What's the Big Idea?
Who doesn’t love a well-told story? Stories grab our attention and sometimes capture our imagination. They have the power to move our emotions. They can shape and even change our behavior. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us then that Jesus himself was an avid storyteller. Nearly a third of his recorded teachings are in the form of short stories called parables. In a way, the parables of Jesus put flesh and blood to what he taught. They reference ordinary, everyday kinds of things.
Although parables are often quite simple, we sometimes miss the point. Everyone has ears, but not everyone “hears” their meaning. That’s why in this series we’re going to see how the parables of Jesus are not just stories we are meant to read. They are stories meant to read us. Jesus wants to disarm us long enough to see ourselves in the mirror of the characters portrayed. In this series, you will listen to seven, select stories of Jesus until His truth reads you and you say, “That’s you and me in the parable!”
Series Plan
July 26: The Parable of the Good Samaritan
We all look for clear definitions and guidelines to outline how we act in certain situations or treat certain people. Our society today has laid down some guidelines based on career, race, gender, socio-economics, and life experience. Some are good. Some are most definitely not. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus helps an expert in the law understand what His guidelines are for how we are to act and treat others. What does that mean for us? Listen to His story to find out what Jesus has to say to us about our “neighbor.”
August 2: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
You work a long day and expect a fair wage. You pay for a good education and expect a good job. You do good work and expect appropriate recognition. So what happens when someone hasn’t put in the same effort but receives the same reward? In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Jesus helps his disciples understand the nature of the One who is handing out payment at the end of the day. What does that mean for us? Listen to His story to find out what Jesus has to say to us about “what we deserve.”
August 9: The Parable of the Unjust Judge
In an age of fast food, direct deposit, and Netflix we have gotten pretty used to getting what we want when we want it. At least for the little things in life. But what happens when we don’t? What about the more important things in life like difficulties, frustrations, injustices, and hurts? What happens when those aren’t easily fixed or immediately solved? In the Parable of the Unjust Judge, Jesus helps his disciples understand the best way to approach these matters. What does that mean for us? Listen to His story to find out what Jesus has to say to us about “prayer and not giving up.”
August 16: The Parable of the Rich Fool
Just one more promotion and we can take that vacation. Just one more sale and I can get the dream living room. Just “one more” and I will have everything I want. But, then what? In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus warns his disciples about the need for more. What does that mean for us? Listen to His story to find out what Jesus has to say to us about “the abundance of our possessions.”
August 23: The Parable of the Unjust Steward
Clever entrepreneurs see an opportunity and they go for it. Savvy marketing experts figure out how to effectively promote and sell their products. Shrewd investment professionals find ways to grow wealth into the future. In the secular business-oriented world, people often figure out what their opportunities are and find ways to take advantage of them. Is there anything that Christians in the church can learn from how secular people do business in the world? Apparently, Jesus thought so. What can we possibly learn from how the world does business, even from a crooked scoundrel? That’s what we’ll find out as we study the Parable of the Unjust Steward.
August 30: The Parable of the Great Banquet
Invitations go out in the mail. E-vite reminders begin to fill people’s inboxes. Follow up text messages, phone calls, and personal messengers even go out to make sure you know, “You are invited!” It’s going to be the banquet of a lifetime. A feast. A party. The venue is first-rate. The food and drink is five-star. There is no fee to attend, no cover charge to get in the door. Surely everyone who’s invited is going to want to be there, right? After all, what could be better? But Jesus has an unsettling surprise to share with us in the Parable of the Great Banquet. You don’t want to miss out.
September 6: The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
How could they do that? Sometimes what we read about or see in the news seems shocking to us, scandalous even. In the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Jesus tells perhaps the most shocking story imaginable in order to hold up before his hearers the very crime they were premeditating in their hearts to commit. In doing so we find ourselves also in the story when it comes to our own foolish thoughts about our favorite pet sins. The only thing more shocking than that? God’s longsuffering, patient, and persistent love that recklessly keeps reaching out for us!
September 13: The Parable of the Two Sons
He’s a screw-up so famous he even gets a nickname—“The Prodigal Son.” But the story Jesus told in Luke chapter 15 wasn’t just about the prodigal. It turns out he’s got an older brother. And although he thought of himself as the good son, this older brother was every bit as lost as his younger brother. It’s a good thing Jesus gives us a close-up of the loving heart of the father who wants both sons to come into the party and celebrate with him. So how about you? Maybe you’ve tried hard to be good all your life or maybe you’ve screwed up life big time and you know it. In either case, might this be the day you come home to your Father who loves you with a matchless kind of love? Could it be that even life-long church-goers still have a thing or two to learn about God and His amazing grace?
