My parents were avid crossword puzzle solvers. The morning newspaper provided two kinds of puzzles: one where the clues are synonyms, while the other was a “cryptic” crossword. For a while my parents were content to solve the first kind; later they taught themselves how to solve cryptic puzzles. Once I listened to them teasing out the possible answers to the ingenious and often difficult clues. I always admired the way they were able to tune into the wavelength of the person who had set the puzzle. 

Two days ago there was a headline in an online Christian magazine: “Why was Jesus so cryptic?” A follower was asking whether “there was something in ancient people that would have understood Jesus’ words that I can’t see because of my modern mode of thinking?”

The people of Jesus’ day lived in a very different environment to our materialistic and prosperous western society. They did not enjoy the “benefit” of the internet and instant access to information as we do. Yet the principal activity of the human mind remains the same now as it did then: working out the best way to raise families and provide for them. Preserving the well-being of the society in which one lived. Addressing the philosophical and existential questions about why we are here.

The fact that modern readers can relate to texts written thousands of years ago attests to the unchanging nature of the human mind. However, this is not to say that the mind never changes: recent studies have shown that, with the introduction of the internet, human attention spans have shortened and the capacity for profound thought is being compromised. As to why Jesus was so cryptic, and why he used parables in his teaching, there are a number of answers.

The word parable comes from the Greek word parabole, which means putting two things side by side in order to compare them. Jesus takes parables from everyday life and applies them to the teaching of the kingdom of heaven. 

Parables are memorable. They can stick in the brain. The parable of the mustard seed. The parable of the treasure hidden in the field. The parable of the sower.

Parables are indirect. They are like a puzzle for us to solve. 

Parables point to the unity of creation, since what is true in the natural world - the subject of parables - is true in the spiritual world.

Parables encourage us to work for understanding. We are to be responsible for our own understanding. 

Parables transform nature into moral teaching, so that one thing can mean another. A seed to mean the word of God. Weeds to mean the children of Satan. Treasure in a field to mean the kingdom of heaven. Ultimately this leads to the Eucharist, where bread becomes the body of Christ, wine his blood. Parables are therefore vehicles for transforming thought and, ultimately, for transforming ourselves.

In the crowds who came to hear Jesus, there were those who were his enemies, who were either jealous of his charisma or felt that he was undermining their religion. They were listening for anything that might incriminate Jesus and provide grounds for his arrest. By teaching in parables, Jesus is deliberately creating ambiguity in order to protect himself. 

I must admit that when I first encountered Jesus’ parables I did not understand them. The only way my education had prepared me was through the teaching of poetry. Beneath the surface of words there is sometimes a deeper meaning to be revealed. It takes time and patience to unlock Jesus’ words. I learned that heaven can be discovered in what is already familiar and especially in the relationship that grows between God and ourselves.

Like my parents, I have learned to think in a new way, one which is more open, where I acknowledge my need for understanding and ask for the Holy Spirit to bring light into my clouded mind. This new way of thinking is consistent with what Jesus says about putting new wine into new wineskins. The old ways of thinking must give way to the new. The kingdom of heaven is nearer than you think.

Father David