The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables. Luke 8:10

Trying to get my kids off of screens during the COVID lock-down last spring, I created the “Pandemic Pyramid of Unplugged Activities.” I put suggestions for creative activities on a bulletin board and offered special treats for each tier.

Mason chose the “Secret Code” activity. He had to create his own secret code and then write a poem with it. For a kid who can lose focus the minute a butterfly goes by, it was pretty impressive to see the time and energy he invested in this project. The poem he wrote was pretty clever too!

For those of us who didn’t know his secret code, we had to use the cipher that mapped out what each symbol meant. If we didn’t have access to that, his poem was just a bunch of squiggles on the page.

The experience helped me understand Jesus’ comment in Luke 8 about His parables and who understands them.

I used to interpret Jesus’ words to mean if you weren’t in the club, you didn’t get to understand His parables. He Himself said:

The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables.

Now, I see it differently. Just like Mason willingly offered us the cipher to break his code. God is offering us relationship with Him to do the same. It took the disciples being with Jesus for Jesus to explain what everything meant. They didn’t learn it by osmosis.

If and when we spend time with God, the meaning of the different parables becomes more clear. He is the cipher that breaks the code. As we sit with Him, with our ears and hearts wide open, He whispers the answers to the parables, and to our questions, fears and doubts. None of that comes by osmosis.

When a parable or event in our life or world seem confusing and too difficult to interpret, it’s a sign that we need to reach for the Answer Key and spend time with Him. He’ll crack the code for us, helping us see the meaning behind the mystery. Or, He’ll remind us that it’s time to have more faith in Him to solve what still makes no sense to us.

Questions for Reflection:

• Have I ever done a puzzle that requires an answer key to solve it?
• Have I ever thought of going to God as THE Answer Key to what’s puzzling me?

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If and when we spend time with God, the meaning of the different parables becomes more clear. He is the cipher that breaks the code. #shiftingmyperspective

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