By Pr Samuel Namatiiti
Matthew 13:10: “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?”
It is no surprise the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ came to Him and asked why He was teaching people using parables.
Mark 4:33-34: “And with many such parables He spoke the Word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.”
From the scriptures above, it is very evident that during His three and a half years of ministry, Jesus’ teachings were so much embedded with lots of parables.
Matthew 13:15 clearly explains that the ears and hearts of Jesus’ audience had been fattened and hardened by the enemy, trying to stop them from receiving the Gospel.
So Jesus decided to use parables as the means of reaching human hearts.
Stories make the message relatable. Usually, stories include earthly experiences of the things we see and live with.
Therefore, stories can easily drive the message right at home.
Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:12: “If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?”
Including stories in a speech has the ability of capturing the listeners’ attention because it breaks the message down to things that people relate to.
When listening to a story, no matter how many people are listening, each one will be having an imagery of that story.
It is my humble suggestion to pastors, preachers and teachers of God’s Word to endeavor to include relatable stories, more especially if need be, at the very introduction of their teaching.
Stories awaken the listeners to pay extra attention to the message coming forth. Recently, I was ministering during lunch hour fellowship, and told a story of God’s intervention when I was in need of transport.
I had been stuck with a bunch of matooke, which I had to take from Kibuye to my home at Kasubi, by all means.
While I was still wondering and asking for God’s help, a friend of mine drove past me and parked a few metres away. I rushed to him to ask for help and he offered to take me to my home with no hesitation.
After narrating this story, I got feedback from a woman who confessed that her faith had been strengthened by my experience.
