Parables
Matthew. 13:24-34a
Why did Jesus use parables to teach?
Photo by Jacqueline O'Gara on Unsplash
He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. - Matt. 13:24-34a
Do you think people were frustrated when they heard Jesus speak in parables?
They called Jesus a Rabbi and a teacher, and we tend to apply our definitions of those words to him based on our present world.
I think he was the kind of storyteller who inspired people to ask questions and get involved in the conversation.
Imagine sitting at table or around a fire with him, and he says let me tell you a parable.
I would be intrigued, knowing I was going to have to pay attention to the details of the scene and imagine what I would do in that situation.
Would I expect to weed my garden before the crops were fully grown?
Would I appreciate the beauty and majesty of a tree that is home for many birds?
Would I be awed by the rising of the bread dough left sitting after being needed with yeast?
These things were common to them, so they would want to see the parallels with the kingdom. How is the kingdom of God like a field or a tree or a loaf of bread?
Our education in faith is one of questioning and gaining wisdom from those questions and the answers we come up with.
We are all on a journey of faith. Some are further along than others, but we are not there yet. We are on our way to true understanding. On the way, we witness God's love through Creation.
Jesus may have used parables because we forget lessons. And the laws we memorize have little meaning to us other than that we have to follow them.
Why? What were they created for?
To get to know God, we need to get to know God's kingdom. It is here, all around us. We are the kingdom of God.
So, when we hear a parable we have heard before, we need to listen again, as if hearing it anew. We may just find we see things differently today than we did before.
More to come...