What do you think?
Rate this book
The Parables of Jesus
"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 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.
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 1983
490 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
James Montgomery Boice
268 books100 followersJames Montgomery Boice was a Reformed theologian, Bible teacher, and pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death in 2000. He was also president and cofounder of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the parent organization of The Bible Study Hour on which Boice was a speaker for more than thirty years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 11, 2020
Would be good as a Book Club or Bible Study choice and of course, as a reference for the parables.
The parables are strong reminders of how we should live our life and the importance of salvation, before it's too late.
"Where there's life, there's hope."
The parables are strong reminders of how we should live our life and the importance of salvation, before it's too late.
"Where there's life, there's hope."
December 31, 2019
I rarely give five stars but this book rocked me. I have never heard the parables explained in such depth and breadth...and with such close and careful scriptural study. Boice's theology is spot on. We need to be ready for Christ's coming, and prepare for it- a central theme of Jesus' parables.
October 3, 2024
The book was a fine overview of the parables, probably deserving of a 4/5 for what it is. I was hoping for something more in depth, so I give myself 2/5 on purchasing ability. Decided to meet in the middle with a 3/5 to be fair to all sides.
April 8, 2019
An important commentary
Clear communication from a great Christian writer... Boice is underappreciated. Perhaps the right individuals will discover him. He is up there with the greats in my opinion.
Clear communication from a great Christian writer... Boice is underappreciated. Perhaps the right individuals will discover him. He is up there with the greats in my opinion.
February 9, 2016
The parables of Jesus question if we are really of the faith, if our talk is aligned with our walk, if we are truly committed to the truth. The parables are broken in 5 groups. The parables of the Kingdom, the parables of salvation, the parables of wisdom and folly, parables of the Christian life, and parables of judgment.
What does a parable do? It is a story taken from real life from which a moral or spiritual truth is drawn. If we have hears to hear and eyes to see, we will want to see justice. Just like David did when the Prophet Nathan came to David with his sin in a parable. David was outraged with the sin committed to the innocent and when he realized it was his own sin, he was grieved. It was in his grief, that David was able to praise God for his mercy.
There is plenty of insight in all the parables presented. I am sure anyone reading this for further study will be blessed. It is also a great resource for teaching as well. The parables reveal the greatness of the gospel in nature and action. It is what makes them so powerful, even today.
Several insights that I came across were how judgment was explained as a separation. The significance of that separation. The separation is from God himself. We all live in God's grace now and to be separated from that would be devastating. Do we realize what we have? Is there gratitude in the way we live?
Another insight is this But even in our lost state we retain something of the image of God, and God loves us and is determined to find and reclaim us for the sake of that image. Our salvation is important to God because he is losing something of worth.
Such a great time of knowing God, our great salvation and the gratitude that keeps us joyful. I highly recommend.
A Special Thank You to Moody Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
What does a parable do? It is a story taken from real life from which a moral or spiritual truth is drawn. If we have hears to hear and eyes to see, we will want to see justice. Just like David did when the Prophet Nathan came to David with his sin in a parable. David was outraged with the sin committed to the innocent and when he realized it was his own sin, he was grieved. It was in his grief, that David was able to praise God for his mercy.
There is plenty of insight in all the parables presented. I am sure anyone reading this for further study will be blessed. It is also a great resource for teaching as well. The parables reveal the greatness of the gospel in nature and action. It is what makes them so powerful, even today.
Several insights that I came across were how judgment was explained as a separation. The significance of that separation. The separation is from God himself. We all live in God's grace now and to be separated from that would be devastating. Do we realize what we have? Is there gratitude in the way we live?
Another insight is this But even in our lost state we retain something of the image of God, and God loves us and is determined to find and reclaim us for the sake of that image. Our salvation is important to God because he is losing something of worth.
Such a great time of knowing God, our great salvation and the gratitude that keeps us joyful. I highly recommend.
A Special Thank You to Moody Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
December 21, 2015
"The Parables of Jesus" is based on a sermon series. There was an emphasis on finding application points, but Boice generally did stay focused on the parables. For example, he pointed out that hard ground symbolized a hard heart, then he looked at what Scripture says about how someone becomes hard-hearted.
At times, though, I felt like the author tried to pull more out of the parable than was originally intended or even missed the original intent. Perhaps due to when the book was originally published (1983), he rarely brought in the cultural aspects relating to the parables or examined the hard-to-translate words. For example, he apparently didn't know that a "good eye" is a Jewish idiom for a generous person, so he talked about someone who can see well versus someone who can't. He made good points, but I still think he missed the original intent.
He also brought up Calvinist teachings as the basis for how he interpreted various parables. If you don't share his starting point, you might not agree with some of the lessons he drew from these parables. Overall, I thought he made good points and he got me thinking. I'd recommend this book to those interested in a sermon-style take on the parables.
He covered: Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-52), Parables of Salvation (Luke 15:1-32, Matthew 20:1-16, Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 18:9-14), Parables of Wisdom and Folly (Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 12:13-21, Luke 16:1-9, Luke 6:46-49), Parables of the Christian Life (Matthew 21:28-32, Luke 8:16-18 & 11:33-36, Luke 10:25-37, Luke 11:5-13 & 18:1-8, Luke 7:36-50), Parables of Judgment (Matthew 18:21-35, Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 25:14-46, Luke 16:19-31).
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
At times, though, I felt like the author tried to pull more out of the parable than was originally intended or even missed the original intent. Perhaps due to when the book was originally published (1983), he rarely brought in the cultural aspects relating to the parables or examined the hard-to-translate words. For example, he apparently didn't know that a "good eye" is a Jewish idiom for a generous person, so he talked about someone who can see well versus someone who can't. He made good points, but I still think he missed the original intent.
He also brought up Calvinist teachings as the basis for how he interpreted various parables. If you don't share his starting point, you might not agree with some of the lessons he drew from these parables. Overall, I thought he made good points and he got me thinking. I'd recommend this book to those interested in a sermon-style take on the parables.
He covered: Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-52), Parables of Salvation (Luke 15:1-32, Matthew 20:1-16, Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 18:9-14), Parables of Wisdom and Folly (Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 12:13-21, Luke 16:1-9, Luke 6:46-49), Parables of the Christian Life (Matthew 21:28-32, Luke 8:16-18 & 11:33-36, Luke 10:25-37, Luke 11:5-13 & 18:1-8, Luke 7:36-50), Parables of Judgment (Matthew 18:21-35, Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 25:14-46, Luke 16:19-31).
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 27, 2011
First of all, I think that this is a good book to keep on reference. The author CLEARLY knows what he's talking about. He does not just present an empty explanation. He explains each parable thoroughly, referencing the Old Testament, other theologians, other parables within the New Testament, and the original Greek text. In this way, the author gives the most comprehensive explanation possible for each of Jesus' timeless lessons. There are a great many factors that could trip up the modern reader, not the least of which are language and culture differences between now and 2,000+ years ago. I believe all of these things are necessary to be able to appreciate Jesus' words.
I have two complaints with this book, however. One is the writing style. It is weighty with preaching and, for that reason, rather difficult to read. The book is only 216 pages long, yet it took me almost a week to get through it. Secondly, it is very repetitive. The author repeats the same idea over and over throughout a chapter, which I suppose is necessary for comprehension, but it is usually in the form of entire paragraphs, not just a sentence or two. While the lessons are for the most part easily accessible to a lay reader such as myself, it sometimes felt like a chore to read.
I have two complaints with this book, however. One is the writing style. It is weighty with preaching and, for that reason, rather difficult to read. The book is only 216 pages long, yet it took me almost a week to get through it. Secondly, it is very repetitive. The author repeats the same idea over and over throughout a chapter, which I suppose is necessary for comprehension, but it is usually in the form of entire paragraphs, not just a sentence or two. While the lessons are for the most part easily accessible to a lay reader such as myself, it sometimes felt like a chore to read.
November 13, 2018
In this work, Boice explains the parable of Jesus, scattered throughout the Gospels. Boice helpfully separates the parables into groups (parables of the kingdom, parables of the Gospel, etc.). Then, he worked through each parable, providing explanation, commentary, and application. For the most part this book was helpful, although some examples felt outdated and I wish the explanations had been a little more contextually rich. That being said, this work is a great pastoral discussion of the parables of a Jesus.
February 20, 2019
This was a very helpful book in explaining the meaning of some of the parables.
The parables discussed in the book are neatly grouped by these subjects!
Kingdom
Salvation
Wisdom & Folly
Christian Life
Judgement
I found a few especially helpful, the Prodigal Son, the Hired Servants & Wedding Garment explanations were very enlightening.
Dr. Boice always caters to even the newest believers in the manner he explains things & helps the reader understand the meaning & context of the parable.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper probing into the meaning of the parables.
The parables discussed in the book are neatly grouped by these subjects!
Kingdom
Salvation
Wisdom & Folly
Christian Life
Judgement
I found a few especially helpful, the Prodigal Son, the Hired Servants & Wedding Garment explanations were very enlightening.
Dr. Boice always caters to even the newest believers in the manner he explains things & helps the reader understand the meaning & context of the parable.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper probing into the meaning of the parables.
June 28, 2018
Really good treatment of Jesus' parables by a masterful Bible teacher. Readable, concise, convicting, and applicable. Born out of a sermon series, this book reads like Boice probably preached.
My only critique is that is didn't need to be as long as it was: he spends quite a bit of time in each chapter paraphrasing the parable which is cited at the start of the chapter. There are some minor qualms with his premillenialism and a few other parables, but all in all a stellar work!
My only critique is that is didn't need to be as long as it was: he spends quite a bit of time in each chapter paraphrasing the parable which is cited at the start of the chapter. There are some minor qualms with his premillenialism and a few other parables, but all in all a stellar work!
August 16, 2020
Dr. James Montgomery Boice does not disappoint in this exposition of our Lord's parables. Boice focuses, in 22 chapters, on giving clear, accessible exegesis on the parables. He unpacks their meaning, addresses historical background information necessary to a proper understanding of them, and provides us with applications.
May 4, 2008
A solid study of the parables, but I had some basic theological differences with that author that were distracting.
January 26, 2026
Very well-written and helpful. I think I understand the parables of Jesus better, now, including how to live them out.
I'm not Reformed - and James M. Boice is - so I passionately disagreed with him occasionally.
But even then, it was interesting to hear his thoughts on biblical passages from a Reformed perspective.
Notable quotes:
"One thing that appalls me about so many people today is the muddleheaded thinking on ultimate issues they willingly foster and accept.
It is part of the relativism of our age that many are quite willing to have several mutually contradictory notions on any subject floating around in their heads at any one time, and never seem to feel it wise or even eventually necessary to sort those things out.
According to such people, there may be a God. But again, there may not be.
If He exists, He may be personal or He may not be.
He may have revealed Himself or He may not have.
Jesus may be the supreme revelation of this God.
Or again, some other religious figure may be a supreme revelation.
Jesus' death may have been necessary, or it may not have been.
Faith in Jesus may be the way of salvation, or it may not be.
There may be a heaven, but there are also good reasons why there probably is not.
People who permit such confusion are not simply undecided; they are contradictory in their actions...
That is what is really incredible -- that people can operate in such a contradictory fashion.
...That is the challenge presented to you today. Do not waver between two opinions. Think it through." - pg. 134, 136
"'Affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward' (Job 5:6-7).
The image is highly poetic. It tells us that each generation can be compared to a stack of cordwood that is placed on the burning embers of the past. That is our destiny: to pass through fire and in time to be released by burning.
Every child of Adam - you and I and countless millions of others - will experience sorrow pain, suffering, disappointment, and eventually death.
What is the solution? Not escape, certainly; escape is impossible.
The solution is to build on the sure foundation.
Jesus says that although rains will fall, floods will rise, and winds will blow, the life that is constructed on Him will survive the blast and last forever.
That was true for Job. That was true for Moses and David and Isaiah and Jeremiah and all the other great Old Testament figures. It was true for Peter and James and John and Paul."
"...The knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves go together. That is, we never have one without the other. To know God as the sovereign God of the universe is to know ourselves as His subjects, in rebellion against Him. To know God in His holiness is to know ourselves as sinners. To know Him as love is to see ourselves as loved though unlovely. To seek God's wisdom is to see our own foolishness in spiritual things. Since God is the only standard by which any of those things can be measured, we do not know anything properly unless we know Him. Or to put it in other terms, if we do not know God, we consider ourselves to be sovereign over our own lives, holy, loving, wise, and so on, when in reality we are none of those things." - pg. 104
I'm not Reformed - and James M. Boice is - so I passionately disagreed with him occasionally.
But even then, it was interesting to hear his thoughts on biblical passages from a Reformed perspective.
Notable quotes:
"One thing that appalls me about so many people today is the muddleheaded thinking on ultimate issues they willingly foster and accept.
It is part of the relativism of our age that many are quite willing to have several mutually contradictory notions on any subject floating around in their heads at any one time, and never seem to feel it wise or even eventually necessary to sort those things out.
According to such people, there may be a God. But again, there may not be.
If He exists, He may be personal or He may not be.
He may have revealed Himself or He may not have.
Jesus may be the supreme revelation of this God.
Or again, some other religious figure may be a supreme revelation.
Jesus' death may have been necessary, or it may not have been.
Faith in Jesus may be the way of salvation, or it may not be.
There may be a heaven, but there are also good reasons why there probably is not.
People who permit such confusion are not simply undecided; they are contradictory in their actions...
That is what is really incredible -- that people can operate in such a contradictory fashion.
...That is the challenge presented to you today. Do not waver between two opinions. Think it through." - pg. 134, 136
"'Affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward' (Job 5:6-7).
The image is highly poetic. It tells us that each generation can be compared to a stack of cordwood that is placed on the burning embers of the past. That is our destiny: to pass through fire and in time to be released by burning.
Every child of Adam - you and I and countless millions of others - will experience sorrow pain, suffering, disappointment, and eventually death.
What is the solution? Not escape, certainly; escape is impossible.
The solution is to build on the sure foundation.
Jesus says that although rains will fall, floods will rise, and winds will blow, the life that is constructed on Him will survive the blast and last forever.
That was true for Job. That was true for Moses and David and Isaiah and Jeremiah and all the other great Old Testament figures. It was true for Peter and James and John and Paul."
"...The knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves go together. That is, we never have one without the other. To know God as the sovereign God of the universe is to know ourselves as His subjects, in rebellion against Him. To know God in His holiness is to know ourselves as sinners. To know Him as love is to see ourselves as loved though unlovely. To seek God's wisdom is to see our own foolishness in spiritual things. Since God is the only standard by which any of those things can be measured, we do not know anything properly unless we know Him. Or to put it in other terms, if we do not know God, we consider ourselves to be sovereign over our own lives, holy, loving, wise, and so on, when in reality we are none of those things." - pg. 104
May 9, 2017
Some sections of the Bible give us grand theology.
Some move us to grateful responses to God.
The parables ask us if there has been any real difference in our lives.
The Parables of Jesus was written by James Montgomery Boice. As a pastor, the author gave a sermon series on the parables. This book is a result of that sermon series. This book contains 30 parables that are broken up into 5 different categories. Parables of the Kingdom, of Salvation, of Wisdom and Folly, of the Christian Life and of Judgment. The author gives a lot of background to the parables and explains their meanings. He gives reasons as to why he feels they mean what they do.
One of the things that really stood out for me was where the author points out what has happened to sin. He points out the clergy dropped the word sin to not offend the congregation. Court jurists turned the word sin into crime. And psychiatrists calls sin a complex. So now no one is a sinner.
One of the things that I really like about this book is the author including a general index and a Scripture index in the book. This makes is really easy to go back and find something within the book.
This is a really good book to read to understand the meaning behind the parables. This is not a quick read book. While reading the book, I often found myself having to put the book down and just think about what I had read. I feel this would make a great book to use as a bible study or with a group to help dig deeper into the meanings of the parables.
I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishing Blog Review Program. I have written an honest review.
Some move us to grateful responses to God.
The parables ask us if there has been any real difference in our lives.
The Parables of Jesus was written by James Montgomery Boice. As a pastor, the author gave a sermon series on the parables. This book is a result of that sermon series. This book contains 30 parables that are broken up into 5 different categories. Parables of the Kingdom, of Salvation, of Wisdom and Folly, of the Christian Life and of Judgment. The author gives a lot of background to the parables and explains their meanings. He gives reasons as to why he feels they mean what they do.
One of the things that really stood out for me was where the author points out what has happened to sin. He points out the clergy dropped the word sin to not offend the congregation. Court jurists turned the word sin into crime. And psychiatrists calls sin a complex. So now no one is a sinner.
One of the things that I really like about this book is the author including a general index and a Scripture index in the book. This makes is really easy to go back and find something within the book.
This is a really good book to read to understand the meaning behind the parables. This is not a quick read book. While reading the book, I often found myself having to put the book down and just think about what I had read. I feel this would make a great book to use as a bible study or with a group to help dig deeper into the meanings of the parables.
I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishing Blog Review Program. I have written an honest review.
October 14, 2018
Simple & clear, much application and helpful for preachers and devotional reading
The late JMB left the Christian community with a real gem. OK it is a bit of an upgrade of an earlier work by William Taylor but he did intersperse it with thoughts from many others, including (& most importantly ) his own. Warmly commended for devotional reading and as a "first" commentary for the preacher.
The late JMB left the Christian community with a real gem. OK it is a bit of an upgrade of an earlier work by William Taylor but he did intersperse it with thoughts from many others, including (& most importantly ) his own. Warmly commended for devotional reading and as a "first" commentary for the preacher.
December 26, 2024
The late Presbyterian minister James Montgomery Boice wrote several practical and helpful books of exposition and practical application to Christian living on many books of the Bible. Here he focuses on the parables of Jesus found in the three Synoptic Gospels. Of the parables he surveys in this book, I especially liked his analysis and practical applications for: "The Work of the Enemy (the parable of the Weeds)"; "The Rich Fool", and "The Rich Man and Lazarus".
March 9, 2022
Bible study selection that groups the amazing parables into topics. I love parables and hearing various interpretations of them. This book is a series of sermons and comes across extremely “preachy” and can be challenging to read. The author is obviously very well educated, however he’s also very adamant in his opinions and the tone was off-putting to me.
March 6, 2025
Such a great book. The Parables are some of the easiest and most effective teaching aids in the New Testament and Boice does an amazing job of interpreting and presenting them in this book. He also does not pretend to always have the answers, though 99% of the time he shows assurance in his teachings.
May 8, 2020
I find this book very helpful as we did a study of the parables of Jesus for bible study. Although, our study was based off another book, I found this one as a great companion to it. I also enjoy James Montgomery Boice’s style of writing.
July 1, 2022
It took me a while to read this book. There is so much packed in each parable. A deep dive into each parable reveals so much our Lord was teaching. Boice divides the parables into 5 groups — Kingdom, Salvation, Wisdom & Folly, Christian Life, and Judgement. I highly recommend this book.
December 4, 2023
It was a helpful book to get some basic ideas for lessons, but it didn't blow my mind or really grab my attention for extended periods of time. He's not quite as deep as Stott or G. Campbell Morgan. Also he's got some beliefs I don't agree with when I read the scriptures. (Infant baptism)
January 22, 2018
Parables
All the parables are very familiar to readers of the bible this book gives some fresh perspective on the common stories of Jesus' teachings
All the parables are very familiar to readers of the bible this book gives some fresh perspective on the common stories of Jesus' teachings
February 25, 2018
Read only about half of this for school...
May 30, 2018
Great teaching
This is a great book of teaching about the parables, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to dig deeper into the teachings of Jesus
This is a great book of teaching about the parables, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to dig deeper into the teachings of Jesus
October 11, 2020
Highly recommend it!
November 25, 2021
Parables preached as falling into specific groups-kingdom, salvation, wisdom, judgment, Christian life. Some deep exegesis. Focused on kingdom from a reformed perspective.
February 18, 2022
Fue un libro que me costó mucho trabajo leer,
Pero es muy interesante.
Te lleva a un panorama por todas las
Parábolas y las explica.
Pero es muy interesante.
Te lleva a un panorama por todas las
Parábolas y las explica.
February 26, 2022
This was helpful.
December 27, 2023
Last book for 2023 we read in Leader Impact - basically went through a chapter a week.
Best analysis of the parables I've read
Best analysis of the parables I've read
September 22, 2024
Basic explanations on complex and difficult parables Jesus used to teach his disciplines and followers. One must understand the parables to fully understand a Christ and God.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews