Introduction
Everyone loves a story. Stories are universal and timeless. They can bridge the gap between people of different ages, social backgrounds and cultures. They don't just inform the mind, they engage the heart. And though they can be immensely entertaining, stories can also sometimes be very profound too.
Jesus loved to tell stories, or 'parables', as he called them. This book examines several of the most famous which are preserved for us in the gospel of Luke. Maybe a word or two about parables generally will be helpful before we begin to study some particular examples.
Jesus' parables fall into two broad categories. Some are simply extended similes. The kingdom of God is like a pearl of great value (Matthew 13:45–46) or a net cast in the sea (Matthew 13:47). Such parables are coded visual aids. They illustrate a particular spiritual truth that Jesus is trying to get across, but in a deliberately cryptic fashion. There's another sort of parable, though, in which Luke is particularly interested. This kind goes further than simply being an extended simile. It's much closer to being an allegorical story. In these 'parable tales' Jesus is not merely seeking to tantalize or educate his hearers; he's wanting to challenge them at a fundamental level. On the surface, such stories seem innocuous; charming little narratives full of familiar images that easily capture your attention. In reality they're a kind of Stealth bomber, specially designed to evade our psychological defences, insinuating themselves inside our mind in spite of every barricade we may seek to erect, and then dropping a highly explosive charge targeted at the most vulnerable point in our spiritual complacency.
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