“Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. There was such a large crowd along the shore that He got into a boat and sat down and spoke from there. He began to teach the people by telling many stories.”
— Mark 4:1–2 (NLT)
Jesus was a storyteller.
He knew how to impart lofty ideas, important truths, grand theological concepts, and spiritual revelations through the simple telling of stories—parables and tales that reflected people’s lives.
God chose to reveal Himself to us through the stories of people’s lives, beginning with Adam and Eve, all the way through to the dramatic Book of Revelation.
When I type “Bible stories” into a search engine, most of the results are about children’s books. And I wonder why.
Storytelling is far from childish.
It’s not an immature art or a beginner’s tool. While the Bible certainly includes sermons, prayers, poems, and proverbs, storytelling is what ties it all together.
Moses told stories.
Jesus told stories.
The Gospel writers told their own stories.
Why are stories so important?
Because, as author Eugene Peterson wrote:
“Life isn’t an accumulation of abstractions such as love and truth, sin and salvation, atonement and holiness; life is… names and fingerprints, street numbers and local weather, lamb for supper and a flat tire in the rain.
God reveals Himself to us not in a metaphysical formulation or a cosmic fireworks display but in the kind of stories we use to tell our children who they are and how to grow up as human beings…
Story is the Gospel way.
Story isn’t imposed on our lives; it invites us into its life…The Holy Spirit weaves all this storytelling into the vast and holy literary architecture that reveals God to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…
To get this revelation right, **we enter into the story.”**¹
The Gospel is true. It’s about real people and real lives.
And every single day, in countless ways, Jesus invites us to step into His story—to walk with Him, talk with Him, and listen to Him tell us the true story of life.
“I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.”
— Katherine Hankey & William G. Fischer, “I Love to Tell the Story”
