Dear Church of the Open Bible,
My kids are easily gripped by stories. They differ in how they prefer to consume those stories- books, movies, listening, games, etc., but they all enjoy a compelling narrative. I’ve especially seen this in teaching, as stories have a way of bypassing typical defense systems when it comes to discerning truth and error. This makes them incredibly powerful.
This kind of persuasive power is masterfully wielded by Jesus in the Gospels through His use of parables and illustrative stories. Jesus’ Parable of the Soils in Luke 8:4-8 is a great example of this. The parable begins innocently and captures our attention as we encounter a familiar scene of planting seeds. We find ourselves going deeper as we consider the varying results, soil by soil. And then the story ends. There’s no punch line or succinct moral of the story summarized by Jesus. What we do find though, is an invitation. This is an invitation to see the truth and maybe start the process of asking, “What soil am I?” But there is no coercion. The listener can reject the invitation and leave with merely a strange story. But notice where the decision lies: with the listener. One can respond with faith, seeking to know and apply God’s truth, and receive understanding. Or one can respond with pride, rejecting any invitation, and receive judgment.
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” - Luke 8:10
May each of us have soft hearts that approach God’s Word with humility and faith. May we also share Jesus’ stories (Luke 5:41-42) and parables (Luke 8:4-8) as invitations for others to encounter truth for themselves.