“The disciples came to him and asked,
“Why do you speak to the people in parables?””
Matthew 13:10
My family and I went to see a performance of The Gift of the Magi today.
One of the techniques used to draw the audience’s
attention to certain actors on the stage was to illuminate where they were and
to darken the rest of the stage.
Our attention and focus was directed through those
means.
The spotlight was on them to illuminate them.
In much the same way Jesus taught in parables to
illuminate a certain truth.
Like the eye drawn to a striking piece of furniture or
some other focal point in a room, Jesus used parables to draw attention to an
original truth by placing a comparison story or statement alongside the
original truth.
As an example, in answering the question, “Who is my
neighbor?” Jesus illustrated and illuminated the point by telling the parable
of the Good Samaritan.
After telling the story Jesus ‘shined the spotlight’,
so to speak,
on the truth He was conveying:
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to
the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy
on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The parables of Jesus can be valuable lessons to any
of us as we lean on the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see and our ears to
hear what is being taught.
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