Living The Parables

In Living the Parables: Applying Christ's Teachings to Our Lives, readers are presented with commentary from generations of Church leaders and religious scholars, as well as modern-day interpretations of the underlying significance of each account. This volume will inspire followers of Christ to draw on the power of His Atonement by embracing a deeper understanding of His parables

Ever read one of Jesus' parables and ask, "What is He talking about?" If so, you're not alone. Jesus' own disciples were also perplexed by the enigmatic stories Christ told. Now you—alone or with your small group—can dig deeper into the meaning of these parables to uncover their important meaning for your walk with Christ. Designed with today's busy woman in mind, each lesson can be completed in as little as 20 minutes per day, but leave you with a lifetime of valuable insights. Based on the inductive Bible study method, each lesson conjures vivid imagery of the sights and sounds of ancient Israel alongside poignant application questions for today. There's something here for Christians of all shapes and sizes. Everyone will leave with a more profound understanding of Christ's amazing parables.

This six-session short-term study from Jim Moore is organized around the general theme of parables of life. Each chapter will focus on a particular parable, and will feature Dr. Moore telling readers what Jesus was saying through the parable, both to listeners of his day and to us today in our own lives. The chapters will focus on such stories as "The Laborers in the Vineyard," "The Pharisee and the Tax Collector," "The Weeds Among the Wheat," "The Ten Pounds," "Dives and Lazarus," and "The Unmerciful Servant." The book also includes a study guide.

Living Parables: Today’s Versions presents parables in updated language and images. Biblical parables are culture-bound; they are embedded in images that were well-known to a Jewish culture. Jesus was a first-century, Jewish, Galilean peasant, and his concerns, speech, and idioms belong to that culture. His milieu is far removed from ours today. The images found in parables carried meaning that is lost on modern audiences. A simple example will suffice. In the Jewish world of the first century, leaven was considered to be corrupt because people did not understand how bacteria worked. On the most important day of the year—Passover—bread had to be unleavened, uncorrupted. Today, no one thinks of yeast in that way. If we want bread dough to rise, we need to leaven it. Therefore, what image might Jesus use today that carries some of the same cultural connotations that yeast or leaven carried in his world? Might he speak about Ebola virus or radioactivity? Those images carry the same negativity that yeast or leaven bore in his world. This book contains parables found in the New Testament in a form that Jesus might tell today.

God can even use your annoying siblings to get His point across. If you pay attention and listen for God's voice, it becomes easier to see how He uses everyday experiences as opportunities for you to learn. Through an inspiring collection of life lessons, Silvia shares uplifting true stories, and the powerful truths God has taught her through these stories. With spiritual wisdom, engaging devotionals, and encouraging parables, Living a Parable: Finding Lessons in Unlikely Experiences reveals the everyday lessons that God teaches us through our own life stories. Silvia's accounts of growing up with her siblings will take you back to your childhood, and the lessons shared from what she's learned through marriage and parenting will inspire you as you follow along with included scripture references for Bible study and chapter-ending calls to action. We serve a patient and loving God. He is always teaching His children how to walk His path! Silvia Davis has been a member of the Church of Christ for thirty-two years. She is a devoted wife to her husband, John, and is a mother of two. Silvia's primary goal in life is to motivate and encourage others. Through public speaking and the utilization of social media, she has helped hundreds prioritize the value of self-worth and self-care both spiritually and physically. She currently lives in Arizona. Learn more about Silvia and share your real-life parable at www.livingaparable.com and her email at [email protected]

2022 Catholic Media Association first place award in scripture: academic studies In this book, which covers all of Jesus’ parables, award-winning author Gerhard Lohfink takes a closer look at the origins of each one—its shape, its realistic details, but most of all its original message and the situation into which it was once spoken. Jesus’ parables speak in bold images of the kingdom of God, making it present to us as they reveal something of the mystery of his own person. Lohfink also offers a review of some of the scholarship in this area—as this topic has sustained research on Jesus since the first telling of these stories—but not for the purposes of debate. His reflections interpret the forty parables and show how they speak of the coming of the reign of God, lead us to Jesus, and reveal the mystery of Jesus himself.