Tuesday, October 6, 2015

WHY PARABLES


Matthew 13:1-1       Jesus replied… This is why I speak to them in parables: The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’


Every Saturday night, four good friends get together. When Jerry, Mike, and Pat arrived, Karen was sitting in her living room writing some notes. She quickly gathered the cards and stood up to greet her friends at the door. They followed her into the living room but as usual they couldn’t agree on exactly what to play. Jerry eventually took a stand and set things up. Finally, they began to play. Karen’s recorder filled the room with soft and pleasant music. Early in the evening, Mike noticed Pat’s hand and the many diamonds. As the night progressed the tempo of play increased. Finally, a lull in the activities occurred. Taking advantage of this, Jerry pondered the arrangement in front of him. Mike interrupted Jerry’s reverie and said, “Let’s hear the score.” They listened carefully and commented on their performance. When the comments were all heard, exhausted but happy, Karen’s friends went home.

            What are Karen and her friends doing? Can you guess? Do you need more information? Is there more than one activity that comes to mind? If you ask your friends to read this, will they come to the same conclusion as you? Try it.

            When some people read the Bible they have trouble understanding what is being said. Like the story above, people struggle to see the real picture being drawn by the words. People are confused by the story, the parable or the depiction presented. Remember that without a complete understanding of Scripture and the context of the passage many will fail to see or hear the message. In fact, without the Spirit’s work, many will remain un-seeing and un-hearing of the message we know as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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