“Oh, do I have a story for you!” When somebody says that it is about to get amusing. Stories are compelling and way more interesting than raw facts. I find it fascinating when the Olympics are on TV that the networks do as much with life stories as they do with the competition. Learning the “back story” about someone who is skiing down a mountain is sometimes more interesting than their actual skiing. I have found over the past 25 years of preaching that people remember the stories I tell way more easily than the doctrines I work so hard to articulate clearly. Somehow it is easier to remember how I looked when I went to Jimmy John’s last time than the structure of Matthew’s life of Christ. I am not suggesting that this is a problem; in fact, I believe we were wired for “story.” We learn through stories; that’s why the Bible stories of the Old Testament Books of History are easier to read and remember than the Sermons of the Minor Prophets. Jesus was the Master of the short story. We may struggle to remember the outline of Romans but most of us remember the story of the Prodigal Son and the story of the house built on sand. I mention all this here because we are entering a new section in Matthew this coming Sunday…the Kingdom Parables. There are many different approaches to the interpretation of the parables, some of them far more confusing than helpful. What we know for sure is that these parables are stories with a point. Jesus wasn’t just telling stories for entertainment. He was using what literature and culture people call “indirect communication.” We are not good at that in this country, generally speaking. Americans are known — perhaps stereotypically — as “in your face” communicators. We value clarity and communicating in such a way that no one can miss the point. Eastern cultures however often communicate in ways that call for us to read between the lines. In indirect communication, one has to listen very carefully and then think! We must understand this as we study the parables. Jesus could have been more didactic and direct but He chose parables to teach Kingdom truths. Parables allow those who don’t really want the truth to be entertained by a story but those who have ears to hear gain more light. So, if you have ears to hear, I have a story for you. If you don’t really care about truth, I have an interesting story about Eastern agronomy for you. It will be helpful as you garden this Spring.