As communicators in a culture saturated with storylines, we have the profound opportunity to invite our students into the masterful story of God. There are a variety of ways to invite our students into this story, but I will explore how to teach through one of Jesus’ most powerful modes of communication-fictional storytelling. Rabbinical storytelling (otherwise known as Jewish agada) embraces the narrative of Scripture and invites its listeners into understanding and participation. Our Rabbi, Jesus, employed this mode of communication through His parables. Approaching the topic from a theological, philosophical and artistic perspective, I hope to invite you into the process of creating modern-day parables that illuminate the message of Jesus. These stories do not simply illustrate the message; they are, in fact, the message. Whether hoping to articulate deep theological concepts or relevant topics, teaching through the art of fictional storytelling has the potential to engage and invite our students into the story.
The Storytelling Rabbi
Jesus was the ultimate communicator. He spoke to the people of His day on many levels. He called out the religious elite, lifted up the insecure and needy, offered hope to those who couldn’t find any and did it all with a profound understanding of His culture and its history.
While Jesus was a master storyteller, at other times He needed but a few words to make a point that could be felt in the very fabric of a listener’s being.
Jesus was a literary genius. In His sermons and parables, He frequently used foreshadowing, irony and word parallels that either clearly made His point or left the listener wanting more.
More than a third of Jesus’ teachings were carried out through the art of storytelling—and most often they were fictional stories He created based on His understanding of the culture, His audience and the topic He was working to convey.
Teaching as Jesus Taught
“Is it story time?” asked a sophomore girl who’d been participating in our community for the past year. I can honestly say she said it in an excited and anticipatory way. In fact, she was waiting for the hang-out time and other activities to end so she could get to her favorite time of the night—story time.
Now, if your experience is anything like mine (primarily as a youth pastor), you’ve probably noticed the post-meal or snacks/hang-out/activity time is when most kids are ready to leave—or begin brainstorming about the significance of the life cycle of the butterfly. They may think, “The fun is over; now we have to pay our penance for the free food and activities.” Others may not see the teaching time as penance, but because they’ve been around so long, they’re numb to the hopeful and inviting message of Jesus. While I know these dynamics are not true for everyone, my hope and prayer is that some of the experiences, stories, history and resources you find in this book may lead you to a place where your teenagers are anxiously waiting and ready to engage in the powerful story of Jesus.
I want to offer this book as a resource to any verbal communicator who believes story is an essential element in effective teaching. The goal of this book is to offer practical guidance on why teaching through the art of storytelling is so effective theologically and philosophically. In addition, its goal is to offer guidance regarding how to create artful, primarily fictional stories that convey messages.
Transformed by Story
I can remember working on a story that I was planning to share with a group of high schoolers. Its main focus was depression, loneliness and the destructive act of cutting. (In case you’re not familiar with cutting, it’s a form of self-injury that’s gained much popularity among individuals looking for a physical release of their emotional pain.) The story’s main character, Chloe, had a serious case of spiritual bulimia after growing up in a Christian home that became a bubble she felt she had to stay within.
Chloe put on a show for her church community and family so no one would suspect she had any issues. She never was encouraged to be the real, raw, dynamic person she was created to be. This brought her down a destructive path that developed into a deep depression and fear of authenticity; and it ended with the act of cutting as a medium of release from her pain and confusion. (See chapter 10 for a full version of the story.)
As I told this story to these high schoolers, I realized it was hitting home with one particular teen. It was obvious she was humbly and willingly engaging in this story, probably because it was one she could relate to on many levels. She was one of the most fun and outgoing girls in our community. It was a rare occasion when she wasn’t the center of attention and leading a group of teenagers into some ridiculous act or conversation. She was a very lovable and seemingly genuine person; but as Chloe’s story unfolded, I could see the tension and pain creep into this teenager’s face. In fact a couple of weeks into the telling of the story, I noticed she couldn’t listen to it anymore. So she left the room and drove home.
I wasn’t sure what was going on; but after I didn’t see her the next week, I assumed there were some major issues. Her small group leader also noticed her absence and her recent odd behaviors. So I asked this leader to track her down and see how she was doing.
About a week later, the small group leader finally got in touch with this girl. She said she wasn’t able to get the whole story yet; but the girl felt as though the story we were telling was her story, and she couldn’t bear to deal with the emotions it was bringing up. We learned she’d also been living a life full of fake smiles that simply were masking myriad issues. She’d been taken by spiritual bulimia at a young age, which led her simply to spew out the Christian answer to every question so everyone believed she was the perfect flannel-graph Christian. She’d built up so many walls that the people who thought they knew her best couldn’t see her true person. She was surrounded by people but completely alone. This led to depression and eventually to cutting.
This youth chose to be engaged by this story. This ancient form of storytelling—Jewish agada (rabbinical storytelling)—had become so real to her that she could wrestle with some of the biggest issues she’d ever faced in her young life. She heard Chloe’s story and realized it was her story, too. She didn’t want to deal with it, but she knew there was no other option.
To some, this art of storytelling may sound childish or elementary; but through Jesus’ example and other examples we see today, we know it engages not only the mind but also the heart. We’re engaging precious hearts, souls and minds. May we be encouraged by this opportunity to partner with God in changing the lives of those who need it most. May we be very aware and sensitive to lead only in a way that uses this medium for personal engagement and in a way that God sees fit.
Jon Huckins is the author of Teaching Through the Art of Storytelling: Creating Fictional Stories that Illuminate the Message of Jesus, from which this article is adapted with the permission of Zondervan.
