▶TIW Contributors
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
Thomas Willadsen
As Jesus invites us to imagine the realm of God in these parables, no one is resting in the presence of God. There’s a remarkable amount of activity happening here. People are planting, baking, weeding, digging, selling, raising money and burying. The characters in the parables are all in motion.
As Matthew collates the parables of Jesus, certain themes emerge from these ordinary activities. Everything is over the top: huge piles of flour, much more than one person could knead or bake alone. A tree big enough for all the birds, when the original listeners would have known that the mustard plant is more like a bush than a tree. A net full of fish. A single pearl that’s worth all of the other possessions. As an old friend used to explain, “I exaggerate for clarity.” Apparently, Jesus does, too. Everything is bigger than life!
The actors in the parable also work to sort things: weeds and crops, and, in this parable, the catch of fish. There’s also a strong thread of human agency as people go about their work. There’s discernment at work, amid the busy-ness.
In the onslaught of news this summer — fires, lettuce, sickness, war — we’re busy, too. Our minds are full. The parables invite us to step back and hear Jesus teach us about sifting and sorting...More to come soon...
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