The Challenge of Jesus' Parables

by Richard N. Longenecker (Editor)

A fresh look at the meaning of Jesus' parables for Christian living today. The parables recorded in the Gospels are central for an understanding of Jesus and his ministry. Yet the parables are more than simple stories; they present a number of obstacles to contemporary readers hoping to fully grasp their meaning. In this volume, thirteen New Testament scholars provide the background necessary to understand the original context and meaning of Jesus' parables as well as their modern applications, all in a manner easily accessible to general readers. Stephen C. Barton Craig A. Evans Richard T. France Donald A. Hagner Morna D. Hooker Sylvia C. Keesmaat Michael P. Knowles Walter L. Liefeld Richard N. Longenecker Allan W. Martens Klyne R. Snodgrass Robert H. Stein Stephen I. Wright

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Richard N. Longenecker is Ramsey Armitage Professor of New Testament, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He receivec the B.A. and M.A. degrees from Wheaton College and Wheaton Graduate School of Theology, respectively, and the Ph.D. from New College, University of Edinburgh. His principal publications include Paul, Apostle of Liberty (1964), The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity (1970), The Ministry and Message of Paul (1971), Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period (1975), “The Acts of the Apostles” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1981), and The New Testament Social Ethics for Today (1984).

Reviews

[Cody Westcott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of various essays, and as such, is very hit or miss.

The first section of essays is a general introduction to the history and theory of parable interpretation. I found these essays to be the most helpful and intriguing.

The rest of the book is a collection of essays on interpretation of various parables. These were, in my opinion, mostly a miss.

While the initial essays were worth the price I paid for the book, generally I'd advise against buying it. You would be better off buying another book by one of the contributors. Snodgrass, for example, has a well respected volume on parables that would be much more helpful than this collection.

[Mark Archibald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finishing this book was an act of discipline! Or is very dense and takes a lot of focus to get through, even though it claims to be written “in a way that is able to be understood by . . . alert and intelligent people in the church today.”

There’s lots of excellent scholarship here, but not always communicated in a very accessible way. But it was a good reminder of the simplicity of the stories that also require a significant depth of study.

I read this while our church was doing a series on the parables, and I did encounter many things I had not considered before in the book. The highlight for me was Sylvia Keesmaat’s chapter on “Strange Neighbours and Risky Care”.

This will be a good resource for me in prep of sermons and other teaching moving forward.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more helpful books on the parables that I have read. It is certainly not as comprehensive as Snodgrass, but I like the diversity of the essays.

[David]

This is an excellent exploration of the parables of the LORD Jesus Christ in their setting in the synoptic Gospels.