Quick Summary:

Some of the stories Jesus tells seem TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE—and we find ourselves astonished by the God of grace they reveal. A God whose steadfast love is so clearly FOR US, whose grace is so AMAZING, that it saves even a wretch like me.

Other stories Jesus tells feel more than an AMBUSH. They challenge us to our very core. Holding up a mirror to our lives, they show us our shadow selves in all their ugly splendor, then summon us to leave the shadows behind and to turn toward the light—toward the way of loving God and neighbor that Jesus taught and lived.

Still others stories Jesus tells stand as ENIGMAS, seemingly unsolvable mazes that we struggle to wrap our minds around; these are the stories that leave us puzzled and wondering what the takeaway might be.

This third kind of story, I submit, is what we find before us this morning.