, so Jesus used them as an example to teach his word more clearly.

He told spoke in parables so he could confuse people enough to make them miss out on his meaning and go to hell.

Seriously. It's right there in the Bible:

Mark 4

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

God operates by Principles.

A Parable is a dissemination of the principles of The Kingdom of God in a way that even the simplest minds, from the most infantile to the senile, could understand, and not just the supposed geniuses.

It was prophesied in the Old testament that the when the Messiah came, He would speak in parables. So Christ was just fullfilling a prophesy. The pharasees understood, what He was saying, but it angered them, as they knew it was pointed at them.

Parables and story telling is a highly effective method for sermonic dispensation. In other words, people could understand the moral lessons in stories.

He told parables so that the people listening could relate his teachings to their everyday life and understand what exactly he was saying and why it mattered.

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

For the same reason House MD uses parable in his explanations. Makes you think, equates it to something you know and therefore you retain information better. Remember, the bible was written by Man, scholars in fact

If you have studied the Bible you will find that Jesus spoke in paraboles to the Pharasees and religious leaders.He later would explain every detail to his disciples who would ask him,because he knew they were interested and wanted to learn.So anyone who wanted to learn could ask him the answer,this filtered out the ones who were just there to mock him and cause problems.

Why Jesus Taught With Illustrations

3 The Bible gives two noteworthy reasons why Jesus used illustrations. First, his doing so fulfilled prophecy. The apostle Matthew wrote: “Jesus spoke to the crowds by illustrations. Indeed, without an illustration he would not speak to them; that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet who said: ‘I will open my mouth with illustrations.’” (Matthew 13:34, 35) “The prophet” quoted by Matthew was the composer of Psalm 78:2. That psalmist wrote under the inspiration of God’s spirit centuries before Jesus’ birth. Is it not remarkable that hundreds of years in advance, Jehovah determined that his Son would teach with illustrations? Surely Jehovah must value this method of teaching!

4 Second, Jesus himself explained that he used illustrations to sift out those whose hearts were unresponsive. After he related to “great crowds” the parable of the sower, his disciples asked: “Why is it you speak to them by the use of illustrations?” Jesus answered: “To you it is granted to understand the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those people it is not granted. This is why I speak to them by the use of illustrations, because, looking, they look in vain, and hearing, they hear in vain, neither do they get the sense of it; and toward them the prophecy of Isaiah is having fulfillment, which says, ‘By hearing, you will hear but by no means get the sense of it; and, looking, you will look but by no means see. For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive.’”—Matthew 13:2, 10, 11, 13-15; Isaiah 6:9, 10.

5 What was it about Jesus’ illustrations that separated people? In some cases, his listeners had to dig in order to get the full meaning of his words. Humble individuals were moved to ask for more information. (Matthew 13:36; Mark 4:34) Jesus’ illustrations, then, revealed truth to those whose hearts hungered for it; at the same time, his illustrations concealed truth from those with proud hearts. What a remarkable teacher Jesus was! Let us now examine some of the factors that made his illustrations so effective.

Selective Use of Details

6 Have you ever wondered what it must have been like for those first-century disciples who directly heard Jesus teach? Privileged though they were to hear the voice of Jesus, they did not yet have the advantage of consulting a written record to remind them of the things he said. Instead, they had to carry Jesus’ words in their minds and hearts. Through his skillful use of illustrations, Jesus made it easier for them to remember what he taught. In what way?

7 Jesus was selective in his use of details. When specifics were relevant to a story or necessary for emphasis, he took great care to provide them. So he said exactly how many sheep were left behind while the owner searched for a stray, how many hours workers labored in the vineyard, and how many talents were given in trust.—Matthew 18:12-14; 20:1-16; 25:14-30.