Pastor's Corner
October 2025
The Parables of Jesus
When we think about the teachings of Jesus our thoughts almost immediately go to the parables, those stories of Jesus that seem, on the one hand, like home spun stories of life in first century Israel, but on the other hand, continually point to meaning that is much deeper and sometimes more challenging to understand. No matter what we think of the parables, it is evident that they invite us to give them more than a cursory read. It is for this reason that our Tuesday morning Bible Study is currently studying the parables in conversation with each other in order to dig a little deeper and learn from one another. Over the next few months, I hope to share some insights in Jesus’ parables. Yet before then, I want to share some preliminary thoughts on the parables as a whole.
It is important to remember that Jesus told the parables for one primary reason, to help the people understand that the Kingdom of God was at hand. This was the good news that Jesus first preached when he began his ministry. Of course, we should not forget that when Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, he was doing more than talking about going to heaven when we die. Yes, eternal life is part of the good news of God’s Kingdom, but the Kingdom of God at hand impacts our life in the here and now. Living out the Kingdom of God in our daily lives means that our lives reflect the very prayer that we lift up in worship each week, “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, the Kingdom of God at hand means that God’s will is being done on earth as it is already being done in heaven. It is for this reason that Jesus told his parables.
Through the parables, we catch a glimpse of what happens when the Kingdom of God is at hand in and through the lives of God’s people, prodigals are welcomed home, God’s word is cast forth indiscriminately, the lost are found, the forgiven are expected to forgive, the unexpected show up at weddings, we attend to our own shortcomings before we point out the shortcomings of others, saints and sinners live life together, and at the end of the day, everyone gets a day’s wage. Since Jesus told the parables with everyday life in mind, it is important that we keep them grounded that way. It is easy to over-spiritualize the parables diminishing their power to transform our lives. When we over-spiritualize the parables we render them tame so that they cease to challenge us to forsake the kingdom of this world in order to follow the ways of God’s Kingdom.
No one parable fully explains the Kingdom of God, nor are they intended to do so. Instead, each parable gives us a partial glimpse. Almost like a jigsaw puzzle, the parables are meant to be fit together in order to get the full picture. As we read the parables, we are invited to read them, not in isolation from each other, but in conjunction with each other. This allows the parables to inform one another as they invite us into deeper reflection. So, as we read the parables, let us not read them too quickly. Let us linger with them, inviting the Spirit to help us discover insights, inviting the Spirit to help us not resist to the challenges, inviting the Spirit to do the slow work of transformation so that our lives can line up more and more with the Kingdom of God at hand.
From the Pastor.....
