Matthew 13-15 It's Supposed to Be Hard!

Sometimes finding the energy to actually sit down and read the Bible is nearly impossible--add to that the fact that it rarely makes a lot of sense. We go though long days with a lot to think about and then we put in our standard five minutes of Bible reading only to be faced with stories with names that we cannot pronounce and meanings that we cannot begin to understand.

Fact: I believe that God intended this process to be difficult. It is not something that we should give partial attention to-it needs intense focus with a dollop of prayer...because this is supposed to require God's help.

People often think that Jesus spoke in parables so that "everyone could understand him" because he was an "excellent communicator!"

Lies!

Jesus spoke in parables so that people wouldn't understand him!

He himself says...

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

Matthew 13:13

Jesus did not want people to understand him unless God were reveling the meanings and depths of his words to them! His stories required thought, and a willingness to ask questions of God--and a willingness to wait for an answer.

I believe that this same idea applies to much of the Bible. It is not a book that will make sense if we take it casually--we have to ask God to revel it to us in the hope that our eyes just might be opened.

If you take this lightly, it might not take you anywhere at all!