Jesus Short Stories

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 Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David---every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle---the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too.

An introduction to Jesus for very young children -- a perfect gift for the holiday season! A gentle look at Jesus's birth, childhood, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection. Written in a simple, warm style, with colorful illustrations that will captivate and inspire.

A follow-up to the previous boxed set from Ideals entitles Little Books of the Bible: Old Testament Stories. The beautiful box will remain on the child's dresser for years to come.

An anthology of stories, poems, essays, biblical passages, hymns, and songs celebrates the life of Jesus Christ, in a collection that features contributions from Shakespeare, Gandhi, Dickens, Desmond Tutu, and others.

In '365 Great Bible Stories', you are taught about the truth of God's Word and the Good News of Jesus Christ and salvation.

A new size for this sweet and brightly colored board book that explores the presence of Jesus in our lives. If Jesus lived inside our hearts, would it show in our daily actions? This delightful little story explores just that as the toddlers in the story learn to be kind and generous in a variety of situations. The book may be used by parents as an introduction to Jesus and a way to discuss the many ways He lives within us. Bright and engaging illustrations from Amy Wummer enhance the appeal of the book to young children. Ages 2-5.

Jesus Short Stories is my own effort to shed light on Jesus's parables. As someone who is a regular churchgoer and has spent countless hours studying the Bible, particularly the words of Jesus, it has always perplexed me that seldom do you ever find anyone trying to uncover the hidden meaning behind Jesus's parables. If you spend time reading the gospels, that is exactly what happened in Jesus's time as well. A few years ago, I began seeing Jesus's parables in a new light. First and foremost, these Jesus Short Stories are Christian fiction. I want to stress that they are indeed fiction. However, they are presented in a way that will help the reader to also gain insight on the hidden nature of Jesus's parables. Throughout this book, there is one rule that I have regarding the words of Jesus...under no circumstances ever, do I put words in the mouth of Jesus. But that said, I have found clever ways of shedding light on the hidden mysteries. On a side note, the very first short story is my sincerest effort to reconstruct the lost gospel.