Living His StorySýnishorn

Catching Up With God

 The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record Jesus telling over 35 different stories. Over a third of all the recorded words we have by Jesus in the Gospels are parables. Some of these stories are from nature, involving trees, fruit and animals. Others are from the home, telling stories of parents and children, loss and reunion. Others still are from public occasions: banquets and officials, weddings and judges. The sheer breadth of situations and contexts that Jesus used demonstrates his mastery as one of the greatest storytellers who has ever lived. 

It is remarkable that in our increasingly post-Christian world, which no longer places the Christian faith at the centre of life, some of Jesus’ stories continue to remain part of our cultural heritage. Though many are no longer familiar with the stories of Scripture, the phrases ‘the good Samaritan’ and ‘the prodigal son’ are still commonly used. Jesus does not use parables to explain abstract theology in concrete terms; instead, his parables demonstrate the revolutionary nature of the kingdom he was announcing. The word parabolē in Greek suggests ‘putting things side by side… putting together of ideas from different spheres in such a way that one idea illuminates the other’. Jesus’ parables illuminated the reality of the new Kingdom he was ushering in; they sought to challenge and subvert the normal understanding of how things are or should be. They sought to offer an entirely different way of seeing the world, the topsy-turvy world of the kingdom of God. 

Parables can provide us with a precious window into this alternative way of being in the world, revealing the extraordinary through the ordinary. These lessons can help us become more confident as we seek to invite others into this new way of life in the kingdom. 

Jesus himself told a story about an urgent and compelling invitation. In Luke 14.15–24 we read the story of a man who prepares a lavish banquet. But on the day when his guests are supposed to arrive, one by one they make their excuses not to attend. Angered by this response, the master instead commands his servant to go into the town and bring in anyone he can find, including those who are not normally invited to such prestigious gatherings. Parables such as these would have been shocking to Jesus’ listeners, particularly the religious who considered themselves safely on the list of those invited. Through these parables, Jesus asks who are the recipients of this good news and suggests that it is not the prestigious and important people, those who simply assume they are invited. Jesus’ extraordinary kingdom prioritized the poor, the neglected, those who didn’t think they stood a chance. The parable of the banquet, like those of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son in the following chapter of Luke, reveal God’s heart for those who are not yet part of his kingdom. The overarching narrative of Scripture is that God loves people. Our witnessing is only ever in response to the invitation that God has already made.

Questions for Reflection

1. Which of Jesus’ parables do you think is most relevant today? Why?

2. What can you learn from the way Jesus taught and told his stories?

3. How can you spread the message of and use the teachings behind Jesus’ parables day to day?