Tuesday, September 3, 2024: Tell me a Story
Once upon a time there was a woman, and she was wicked as wicked could be, and she died. And not one good deed was left behind her. The devils took her and threw her into the lake of fire. And her guardian angel stood thinking: what good deed of hers can I remember to tell God?
Then he remembered and said to God, “Once she pulled up an onion and gave it to a beggar woman.”
And God answered, “Now take that same onion, hold it out to her in the lake, let her take hold of it, and pull, and if you pull her out of the lake, she can go to paradise, but if the onion breaks, she can stay where she is.”
The angel ran to the woman and held out the onion to her, “Here, woman,” he said, “take hold of it and I’ll pull!”
And he began pulling carefully, and had almost pulled her all the way out, when other sinners in the lake saw her being pulled out and all began holding on to her so as to be pulled out with her. But the woman was wicked as wicked could be, and she began to kick them with her feet: “It’s me who’s getting pulled out, not you; it’s my onion not yours!”
No sooner did she say it than the onion broke. And the woman fell back into the lake and is burning there to this day. And the angel wept and went away.
A story from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
“What is hell?" asks the eldest brother in the book; "I maintain it is the suffering of no longer being able to love.” -Elder Zosima, The Brothers Karamazov
Jesus spoke mostly in parables and stories
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1)
Stories are compelling; people relate to stories. People relate to and remember stories. We are deeply moved by a good story and we inevitably end up sharing them.
If history and impact is our criteria, then Jesus is, hands down, the Master Storyteller. After all, he has had more ‘shares’ over the last 2000 years than anyone in history. He had a critically important message for the world, and he cut through the noise, distractions, ambivalence and opposition of the day to tell it.
He even set the stage for his message to go viral. Jesus’s last instructions to his followers were to ‘go’ and ‘tell’ people.
Story is at the heart of Jesus’ communication style. Whether walking dusty roads with his disciples or preaching to a crowd of thousands, Jesus used stories to share his message. Interestingly, Matthew 13:34 records, “Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories.”
Jesus chose the medium of stories so people could relate to his message. Fishermen, farmers, and Pharisees all heard metaphors drawn from their everyday reality. People could relate because Jesus’ stories spoke to the profound and timeless needs of humanity.
He also used stories so people would remember and retell His message. For example, the powerful story of the prodigal son can be proven out as one of the most popular and powerful stories of all time. The term ‘prodigal’ is part of everyday language even today. Nearly two thousand years later, that story still speaks to a deep longing in the human heart for forgiveness, home and sibling sadness.
If you have a message to share, take a moment to look to the Master Storyteller. Look to the one who was able to inspire the imaginations of people hundreds of years into the future.
One of the most wonderful aspects of the Emmaus Community is that we are encouraged to share our stories. During this week I encourage each of us to think through a story of our own. It doesn't have to be as dramatic as that of the woman in the lake of fire. It can be simple -- just a couple of paragraphs. This week we'll read and think about our stories -- and perhaps we'll find one to share this Sunday or in the days to come. We may want them for our blog.
Here's a story from a storyteller who lived centuries before Jesus. You will recognize him as Aesop:
A Man who wanted to buy a donkey went to market, and, coming across a likely-looking beast, arranged with the owner that he should be allowed to take him home on trial to see what he was like. When he reached home, he put him into his stable along with the other donkeys.
The newcomer took a look round, and immediately went and chose a place next to the laziest and greediest beast in the stable. When the master saw this he put a halter on him at once, and led him off and handed him over to his owner again. The latter was a good deal surprised to see him back so soon, and said, "Why, do you mean to say you have tested him already?" "I don't want to put him through any more tests," replied the other: "I could see what sort of beast he is from the companion he chose for himself."
Moral: A person is known by the company they keep.
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