Storyteller: Jesus and Parables

This past Sunday at Brooklife, we began a new series called “Storyteller” that is looking at the parables of Jesus.

We all love a good story. Sit with a child to read a story to them, and watch out! You may find yourself being asked to read it again and again.

Invite some friends over for a bowl of popcorn and a movie on Friday night and you will likely have a house-full to watch the story unfold on a screen.

Sit at a family gathering when one of the “older generation” starts to tell about generations gone by and, regardless of their age, you will probably find a group gathering around to listen, ask questions, and find out more.

We love stories.

Jesus knew we loved stories and so He spoke from stories quite a bit of the time. The type of stories he used were called parables.

What is a parable? A parable is often defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” It’s a story that deals with earthy things in order to talk about deeper things.

The word ‘parable’ comes from two Greek words which mean “alongside” and “to throw.”

So ‘parable’ literally means “to throw alongside” or “to compare.” As Stuart Briscoe says: “A parable is a story designed to compare that which is patently obvious to that which may not be obvious at all.”[1]

Jesus used parables to draw His hearers in by talking about everyday things they were familiar with: taxes, fishing, house cleaning, farming, family…

But as He drew the story to a close it became clear – for those who were really listening – that He was also hitting at a deeper meaning. He was opening up a discussion about unseen things by talking about things we could see.

He was talking about spiritual truth through everyday things.

Now, I do want to offer a word of caution as we start to talk about parables. We need to think about how we are approaching these stories so that we’re not expecting them to be something they’re not.

Let me use a parable of sorts to explain what I mean. Suppose that Kelly and I were going to watch a movie. And, suppose that it was Kelly’s turn to pick the movie we were going to watch. Now, suppose that Kelly picked “Little Women” or “Sense and Sensibility” – both clearly long and sweeping, romantic dramas – what one might even call “chick flicks”.

Now, aside from the first question of whether or not I can even bring myself to watch these movies, it would be very important for me to approach watching these movies in the right way.

If I go into those movies looking for action, blood and guts, or non-stop laughs, I am going to be sorely disappointed.

Even if I could agree that the movie was good – good acting, good cinematography, good character development, good musical scoring – if I’m expecting the movie to be a comedy or an action movie then I won’t find what I’m looking for.

In earlier times in the church’s history, biblical scholars used a method of interpretation that included a lot of allegory. Allegories are stories where every character, item, or event signifies some other thing. Those medieval interpreters had a heyday with the parables. There were hidden allegorical meanings to every element of the parables. A coin meant this; a bird meant that; the type of tree meant another thing…

But that’s not how we are supposed to read parables.

When we pay attention to their context – the situation or questions that prompted the story, what Jesus was teaching in and around the story, we will find that the parables have one clear and pointed impact related to one fundamental issue.

Parables have one clear and pointed impact related to one fundamental issue.

When we read or listen to parables we shouldn’t try to find secret meanings in every nook and cranny of the story, but try to listen – with the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit – for the strong, power-packed point on the main issue that hits us like swift punch in the gut.

 

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[1] Stuart Briscoe, Patterns for Power (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1979), 5.