34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
-Matthew 13:34-35
Last year was my first year teaching Cinematic Stories. I chose the above verse to be our class verse for the year. You might be thinking, “Anna. Why would you pick THAT for a class verse, for a class that is watching movies?”
Well I am SO glad you asked!
Because stories.
The point of Cinematic Stories is for students to watch movies (with a bit of reading), to learn how to identify literary components like theme, characterization, plot, symbolism, setting, and all of the other goodness that typically comes from a book. Movies are just visual stories, being told on a screen. It’s a great foundational class for students who maybe struggle with typical literature to get their toes wet before jumping into more serious literature classes like Brit Lit Survey. It’s also a great, chill class, for juniors and seniors, that still has rigor and is still a full HS credit. BUT I digress.
Did you know that there is an argument that the blue curtains hanging in Gatsby’s house, are representative of his depression? I call this “the blue curtain theory.” Sure. Blue does have that archetype and connotation. Gatsby also lived on the coast. Blue is a fairly common coastal color in decorating. OR, hear me out, maybe Gatsby just liked blue.
Did you know that Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, meant to generally represent noble people, still flawed humans, is thought to represent the thief on the cross that asks Jesus forgiveness?
Of course many of us are very well aware of Lewis’ direct allegory of Aslan being Jesus Christ.
These great works and many others are flooded with depth. As a high school literature teacher, one of my goals is to teach students how to identify this depth. We’re looking beyond the black & white words on the page and literal meanings. Why did that character do that? What does that represent? What is the lesson here?
WHY is all of this important?
Because these are the same skills and questions we should be asking when we read the Bible. The Lord himself spoke in parables, or stories. Why? Because he was relating to the people he was talking too. He could have quoted the Old Testament to them all day long. But stories weren’t shoving scripture down their gullets. Stories allowed the people to learn the lessons of compassion, hope, faith, and the love of the Shepherd, that left them pondering well after they walked away. Now we, as modern readers, have the opportunity, to do the most beautiful thing. That is to study the word.
We do that by using the same skills we use when studying “regular literature,” if you will. We identify speakers. We identify their characteristics. We dive into historical context.
Jesus healing the withered hand of a man on Sunday is one of my favorite examples. It wasn’t just shocking that he “worked” on a Sunday by healing. It was also the fact that the man’s hand had been crushed on purpose, as a punishment that traced back from the Old Testament. The Lord had redeemed and ended a punishment that had been taking place for generations. Suddenly the story gains so much more meaning, purpose, and depth. I can’t recommend Dr. Ron Charles’ podcast, The Chase, enough for this kind of Biblical historical background.
Daniel. We all know the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den is about…Daniel; and it is! But let’s consider another concept. The book of Daniel shows us his character. Woven in, we see Darius. He watched Daniel pray to the Lord every day. Daniel was faithful. He was good and true. And when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den and he couldn’t stop it, Darius HAD to believe that that Daniel’s faith and character meant something.
He fasted all night in anguish expecting there to be nothing left in the morning.
At first light, Darius called in to Daniel, “Was your God able to rescue you?”
Can you imagine the relief he felt when Daniel called back, “Long live the King! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths….” NLT says Darius was “overjoyed.” ESV says he was “exceedingly glad.”
BUT THEN– they didn’t just move on. Darius testified. He declared to all peoples, that Daniel’s God was the true living God, who works miracles and wonders, and rescued Daniel from the lions. We not only see the miraculous power of the Lord, we not only see Daniel’s faithfulness, but we see Darius transformed.
I could give examples and do this all day, but hopefully you’re getting my point. Literature analysis skills, directly correlate and help support, Biblical analysis skills. As we learn to analyze and interpret literature, and as we learn to analyze and interpret the Bible for ourselves, we crisscross. It’s another reason I stand on the hill that reading is wonderful, but all reading, with never doing anything deeper, is a disservice.
Jesus told stories.
How can we expect our students (or ourselves) to know how to study something so meaningful, so powerful, so life-giving, if we don’t ever give them the tools to do it?
My favorite resource for personal Bible study, that helps guide and teach YOU how to read and study the Bible for YOURSELF, is The James Method. This resources makes hermeneutics and Biblical interpretation accessible and attainable for ANYONE. From using a Strong’s Concordance, breaking down individual verses, whole chapters, books, and analyzing people of the Bible. TJM has been an invaluable resource to me, and my friends.
The Nurtured Bee 