Truth Must Dazzle Gradually

Day 19: Matthew 12:46-50, 13:1-23

“And he told them many things in parables, saying, ‘A sower went out to sow.’” - Matthew 13:3 ESV

In Eugene Peterson's book, "Tell it Slant," which is a book about the parables of Jesus, he builds off of the following quote from Emily Dickinson:

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant--
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind--

How do you get an individual to the point of believing/trusting in the name of Jesus? Spiritually, they may have ears that don't hear and eyes that don't see. To them, the Gospel isn't Good News; it is just more noise.

This is the power of the parable. It is a story that is telling us something that we may not have been interested in if it were told directly. The parables aren't meant to confuse us; they are meant to intrigue us into a deeper understanding of who we are and what God intends to do through us.

Also, there's another side to this. Jesus used stories to illustrate what the Kingdom of God is like. Our stories are also important to tell when it comes to God's faithfulness. They can make a connection to those who don't know Jesus or who are skeptical of the Bible. Work on being that bridge to Jesus each day.

"The kingdom of heaven, for all its growing power (vv. 31–33), is a ‘secret’ (v. 11), and a secret is a secret only if not everyone is in the know. That so crucial a revelation is offered to men, and so powerful an agent is at work, and yet there are some who remain unresponsive and unaffected—this is the great mystery which these parables are designed to explain."
- France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, p. 220)