You thought this would be about Jesus throwing and turning over tables, didn’t you?

Bet you didn’t think someone had used Jesus to advertise disc golf, did you? (I sure didn’t)

He taught them many things by parables…Mark 4:2

At the church I serve, we hope to be a community that is making disciples—life-long learners and followers of Jesus.  We began a series, called “Disciple Like Jesus,” to more deeply look at exactly how Jesus made disciples.  After inviting people to follow, Jesus spent a significant amount of time teaching.  His primary way of teaching was through parables.  This word, from the Greek verb “to throw beside,” speaks of the way Jesus would take something from the natural world and “throw it alongside” his teaching about what the kingdom of God was like.  In fact, we see Jesus introduce many of his parables like this:  “This is what the kingdom of God is like…”. Then, we see him introduce a character, whether it be a farmer, a woman, a landowner, or a king.  And what that character did—planting, kneading dough, etc.— would have been easy for the crowds to understand.  However, in these parables, Jesus had the character often do something unexpected!  The surprise of the parable was often what captivated the crowds, inviting them to discuss, ask questions, and reflect more deeply.  The parable was to invite everyone into the story and ask, “What does this mean?”

If we are to make disciples like Jesus, then teaching like Jesus, and teaching about Jesus will certainly be integral to what we do.   May we invite people into the story of Jesus, and discover that the marvelous kingdom of God is revealed in his teaching!

May we throw like Jesus.