Stories

Matthew 22:1 - Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables.

I had always supposed that the chief priests and elders left after being called out, but this verse uses 'them' without explanation, so maybe they stayed. In my imagination they did ... they need to hear the next parable.

I also wonder if Jesus' habit of talking in parables bothered people. Or did they enjoy the stories themselves? Did they enjoy puzzling out his point? I think they would have had a lot easier time of it than we do - simply because Jesus used everyday situations in his parables to make them easier to understand.

There's a lot of history between then and now and, although human nature doesn't seem to have changed much, social mores have. Not to mention the technology we have that would certainly blow the minds of first century Palestinians. Yet, we can still figure them out with a little elbow grease and imagination.

I also wonder whether Jesus made these stories up on the spot or did he take well-known stories and give them a twist ending? I haven't quite made up my mind which of these methods would be more effective. People loved them; they followed him everywhere to listen. Sure, they loved seeing the miracles and getting healed, but they stuck around for the stories. Possibly because those stories had everyday people like you and me as heroes. The shepherds who go looking for the one lost sheep. Or the tax-collectors and sex workers getting into heaven before the chief priests and elders.

Black Panther seems to be having a similar effect on African-American people. I've been enjoying witnessing their joy on Twitter and sometimes FaceBook. They share how it moved them to tears because almost the entire cast looked like them. White people may not be able to understand this, because we have this affirmation all. the. time. Black people in America do not. I especially appreciate that the villain was white and the other white character was in a supporting and somewhat comedic role. They were NOT the story.

Spoiler Alert: The graffiti on the walls in Wakanda in the final scene was a great touch; subtle, yet moving.

Black Panther is a story Jesus would have told. It's about many things and I could go on all day, but the one question every character in the movie has to answer is, "To whom or what are you loyal?" A good paraphrase - who will you serve? This is a topic Jesus talked about a lot.

Go see it if you can, even if you don't like superhero movies. It's worth the price of admission to enjoy something uniquely beautiful and touching.