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Jesus told stories, and so shouldn’t we

By Jeremy Myers
16 Comments

Jesus told stories, and so shouldn’t we

Yes, you read that title correctly.

I know, I know. Popular preaching advice tells you that โ€œPeople learn through stories,โ€ and that โ€œYou need illustrations to make your point.โ€

I do not disagree that stories and illustrations are helpful in preaching. But they are not always helpful …

I do disagree, however, that the reason we should use stories in preaching is because Jesus used stories. While He did tell stories, He didn’t use stories in His preaching. At least, not the way we think.

stories Jesus told

Let me clarify by stating five points about the use of stories in preaching and teaching.

1. Maybe your sermons are too long

One reason it is true that people need stories sprinkled liberally throughout sermons is because the sermons are too long.

Like it or not, people have a short attention span these days, and the stories, jokes, and illustrations help keep people’s attention.

Stories help revive people’s interest in what you are saying, especially when it takes you 40 minutes to say it.

But what would happen if what you were saying was shorter? Maybe fifteen minutes? Or ten? Or *gasp* five?

Would you need tear-jerker stories and cute illustrations then? I think not.

Which makes you wonder … why is the average sermon about 35 minutes long? I have my theories, but that’s another blog post…

2. Yes, Jesus told stories, BUT …

Second, while much of the Bible is narrative, people often say that we should use stories because Jesus did, and He was the best teacher the world has ever seen.

I do not deny that Jesus was the best teacher, but I do question the logic of the statement, โ€œBecause Jesus used stories, so should we.โ€

Just because Jesus does something, this does not mean that we should do it too. But more than that, if you carefully examine why Jesus used stories, it was not to illustrate His point or to help His listeners understand what He was saying. No, Jesus clearly stated that the reason He spoke in parables was so that His listeners would not understand (check out Luke 8).

Jesus told stories so that people would be confused!

So if you really want to teach like Jesus, make sure you pick stories for your sermons that are confusing and mysterious and which hide your point rather than reveal it.

jesus told storiesIf you want to include stories and illustrations to help people understand what you are saying, this is fine to do; just don’t say you are following the example of Jesus.

3. The facts can teach too

Thirdly, while it is true that stories do teach, it is also true that just presenting the facts is also a great way of teaching.

While I often learn great truths from watching movies or reading novels, most of the things I have learned about theology came from reading books about theology, reading commentaries, and just studying the Bible.

I think there are large numbers of Christians today who learn similarly. They just want to know what the Bible says, and they don’t want a bunch of stories, illustrations, and jokes to get in the way.

4. The Bible is One Big Story

Fourth, the “Jesus told stories and so should we” argument often points to the fact that large chunks of the Bible are “stories.” This fact is used to bolster the argument that people learn by stories and we should sprinkle our teaching opportunities with stories.

But notice that when the Bible tells stories, it is not sprinkling a fact-based teaching with cute illustrations and funny jokes.

No, when the Bible tells stories, it tells a story and then shuts up about it.

Sure, there may be a point to the stories, but the point is often up for argument and open to interpretation.

So if you want to “tell stories” the way the Bible tells stories, then you need to make sure that your story is the teaching. If you want to tell stories like the Bible tells stories, then tell a good story and leave it alone.

I am all for using stories as a teaching method, but the best way to use stories as a teaching method is simply to tell a story. Stories as a teaching method are the stories themselves, not a regular teaching with a couple of stories sprinkled in.

5. Tell Good Stories

Finally, if you want to tell stories in your teaching, or as your teaching, make sure the story is a good one. The biblical stories are really good stories. They are full of mystery, intrigue, betrayal, sex, war, and everything else that makes a top-notch story.

tell good stories like JesusMost “Christian” stories are too sanitized to be any good.

This is why movies are so powerful today. This is also why (I am convinced) movies do more to teach people about life and relationships and theology than sermons ever will. Movies are (usually) well-told stories that are nothing but stories which people watch and have their life and thinking changed as a result.

Stories and Illustrations in Sermons

I am not opposed to using stories and illustrations in sermons. I use them myself when I preach. I think they do aid in the teaching and learning process.

But I think we Christians need to do some rethinking about why we tell stories and what sorts of stories we tell. But I wonder if people would learn just as much if our sermons were 80% shorter… or maybe if they were just one well-told story.

But whatever we do, whether we include illustrations or not, whether we preach for 40 minutes or 5, we cannot say that “Jesus told stories, and so should we.” He did tell stories, but not the kind of stories we tell, and not for the reasons we tell them, and not in the way we tell them.

If you truly want to tell stories like Jesus, do these three things:

  1. Your teaching time should be nothing but stories.
  2. Your stories should target religious people only.
  3. Your stories should be confusing so nobody understands them.

If you know someone who teaches that way, send me a link to their podcast, because I want to hear them.

God is Redeeming Church Bible & Theology Topics: illustrations, Jesus, Luke 8, parables, Preaching, stories, teaching

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Jesus’ Parables are Confusing? Good!

By Jeremy Myers
59 Comments

Jesus’ Parables are Confusing? Good!

Jesus parablesThis post on Jesus’ parables is part of the August Synchroblog, a monthly event where bloggers around the world write about various topics at the same time. If you are a blogger or writer, make sure you join us next month! It’s a great way to meet other bloggers and blog readers.

Most people find Jesus’ parables to be rather confusing. If that is you, guess what? You are on the right track to understanding Jesus’ parables! Seriously.

I often laugh when I read what the disciples say to Jesus in Matthew 13:51 after He has told a string of several particularly confusing parables. Jesus says to them, “Have you understood all these things?” and they answer, “Yes, Lord!”

Frankly, I think this was a case of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” I think that none of them understood much of what Jesus was saying (for when have they ever understood much of Jesus’ parables before?) but were all too afraid to admit that they had no clue what Jesus was talking about, and nobody was courageous enough to admit it. Too bad there wasn’t a child nearby to yell out, “Hey! I don’t understand! Tell us what you mean by these parables, Jesus!”

Well, I am not a child, and I am not one of the apostles, but let me admit it publicly, “I don’t think I understand Jesus’ parables.”

And you know what? I think that is EXACTLY what Jesus wants. In fact, confusion is the goal of the Jesus’ parables. Did you know that? So if you are confused by what Jesus says in His parables, you are on the right track.ย If you are confident you understand all of Jesus’ parables, you probably need to have your pride meter checked. Jesus told parables so that peopleย would notย understand what He was saying, and He had very specific reasons for doing this.

Let me show you what Jesus Himself said about the parables, and then I will conclude this post with a chronological list of all Jesus’ parables in the Gospels.

Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

You sometimes hear pastors say that since Jesus told stories, so should we. I think we could have a debate about the effectiveness of storytelling in our preaching and teaching, but one thing we cannot argue is that “since Jesus told stories, so should we.” Jesus didn’t tell “stories.” He told “parables.” Parables are very different than stories. Though there are similarities between stories and parables, stories are often given to illustrate a truth or help people remember a point that was made, while parables, on the other hand, are given to hide the truth and confuse people about the point that was made.

At least, that is what Jesus says about why He told parables.

As we all know, Jesus told parables. The apostles were always getting confused by His parables and were relieved when He finally spoke plainly to them (John 16:29). The fact that the apostles were first century Mediterranean Jews who lived and listened to Jesus for three straight years, but who were still confused by Jesus’ parables should give us hope that if they were confused, it is okay for us to be confused as well.

Yet confusion was the goal and purpose of the parables. At one point in Jesus’ ministry, the apostles come to Jesus and say, “Why do you speak in parables?” (Matthew 13:10). They were confused by what Jesus said in his parables, and the multitudes who listened to Jesus’ parables were often confused as well by what Jesus was teaching, and so the apostles were kindly telling Jesus that He might do better if He spoke plainly to the people.

Jesus tells the apostles in Matthew 13:11-17 (cf. Matthew 13:34-35; Luke 8:10) that the reason He speaks in parables is so that the people will “see but not see, hear but not hear.”

Jesus parables confusingIn other words, Jesus told parables to mask the truth, to hide it, to cloak it, to make it unclear. Jesus’ parables are supposed to be confusing! He wanted them to be confusing!

Why would Jesus do that? Didn’t Jesus come to reveal God to us? Doesn’t Jesus want people to understand the way of salvation? Aren’t good teachers supposed to teach with clarity?

Well, this actually gets us back into the whole theology of the Bible as well. If you have been honest with yourself enough to admit that some of Jesus’ parables are confusing, then you are probably also honest enough to admit that much of the Bible is confusing also. One of the reasons Jesus spoke in ways that were confusing to His audience, is because… this is what God has always been doing!ย 

So if we want to ask why Jesus told stories that were intentionally confusing, then we also need to ask why God would inspire the Bible to be written in ways that were intentionally confusing. The answer to one question will also be the answer to the other.

And do you want to know why?

Here is why: Scripture and parables are confusing because God doesn’t want us to get life from a book.ย The Jewish religious leaders were trying to get their life from a book, and Jesus scolded them for it (John 5:39-40), and so also today, many people seem to think that life comes from studying, learning, and following the Bible. But it doesn’t.

Life comes from God alone. Life comes through Jesus Christ. He IS life.

And so when God inspired the Bible to be written in confusing ways, and when Jesus told parables that were confusing, their goal was not just to confuse people, but to get people to come to the source of life for an explanation. God didn’t inspire the Bible to be written just so we could have a book about God. Neither did Jesus tell parables just so we could have some profound spiritual truths. No, the Bible is a tool to lead us into a relationship with God and the parables are a tool to lead us into a relationship with Jesus.

When Jesus told confusing parables, the proper response was for people to go to Jesus and say, “What in the world? That made no sense, Jesus. What did you mean by that parable?” And Jesus always responds by saying, “Ah! I was waiting for you to ask. Let’s talk about it.” And that is what He does. He sits around and discusses the parables with those who want to learn more and who come to Him seeking a relationship. That is why He tells the apostles in Matthew 16 that their eyes and ears are blessed because they see and hear what many prophets have longed for. What did they see and hear? Not the parables…. but Jesus Himself!

This is the same way we can approach Scripture. When the Bible is confusing, the proper response is to go to God and say, “What in the world? This makes no sense, God. What were you thinking? What is going on here?” And then God can say to you, “Ah! I was waiting for you to ask! Let’s talk about it.”

Why is the Bible confusing? For the same reason Jesus’ parables are confusing: God doesn’t want us to be “people of the book.”ย He wants us to be people of His family. He wants us to be His sons and daughters. And as His children, when we read something in His book that doesn’t make sense to us, He doesn’t want us to shake our head, throw up our hands and say, “I’ll never understand the Bible.” Instead, He wants us to develop a relationship with Him by going to Him with our questions and concerns.

Of course, I should tell you how God often answers your questions and concerns. In my experience, He usually says something like this: “Oh yes. That text. That’s a tough one. But listen, don’t worry about that right now. Look at your neighbors over there struggling with their marriage. What do you think we can do to help them?”

If you look through Jesus’ parables in the Gospels, note that after many of them, rather than really provide much of a verbal explanation, Jesus takes His apostles to love or serve somebody. After the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus told several parables, Jesus goes and cleanses a leper, heals the centurion’s servant, and many other people (Matthew 8). After telling a parable about new wine in old wineskins, Jesus raises a young girl to life, gives sight to blind men, and gives a mute man back his voice (Matthew 9). This patterns is followed throughout the Gospels.

So don’t be surprised if following Jesus means following Him with lots of unanswered questions. The parables were designed (along with the rest of Scripture) to bring you into the company of Jesus. After that, Jesus shows you what the parables mean, not by answering your questions, but by leading you to love and server others.

…Which turns out to be the meaning of Jesus’ parables all along.

Jesus parables

A List of Jesus’ Parables

Here is a list of Jesus’ parables in chronological order (Credit goes to The Narrated Bible in Chronological Orderย for this list).

  1. New cloth on an old coat (Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36)
  2. New wine in old wineskins (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-38)
  3. Lamp on a stand (also see #6) (Matthew 5:14-15)
  4. Wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49)
  5. Moneylender forgives unequal debts (Luke 7:41-43)
  6. Lamp on a stand (2nd time, see #3) (Mark 4:21-22; Luke 8:16, 11:33)
  7. Rich man foolishly builds bigger barns (Luke 12:16-21)
  8. Servants must remain watchful (also see #44) (Luke 12:35-40)
  9. Wise and foolish servants (also see #42) (Luke 12:42-48)
  10. Unfruitful fig tree (Luke 13:6-9)
  11. Sower and four types of soil (Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23; Mark 4:3-8, 14-20; Luke 8:5-8, 11-15)
  12. Weeds among good plants (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)
  13. Growing seed (Kingdom of Heaven) (Mark 4:26-29)
  14. Mustard seed (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19)
  15. Yeast (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matt 13:33; Luke 13:20-21)
  16. Hidden treasure (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 13:44)
  17. Valuable pearl (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 13:45-46)
  18. Fishing net (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 13:47-50)
  19. Owner of a house (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 13:52)
  20. Lost sheep (sheep as children, also see #29) (Matthew 18:12-14)
  21. The sheep, gate, and shepherd (John 10:1-5, 7-18)
  22. Master and his servant (Luke 17:7-10)
  23. Unmerciful servant (Kingdom of Heaven) (Matthew 18:23-34)
  24. Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
  25. Friend in need (Luke 11:5-8)
  26. Lowest seat at the feast (Luke 14:7-14)
  27. Invitation to a great banquet (Luke 14:16-24)
  28. Cost of discipleship (Luke 14:28-33)
  29. Lost sheep (sheep as sinners, also see #20) (Luke 15:4-7)
  30. Lost coin (Luke 15:8-10)
  31. Lost (prodigal) son (Luke 15:11-32)
  32. Shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-8)
  33. Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
  34. Workers in the vineyard, early and late (Matthew 20:1-16)
  35. Persistent widow and crooked judge (Luke 18:2-8)
  36. Pharisee and tax collector (Luke 18:10-14)
  37. Kingโ€™s ten servants given minas (also see #45) (Luke 19:12-27)
  38. Two sons, one obeys one does not (Matthew 21:28-32)
  39. Wicked tenants (Matt 21:33-44; Mark 12:1-11; Luke 20:9-18)
  40. Invitation to a wedding banquet (Matthew 22:2-14)
  41. Signs of the future from a fig tree (Matthew 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-29; Luke 21:29-31)
  42. Wise and foolish servants (2nd time, see #9) (Matthew 24:45-51)
  43. Wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
  44. Servants must remain watchful (2nd time, see #8) (Mark 13:35-37)
  45. Three servants given talents (also see #37) (Matthew 25:14-30)
  46. Sheep and goats will be separated (Matthew 25:31-46)

There are, of course, some keys which help us to understand Jesus’ parables. Among them are understanding God’s outrageous grace, what Jesus means by the “Kingdom of Heaven,” and what Jesus thinks about religion (Hint: He hates religion). It is also critical to grasp some of the historical-cultural background themes and ideas from the first century Mediterranean world. If you want to learn more about these things, I highly recommend the following resources to get you started:

Resources for Understanding Jesus’ Parables

  • How God Became King by NT Wright
  • Kingdom, Grace, Judgment by Robert F. Capon
  • Poet and Peasantย andย Through Middle-Eastern Eyesย by Kenneth Bailey
  • Repenting of Religion by Greg Boyd

If you know of other good books on the parables of Jesus, let me know in the comment section below.

Other People who Blogged on Jesus’ Parables

Here is a list of other bloggers and authors who contributed to this month’s synchroblog on Jesus’ parables. Go check them all out!

  • Parabolic Livingย โ€“ Tim Nichols
  • Seed Parables:Sowing Seeds of the Kingdomย โ€“ Carol Kunihol
  • Parables โ€“ Be Like the Ant or the Grasshopperย โ€“ Paul Meier
  • The Parables of Jesus: Not Like Todayโ€™s Sermonsย โ€“ Jessica
  • Penelope and the Crutchย โ€“ Glenn Hager
  • Parables and the Insult of Graceย – Rachel
  • Changing Hearts Rather Than Mindsย โ€“ Liz Dyer

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: bible, Discipleship, Jesus, Luke 8, Matthew 13, parables, Theology of Jesus, Theology of the Bible

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The Parable of the Four Soils Revisited

By Jeremy Myers
18 Comments

The Parable of the Four Soils Revisited

parable of the four soilsI’ve been mulling over the Parables of the Four Soils for several years.

When I stopped pastoring a church in 2006, I was preaching through Luke and had made it as far as Luke 8:3. I did preach a sermon on Luke 8:9-10, but I never did preach on Luke 8:4-15, the Parable of the Four Soils. I was a bit relieved, because at the time, I had no idea what this parable meant.

And the scary thing, Jesus says that the Parable of the Four Soils key to understanding the other parables (Luke 8:10).

But as I have thought more and more about it, the meaning has slowly emerged.

The Parable of the Four Soils as Traditionally Taught

I firmly believe that the Parable of the Four Soils has nothing to do with determining who is a Christian and who is not. This is the way most people read this parable. They see that word “saved” in Luke 8:12 and think that it is referring to how to determine who has eternal life. Since only the fourth soil produces an abundant harvest, some people think that only the fourth, fruitful soil represents a Christian.

An alternative view, held by some who are a bit more gracious, is that the final three soils represent Christians because they at least have life. At least they sprouted and grew a little bit.

However, I don’t hold to either one of these positions. 

The Parable of the Four Soils Reconsidered

If you have read my blog for a while, you may know that I always invite people to try to define the word “saved” in the Bible within the surrounding context of where it is used. Why? 

Because although most Christians think “saved” means “get forgiveness of sins and receive eternal life so you can escape hell and go to heaven when you die” (or something like that), the truth is that the vast majority (99% or more) of the times the word “saved” is used in the Bible, it has almost nothing to do with such an idea. 

Most often (nearly always), the word “saved” in Scripture refers to being delivered from some sort of temporal problem or calamity. Things like physical sickness or death, enemies, drowning, financial ruin, slavery to sin, etc.

And THAT is what the Parable of the Four Soils is about. The Parable of the Four Soils is about the four basic responses people have when they hear what the Bible has to say about how to be delivered from whatever problem is in their life (Luke 8:11).

The Context of the Parable of the Four Soils

The context of the Parable of the Four Soils makes this abundantly clear.

Jesus doesn’t just want hearing; He wants obeying (Luke 8:16-21), just as He gets from the wind and the waves (Luke 8:22-25), demons (Luke 8:26-39), and a Jewish leader and a sick woman (Luke 8:40-56). Jesus then sends out the twelve to see how they will do at hearing and obeying, and also to give them some experience at seeing how others respond to the Word (Luke 9:1-6).

The bottom line point of the Parable of the Four Soils is this: Whenever the Word of God is proclaimed, to whomever it is proclaimed, there will be four basic responses. How do you typically respond?

parable of the four soils

The Parable of the Four Soils goes on to describe the types of things that get in the way of us hearing God’s Word and obeying it. Sometimes, the devil gets in the way, and simply keeps us from hearing and understanding the Word of God (Luke 8:12).

Other times, it is sin and temptation that stifles our growth. We initially hear the Word and believe it, but after a while, we return to our old patterns of sin, and the Word of God fails to take root in our lives (Luke 8:13).

Then there are the times that we truly want to follow God’s instructions in the Bible, but the cares and business of life just get in the way. These things aren’t bad things, they are broken dishwashers, family vacations, bills that need to get paid, and flowers that need to get planted (Luke 8:14).

Ideally, ultimately, we want God’s Word to take root in our lives and product fruit (Luke 8:15).

Looking at the Parable of the Four Soils this way, we can see that any Christian can fall into any of the four categories at any time. In fact, since Scripture contains so many truths about various aspects of life, a single Christian can have all four types of soil in their life at one time! There are some areas in our life where we simply ignore everything the Bible says. Then there are areas where we initially obey the Bible, but then fall back into old sinful patterns. Then there are areas where we want to obey, but life gets in the way. And then there are areas where we are successful and fruitful in following Jesus. 

The life of following Jesus then, is to make more and more of our life into the good soil. This is what discipleship is all about.

The Parable of the Four Soils Applied

Ideally, if we are good planters for the Kingdom of God, we want to be planting seeds in the best soil. It is this soil that gives a 3000%, 6000%, or 10,000% return on your investment.

If you look in the average church, we think that the good soil is the rich, powerful, pretty people. You know, those with seminary degrees, big smiles, and nice suits. Is that what good soil looks like?

I don’t think so.

So what makes good soil? When I was young, my mom had some flower gardens, and every spring, she would go down to the lawn and garden store, and buy bags of “Manure” to put in her gardens. One year I asked her, “Mom, what is manure?” She said, “It’s cow poop.” What made mom’s garden grow? Poop.

What makes good soil? Good soil is that which has a lot of nutrients in it. Good soil is that which has a lot of fertilizer. Excuse me for putting it this way, but I am convinced that the good soil people are those who have a lot of sh!t in their lives. Which people are these? The people we would normally think of as “bad people.” The sinners.

And yet in most of our churches, we work hardest to keep these people out. Of course, we’re all sinners, but we try to hide that fact from everyone else. We say “come as you are” but the super fine print says “only when you can act like us, talk like us, and look like us.”

But when we look at Jesus, who did He pick to work with, minister to, and pour His life into? Tax collectors, sinners, thieves, murderers, prostitutes, drunkards. Why? He knew a good investment when He saw one. In bad people, Jesus saw fields upon fields of rich, fertile soil just waiting to be planted. Bad people make good soil.

So are you upset about a particular area of sin in your own life? This may be just the area in which Jesus is about to plant some seed! So watch out! The plants are about to sprout! And you thinking of trying to minister to a certain group of people? Before you do, consider how much sh!t is in their lives… If there is not a lot of fertilizer getting tossed around, you might have trouble finding good fertile ground in which to plant the seed of Scripture. 

Have you ever heard this interpretation of the Parable of the Four Soils? If so, where? If not, how does it strike you? Weigh in below!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Discipleship, following Jesus, good soil, Luke 8, Parable of the Four Soils

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