The genius of Jesus as a teacher is clearly seen in his respectful and merciful approach.
Dallas Willard
The realizations that we grow into having the faith of Christ and that we live in a strong and unshakable kingdom of God helped Dallas Willard understand that if we want to have the results that Jesus had, we need to teach what Christ taught and teach it in the manner in which he taught it. Many people misunderstand what Jesus taught because they don’t understand how he taught it. Jesus didn’t teach the way the leaders in his day taught. He was a capable but creative and playful teacher. Grasping his approach helps us interpret his words correctly (know the truth) and teach in the manner in which he taught (teach the truth).
- A Way of Life
Jesus taught a way of life, not regulations. He didn’t offer lists of do’s and don’ts for us to keep. Such lists lead to legalism, which is far from the relational approach of learning to live in the kingdom day by day, moment by moment, comfortably in the care of God. His teachings went far deeper than laws; they were aimed at the heart. He didn’t speak only of correct behaviors but moved to the center of the person’s being and practically to their whole-life condition. In this way, he showed us what it’s like to live under the direction of God. - The Power of Stories
Jesus used stories, not arguments.When Jesus was attacked by people for what was considered culturally unacceptable behavior, such as having conversations with lepers or dining with tax collectors and sinners, he didn’t defend himself directly. Instead, he slipped around people’s defenses by telling simple stories that showed his listeners the attractive openness of the kingdom. These stories about everyday occurrences, such as family disputes or farming situations, provided clarity about what the kingdom of God was like. A shepherd sought a lost sheep, a woman sought a lost coin, and a father sought a lost son (see Luke 15:3–32). By entering into these situations through stories, people gained a greater sense of the kingdom of God and how it worked. - Cultural Relevance
Jesus sought to challenge and radically change the prevailing presumptions of his day (that is, the things people believed and lived without even thinking about it). - Easily Remembered
In Jesus’ stories, people behaved in unusual ways, which made the stories difficult to forget. He also left many parables open-ended, asking listeners to think about what would happen next. - In the Context of Ordinary Life
Jesus used everyday objects and activities his listeners were familiar with to ease them in. Often he didn’t sound “religious.” - More Meaningful as Time Passed
The impact of parables was like yeast that kept expanding over time. People needed time to fully work out what Jesus said and grow in the truth the parables were communicating.
Understanding What Jesus Said
After Jesus told some of his first parables to the crowd, the baffled disciples asked him, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” (Matthew 13:10). Jesus answered:
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen but never understand, and you will indeed look but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they might not look with their eyes, and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them’ ” (Matthew 13:11–15 NRSVUE).
Jesus had a strategy. He knew that stories help us receive the message so as to enlarge our capacity to hear truth. So why did he say that knowing the secrets of the kingdom had not been given to them? Notice that he did not say, “I’m not going to give you understanding,” but, “it has not been given.” Jesus gave his listeners only as much understanding of what he said as they had the capacity to receive. Picture this: If a person takes a bucket to get water from a faucet, he or she can get only the amount of water that fills the bucket. The folks to whom Jesus spoke didn’t have very big buckets, so to speak, so he couldn’t give them very much. The next phrase, “For to those who have, more will be given . . . from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away” is based on the logical reasoning that students who want to learn will continue acquiring more insight, while those who don’t want to learn lose even the insight they have. Now picture this: A person doesn’t have a bucket (“but from those who have nothing,” not attuned to receiving), but he or she might try to hold the water with cupped hands. Of course, it will be lost (“even what they have will be taken away”).
Jesus was unwilling to give his listeners more than they wanted to know or could absorb because it wouldn’t help them. Through parables, he gave people only as much truth as they could stand or absorb. The more readiness to receive from God a person has, the more they will receive; however, if a person is not receptive, that readiness usually disappears. God reached out in love and humility, without coercion.
– Jan Johnson, adapted from “The Scandal of the Kingdom Workbook“ by Dallas Willard and Jan Johnson
Further Study
