Jesus often spoke in parables, simple stories with a hint of strangeness intended to point to God’s nature and God’s kingdom. Often on first reading (or second or third), parables frustrate me. Why can’t Jesus be more to the point? However, when I imagine Jesus listing a bunch of rules, I imagine myself looking for loopholes and ways to bend what doesn’t feel comfortable. Jesus chose to tell parables, sacred stories with many right interpretations. Stories to be thrown alongside our life and wondered about. Sacred stories to return to over and over again.