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The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told
The parables are rich with guidance, but sometimes they're hard to decipher. In this book, all of Jesus' parables and most of his parabolic sayings from the Synoptic Gospels are explained and interpreted from an evangelical perspective. Careful attention is given to the historical and cultural setting of each story, offering practical insight into Jesus' words. The entire text of each parable is included, followed by the author's commentary. The parables' applications for the Christian life make this book a valuable sermon or lesson preparation tool.
Originally published in 1980 as The Parables of Jesus, this revised book contains recent study on the parables and is now more accessible to lay readers, students, teachers, and pastors. Technical details appear in endnotes for those who want to do further study.
Originally published in 1980 as The Parables of Jesus, this revised book contains recent study on the parables and is now more accessible to lay readers, students, teachers, and pastors. Technical details appear in endnotes for those who want to do further study.
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 20, 2010
The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told by Simon J. Kistemaker is an amazing book. It was originally published as “The Parables of Jesus” in 1980. I read the 2002 edition. In a few pages he opens your eyes to the history, context, the hidden nuggets of what is going on in the background of the parables. He tackles 39 different parables that Jesus told.
A friend recommended this book to me not to just read but he suggested I use it as part of my daily devotions. I did that I have been alternating between this book and his other book “The Miracles” and I have to say the best way to read this book is as a daily devotional. It will help you understand and apply the truths in your life.
I highly recommend this book to everyone – those who have studied the parables for a long time or a newbie on the scene or if your somewhere in between. I have no doubt you will learn something new.
A friend recommended this book to me not to just read but he suggested I use it as part of my daily devotions. I did that I have been alternating between this book and his other book “The Miracles” and I have to say the best way to read this book is as a daily devotional. It will help you understand and apply the truths in your life.
I highly recommend this book to everyone – those who have studied the parables for a long time or a newbie on the scene or if your somewhere in between. I have no doubt you will learn something new.
January 23, 2015
Having taught in numerous countries around the globe, Dr. Simon Kistemaker served for over ten years with the Evangelical Theological Society, the last of which as it's president. A published author and professor, Kistemaker has received various awards for his work on New Testament commentary series, and currently serves as professor emeritus at the Orlando campus of Reformed Theological Seminary.
Summary
The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told is a helpful book that tackles thirty-nine parables that Jesus told as recorded in the Gospels. Each chapter re-states the parable in harmony from each of the perspectives where it is found: in Matthew, Mark, and/or Luke. Kistemaker then offers further context to help bridge the gap between modern setting and the time and place where Jesus first told the story. His explanation is concise and helpful, and the book reads somewhat like a daily devotional or the teaching notes of a personal Bible study. This style of writing allows for pulpit, group study, and personal applications.
Critical Evaluation
In chapter four, Kistemaker explains the parable of the Sower. Jesus tells this parable after a series of teachings, and right before He is asked about the reason he uses parables to share about the truth of the Kingdom of God. This is one of the longer explanations of the parables in this book, and contains four major sections: setting, design, interpretation, and application. Kistemaker takes the opportunity of this chapter to explain the modern American agricultural system in hopes that this will make a present day connection. In my opinion, Kistemaker only explains why agriculture is important, and it does nothing for the connection of this parable to our American life. He could do without this first paragraph.
I appreciate how his second paragraph begins with a description of the Galilean setting of farmers, "literally…sowing his seed in the nearby fields in the month of October" (31). He makes some assumptions about the physical setting where Jesus was teaching. The text says it was on a beach with a "ὄχλοι πολλοί" (great, relatively large crowd or multitude). My semi-educated assumption is that they were not within eyeshot of a farm. At least, not near any industrialized farming that we Americans are used to seeing. It is quite possible that a small garden or bio-diverse crop was adjacent to the seashore property; However, there is no argument that the local audience listening to Jesus' Galilean preaching would fully understand His allegory. (In fact, the next few verses after this parable in Matthew record Jesus' explanation of why He used parables to teach those without wisdom from the Spirit of God.) This is also one of the few parables Jesus gives a clarification for afterward.
Kistemaker claims that the parable of the Sower, "contains four parables in one" (40). He also says these allegorical truths are unified by the main teaching that God's Word causes division between believers and unbelievers. I don't exactly arrive at the same conclusion with regard to the ultimate focus of this parable and Jesus' explanation (in Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, and Luke 8:11-15). I believe this parable speaks to the reality of eternal destinations for true believers and unbelievers. There are two groups of unbelievers: Those who act like believers on the outside, and those who vehemently oppose the Gospel. I don't believe the parable of the Sower focuses on the disunity and everyday division between the soil types (people). I believe the main purposes are to encourage the sowers of the Gospel seeds, and to aide the shrewdness of believers in the Church so that they will know Satan's influence on the germination process of the Word.
I greatly valued Kistemaker's teaching on the very confusing parable of the Shrewd Manager in chapter thirty-four (Luke 16:1-9). This, as Kistemaker stated, is perhaps the "most puzzling" (187) of all the parables. I commend his "Setting" section, as it was extremely helpful in providing a backdrop of the customs of the day and of the region from where Jesus was teaching. This section read more like an academic accounting book, and was just as deep as the parable itself. When it comes to the critique and application, I agree that, "advocates must rely on suppositions to explain this parable" (188). This may be such a mystifying allegory because there remains a lot to be alleged by a modern reader.
Kistemaker says, "The point of the parable is that the manager…sought approval by being charitable to his masters debtors. He did not cling to worldly wealth but generously gave it to those who are indebted to his master" (192). I agree that this is a point, but seeing as this is a loaded teaching, there are other points that could be just as weighted. For instance, I cannot help but make the application of a minister being a manager of God's resources. God is the master, and we ministers, or οἰκονόμον, (managers/stewards) mismanage his possessions in many ways. We can get so focused on the specific monetary value of items that God loans to us during our short time in this world that we become stingy with our portions. Jesus was teaching that sharing is a "shrewd" (or "prudent" Gr. φρονιμώτεροι) way to establish a kind of social security if we ever find ourselves unfit to continue in ministry. My application requires more study, but I believe that Kistemaker's application section was too short for the amount of time and research he put into the setting portion of this chapter.
I thought it was wise to quote James (the brother of Jesus) at the end, but instead of James 4:4 I might have used James 5:1-6, as it deals more directly with "the point" of this parable, mentioned above.
Conclusion
This book is a very good resource to consult when preparing for a sermon that contains a parable of Jesus. It would be helpful for pastors as they come to the point of illustration and application in their preparation. Also, this book would greatly benefit lay teachers in a Sunday school or Bible study venue. It is just as easy to read as Jesus' parables, and provides some level of explanation to the parallel references between the New Testament Gospels. It also helps harmonize the three Gospels that contain parables. Overall, I enjoyed studying "the stories Jesus told" as I read Kistemaker's The Parables.
Summary
The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told is a helpful book that tackles thirty-nine parables that Jesus told as recorded in the Gospels. Each chapter re-states the parable in harmony from each of the perspectives where it is found: in Matthew, Mark, and/or Luke. Kistemaker then offers further context to help bridge the gap between modern setting and the time and place where Jesus first told the story. His explanation is concise and helpful, and the book reads somewhat like a daily devotional or the teaching notes of a personal Bible study. This style of writing allows for pulpit, group study, and personal applications.
Critical Evaluation
In chapter four, Kistemaker explains the parable of the Sower. Jesus tells this parable after a series of teachings, and right before He is asked about the reason he uses parables to share about the truth of the Kingdom of God. This is one of the longer explanations of the parables in this book, and contains four major sections: setting, design, interpretation, and application. Kistemaker takes the opportunity of this chapter to explain the modern American agricultural system in hopes that this will make a present day connection. In my opinion, Kistemaker only explains why agriculture is important, and it does nothing for the connection of this parable to our American life. He could do without this first paragraph.
I appreciate how his second paragraph begins with a description of the Galilean setting of farmers, "literally…sowing his seed in the nearby fields in the month of October" (31). He makes some assumptions about the physical setting where Jesus was teaching. The text says it was on a beach with a "ὄχλοι πολλοί" (great, relatively large crowd or multitude). My semi-educated assumption is that they were not within eyeshot of a farm. At least, not near any industrialized farming that we Americans are used to seeing. It is quite possible that a small garden or bio-diverse crop was adjacent to the seashore property; However, there is no argument that the local audience listening to Jesus' Galilean preaching would fully understand His allegory. (In fact, the next few verses after this parable in Matthew record Jesus' explanation of why He used parables to teach those without wisdom from the Spirit of God.) This is also one of the few parables Jesus gives a clarification for afterward.
Kistemaker claims that the parable of the Sower, "contains four parables in one" (40). He also says these allegorical truths are unified by the main teaching that God's Word causes division between believers and unbelievers. I don't exactly arrive at the same conclusion with regard to the ultimate focus of this parable and Jesus' explanation (in Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, and Luke 8:11-15). I believe this parable speaks to the reality of eternal destinations for true believers and unbelievers. There are two groups of unbelievers: Those who act like believers on the outside, and those who vehemently oppose the Gospel. I don't believe the parable of the Sower focuses on the disunity and everyday division between the soil types (people). I believe the main purposes are to encourage the sowers of the Gospel seeds, and to aide the shrewdness of believers in the Church so that they will know Satan's influence on the germination process of the Word.
I greatly valued Kistemaker's teaching on the very confusing parable of the Shrewd Manager in chapter thirty-four (Luke 16:1-9). This, as Kistemaker stated, is perhaps the "most puzzling" (187) of all the parables. I commend his "Setting" section, as it was extremely helpful in providing a backdrop of the customs of the day and of the region from where Jesus was teaching. This section read more like an academic accounting book, and was just as deep as the parable itself. When it comes to the critique and application, I agree that, "advocates must rely on suppositions to explain this parable" (188). This may be such a mystifying allegory because there remains a lot to be alleged by a modern reader.
Kistemaker says, "The point of the parable is that the manager…sought approval by being charitable to his masters debtors. He did not cling to worldly wealth but generously gave it to those who are indebted to his master" (192). I agree that this is a point, but seeing as this is a loaded teaching, there are other points that could be just as weighted. For instance, I cannot help but make the application of a minister being a manager of God's resources. God is the master, and we ministers, or οἰκονόμον, (managers/stewards) mismanage his possessions in many ways. We can get so focused on the specific monetary value of items that God loans to us during our short time in this world that we become stingy with our portions. Jesus was teaching that sharing is a "shrewd" (or "prudent" Gr. φρονιμώτεροι) way to establish a kind of social security if we ever find ourselves unfit to continue in ministry. My application requires more study, but I believe that Kistemaker's application section was too short for the amount of time and research he put into the setting portion of this chapter.
I thought it was wise to quote James (the brother of Jesus) at the end, but instead of James 4:4 I might have used James 5:1-6, as it deals more directly with "the point" of this parable, mentioned above.
Conclusion
This book is a very good resource to consult when preparing for a sermon that contains a parable of Jesus. It would be helpful for pastors as they come to the point of illustration and application in their preparation. Also, this book would greatly benefit lay teachers in a Sunday school or Bible study venue. It is just as easy to read as Jesus' parables, and provides some level of explanation to the parallel references between the New Testament Gospels. It also helps harmonize the three Gospels that contain parables. Overall, I enjoyed studying "the stories Jesus told" as I read Kistemaker's The Parables.
May 4, 2010
This is for my Friday Men's group...great book...fantastic teachings
August 2, 2011
I cannot think of a better concise study of the parables than this. It's a great read for pastors and laity alike. I highly recommend it!
September 4, 2021
For me at least, this is the best book on the Parables. Kistermaker is so clear, with an economy of words, nothing is wasted. And unlike so many commentaries, he actually deals with the questions in the text that we all wrestle with.
His exegesis and explanation of the parable of the Shrewd Manager is unsurpassed.
This book ought to be much more widely known. If I could only keep one book on the Parables, it would be this one.
His exegesis and explanation of the parable of the Shrewd Manager is unsurpassed.
This book ought to be much more widely known. If I could only keep one book on the Parables, it would be this one.
September 30, 2022
I first read this book in 2006 and I’m re-reading it in 2022, a good 16 years later. Been amazed at the notes and highlights I’ve done in the book back then.
The author presents a very rich in depth analysis and explanation on the historical background of many of the parables. Reading through them helps one to understand the parables much better.
Highly recommended read for anyone looking to go deeper in their understanding of the parables.
The author presents a very rich in depth analysis and explanation on the historical background of many of the parables. Reading through them helps one to understand the parables much better.
Highly recommended read for anyone looking to go deeper in their understanding of the parables.
January 6, 2020
Very useful, and a bit more technical than some others. Still a homiletical treatment, on the whole. I had a few differences in interpretation at point, but I benefitted greatly from this treatment.
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February 14, 2022A lovely book, full of cultural details about the life and times of Jesus to provide context and deeper understanding of his parables.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews