Session 2 Jesus the “story teller”

Opening discussion Can you think of a time when you were surprised by someone’s generosity? How did you feel? Are there things in life that make you say, “that’s not fair?”

“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” (Robert McKee) The Power of Stories Jesus used simple stories to communicate big truths about God and life in God’s kingdom.

A Surprising story of Generosity Jesus takes a familiar scene, tells a story, but adds a big surprise to make people think Jesus uses the power of story to help us think about how generous God is towards people like us Matthew 20:1-16 is where we find our story…

Scene 1: the market-square V1-2 6am Workers hired and agree usual wage for a day-labourer V3-4 9am Workers hired again, not told wage V5 12pm & 3pm Hires still more workers V6-7 5pm Last group hired at very end of the day, simply because no one else had hired them

Scene 2: the vineyard V8-15 6pm End of day, payment time… V9 Big surprise! Full day’s pay for very little work V10 Big disappointment! First group receive what was agreed, but expected a big bonus V11-12 Complaint – we worked hard so we deserve more (“that’s not fair!!”)

Scene 2: the vineyard V13-15 Landowner responds: I have been fair to you; I have the right to be very generous if I want to; You should be glad for those other workers V16 End of the story – Jesus teaches that life in God’s kingdom does not follow the usual rules

A Surprising story of Generosity 2 Big surprises are added into this story by Jesus to make his point: A. The recruitment policy of the landlord – he is more concerned for generosity than profit or efficiency B. The payment process of the landlord – he wants everyone to see his generosity…and to celebrate it

God is like the generous landowner He is looking for people to show his generosity to (are we looking to receive it?) He is willing to show generosity to people who don’t deserve it (can we be humble to accept it?) He wants everyone to know he is full of love and generosity (have we seen that?) He wants his generosity to be celebrated (has that changed our lives?)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life”(John 3:16) “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) The Ultimate Story of God’s generosity

(If you want to do some more reading on Jesus and his stories, read Matthew chapter 13) Ideas for prayer: Thank God for being so generous in sending Jesus to die for sinners Ask God for help to show generosity to other people