Thursday July 23, 2020
Jesus spoke in parables so that the meaning of his teaching could take root in the lives of those he taught as the message seemed to have escaped from some of them. He hoped that his hearers would receive the message of the kingdom of God anew in their hearts by reflecting on the images he presented.
Some people find faith easy, others find it impossible. But it would be wrong to think that a good God deliberately shuts anyone out from belief. Instead, Jesus is emphasising by contrast how blessed the disciples are. The events of Jesus’ ministry seem to go over the heads of some of their bystanders. They do not believe. His words seem to pass them by. So he will tell them stories and hope they will see behind the words to the meaning of those stories. Parables will highlight some of the truths of life and of God, and people who may miss the obvious will get the message. Every story Jesus tells will throw some light on God, the world and the self. These questions can be a good starting point to praying the parables.
When someone is open to the Truth, such as the disciples, Jesus is able to lift the veil and speak clearly, deeply and beautifully about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. This must be our goal. We must seek to be those who “get it.” We must seek to understand all Jesus speaks and believe it wholeheartedly. In fact, once we do begin to believe and, subsequently, live what we come to believe, we will begin a wonderful journey of faith and understanding that we never knew existed before.
This is what Jesus means when He says, “to anyone who has, more will be given.” The life of grace is such that, once we begin to accept all that is true and then allow it to transform our lives, we will be given exponentially more than we ever imagined. And, on the flip side, when we refuse to listen and understand, even the little faith and understanding we have will slowly slip away into confusion.
How open you are to the Word of God and all that God wants to say to you. Seek to listen and understand. If you do this, you will discover that there is a glorious life of grace just waiting to be lavished upon you in full force.
Are there times when I need to take a step back from the busyness of my life in order to attune myself to the message of Jesus?
God bless you. Have a wonderful day.