Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

by Rachel Held Evans

it is notable that according to the Gospels, when God was wrapped in flesh and walking among us, the single most occupying activity of the Creator of the universe, the Ultimate Reality, the Alpha and Omega and the great I AM of ages past and ages to come, was to tell stories. Lots and lots and lots of stories. Matthew reported that Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables and “did not say anything to them without using a parable” (13:34). The movies always make it seem as though people were drawn to Jesus by some mysterious force beyond their control, a gravitational pull accompanied by swelling strings and warm light. But to me the appeal of Jesus seems a lot more concrete: this was a man who loved a good feast and could spin a good tale. Of course people craved his presence.