The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-28

OF the SOWeE Mark 4: l-2O Inc
Golden Text is. THE Seed is the
Word of Cod" Luke 8: IL.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
gHE art of telling stories is
essential to the widest sue
cess in public speaking
limited audience and even a
limited understanding on the
part of these Is the lot OF the
man who can not point his meaning
with an Illustration What ails your
sermon" said one preacher to anoth-
say, like. The ponderous arguments
of his contemporary statesmen are FOR
gotten, while the homely stories of
Lincoln, with the moral they bear, are
remembered and retold- The Teacher
who "spake as never man spake" knew
this art to perfection; and in the per
iod Of his public life which the Sunday
schools are now taking up, he enter
cd upon an era of instruction by par
ables.
It was strenuous life Jesus led
at this time. Wherever he went null
titudes thronged him Cities poured
out their people at his feet Crowds
followed him from village to village,
and over the country roads Often, 50
persistent were the throngs, he could
not find time so much as to eat Pos
sibly It was because 1t was the great
rabble OF common people, dull Of I'M
Outstanding who we're logging his
footsteps and who needed truth in its
simplest and most tenacious form; or
possibly because of the growing oppo-
sitiOn of the Pharisees, from whom he
desired to conceal his meaning, that
Jesus adopted the parabOlic form Of
speaking.
A new note of universally is mani
fest also in his discourses at this time
The incident which precedes the pres
ent lesson, of his mother and brethren
coming to seek him while he was busy,
illustrates the situation. He made the
rejoinder, after looking around on
them which sat around about him,
BEHOLD, my mother and my brethrenl
For whosoever shall do the viii Of
God, the same is my brother, and sis
ter and mother"
Stories Near at Hand
The present typical parable is one
OF the simplest of those delivered by
Jesus 1t was spoken from a strange
pulpit, although one which he had
used on other occasions. In order
best to be heard by the people. he
took a boat and pushed out from the
shore, while they gathered on the hill
side by the sea- And there he ad-
dressed them, with a page of the life
OF Palestine unfolded before him, from
which he freely drew his Illustrations.
Childhood wants its teachings in
story form. What is more, everybody
likes to have the facts with which he
is familiar interpreted afresh to him.
The weaver does not care for illustra-
lions drawn from the Graeco- Roman
games; but he will prick up his ears
when the preacher talks plainly about
the work Of the loom All of us like
to have the life we know used to make
vivid the great truths which we are
all, Willingly or unwittingly, trying to
comprehend
Jesus recognized that all of life is a
parable When we consider the mar
velOus application made of the simple
peasant life of Galilee, we are con-
strained to wonder what teachings He
would draw from the complex civili-
cation of today. How electricity and
wireless biography, and steam, and a
modern city, with its wonderful build
fngs, would be made eloquent with His
teachings of the higher things of the
spirit. For the office of the parable
is to invest the material with a spirit
ual meaning.
Hiding Truth by Words.
For another purpose. also. Jesus
used parallels. AS parents at the fam
ily dinner table talk in the most stilt-
ed and difficult speech they can com
mand, when they want to express
something beyond the understanding
Of the children's quick ears. so Jesus
Ireighted his parallels with meaning
that was plain only to the initiated.
Only those who had ears to hear could
hear what he had to say. Paradox
cally, the purpose Of the parable was
either to reveal or to conceal truth.
An able British writer uDon this
point, Rev. A. Carr, tersely summar-
ICES the situation thus: 1.-THE parable