Meditating on a parable: what it says about the Kingdom
Jesus taught a great deal in parables: little stories drawn from daily life (a sower, a lost coin, a father and his two sons). They seem simple, but they contain a second meaning. This quest invites you to meditate on one and to ask yourself: "What does it say about the Kingdom of God?"
What it looks like in your day
Choose a short parable: the sower (Mark 4:1-9), the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46), the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Then read it in five steps:
- Read the story as a story. Who are the characters? What happens?
- Look for the tipping point. What moment turns the situation around or surprises the listener? That is often where Jesus wants to get to.
- Read the context. To whom is Jesus speaking? What question did he receive? The introduction and conclusion of the parable often give the key.
- Ask what it says about the Kingdom. What face of God or of his reign appears?
- Step into the story. With which character do you identify? Which one do you avoid?
For example, in the parable of the prodigal son, you can identify with the younger son who comes back, but also with the jealous older brother. The father runs. You learn that God is a father more generous than you imagine.
If you are in a hurry, read the parable and note one sentence about what it says about the Kingdom. If you are a beginner, the parables of Luke 15 are accessible. If you are shy, you can talk about it later with a friend: "Here is what I saw in this story."
What the Bible says
The Gospel of Matthew recalls that parables were the way Jesus spoke to the crowd:
“All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
Parables reveal things "kept secret from the foundation of the world." They are not a mere illustration: they unveil. In the parable of the prodigal son, we read this gesture of the father:
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
This father sees his son a great way off, has compassion, runs. It is a whole portrait of God's heart in a few words. Parables are easy to memorize: you keep them for their image, and the image stays.
Mark notes that Jesus then explained everything privately to his disciples (Mark 4:33-34): parables therefore invite us to ask questions and to ask Jesus to enlighten us.
Pitfalls to avoid
Allegorizing every detail. In a parable, not everything necessarily has a hidden meaning. Look for the central idea, not a meaning for every word. Don't read into the parable things Jesus didn't put there.
Rushing to the moral. "You should be kind like the Samaritan" is true, but this parable also says something about Jesus himself, who draws near to the wounded. Take the time to hear all the layers.
Forgetting the surprise. Jesus's parables often upset expectations: the last is paid like the first, the Samaritan is the hero, the father runs. If you stick to what is expected, you miss out.
Reading them without context. Each parable answers a situation. Reading the start of the chapter clarifies a lot.
Judging yourself needlessly. Some parables make us uncomfortable: they touch a sore point. Rather than defending yourself, let them work.
Today, choose a parable. Read it, spot the surprise, and ask yourself what it says about the Kingdom.