Tell Me a Story / 给我说个故事
Dexu Xia
Tell Me a Story
He did not say anything to them without using a parable. Mark 4:34
Once upon a time. Those four words just might be among the most powerful in the entire world. Some of my earliest memories as a boy contain a variation on that potent phrase. My mother came home one day with a large, hardcover illustrated edition of biblical stories—My Good Shepherd Bible Story Book. Every evening before lights-out, my brother and I would sit expectantly as she read to us of a time long ago filled with interesting people and the God who loved them. Those stories became a lens for how we looked at the great big world.
The undisputed greatest storyteller ever? Jesus of Nazareth. He knew we all carry inside us an innate love for stories, so that was the medium He consistently used to communicate His good news: Once upon a time there was a man who scattered “seed on the ground” (Mark 4:26). Once upon a time there was “a mustard seed” (v. 31), and on and on. Mark’s gospel clearly indicates that Jesus used stories in His interactions with everyday people (v. 34) as a way to help them see the world more clearly and understand more thoroughly the God who loved them.
That’s wise to remember as we desire to share with others God’s good news of mercy and grace. The use of story is almost impossible to resist.
How could you weave a story or parable into your conversations this week? Maybe something like, “Once upon a time, God answered my prayer in a surprising way . . . .”
给我说个故事
若不用比喻，就不对他们讲。—马可福音4章34节
很久以前……这四个字可能是全世界最强而有力的词语。在我孩提时代的记忆，就留有这四个字的各类变化版。有一天我母亲回到家时，带回了一本又大又厚，还配有插图的精装版儿童圣经故事。每晚熄灯前，我与弟弟会满心期待地坐着，听我母亲讲述那些很久以前的故事，故事里有许多有趣的人物以及那位爱他们的上帝。在潜移默化中，我们也透过了那些故事去看这辽阔广袤的世界。
在历史上最会说故事的是谁呢？毋庸置疑地，那就是拿撒勒人耶稣。祂知道我们都喜欢听故事，所以这就成为祂不断用来传达好消息的媒介：很久以前，有一个人“把种撒在地上”（马可福音4章26节）；很久以前，有一粒“芥菜种”（31节）；很久以前……。马可福音清楚指出，耶稣用讲故事的方式与民众互动（34节），帮助他们更能看清楚这个世界，也更认识那位爱他们的上帝。当我们热切地想与人分享上帝满有怜悯与恩典的好消息时，务要记住一点，几乎无人会拒绝听个故事。
亲爱的耶稣，祢是奇妙策士、伟大全能的上帝。求祢使我们能以创意的方式，与世人分享祢的爱，好让这世上的人会因想听个故事而放慢脚步。
这周你如何在与人交谈中穿插一些故事或寓言呢？或许你可以这样说：“很久以前，上帝用出人意料的方式，回应了我的祷告……”