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He taught by using stories, many stories.
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"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed.
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As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it.
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Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots,
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so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.
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Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it.
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Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
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"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
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When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories.
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He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom - you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.
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These are people - Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."