The deepest truths stick with us through the stories we tell. That is why when Jesus began to teach people about his Kingdom and a new way of life, he did more than lay out principles or establish a set of rules and regulations. He told stories. In the parables, Jesus takes the mysteries of God's rule and reign—covers them in the raw material of everyday life, gives them characters and a plot, and delivers them to us in a way that sparks our curiosity and beckons us to go deeper. In this series, we look at a collection of stories from Matthew 13, seeing how seeds, sprouts, pearls, and nets open a window to better understand and embrace God at work in our world.