What causes us to change our worldviews in how we see ourselves, others or our lives?  Sometimes it can be stories.

In family systems theory the person who acts out—an incorrigible child or an alcoholic father—is called the “identified patient.” Paradoxically, the identified patient is usually not the only one with a problem. When other family members spend less energy fixing (or enabling) the troublemaker and more energy taking responsibility for their own behavior, the family system usually grows healthier. Everyone in the family sees his or her interactions with everyone else through a new frame.

Jesus’ stories offer this reframing stimulus. They draw us in and catch us in the surprise of recognition. Especially when stories are left open-ended, as many of Jesus’ are, we must discover our own ending, because suddenly it is our story. This delivers the jolt that reframes our thinking.

Consider the familiar story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–16).  I suspect none of the Pharisees listening to Jesus saw themselves as the prodigal, i.e. the identified patient. Since the story was not about them, they could listen as spectators, disdaining the prodigal’s rebellion and applauding the consequences he suffered. In fact, the prodigal sounded a lot like the moral and spiritual riffraff Jesus welcomed into his fellowship.

Jesus catches the Pharisees off guard by introducing the elder brother into the story. Can they now look through the story and see themselves as elder brothers—obedient to God in their behavior, yet never really comprehending God’s compassion or mercy? As the context makes clear, Jesus tells this story at the very moment he is throwing a “welcome-home party” for the tax collectors and sinners who have gathered around him (i.e. other prodigals). Will the Pharisees join Jesus’ party in welcoming these prodigals or will they (like the elder brother in the story) remain at a distance sulking? We honestly don’t know.

Like the Pharisees, we too often miss the impact of Jesus’ stories. It’s easy to see who the identified patient is in the story and think “that could never be me!”

• When we observe the self-congratulating Pharisee and breast-beating tax collector pray side by side in the temple (Luke 18:9–14), don’t we always see ourselves in the tax collector and never in the preening Pharisee?
• Do we ever assume we are the oblivious rich man building bigger and bigger barns (Luke 12:13–21)?
• Do we ever identify with the despicable steward who has an enormous debt forgiven only to throw his fellow servant into prison for a failing to fulfill a tiny debt (Matt. 18:21–35)?
• Do we ever see ourselves in the obnoxious wedding guest pushing her way forward to the best seat at the marriage feast (Luke 14:7–14)?

Most of the time, we listen as spectators, assuming these are not really our stories. But every once in a while God’s Spirit intervenes and the stories deliver their intended jolt to our system: “I’m the guy building ever bigger barns! I’m the pushy wedding guest! This is MY story!”

At those moments, Jesus offers us new frames through which we can see ourselves.

Question:  Have you ever been “jolted” in this way by a story?  Such impact, of course, is not limited to stories in the Bible.  What was it? Please share it in a comment below.

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