Speaking the Truth in Analogy
Did Jesus observe a sheep’s need for a shepherd and consider how that would be a helpful analogy, or did he create sheep this way so that he could one day call himself the good shepherd?
Did Jesus enjoy the soothing refreshment of water and uncover a suitable parallel, or did he create water this way so that he could one day call himself living water?
Did Jesus recline with the satisfying fullness of bread and consider an opportunity for an illustration, or did he create bread this way so that he could one day call himself the bread of life?
My guess is that the answer to these questions is likely, “Yes.” Yes, because God intends to make himself known in what has been created and yes, because Jesus used what has been created to make God known. It is on purpose that this world is full of things that point to the realities of God and Jesus’s teaching consistently used the realities of this world to point people to God. In love, Jesus used the things of earth to make known the things of God to those who had ears to hear.
Though Jesus may surpass them all, he’s not the only one who did this. The Bible is full of simile, analogy, metaphor, word pictures, and illustrations to help the people of God connect with the truth of God. I referenced one such example in my message this past Sunday on Philippians 2:12-18. It is only in Paul’s letter to the Philippians that he ever uses “citizen of heaven” language and this is because the people of Philippi loved their Roman citizenship. In love, Paul used what they understood to redirect their focus to what they needed to understand in order to help them embrace the call to “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).
I propose that this is a necessary, but overlooked, ingredient in “speaking the truth in love.” Our aim must go beyond being accurate (speaking the truth). We must also aim for the truth we speak to be embraced (out of love). To speak the truth in love is not only about the manner in which we speak, but also about having a love for our hearers that compels us to make every effort to make the truth understandable. It is by design that truths about God are embedded in the things of this world and, out of love, we ought to strive to make those truths understandable using the things of this world, as in the example of Jesus and Paul. Laboring to find a suitable analogy to convey truth is a labor of love.
Francis Schaeffer is often quoted as saying, “If I have only an hour with someone, I will spend the first fifty-five minutes asking questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and mind, and then in the last five minutes I will share something of the truth.” By prioritizing listening, Schaeffer emphasizes that our effort to connect truth to someone’s life is far more effective than our eloquence. No matter how well expounded, people will not embrace truth that they see no need for. Too many times I’ve shared the truth of the gospel with others only to be met with a dry response of, “That’s interesting.” Seeing Paul’s use of citizenship language in the book of Philippians opened my eyes to the importance and necessity of not only speaking truth, but connecting truth to life.
As we strive to “shine as lights in the world” may we ever be on the lookout for the loves, fears, joys, sorrows, desires, hopes, and longings of those we engage with that we might connect the truth of God to the reality of their everyday lives. Let us learn from the example of Paul and Jesus to meet people where they are in order to point them to where they need to be. If we are motivated by love, we will labor to find ways to not simply say what’s true but to say it in a way that shows our hearers that, in whatever they may have, Jesus is what they truly need.
~ Andy Barker grew up in Boston, Ma. and relocated to Charlotte in 2008. He currently serves as an elder at LIFE Fellowship. He and his wife Melanie have five children and have attended LIFE Fellowship for ten years.