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The Gospel of Mark
Jesus the Storyteller
Mark 4: 33–34
“With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”
— Mark 4:33–34
Humanity has been telling stories for as long as we have existed. It is built into us, even the most introverted of people can tell a good story. We desire stories because they help us understand the world.
I remember in college reading this verse and wondering why Jesus would tell stories of things people might not understand. Sure, there is cultural context for the Bible from the time of Jesus to today, but there seems to be something else to it.
Clearly, Jesus told stories people didn’t understand, even the disciples would need him to explain them more after a day of ministering to people. So why would he do it? Why not make things plain for people to understand?
Yet, nearly 20 years later, I have figured it out.
Jesus tells stories to help people understand because they do not have the context of heaven. This dawned on me one day while I was telling a story about my childhood to my daughters.
