Reflection on the Parables of Jesus

Easter is one of the Christian high holy days matched only by Christmas. Today, Christians the world-over gather in churches to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus as the Christ. These high holy days mark the beginning and ending of Jesus' life. However, the traditions surrounding Christmas and Easter are far more elaborate than simply a birthday party and a Memorial Service. Along with the retelling of the stories found in the Christian Scriptures, both of these holidays carry with them much older pagan customs, rituals and symbols that were a part of the seasonal observance long before the birth of Jesus or the development of the Christian faith.

For centuries in many cultures, people have celebrated the returning light. Spring Equinox is one of the four great solar festivals. The return of the sun and the rebirth of the earth after a dark cold winter is a natural cause for celebration. After having drawn inward as protection from the cold, it is a joy to spend more time outdoors and to prepare the ground for the growth of flowers and plants. Bede, an ancient English chronicler claims that the word "Easter" may come from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn, "Eastre", spelled E-a-s-t-r-e. In any case, the sun rises in the East and many people hold special sunrise services as some of you may have participated in the Interfaith Service held at the Norman Bird Sanctuary today at dawn. All people feel this change of season as we are in the midst of it. All people are touched by a renewal of energy through the returning light and miraculous growth that surrounds us.

The Resurrection of Jesus holds a sense of promise for the believing Christian. As it is written in the Gospels, after his arrest, torture, and crucifixion, Jesus' body was laid to rest in a tomb. On Easter Sunday, his followers discovered that the stone covering the entrance to the tomb had been rolled aside and his body was gone. This event and Jesus' appearance to his followers after death are given as signs that he was not mortal but arose from the dead to be with God in heaven. The theological significance of this is profound for many Christians who believe that through his sacrificial death, Jesus Christ has become the Savior; that human beings can be saved from sin through faith in Christ and his saving grace.

I believe along with many other liberal Christians that the Resurrection of Jesus is not historical. Not only is it highly unlikely that Jesus was buried, he most likely would not have been in a stone tomb but a grave. For me, what is inspiring is not that Jesus was the Son of God, but that each of us are also the sons and daughters of God. I believe that we do not need to go through Jesus or Buddha or Mohammed or some other spiritual leader to experience the transcendant wonder of life. As Unitarian Universalists, our focus is not on the afterlife but on the heaven or hell that we create for one another here on earth through our daily living.

I believe in another sort of Resurrection- that Jesus continues to live on through his teachings. The power of his life and character truly could not be killed off. However, there are so many layers of history, theology, and interpretation found in the Bible that it is difficult to discern the truth. What did Jesus teach? What was his spiritual message? One thing about which most scholars agree is that Jesus used parables to teach. The story of the Good Samaritan that Robby retold is a good example. Stories are a powerful spiritual tool because we can identify with the characters and apply the message to our own lives. The parables are also a kind of riddle that are surprising and require thought to discern their meaning. Through the centuries, people have told and retold the parables and offered their interpretation as a way of learning what Jesus had to teach.

On this Easter Sunday, we are going to honor the living Jesus by listening to some of his parables as they appear in the Bible. Then I am going to offer my own reflections about how we can apply the message to our own lives. I do not claim to offer the historical meaning or even the Christian interpretation. Instead, I will offer you my perspective as a Unitarian Universalist on three essential themes: faith, community and prayer.

Parable: "The Mustard Seed," Mark 4:31-32

Reflection on Faith

Why does Jesus use a mustard seed to describe the Kingdom of God? It takes over 700 of these tiny seeds to make up a single gram but from this small seed, grows a massive bush that can be two to six feet in height. The mustard plant would have been a common annual herb in Jesus' times, so it would have been surprising to his listeners that he used something so ordinary to describe something so significant. This tiny seed holds within it a power of transforming growth. So, too the Kingdom of God has small beginnings but holds the promise of future glory. It is generally believed that the birds of the air seeking shelter and protection in the branches was a way of illustrating that all people, would be included in the Kingdom of God.

If any of you cook, you know that a mustard seed is tiny! Or maybe you have a pin like my Aunt Betty gave to me as a girl, a clear circle about the size of a tie tack with a little grain inside. The card explained, "If you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, nothing is impossible to you." I remember wearing that little pin in High School on days when I needed extra strength like auditioning for plays or taking difficult tests. It wasn't that the mustard seed had magic powers that gave me the part or the answers, but wearing the pin gave me confidence in myself, and reminded me of my own abilities when I felt shaky.

So how can we apply this parable in our own lives? Jesus reminds us that a grain of faith has remarkable potential. Take a moment now to think of something in your life about which you are uncertain. All of us young and old alike have challenges that we face in life whether with school or work, family or friends, home or health. In your heart of hearts focus your attention on one challenge and plant a seed of faith. It doesn't have to be very big, only a tiny grain of mustard seed. In fact, it may be there already, you just failed to notice it. Your attention is like the warmth of the sun and the nourishing rain. Like in the parable, your seed of faith holds within it a power of transforming growth.

Parable: "The Wheat and the Weeds," Matthew 13: 24-30

Reflection on Community

This parable is less familiar and has been called "The Wheat and the Weeds" or "The Weeds Among the Wheat." As a Unitarian Universalist, the message is somewhat problematic as the weeds being burned is an allusion to hellfire while bringing the wheat into the barn is an allusion of being restored to heaven. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of all people. Our Universalist ancestors asserted that a loving God would not damn people to hell but embrace all people with love and forgiveness. However, if I rejected this parable as only applying to the afterlife, I would miss an essential part of its message.

This parable emerged at a time when Jesus and his followers were working to discern what it meant to be a religious community. There may have been efforts to have a "pure" community. To do so, as this parable illustrates would be exclusive. The attempt to build boundaries or exclude some people like plucking the weeds might do more harm than good. The weeds mentioned in the parable are "darnel", which is a plant that looks very much like wheat. Therefore, even though there were two plantings in the same field one of "good" seeds and one of "bad" seeds, it may be very difficult to discern the difference.

This parable speaks a universal truth. The reality is that we live in a complex world. "Where did these weeds come from?" is a perennial human cry. Sometimes it can come as a shock to find that a community we hold dear is imperfect and flawed: our families, our workplace, our schools, and even our church. Life is full of paradoxes and contradictions. We cannot easily separate the good from the bad. The reality is that life is a "place of wonder and cruelty, pain and joy, courageous one moment, petty and faithless the next."

The Master tells the slaves not to pluck the weeds because it would harm the wheat. We do not have the ability to rid life of all the weeds. This parable reminds us that it is not our job to do so. So is the ideal community hopelessly comprised? No, the parable reminds us to live in relationship instead of judging one another as "good" and "bad". In keeping ourselves open to the goodness of one another even in the midst of conflict is truly to create the Beloved Community or Kingdom of God. We live in an imperfect world and no human can eradicate that fact. Our job is to address the good and bad within ourselves and to live our own lives as faithfully as possible.

Parable: "The Insistent Friend," Luke 11:5-10

Reflection on Prayer

Take a moment to imagine yourself in the story you just heard. Did you picture yourself as the friend who was knocking or the friend who was awakened in the middle of the night? The reality is that there are times in our lives when we seek assistance and times when we are caregivers for others.

Caregiving is an essential part of this church community. The lighting of candles of joy and concern during our worship service is not an isolated ritual but an opportunity for us to celebrate, support and help one another. The ministry of our Caregiving coordinator, Nickie Kates, and the many generous monthly Caregivers keep us connected to one another as much as possible. Cards, calls, rides, gifts of food and visits are just some of the ways that our network of love and care manifests. Caregiving is faith in action and a spiritual practice. Many times people who give generously to others are surprised at the outpouring of support from their religious community when illness, challenge or even a happy event occurs. One of the blessings of a religious community is that we take turns supporting one another.

The parable of the Persistent Friend reminds us of the values of friendship and hospitality. It is unthinkable that a friend would refuse to get up in the middle of the night to give what is needed. During the times of Jesus, to refuse to provide for a guest would bring shame on the host. Waking up sleeping children in the middle of the night would be a lame excuse. The underlying premise of the parable is that the sleeper will answer the petitioner's request because it is simply the right thing to do as a true friend.

Sometimes people feel that it is easier to give than to receive. This parable discourages isolation and demonstrates the power of asking. To ask for what you need or simply to ask for help, holds transformative power and can bring so much more into your life than you can manage alone. There are also sources beyond the human community known by many names (God, Love, the Spirit of Life, a Higher Power, the Universe, the Interdependent Web) that can be a wellspring of strength. Prayer and meditation are spiritual tools that allow us to get in touch with a power greater than our own. "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."