Jesus was equipping his audiences with fresh images so they could use their imaginations. Moral perception gets sharpened when we start using our imaginations in new ways. New analogies and metaphors open up experience so that it is "seen as" something fresh and mysterious. Like new lenses they disclose details and depth that we had missed before. Just taking a look does not disclose the full significance of an experience.
— William C. Spohn, Go and Do Likewise