Pentecost 3 “Why Parables?”
June 13th, 2021 – Mark 4:33-34
“With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”
May you receive from God the good you have not deserved, not get the bad you have, and may you have peace with God through the blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Have you ever asked yourself “what’s with all the parables?” When you read the Gospels over and over Jesus is talking in stories, metaphors, analogies, and not “telling it as it is” so to speak. What is with that?
Jesus looks like Yoda saying something like “Each choice, the branch of a tree is: what looked like a decision, is after only a pattern of growth.”
Or Mr. Miagi, more mysteriously, from Karate Kid saying his famous “wax on wax off.”
Perhaps you have thought about Jesus speaking in parables a lot. Maybe you haven’t given it much thought. This morning, think about it. Why doesn’t Jesus say exactly what the kingdom is instead of speaking about what it is like? Why doesn’t he just explain instead of mystifying?
Before I go on, I’ve got a problem I wanted to run past you. Totally unrelated. Maybe you could give me some advice. I’m trying to teach Caleb calculus. I really think it could help him when he’s playing with his toys to understand what’s going to happen before he does something and makes a mess or has something fall apart on him and it’s a big meltdown. I was trying to explain to him what a differential is and the concept of infinity, indefinite integrals, and how exponents work, but he just keeps looking at me funny whenever I talk about it and ignoring me.
Any ideas?
Sometimes I think that maybe he’s just not ready to hear what I’m trying to tell him.
I suppose he is just 3 years old.
Oh! And I also think I should teach him how to use the skill saw in the garage so he can saw branches in half instead of smacking them on the wall to break them apart. Any thoughts on how to go about that?
Of course, I’m being facetious about this all. Or “tongue-in-cheek” if you don’t understand what facetious means.
Why wouldn’t I just tell Caleb about calculus or teach him how to use the skill saw? For one, he has a few more things to learn before he can put that all together to understand calculus (like being able to count past 10 consistently!). And, with a skill saw, that could be pretty dangerous to himself and those around him. He’s just not ready.
Do I still love him even though he has to still make messes to learn instead of calculating things out? Of course!
Would I prefer he could make clean cuts on branches instead of banging them all around on the walls of the house, well yeah! He’s still my son. I still love him even though he’s not “perfect.”
He still loves and trusts me even though I get mad at him sometimes for not being older or more responsible than he currently is.
I won’t say this is the entire purpose of Jesus speaking in parables, but Jesus shows us the heart of God and His relationship to us as a Father when He speaks in parables. He says “2 + x = 4” and when we have learned enough to solve for x, when God has patiently taught us how, we find truth.
Jesus says the reason He speaks in parables is so that “they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!” (Mark 4:12).
This seems strange for Jesus to say – almost a parable in itself! We know that Jesus was sent here to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins – liberty to the captives. We know God so loved the world He sent His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.
So why would Jesus want to hide truth that leads to forgiveness? The answer is, “He wouldn’t.”
As a father myself, I wouldn’t want Caleb to understand how to press the button on a dangerous power tool before I had taught him and know for myself he’s learned proper safety and fed him and raised him until he was physically strong enough to hold it.
Mr. Miagi with the Karate Kid, he trains him with a seemingly meaningless exercise. The karate kid is prone to fights and would use his skill poorly. When the time is right and growth has happened for the boy, Mr. Miagi teaches him the strength of the motions of wax on and wax off.
Wisdom. Dare I say, our Godlike wisdom coming through Mr. Miagi.
Do you have ears to hear this morning?
This is humbling. We reviewed the Athanasian Creed a couple weeks ago. We were reminded that God is beyond our understanding and yet God still gives us understanding about him that we can cling to. Bits and pieces to hold onto.
How beautiful though, that God is like a Father to us. Revealing things to us when we are ready and teaching us, disciplining us, guiding us, all along the way – because He love us.
God takes us in our faith, exactly where it is, loves us and teaches us. He gives any growth we have in our faith. Whether we have the faith of an infant that simply trusts it’s mother to care for it, or the faith of a great wise old saint who has been given understanding from God of the great mysteries of heaven. He takes you where you are and He tells you parables. He tells you truth whether you are at the place to understand it or not. He is there with you, often having to break down the foolish things we cling to first before we can understand His truth.
I have not even told you about the parable this week! In fact, I don’t plan to. Yet, there is something very important we can learn simply about the fact Jesus speaks to us in parables. He cares for you deeply and wherever your faith is, He comes to you, to teach you what you can understand, and by the power of the Holy Spirit to guide you into the knowledge of the truth.
Often with Caleb not being wise enough, old enough, responsible enough, I am disappointed and angry with him. I’m disappointed and angry when he pushes his brother in a fit of rage, melts down when the Lego pieces come apart, or when he doesn’t know better that leaving the fridge open for hours is not a good thing. If I weren’t aware of how much of a child I am before God myself, I might get so frustrated with my son I would hold such a grudge I would destroy my relationship with him, and for what?
It’s not that his being a child who doesn’t know better is an excuse for bad behaviour – the behaviour is still wrong. It just means that I have to guide him and teach him wherever he’s at- and most importantly forgive him over and over again – just as my good Father does for me.
If you have ears to hear what I’m saying today – hear it! Hear what I’m getting at – what I mean – what I’m saying and leaving unsaid – what I am telling you about your heavenly Father. (Mark 4:9; Matthew 11:15)
If not, if you don’t have ears to get that this morning – that’s okay! You are still His child just like me. He still forgives us whatever mistakes we’re making in our ignorance or our great knowledge.
Seek God’s knowledge and wisdom. Always be ready to give up your own. Your Father has the greatest knowledge this world has ever known. The core of it is love in Jesus on the cross. Love is the fulfilling of the Law. Love is what makes knowledge not just a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. Love is what brings us peace from God which surpasses all understanding.
May peace and love for you from Jesus on the cross guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.