Listen

With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.

Mark 4:33-34

Think

I get parables. I really do. In many African cultures, including my own, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other adults have a way of teaching young people valuable lessons through parables and pithy sayings. I admit that many times I had no clue what those stories or sayings meant, but as I grew older, I realized part of the learning was figuring out what the parable or saying meant.

I do not believe Jesus was trying to deliberately confuse people with parables about the kingdom of God. On the contrary, Jesus was creating opportunities for learning and for growth. When we become comfortable with easy answers, and when we yearn for unbreakable certainty, it is easy to lose our way and drift away from the kingdom of God. We must instead seek to listen, to learn, and to ask difficult questions. The kingdom of God is not one thing; therefore, the story of God’s kingdom cannot and must not be one story.

James Blay

Pray

Gracious God, as I tell the story of your kingdom, I pray for the wisdom to resist easy, one-dimensional descriptions. Help me to embrace the complexity and beauty of your kingdom as I do my part to grow your kingdom here. Amen.

Go

Go, knowing God has empowered you to write your part in the greatest story ever told.

Go write a story of love; a story of justice; a story of mercy; a story of welcome; a story of peace.