An anthropologist worked with the aboriginal people in Australia. The community she lived in had a rich tradition of storytelling. Everyone gathers at night, a story is told, and then another, and another. This young anthropologist named Connie felt privileged to be asked on occasion to join the activity.

On one night the first story told is about the animal ancestor of the community and its adventures at the beginning of time. The story overflows with detail, action, creationist imagery. The stuff of mythology. At the end of the story, Connie is delighted. Her curiosity id peeked. "May I ask a question?" she says. "What does it mean?"

Quickly, all eyes are upon her. The elder looks at her gravely and says, "That is the one question you cannot ask." A long time passes before she is invited again. She has asked the wrong question.

"What does it mean?" A wrong question to ask about an aboriginal myth. It may also be the wrong question for us to ask about the story of the sower, or any of the stories told by Jesus. "What does it mean?" is the wrong question if we think that by having an answer, we can somehow get a handle on this story, domesticate it, make it safe. The stories Jesus tells are not subject to our control. He tells these stories so that we can be transformed. He tells these stories, not so that we can ask questions about them, but so that the stories can ask questions of us.