Are modern readers,
conditioned to hear doctrinal and spiritual overtones in the
parables, missing something of Jesus' original intentions?
Stephen Wright
explores the purpose and effect of Jesus' parables by reading them
contextually against their cultural, political and social
background. Although use of the parables as tools for
preaching and teaching has neglected the original impact they had on
Jesus' hearers, it is possible, with our knowledge of life in
first-century Palestine, to feel that impact again.
By approaching the
parables with an open mind, and reading them as stories that
realistically reflect the world of Jesus' hearers, we are enabled to
imagine His aims in the telling of a particular tale and the
responses it might have received.
A detailed,
engrossing and contextual study of Jesus' parables, Tales Jesus
Told, will be of particular interest to students of the New
Testament and those who want to connect Jesus' with the modern
world.
Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
1.
The Parables of Jesus
2.
Jesus and First-Century Palestine
3.
Rough Terrain:
The Sower, Seed and Soils
4.
Agricultural Sabotage:
The Wheat and the Darnel
5.
Dangerous Journey:
The Good Samaritian
6.
Storage Space
The Rich Fool
7.
Fruit Delayed:
The Barren Fig Tree
8.
Family Threatened:
The Prodigal Son
9.
Looming Unemployment:
The Shrewd Manager
10. Enforced
Separation:
The Rich Man and Lazarus
11. Godless
Officialdom:
The Judge and the Widow
12.
Worshipping Apart:
The Parisee and the Tax Collector
13. Unpayable
Debt:
The Unforgiving Servant
14. Seasonal
Survival:
The Labourers in the Vineyard
15. Murderous
Revolt:
The Wicket Tenants
16. Vacant
Places:
The Wedding of the King's Son
The Great Banquet
17. The Empty
Flask:
The Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids
18. Playing
Safe:
The Talents
The Pounds
19. Tellings
of the Tales
20. The
Profile of the Teller
Bibliography
