So far this series on Jesus’ parables has dealt with introductory material, looking for a definition of what a parable is, and trying to understand Jesus’ surprising rationale for using them. While I thought it was important to tackle this last piece before jumping into any of the parables themselves, all three of the Gospels … Continue reading The Parable of the Sower: Part 1, The Story
Last week, we defined a parable as a short story that twists scenes from everyday life to speak on some spiritual theme, requiring a leap of understanding that subverts the audience’s expectations. Then last time, we discussed some of the added complications we have today in reading the parables well. But today we’ll see that … Continue reading Why Parables?
Last time, as we started this new series on the Parables, we attempted to define what a parable is and compared and contrasted Jesus’ parables with those from other ancient Jewish literature. We left that study understanding that parables are short stories that twist scenes from everyday life to speak on some spiritual theme, generally … Continue reading Reading the Parables Today
One of Jesus’ most distinctive traits as a teacher was his extensive use of parables, short stories using everyday images to deliver messages on spiritual themes. While most teachers use analogies from time to time, this was a particular hallmark of Jesus’s teaching. Depending on how you define the term, the Gospels count from between … Continue reading Kingdom Stories: Introduction
[This month, we've been revisiting an old series from 2022. Below is a slightly updated version of the text from the original post] At the beginning of this series on vocation, I set some pretty lofty goals — to do nothing less than address the questions, Who am I? and Why am I here? What … Continue reading Vocation Today – Concluding Thoughts [Revisited]
Matthew Root 