Tackling the Question of Genre: What Are Jesus' Parables

04/04/21 • 45 min

In the second episode of "Stories for the Waiting Room," Dr. Proctor uses the text of Ecclesiastes 9:14-15 to illustrate some of the basic narrative qualities of Jesus' parables. In addition to being terse accounts of status quo people in stereotypical life situations, the parables frequently insert unexpected "twists" that encourage readers to engage in the interpretive process. Paying attention to the contexts of the parables can frequently assist readers in their efforts to unravel Jesus' meaning. Episode two closes with C. H. Dodd's famous definition of "parable" in his book, The Parables of the Kingdom.

Previous Episode

"Where's Waldo?" Locating Jesus' Parables

In the first episode of "Stories for the Waiting Room," Dr. Mark A. Proctor discusses the four sources for Jesus' famous parables (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the Gospel of Thomas) and the possible historical implications for stories lacking multiple independent attestation.

Next Episode

Woman’s Work in a Man’s World: Jesus' Parable of the Leaven

The third episode of Stories for the Waiting Room examines Jesus' parable of the Leaven, which concern's a nameless woman's domestic activity. In keeping with Jesus' normal storytelling style, this brief account presents a stereotypical housewife engaged in the task of preparing bread. Yet the proportions of her recipe are all out of whack, and Jesus' positive use of traditionally negative symbols would likely have struck his audiences as a curious way to illustrate what life in the Kingdom of God must be like.