When Jesus came rather directly declaring and demonstrating that the long-awaited time of God’s salvation had finally arrived, he soon discovered that his directness proved to be a challenge to the ones he had come to save.
As Mark tells us in his gospel account, Jesus came as a messianic (God-anointed) King, announcing that he was bringing into vibrant view the kingdom of God. His actions, teachings—and eventually, his death and resurrection—accomplished once and for all the rescue God had eternally intended for the world. And yet, the very ones most prepared to receive him were so confounded by him that they confused his Spirit-filled, heavenly Father-directed efforts for those of the enemy his life and death were destined to overcome.
By the fourth chapter of Mark, Jesus realizes that if he is going to get at the heart of his hearers, he will have to come at things in a not-so-direct manner. And so, Jesus began to tell it slant[1] through parables: “And he was teaching them many things in parables…” (4:2).
The disarming nature of a story makes the parables the most useful tool in Jesus’ arsenal, as Robert Capon reminds us. “In resorting so often to parables, Jesus’ main point was that any understanding of the kingdom his hearers could come up with would be a misunderstanding.”
Now here is the thing about parables, they don’t define, diagram, or systematize; instead, they describe something, usually something just as real but more challenging to see than the everyday elements of the short stories themselves. Things like our souls, our hearts, our relation to the world, how God relates to us, and, of course, the kingdom of God. Parables, since they are stories (at least most of them), neutralize our assumptions about how God works by coming at challenging topics sideways. Because they come at us on the slant, parables get to the heart of our relationship with God and one another before we know what to dismiss.
Eugene Peterson once said that “Parables trust our imaginations, which is to say, our faith. They don’t herd us paternalistically into a classroom where we get things explained and diagrammed. They don’t bully us into regiments where we find ourselves marching in [moral, unthinking conformity].” Parables are crafted to foster relationship with the communicator of the stories. Parables don’t do the work for us; they require us to put in work, imaginative or meditative work. Effort we could call the work faith. They train us to hear the voice of the Lord and see with the eyes of the Spirit (see Matthew 13:11-17).
In other words, while we (like the men and women of Mark 1-3) can misunderstand Jesus’ straight-line efforts before he can get us to see what he sees, the parables get around our defenses by inviting us into a relationship with the teacher and the text. Parables invite us into a courtship of faith, requiring the use of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength as we grow into maturity in the kingdom.
So, here are the parables we will be entering together this Epiphanytide. Our encouragement is to not just wait until the Gathering to jump in, but to walk with Jesus into these stories with intent at least twice a week. To help, we’ve put together a schedule along with some questions to ponder along the way.
WEEK OF JANUARY 9th
Day One: Read “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” and “The Parable of the Lost Coin” in Luke 15:1-10. These are two familiar parables. And while they may be well known, the absurdity of the energy exerted in these stories is often lost in sentimentality. So, re-read the parables asking the Spirit for fresh eyes to see and ears to hear, then write down any thoughts, observations, and questions that come to mind.
Day Two: Re-Read Luke 15:1-10, and then consider the following questions:
Who is Jesus telling these parables to, and why? (See verses 1-2)
How do the energy and resources spent searching and celebrating compare to the proportion of what was not lost to what was found?
What do the similarities and differences of verses 7 and 10 reveal about the values of God’s Kingdom?
Sunday: Re-Read Luke 15:1-10, asking for eyes to see the true nature of God with us, for us, and in us.
WEEK OF JANUARY 16TH
Day One: Read “The Parable of Barren Fig Tree” in Luke 13:6-9. Now read the account of Jesus’ interactions preceding our parable in Luke 13:1-8, and consider how Jesus’ conversation connects with his parable. Why might Luke have placed this parable after Jesus’ words to those who saw some sort of “holy justification” in the tragedies around them?
Day Two: Re-Read Luke 13:6-9, and consider the following questions:
What are the master’s (any person who has a tree planted, is in charge in some way) expectations, and are they unreasonable?
What are the gardener’s expectations, and are they reasonable?
Who is Jesus/God, and who are we in this story? What does that reveal about our place in God’s Kingdom?
Sunday: Re-Read Luke 13:6-9 asking for eyes to see the true nature of God with us, for us, and in us.
WEEK OF JANUARY 23rd
Day One: Read “The Parable of the Cost of Discipleship” in Luke 14:28-32. While these two “proverbial” illustrations do not fit the story form of the more familiar parables, nevertheless, the everyday nature of the content sneaks Jesus’ emphasis past our defenses. So, re-read the parable in its immediate context (Luke 14:25-33), then write down any thoughts, observations, and questions that come to mind.
Day Two: Re-Read Luke 14:28-32, and consider the following questions:
What are both the builder and the king “counting”?
What is at stake for the builder and for the king? Are they the same? If not, how are they different?
How does this parable relate to its context (vs. 25-27, 33)?
Sunday: Re-Read Luke 14:28-32, asking for eyes to see and courage to live in and share the true nature of God with us, for us, and in us.
WEEK OF JANUARY 30th
Day One: Read the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” in Matthew 25:1-13. Admittedly, these final parables on Jesus’ way to the cross feel different from those in his Samarian travels. Perhaps it is because Jesus tells this parable in the context of “the end” of the story—its destination and its purpose. So, re-read the parable in its context (or listen to this) and then write down any thoughts, observations, and questions that come to mind.
Day Two: Re-read Matthew 25:1-13, and consider the following questions:
What do both sets of virgins have in common? What do they both want and are willing to wait for? What do they both do while waiting?
What differentiates the two sets of virgins?
What does the inability of the “wise” to share what they have with the “foolish” reveal about our limitations, and responsibilities, in the end?
Sunday: Re-Read Matthew 25:1-13, asking for eyes to see and courage to live in and share the true nature of God with us, for us, and in us.
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6th
Day One: Read the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25:14-30. Jesus tells this parable in the context of “being ready” for the end (Matthew 24:3-25:13) and what separates out in the end (Matthew 25:31-46). With this in mind, re-read the parable in context, and then write down any thoughts, observations, and questions that come to mind.
Day Two: Re-read Matthew 25:14-30, and consider the following questions:
Why does the master praise the first two servants? How might that relate to Jesus’ comments on “sheep and goats” in Matthew 25:31-46?
Read verse 26 closely. Is the master affirming the third servant’s perceptions of him, or is he pointing out what the servant thinks about the master? Why does that matter?
What do you think God expects of you? How does what you think about the nature of the Father and his kingdom impact those expectations?
Sunday: Re-Read Matthew 25:14-30, asking for eyes to see and courage to live in and share the true nature of God with us, for us, and in us.
[1] One of my favorite poems is Emily Dickenson’s Tell It Slant. A poem that seems to me to speak to the method and disposition of Jesus as he revealed to us the superb surprise of life with God now and forever.