Matisse and the Goldfish: Jesus and the Parables

October 4, 2026 - November 22, 2026

Matisse painted goldfish into at least 19 major works; ask me about the time toddler Lydia figured it out at MoMA before I did. Like a visual artist using repeated motifs, so Jesus settles into story-telling as the way to communicate the ethereal beauty of God’s reign, and reuses certain images in those little stories. But – again, like an artist putting brush to canvas – the parabler relinquishes a clear, one-size-fits-all interpretive insistence. Rather, the medium invites engagement, curiosity, and even confusion. How is it to God’s advantage for God’s most devout listeners to occasionally become confused?

To you it has been given. In this case, the parable itself becomes a recursive reason for parabling – because, like seeds sown in different terrains, the reign of God is not visible/hearable by everyone equally. Why does Jesus, following Isaiah, insist on raising the bar? What is the secret sauce of parables that make them his favorite mode of teaching?