Winner of the 2009 Christianity Today Award for Biblical Studies, Stories with Intent offers pastors and students a comprehensive and accessible guide to Jesus' parables. Klyne Snodgrass explores in vivid detail the historical context in which these stories were told, the part they played in Jesus' overall message, and the ways in which they have been interpreted in the church and the academy. Snodgrass begins by surveying the primary issues in parables interpretation and providing an overview of other parables—often neglected in the discussion—from the Old Testament, Jewish writings, and the Greco-Roman world. He then groups the more important parables of Jesus thematically and offers a comprehensive treatment of each, exploring both background and significance for today. This tenth anniversary edition includes a substantial new chapter that surveys developments in the interpretation of parables since the book's original 2008 publication.

For centuries, Jesus’ parables have been—and still are—extensively interpreted by those who impose Christian dogma and tradition on a parable told decades before Christianity per se even existed. There was no Christian tradition when Jesus was teaching his followers, and he was teaching regular people, not theologians. No wonder then that after two millennia, Jesus’ parables, coated with a confusing overlay of Christian dogma, still puzzle readers of the New Testament. Opening the Parables is based on the premise that Jesus taught a singular spiritual truth which—once the clutter of others’ words and interpretations is cleared away—appears consistently in all his teachings, even in his parables. In the best-possible way, Jesus was a one-subject teacher (one subject, using various teaching techniques, both deductive and inductive), a one-sermon preacher (one message, told in various ways). Everything he taught or preached was about love in the infinite, here-and-now Kingdom of God. All his parables, proverbs, aphorisms, and direct statements teach one lesson: in the highest realm we can imagine, compassionate love is all that matters.

For centuries, Jesus' parables have been--and still are--extensively interpreted by those who impose Christian dogma and tradition on a parable told decades before Christianity per se even existed. There was no Christian tradition when Jesus was teaching his followers, and he was teaching regular people, not theologians. No wonder then that after two millennia, Jesus' parables, coated with a confusing overlay of Christian dogma, still puzzle readers of the New Testament. Opening the Parables is based on the premise that Jesus taught a singular spiritual truth which--once the clutter of others' words and interpretations is cleared away--appears consistently in all his teachings, even in his parables. In the best-possible way, Jesus was a one-subject teacher (one subject, using various teaching techniques, both deductive and inductive), a one-sermon preacher (one message, told in various ways). Everything he taught or preached was about love in the infinite, here-and-now Kingdom of God. All his parables, proverbs, aphorisms, and direct statements teach one lesson: in the highest realm we can imagine, compassionate love is all that matters.

"Some sections of the Bible give us grand theology. Some move us to grateful responses to God. But the parables break through mere words and make us ask whether there has indeed been any real difference in our lives." In this beloved classic, James Boice takes us systematically through the parables of Jesus, grouping them into five categories: parables of the kingdom, salvation, wisdom and folly, the Christian life, and judgment. In each section Boice brings Jesus' words to bear on life today. Through his careful study and clear explanation of each parable—born from a sermon series he preached at the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he pastored for 32 years—he helps us understand just what Jesus meant, and how our hearts and lives ought to respond. Jesus' parables are memorable for a reason. Discover their power for yourself.

The renowned biblical scholar, author of The Misunderstood Jew, and general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus’ most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers. Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus’ stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives. In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus’ narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus, she analyzes these “problems with parables,” taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables’ connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us—and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later.

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

A clear introduction to the parables of Jesus, including and examination of their settings, interpretations, and implications for the Christian life.

Sandra L. Richter cares about the Bible and the environment. Using her expertise in ancient Israelite society as well as in biblical theology, she walks readers through biblical passages and shares case studies that connect the biblical mandate to current issues. She then calls Christians to apply that message to today's environmental concerns.

Peter Rhea Jones has spent the majority of his career studying and teaching the parables. Studying the Parables of Jesus is a primer on the historical and -literary approaches to biblical study. It informs and inspires in dialogue with contemporary methods and contemporary meanings. It provides an introduction to the methods of interpretation of the parables as well as an opening chapter on the recent history of interpretation. The chapters of exegesis approach a select group of parables for a more intensive analysis. While reserving much of the technical details for the endnotes, the text includes -discussion of critical issues and alternative opinions. Questions and exercises are appended at the close of each chapter for personal use or classroom -discussion.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.