Parables.
This word has been resonating with me lately. One of the many reasons I find Jesus so fascinating is that he was able to take the practical, day to day situations of those sitting around him and use them to teach about his Father in heaven. When I ponder this, I realize how often I am fooled into believing that God is only understood by those who think on a higher spiritual plane.
I have friends who are well-read and versed in scholarly knowledge. They can quote deep thinkers and puritan literature. It's their passionate desire to echo the sentiments of those considered reputable in the area of Christianity and to have every word dripping off their lips be filled with depth, meaning and the richness of life. They use Twitter and Facebook to send out profound spiritual quotes and point everything they say back to the Lord and his greatness.
I have other friends who couldn't list one biblical scholar or "great" thinker if you asked them to, much less quote them. They speak soundly and deeply at times, but it's not their passion to find the spiritual purpose behind a cricket. It's a cricket, God made it, and that's enough for them. They aren't dumb or unable to appreciate deep truth, in fact, they have just as much of a spiritual depth as the former group. It's just manifested in a different, less intense way and most often in a language that can be understood by the vast majority of people.
When I read about Jesus teaching the multitudes that surrounded him, I see that he meets them where they are. He uses agricultural, relational, monetary and cultural examples to teach, explain and reveal who the Father is, what heaven is like, and how we all miss the mark because of our sinful natures. Many of them were women and men who weren't highly educated or literate, so he taught them with stories and visual aids. It wasn't rocket science or vague philosophy. It was deep truth wrapped in the practical, tangible details of life.
I thoroughly enjoy deep conversations about the Lord, but on most days my conversations revolve around those day to day details. Watching Jesus (through reading His word) teach the parables has been a great encouragement to me. It's been a beautiful reminder that He, through his Spirit, is able to use what I might see as ordinary to teach and reveal more of Himself, just as He did while sitting with the multitudes of people. If I prayerfully ask Him to reveal the depth wrapped in the details, I know He will.
