gardens, such as a garden of fig trees, and others, indreams; also on occasion into
[visions of] feasts, so that I would see peopleeating together – this several times – all
of which I am permitted to mentionhere so that it may be known that the mental
imagery of angels and angelicspirits have been portrayed in this way, thus falling
into parables, gardens andfeasts, about which the Lord so often spoke, and to which
He figurativelycompared heaven. (Spiritual Experiences 3916)
When I was writing that the thoughts of angelic spirits and of angels are
likeparables, certain spirits were doubting, because they had not well understoodthe
idea of a parable. Therefore the angels and angelic spirits tested the matter,whether
their ideas came down into parables, and it was confirmed by them that they came
down in no other way than in parables, for parables contain generals. (Ibid. 3356)
When it says that parables contain generals it means that the scenes,
situations, characters and actions that compose a parable are beautifully able to
convey heavenly ideas – that heavenly thought falls naturally into these things.
The point is that this is not so much the case with propositional statements,
or the kinds of thinking that we find in such things as sermons or pamphlets.
This is why the Old Testament, revealed by the Lord through angels, is
composed almost entirely of narrative, with little in the way of explanation.
The details of the history seem like ordinary accounts. Similarly, the stories
and imagery of the Lord’s parables seem like nothing more than comparisons.
As we read in our lesson:
The details mentioned by the Lord in the parables look like ordinarycomparisons,
but in their internal form their nature is such that they fillthe whole of heaven. This
is because the internal sense is contained withinevery detail, and that sense is such
that its spiritual and celestial contentspreads like light and flame throughout the
heavens in all directions.(Arcana Coelestia 4637)
This connection with angelic thought has a powerful effect on the listener,
adding itself to the power inherent in stories of all kinds to overcome bias and
to change our behavior.
Summary
The Lord told parables because of the power of narrative. They make
things real, they overcome resistance, they are persuasive without being
confrontational. One reason that parables especially have this quality is that
they mirror angelic thought, and so bring angels near.
You may wonder why, if stories are so important, we don’t use them
exclusively. The answer may be in what the Lord says to John:
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.However,
when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you intoall truth; … These
things I have spoken to you in figurative language, butI will tell you plainly about
the Father. (John 16: 12,13,25)
357