The Parables of Jesus

Towards the end of 2004, I was invited to start a Scripture Study class in a local parish; an invitation that I accepted with great alacrity. Teaming together with a friend who had been teaching Scripture for several years, we decided that rather than do a traditional book-by-book study of the Bible, we would do a subject-based study. As the class was introductory, we felt it best to choose a subject that was popular in order to attract students. The most appealing choice was a study on the parables of Jesus as they were stories that fascinated all readers of the Gospels, casual or otherwise. Furthermore, given their nature, the parables would allow us to weave between the Old Testament and the New, which would give students an overview of the entire Bible. The study was a huge success. It had been my intention to offer the audio files, along with accompanying notes, to visitors of Holy Spirit Interactive, but for various reasons this is not possible. An alternative was to write about the parables. There were no obstacles to this and here they are. But first, a few credits. I wish to thank Mark Copeland, whose "executable outlines" comprised the backbone of our course; Anand Menon, who conducted the course with me; David Wenhamm, author of The Parables of Jesus; and Herbert Lockyer, author of All the Parables of the Bible.