While Jesus certainly gave some famous speeches, most of Jesus’s public teaching was done by means of parables. These short, fictional stories were intended as both calls to action and as a means of offering a vision of an alternative reality- the kingdom of God. Yet they are more than illustrations, stories to be distilled down to their “moral.” Rather, like all great narratives, there is wisdom on every level: the details of the characters, their motivations, the alternative choices…even the tone of the story itself.
In this episode we examine a particularly illustrative example of the parables, that of the parable of the sower. In it, Jesus calls his listeners to consider their true openness to God. Are they willing to let the news of the kingdom’s presence take deep root?
It is a question we must all revisit regularly. And much of the work of the spiritual life involves maintaining our openness to the new.
This sermon/interview was recorded at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), March 16th, 2014.
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