TELL ME A STORY

Once upon a time. Those four words might just be some of the most powerful in the entire world. My earliest memories as a kid are all about that phrase. My mum would read from a children’s Bible storybook to me and my brother every evening before lights-out. Those four words introduced many of the stories about interesting people from history and the God who loved them. Those Bible stories helped shape how I saw the big, wide world, even as a kid.

Jesus was the greatest storyteller in the world. He knew we all carry inside us a love for stories, so that was the way He often chose to teach His good news. Once upon a time there was a man who scattered “seed on the ground” (MARK 4:26).

Once upon a time there was “a mustard seed” (V.31), and on and on. Mark’s gospel clearly shows that Jesus used stories in His everyday explanations about God and His kingdom (V.34). Although Jesus’ parables are not always easy to understand straightaway, the truths they hold and pictures they give us allow us to see the world more clearly and understand more thoroughly the God who loves us. It’s well worth exploring Jesus’ parables; these stories are a great way to explore deep truths without getting overwhelmed.

Thinking it over . . .

Read Luke 15. This chapter has three parables all about lost things being found. What does this teach you about God’s love and attitude towards lost people? What other details and emphasis does the final, longer parable bring?