Sunday 27 February, 2022

* This passage of Scripture is about the readiness of a person’s heart to receive the word of God.
* God so desires for us to listen to him and to be fully engaged.

* The Kingdom of Heaven has secrets that not everybody understands but believers have been given insights and this is a great privilege

How often have you felt that those around you simply “don’t get” why you believe in Jesus and why the Christian faith is central to all you do?  This passage of Scripture goes some way in explaining the reasons. On one level it seems a little cruel in that those who listen to God will be given even more knowledge in regards to the Kingdom of God.  They already had some level of understanding and now they get more while those with hard hearts, the little they knew is taken from them.  It’s the hard hearted that really need the revelation but they are not ready to receive it. They are not looking or listening to God.

Jesus uses parables or storytelling to stir and ready people’s hearts so that they will be in a position to see and hear God.  Storytelling is such a powerful form of communication because it engages us from the outset.  As a story unfolds an image is brought to mind as we try and work out the plot. The image and therefore the message sticks in one’s mind.  Jesus used stories to explain God’s Kingdom because he wants to communicate with men and women. A story can bring a different perspective, the flicker of hope and the beginnings of faith. I am encouraged to share stories rather than principles or facts alone.

Dear God, help me to tell your story to those around me like Jesus did. Amen

Written by Ps. Ainslie Woods