Life as a parable

Life as parable

I am really intrigued by the use of parables to understand the Kingdom of God. Jesus taught through parables.



In literature, a parable is a short story with a moral lesson. In contrast with a fable, where the story includes animals with human abilities, the parable is meant ot make a point. The parable is a story with a puch line, so to speak, and it usually conveys meaning through the subtext. It is a lesson in code. The code that hides the meaning of the story has to be broken. So, a parable presents always a challenge to find the true meaning.



In math, a parabola is the point where a straight line and a curve line meet ("the intersection of a right circular conical surface and a plane parallel to a generating straight line of that surface" -Wikipedia). By extension, the meaning of the parable can be found in the axial point. the curve line can represent life and the straight line, a universal truth.

I suspect that this is how Jesus used parables. Taking about eternal truths as they touch the curve lines of life. There is not a single parable of life; but a series of parables to unlock the meaning of life.



They could be seen as the keys used by the Key Master (the "Friend" sent by Jesus), to teach me how to find the way and stay in it. There is a key for the front door, a key for the rooms, a key for the wardrobes, a key for the safe box, a key for the jewelry box, a key for the back doors, a key for the pantry and a key for the vegetable garden gate, and so on and so forth.


I am invited to stay put, be still and unlock the parable of my life, to find the key that will give me access to the truth about my life.


These keys unlock the access to what I need at different times during my life. I have access to the keys at all times. It is up to me to use them if I want. What do I do when I feel a need? Where do I go to find satisfaction? Who do I involve in my search? What do I do when I find what I was looking for? What do I do when I loose my keys or I forget which one is for which lock?

Here is a key-parable that is waiting for me to be used:



What is what I am searching for? Where will this path take me?



Most of the time, I don't know with all certainty. I just get this vague feeling that something is amiss, that I have to go and find it to feel wholesome again. The key, the parable is the access to that which I am not aware of.

Finding the territory

A certain man from the land where the rivers meet wanted to find the way to the elusive Kingdom of a Powerful Boss. He wanted to meet this Master. He had heard that in this kingdom everyone was treated the same regardless of skill, effort or net worth.

An old woman had told him that there was nothing in life worth more than meeting this Master and working for him. However, meeting this Master was a trip with no return. Anyone who met him face to face could not go back to where they came from. Without exception, when all the people who started this journey met him, all of them wanted to be one of his warriors, work at his side, fight in his battles, be one of his friends and celebrate his victories.

He had skill and knew a couple of trades. He was brave, and had passion. He felt sorry for the destitute and angry with any opressive arrangement. He didn't belive in essential differences, he said that what we use to make distinctions between one person and the next was always skin deep or outside of our the skin. No difference at the level of the bone.

He was a seasoned fighter. On his body he carried scars from countless battles. His eyes had seem many lands, he had tasted the fruits of countless lands, and heard people speaking in unintelligible tongues. He had travelled the earth searching for a battle worth fighting. Sometimes he sold his skills for a price, other times he was his own boss. But he could not find
tried He had grown tired of trying to find it by himself. He had hiked through the woods, swimming across streams, climbing rocks, walking along beaches, without success He decided to put everything he had, every detail of his life in a canoe that the Creator had crafted for him, and started a trip following a path traced on the waters of the rivers.

The instructions he received were simple: always follow the path; Know that, not all the rivers are part of the path; be sure to . To get to his destination he had to carefully follow the path. However the glitter of the sunlight, the long caress of wind, the joyous rapids, and even the restless wildlife made it difficult at times, to find the marks of the path on the water. allowed him to only see the path he had to follow that day...1. the kingdom of God (KoG) is a paradox because it defies our understanding based on logic not on trust2. you are a living parable of the KoG, this way his word remains alive3. your life as a living parable is being scripted by God for the benefit of others4. God seems to be more interested in what you are becoming and the process to get you there is custom made, crafted to maximize the shaping effect of every step on your character.5. the language of the KoG is dialectical, e.g. a blessing can be a pleasurable gift or a painful one, it creates new realities around you, all focused on one goal.6. the sooner we stop looking at life in a linear way, the easier it will be to find contentment and understanding about how the KoG works