After saying this, he called out,
“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
Then his disciples asked him
what the meaning of this parable might be. (Lk 8:4-15)

We shouldn’t be surprised that the church didn’t understand the parables any better than the disciples. But the parables are an essential part of the teaching ministry of Jesus. The church was content to distill a “truth” from the parable and then preach that truth. But the parables are far more complex. They can’t be reduced to some hidden truth. If we allow the parables to be the stories that Jesus told to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom, then we might just be surprised that in the Kingdom the blind see, the lost are found, the poor have seats of honor, and the dead are raised to life. Today Colombia celebrates Día de Amor y Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship); it's Colombia's Saint Valentine's Day!