Comprehension

The Gutenberg Museum

It's not always easy to understand what is being said.

Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” - Matthew 13:10-13

Back in my elementary school days, English Comprehension was an important part of our studies.  Not only were we required to read , but we were also tested on how much of the story or essay we understood.  Parables are like those comprehension tests.

What did he mean by that?  What does the character symbolize?  Who is performing the action here?

Without questions like these, how can we truly grasp the message of the story?

Today's reading from Matthew's Gospel seems to be saying that the parables will never be understood, but I think the message is the opposite.  It is only through the act of questioning and challenging the mind through the parable stories that we who are not given the secrets to the Kingdom can come to see and hear.

So, the parables are for us to read, to hear, to question and seek to understand the meanings and layers behind the story.  This is something we cannot do alone.  We need to challenge each other, to hear each other's perspectives, and experience.

I believe the Kingdom of God is only experienced collectively, all of us engaging in loving one another now, together, here.

We cannot hear what we are not listening to, and we cannot see what close our eyes to.  So, for me, the message is to open our eyes and ears and our hearts to one another.  And then we will see and understand.

More to come...