The tensile strength of paradox is what makes Jesus’ parables so compelling. A seeming contradiction is juxtaposed in a way that reveals a higher truth. Jesus’ paradoxes are often the kernels of his metaphors that pop open unexpectedly and infuse the air with revolutionary ideas, bits of astounding truth that burst from the story and tantalize the hearer. Paradoxes topple our belief systems and hoist us into new territory. Disjunctive thoughts throw us off balance just enough to allow us to grasp hold of new perspectives and to land on different ground. Metaphor and paradox dance together to
...more
