Parables–used by Jesus to reveal to us the kingdom of God, used to move us from being bystanders to active recipients of God's work of revelation–are constantly at risk of being buried as «mummies of prose,» as George MacDonald puts it. We become so familiar with the language of Scripture that Jesus' parables no longer work on us in this revelatory and transforming way. George MacDonald, the Victorian poet and theologian, observed this very process at work in Victorian society. It...
