A Thought About Parables

"Baseball player Richie Ashburn hit a foul ball that struck a spectator -- As they carried her away he hit another ball and struck her again."*

When you hear this, what comes to mind?

• What are the odds?
• Why didn't' he hit the ball straight?
• What's the name of the EMT?
• That's the way the ball bounces.
• Tough luck.
• Richie Ashburn?  Never heard of him.
• Are you sure this happened?

When we read and interpret Jesus' parables, it's easy to get distracted by secondary details and irrelevant questions.  What's the point?  Why did Jesus tell this story?  Those are the questions we should be asking.

Incidentally, the correct response to the story above should be, "Is the spectator who was struck okay?"  The lesson?  Bad things happen to good people.

* www.Twitter.com/UberFacts.  January 11, 2014.  For more information click here.

P.S.  You could use this as an illustration of Luke 13:4.