Parables are a genre of teaching story which makes a point through the actions of the characters. The structure of the story as a whole makes a point. Jesus used quite a few of these stories.

Some of them are told in a way that makes the point crystal clear. There was a rich man who was troubled when he realized that he did not have enough room to store his crops. He said to himself that he would pull down the old barns and build newer larger ones. When he did, he said to his soul, "Soul, you may now relax and be merry." But God spoke up and said, "You fool. Tonight, your soul is required of you. Who will enjoy what you have stored up?" The listener or reader gets the point that preoccupation with material goods does our spirit no good.

Context can ensure that the reader understands Jesus' point. After saying that the most important commandment after loving God is to love our neighbour, Jesus is asked, "Who is my neighbour?" He told a parable where a man is beaten and robbed and left on the side of the road. A priest is going down the road, sees the man, and keeps going. Likewise, a Levite sees the man and continues on his journey. Finally, a Samaritan, a person ostracized and despised, sees the man, stops to bind his wounds, places him on his donkey, and takes him to an inn. There he leaves money for the man's care. The Samaritan is identified as the neighbour to be imitated.

But some parables are told with little interpretive framework. One of the challenges with these is that we tend to read the story straight, missing the irony or the critique. Also, we tend to think that the main character is the one to be imitated. Jesus tells a parable (recorded by Matthew and Luke) about a king who was going away and gave different amounts of money to different servants to look after. The one given ten makes ten more. The one given five makes five more. The person given one buries it in the ground, afraid to lose it. This person returns what was given to them and is chastized for not having at least loaned it and received interest.

The modern reader misses the point. Charging interest was not legal. The king demanded that the servant do something wrong. The two versions of this story end the same, with a declaration that those who have will get more, and those who have not will lose even what they do have. For years, I was taught that this parable is about our talents, our skills, our ability to do good. Read in this way, more like an allegory, the parable seems to say that when we don't use our abilities, they are lost. But once we hear the word interest, once we realize that the king in this story is doing wrong, the parable becomes an illustration of the way things are in the world, not the way things should be. The next parable that Matthew recounts strengthens this interpretation by praising those who care for people who suffer.

There is one more parable in Matthew's series. Ten maidens wait to welcome a bridegroom who is delayed. It is night, and each has an oil lamp. Five brought extra oil. Five did not. When news comes that the bridegroom is on the way, the five who are short of oil ask if the others will share. "No, go buy some," the five say. While they go for more oil, the bridegroom comes, enters with those who are there and locks the door. When the five return with their purchased oil, they knock on the door but are refused entry.

There seems to be an interpretive framework given: the five who brought more oil are called wise; the five who did not are called foolish. But the wider framework of Jesus' teaching suggests that sharing and welcoming are the greater virtues. It is possible that the labels are ironic. The ones who think they are wise are only looking after themselves; they have already received their reward, which is to enjoy the party. The parable may be telling us to look after those left in the dark, those that others have excluded.

Cathy Hird lives on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway