Fiction and Parables (Part I)
As Jesus demonstrated in His parables, fiction is a fantastic tool for ministering to others. 38 parables are recorded in three of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) ranging in topics, message, purpose, and audience. They also ranged in scope, where some were simple metaphors (such as the yeast parable of Matthew 13:33) and others were more complex works of fiction (the parable of the tenants in Mark 12:1-11). Regardless of all their variations, however, all these parables had a singular purpose in mind: direct people towards the goodness and righteousness of God.
Now, the next question to ask might be why did Jesus use parables in the first place? After all, He is God, there is no reason for Him to beat around the bush or use a piece of fiction just to get His point across. He could simply tell us what He expects directly — which He does frequently throughout both the Old and New Testaments. So why change ministry tactics when He walked the earth? Why make up events, rather than simply instruct His disciples on how to live?
The exact reasons He chose to use parables may not be fully known, but one possible explanation is that they served as a kinder form of instruction that were more easily understood by the masses. Jesus is the Great High Priest and one of His primary goals in coming down to Earth and becoming human is to reunite people with their Creator. He stepped in to remove the veil between God and the common people, so that all may receive salvation and understand His Word. So, instead of simply placing His laws before them like He had done in the past, He created relatable scenarios that, in many cases, even a child could understand. It was a way for Him to step down and reach out to us, rather than have us reach up towards God.
There was also a practical element to is. Humans struggle to accept direct correction, as most of the Old Testament can attest. We get defensive and offended when someone calls out our sins or failures or presents an idea that is foreign to us. We recoil, put up our walls, and even shut down and stop listening. Stories work around that; they take the concept or correction we despise and sneak it under our guard. They let us review an idea we do not like in an isolated box, where we can analyze it in a context of “this isn’t me, I’m not being directly corrected”.
Now, that is all the meta behind why Jesus used parables, but what about the parables themselves? They are actually quite fascinating from a literary standpoint and a fantastic thing to analyze for the Christian storyteller! So, let us break down the parables a bit further into what they do and do not do as pieces of fiction.
Parables DO:
Convey a very specific, Godly truth, message, or idea.
Use symbolism and metaphor.
Appeal to a variety of human aspects, such as emotions, logic, cultural understanding, etc.
Use relatable settings, interactions, characters, and props.
Often call out specific behaviors or groups of people.
Display sin.
Glorify God (point people back to God).
Parables DO NOT:
Glorify sin.
Mince words (although some are more subtle than others).
Cause others to stumble.
Contradict what is said elsewhere in Scripture.
Insult, gossip about, or slander other people (although some of the audience was offended, but they were responsible for their own reactions).
Avoid heavy topics.
Worry about offending people with the Truth.
To caveat, few of these Do’s and Don’ts are intended to be hard and fast rules for writing fiction — as in, there is no sin involved with doing or not doing most of them. The only ones that should be considered actual sins would be intentionally causing others to stumble, glorifying sin, and insulting\slandering\gossiping about others. These, however, are already well-established elsewhere in the Bible and not unique to storytelling. You shouldn’t be gossiping, slandering, or glorifying sin regardless of whether or not you are creating a fictional story.
The rest of the things in these lists can be used as a guide to creating a story that has significance in the lives of those around you. They help storytellers craft a narrative that is not some empty, secular book or movie, but is a breathing thing that will point people towards Jesus. In essence, the lists describe the ultimate goals of whatever story the Christian storyteller creates.
In Part II of this article, we will go through each element of the lists in more detail, but for now, meditate on the storytelling nature of God. Think about His goodness in giving us the gift of fiction and how wise He was to use it Himself. He is the Master Author of all creation!
