2/14/12 Angel, about 45
There
is a big difference in how I relate the Gospel with strangers I may
likely never see again; with friends acquaintances I run into only every
so often; and with family and co-workers I see most every day.
Most
of the conversations I write about are with strangers. As for
coworkers and family members I respect their privacy and don't write
about them, except maybe to say here that this is where the Gospel may
be better "caught" than "taught". But for acquaintances I run into
every now and then, I wonder if Jesus' habit of using stories and
parables might be particularly helpful.
I used to go to a workout
gym, and ran into a lady named Angel once in a while. We would have
only polite, shallow conversations until one day when I asked for her
opinions about the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25 for an
upcoming sermon I was giving. This is the story of the servants who
were all put in charge of different amounts of gold and held accountable
for what they had done with it.
Angel said she is Catholic but
believes the Bible is only a human invention, not to be taken as the
Word of God. She was familiar with the parable of the Talents but
confused it with the Prodigal Son, a story that makes her mad because to
her it seems the younger prodigal son is rewarded in the end for
squandering his inheritance while the older brother was responsible with
his.
Angel takes great pride in the hard work she does for a
living, looking down on most poor people for being lazy. She liked the
parable of the talents, because the two hardworking servants are
rewarded for their efforts. Still, she felt the punishment of being cast
in the outer darkness and the weeping and gnashing of teeth for the
lazy one was too harsh. She finished her workout and had to leave before
we could talk much further, but I feel that instead of burning a bridge
of communication, talking about this parable helped build a bridge with
Angel, and I felt I could share more gospel truths with her in the
future.
Jesus, who taught so much through the use of parables,
also said "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword". He knew that
His good news of the Kingdom of Heaven would cause division, even among
family members.
The gospel is by its very nature
confrontational. Isn't that one thing we fear about witnessing - causing
division? This is especially true when it comes to people we have an
ongoing relationship with. So how do we avoid "burning our bridges" when
sharing the deep truths of the Gospel, truths that could easily cause
discomfort, division, and even alienation in the relationship we have
with a loved one or a friend?
I believe this is one reason for
Jesus' use of parables in conveying spiritual truth. They have a way of
dispensing truth in small, easy to swallow doses rather than in a fatal
overdose. I might not have the luxury of time with a stranger I may
never see again, so with them I've learned to get to the point quickly.
But with ongoing relationships a parable sharing spiritual truths might
be just what they need to hear.
No comments:
Post a Comment