Jesus’ accustomed way of teaching was in parables. He would tell a story and let the hearers enter into the story in order to unpack its meaning. The use of images is the most effective way of dealing with matters too deep for words. “Show, don’t tell” is the mantra of good writing technique. Not only Jesus but St. Paul used images. When the Corinthians question the meaning of the resurrection St. Paul talks of “sowing natural body” and what rises is a “spiritual body” — whatever that might be. But the image draws us into a meditation. Look around today at the stuff of you life and see how they are parables, images of something beyond our ken.
