When I was in seminary, my cohort was the first to start a new paradigm of classes.  As such, we ended up with some professors who thought we knew things we didn’t yet.  One, Dr. Richard Hays, was one of the biggest New Testament scholars in the world at the time.  His books were read by seminarians and pastors all over the world.  He was and is still to some degree, a very big deal in the world of Biblical scholarship.  It was a blessing to be in his class but he was very direct and matter of fact.  He told us, “Under no circumstances do I want y’all asking questions during the lecture.”  He then instructed us to take our questions to our grad school assistants who would be happy to answer them.  Dr. Hays then preceded to go into a lecture about something none of us understood.  The reason?  We hadn’t had the class yet that would teach us such material.  I, like everyone in the room, sat silently confused.  Caught between his admonition NOT to raise our hands during the lecture.  But there was one young woman, and when I say young, I mean it.  Little Christian Peele was 15 when she graduated from college and 16 as she got to Duke Divinity School.  Of all of us, even us older students like myself, cowered at this professor.  Christian Peele thankfully had the fortitude to stand up and ask the question that needed to be asked. 

  Seminary is a lot like that.  Asking questions.  And man, when it comes to God, you can ask some really big questions, can’t you?   And we did.  Sometimes to no end and to the wee hours of the morning.  It was heady stuff and fun.  I was fortunate enough to attend a lectionary group right out of seminary that allowed for this theological inquiry to continue.  Every Wednesday we’d meet at Panera bread to discuss the passage we’d be preaching on that coming Sunday.  We would take for hours about the most arcane stuff.  While we never debated how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, I’m sure some of the stuff we talked about in those lunches was just as pointless.

  Theological speculation is fine, to a point, as long as it doesn’t obscure some of the more significant parts of our faith.  But there’s a point at which just thinking things through isn’t really that helpful.  It can, in fact, be diverting.  Diverting our attention away from the one thought that should propel our every day – our salvation in and through Jesus Christ.

  In the Gospel of Luke, 9:51, Jesus, “Sets his face towards Jerusalem.”  It’s Luke’s way of announcing that Jesus is turning to his final mission, shedding His life on a Roman cross for us and for our salvation.  From this point forward, Jesus becomes an itinerant preacher teaching and instructing on His way to His ultimate destiny.

  And along the way, He gets asked some doozies by the crowd, doesn’t He?  Here’s one as I read from the Gospel of Luke, the 13th chapter verses 22-30: “He went on His way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.  And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’  And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door.  For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’  But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of evil!’   In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.  And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.  And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  This is the Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God. 

  Before we get started, I just want to note that, when I began this series at the beginning of the summer, I was super excited.  The parables, I thought, easy stories to preach during the summer.  Wow.  MY Biblical knowledge must’ve been sorely lacking as I’ve found teaching the parables some of the most difficult work in preaching, I’ve done.  There are lots of difficult subjects brought up by the parables and there is oftentimes no hiding from their obvious truths.  In their own way, the parables deal with heaven and hell, life and death, spiritual growth and contamination.