Life without images would be a tedious life, a life without the Spirit. It would be a world in which the Spirit no longer blows where it wills. For Jesus, who is filled with the Spirit, there is neither life nor world without images and symbols. He himself is an image of the loving God and the symbol of the reign of God. And he seeks to change, transform, and enliven life with images and symbols that disclose the true nature of God. That is why he tells stories and speaks in parables.

C. S. Song, Jesus and the Power of the Spirit