Stories are powerful. History has been passed down through stories. Culture has been shaped through stories. Whether through a movie, a book, from mom or dad at bedtime, or sitting around a campfire with friends, we have been and continue to be shaped by stories.
The question is, what stories have shaped you? What stories are shaping you?
When Jesus walked this earth, he told stories. A lot of stories. Short stories that took no longer than five minutes to tell but carried truths that should shape our entire lives.
We should know these stories. They were stories of a good Samaritan, a rebellious son, a rich fool, hidden treasures, and more. Stories that at times seemed more like riddles. Stories that make you lean in and think about it over and over, like digging for a life changing treasure.
These stories are referred to as parables, which literally means something “cast alongside” something else. In other words, Jesus’ stories were something he cast alongside a truth to help it stay with us, ponderer it longer, and discover the truths that it holds for us.
These are the stories we long to be shaped by. Join us as we spend the next 14 weeks looking at some of the stories Jesus told.
For further study on the parables of Jesus, here are some recommended resources:
The Parables of Jesus by James Montgomery Boice
The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told bv Simon J. Kistemaker