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.

11 sessions. "More than one-third of Jesus' recorded teaching is in the form of parables...Why did Jesus choose to teach in parables? A story catches the attention, fires the imagination...We find ourselves identifying with the characters...they inspire us to respond and to act.Through the parables we can see the world in which Jesus lived."- from the introduction

Fully one-third of Jesus' words in the Synoptic Gospels occur in parables. It could be said that knowing the parables is essential for understanding the person of Christ. In this work, Brad Young displays his unique perspective as a scholar steeped in both Jewish and Christian studies. While parables have timeless messages, reinterpretations in new contexts throughout the centuries have distorted the original meanings and undermined the essence of what Jesus intended for his initial listeners. Young examines the parables that best illustrate the parallels between the rabbinic and Gospel parables. He challenges readers to remember that first-century Judaism was not merely the backdrop for Jesus' teachings but the very stage from which Jesus delivered the message of the kingdom. Jesus' ethics and theology can be properly understood only in the light of first-century Jewish teachings. Young focuses on the historical development and theological significance of parables in both traditions and examines five theological subjects that are dealt with in parables: prayer, grace, reconciliation, calling, and sovereignty.

It’s tough to find your way in the no-man’s-land between traditional religious dogma and New Age “woo-woo”. Spiritual author and speaker Donald Lee masterfully reveals a common-sense and universal view of spirituality in his new book of modern-day parables. Do you feel adrift in a sea of conflict? Do you feel your life needs direction? Has your spiritual journey got you lost in the woods? “The Band Director’s Lessons About Life” offers simple advice and relatable stories from your friendly, neighborhood band director. Using music as a metaphor for life, each little parable begins with a story from school and ends with a reflection on the spiritual meaning of the story. How to: • Find your path. • Be yourself. • Persevere through struggles. • Learn from failure, and • Love the process. Fifty stories and reflections to pick you up, dust you off, and set you on your way. Or take five minutes before bed to read a parable. You’ll sleep with a positive, inspirational message in your mind. Donald Lee draws on decades as both a band director and a religion teacher to expertly craft band room vignettes that are both entertaining and illuminating. Whether you’re a Sunday pew-warmer, a hermit monk, or a high-mileage astral traveler, you’ll find something to love, cherish, and chuckle at in these fascinating stories. Pick up your copy today! "If you pick up this collection, consider that you found a treasure. I do. It both entertains me, and inspires me." Archbishop Gerard Pettipas, C.Ss.R. Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan "The stories made me laugh. The reflections made me think. These lessons are for everyone." Joanne Byfield, Journalist, Radio/TV Producer

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.

The Bible becomes the simplest book to understand once you learn to use the techniques Jesus taught. This book explains how Jesus taught in simple terms a child is able to understand. Jesus used simple methods of repetition and personal experience to teach His disciples. These same methods are used in classrooms all over the world. Theology adopted these simple methods, but applied technical terms few people understand. We need to go back to the simple methods Jesus explained.