June 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Storytelling is a powerful teaching tool and a great way of conveying a message that will touch hearts and minds. The parables Christ told are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. But why did Jesus decide to speak in parables? Were the crowd sizes getting smaller so that Jesus really needed to do something about His presentation? Matthew 13:1-3 tells us the opposite, “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat…Then He spoke many things to them in parables.”

The parables bring about a crisis as they reveal the true nature and character of the kingdom of heaven. Parables are not fables or nice stories with a moral lesson, but they reveal the secrets of the kingdom! These stories are not given to provide us with an emotional buzz or to fascinate our intellect, but to teach us what is central for life in the kingdom. With every word and illustration it becomes clear that Christ’s kingdom is not like any other kingdom in the world. His dominion is an everlasting kingdom that is not ruled by manipulation or force, but is governed by justice, mercy, kindness, peace and love. The proclamation of Christ in the parables is a form of exercising the keys of the kingdom of heaven—of opening and closing the kingdom. Those who listen in faith will be richly blessed by the message of the parables (Matthew 13:16-17), but those who stand outside the kingdom receive parables to their condemnation (Mark 4:10-12).

The parables of the kingdom contain many gems and nuggets that make us pause and evaluate our life with God. Jesus tells parables to drive home the point that the treasure of the greatest value, worth more than anything else in the world, is our relationship with Jesus the King. Kingdom citizenship means total abandonment of everything for Christ’s sake. No desire, relationship, dream or aspiration should ever stand in the way of knowing and serving Christ. Jesus told many parables; as pupils of Christ, let’s sit at His feet and listen to them with the ears of faith. Let us take what we have learned and apply it to our lives, enjoying the rich blessings and treasures of life in the kingdom.