Have you noticed how religion and doctrine seem to complicate God? The pharisees and religious elite were consumed by busying themselves with religious to-dos and complex behavioral and cultural box-checking. Jesus lived in a culture whose primary mode of learning was oratory, and baffled the religiously educated with the parables He told to express God’s Kingdom. Story has a unique ability to express complex truth, simply. These parables of Jesus were a beautifully woven tapestry – complex interwoven themes that altogether formed a clear and powerful image displaying the heart of God. For those that had ears to hear, these stories opened and softened them. It invited a generation into a new way of thinking. Story is written on the heart of man. When someone tells a story, our imaginations are engaged and we begin to see with the eyes of heart. We can see and understand our own motives more objectively when we recognize ourselves in the form of another character. Jesus was a brilliant story teller. He knew that the pharisees and religious elite would try to trap him in His words and artfully shared the heart of God in metaphors and analogies just long enough for his underground ministry to take off and spread like wildfire. He allowed the greatest truths of the universe to be distilled down to simple people in ordinary circumstances- down to earth and very relatable! I am excited to dive deeper into the beauty of Jesus’ storytelling with you this week, as we continue to unpack the parables. I pray that you would be inspired and softened toward the heart of God in your journey here and now, and that you would more clearly see the story that Jesus is weaving in your own, beautiful life!