In
addition to their theological merit, parables offer a creative and effective
evangelistic opportunity. Parable preaching, like the parable itself, is understated,
indirect and subtle. Think of a sermon from a parable as a seed, not a full-grown
plant. Don’t always expect it to produce fruit instantaneously. Trust the seed
to germinate. That’s what Jesus did. He left it up to His listeners to ask Him
for further insight. The disciples did. This is what Jesus was getting at in
His quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10. So the parables are fertile ground for evangelistic
preaching, but in a way beautifully suited to the post-modern audience. I suspect
many preachers would be pleasantly surprised by that fact.
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Respecting
the Plot
Eugene
Lowry in his helpful book, How to Preach a Parable, suggests looking
for the elements of plot in the parables. I agree. I tend to look for the following
elements: situation; complication, resolution and application. In a longer parable
like “The Good Samaritan” these elements are relatively easy to identify with
a trained eye. In a shorter parable like “The Pearl of Great Price,” more effort
and imagination is required.
The
Good Samaritan:
Situation:
In response to a question on eternal life, Jesus tells a story of a man on
a journey who is mugged and left for dead.
Complication:
Two Jewish holy men, instead of being good neighbors, passed him by.
Resolution:
Finally, an unlikely man, an outcast Samaritan, acts as a neighbor and shows
him compassion and kindness.
Application:
Jesus turns to his questioner and says, “Which of these men was a neighbor?
Go and do likewise.”
Pearl
of Great Price:
Situation:
A merchant spends his life looking for rare and exquisite pearls.
Complication:
When he finds the rarest and most beautiful of pearls, it costs him everything
he owns.
Resolution:
He makes a business decision to sell all that he has to buy the pearl.
Application:
Will you sell all that you own to buy this pearl? Will you recognise the value
of God’s kingdom and give everything to enter it?
Though
these parables are often very spare, always look for color and character in
the parable: describe the merchant. How did he travel? Did he neglect his family?
Was he obsessive? We can’t answer these questions from the text, but it will
help our listeners relate to him. Even a repulsive character (The Unjust Judge
of Luke 18) can be portrayed as reasonable according to his cultural norms;
in this way he becomes likable and then our listeners can understand him more
readily.
Respect
the Culture and Context
Since
the parables are from Jesus’ era, they contain cultural assumptions that do
not prevail today. Looking for these cultural factors and making comparison
or contrast to our cultural norms will give parable preaching more vigor and
staying power. When we connect parables to our culture, for example, the parable
of workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), we can contrast the modern workplace
with its labour laws, unions and how compensation contracts are negotiated.
I
consider the parables to be literary masterpieces full of rich preaching opportunities.
Preaching them is both an honour and a rewarding journey. When we preach these
parables well, both preacher and listener will spontaneously smile at God’s
good news conveyed so creatively.
________________
Fred
Penney is Adjunct Professor of Homiletics at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, Canada.