Today's reading includes a parable, quite possibly one of the best known parables. Often when we read (or hear) passages of scripture we have heard many times, we fail to actually listen to the passage. As you hear this parable read to you today, hear it as though it is the first time you have ever heard it.

Teaching in parables was a common, and it seems preferred, way of teaching for Jesus. Parables typically are told in such a way that the beginning of the parable is common knowledge, but, more often than not, the ending is not what you expect. Said differently, the beginning of a parable depends on the contextually modern idea of conventional wisdom, but the ending turns the story upside down, often disrupting and disturbing the status quo. Parables can be hard to understand as we don't always fully understand the context. If you are looking for a resource to better understand parables, I suggest this book.

May you hear these words anew, and may God teach you anew as you hear these words in today's divine reading.

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