Trying to be like Jesus - parables

My plan is for these next three posts to focus on Jesus as a teacher, including the perfection of his teaching and our imperfection in learning. Parables are an important part of that.

Previous posts have hit on three related concepts:

• He often healed in a way that emphasized faith, helping the person healed to understand the role of their faith better and to strengthen it.
• That was done by understanding who the person was and what they needed to learn.
• It often involved them taking some time to ponder after the healing.

While those were very individual experiences, when he was teaching it was often a multitude. Teaching in parables allowed room for the listeners to learn individually in a manner that was suited to them.

Mark 4:11-12
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 

That sounds like he is against others being healed, but there is nothing in his conduct of constantly teaching and physically healing that backs that up. However, when you do understand a truth, there is a responsibility to live up to it. To make commitments you are not ready to keep is not good (we had a post about that too). Teaching in parables allowed people to glean the truth that they were ready for.

I have seen this happen with personal prayers as well. One thing I worried about a lot when I was younger was whether I would get married. I remember at times receiving an assurance that it would be okay, and that I didn't have to worry. That was true. I was never told that I would marry, which would not have been true.

I was also not told that I would be 45 and single. That would have been true, but it would have been devastating at 21 (one of the times I remember). I would have worried about that a lot. I got the answer that helped for that time, and that worked.

Now, while I still have not ruled it out, it seems more likely than not that I will not marry in this life. That thought is not unbearable now, but part of what it took was time spent seeing the ways in which my life could be fulfilling and good while single. I know more, and so I can accept more.

That happens with parables too. As our experience and depth of understanding increases, we can notice new aspects of a parable that we had thought we understood pretty well.

My favorite parable is probably the one with the sower, and as I garden more and learn more about that, different things do come to me.

Years ago, when I was teaching Sunday School, I remember the most important part for me being that none of the soils were hopeless. Maybe they needed plowing or weeding or working in some way, but they could get there.

Recently I learned that rocks in soil slowly release minerals into the soil. Having been previously frustrated by attempts to clear all the rocks from ground I wanted to plant, that gave me pause; those rocks have a purpose! (Which is good, because getting rid of all of them seems to be impossible.)

That doesn't hurt the interpretation of the parable. The stony soil still had too many, but it is nice to know that even if you haven't gotten rid of all your hardness of heart (which again seems nearly impossible), that there can still be a place for the word to take hold.