Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus, 2nd ed.
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Winner of the 2009 Christianity Today Award for Biblical Studies, Stories with Intent offers pastors and students a comprehensive and accessible guide to Jesus’ parables. Klyne Snodgrass explores in vivid detail the historical context in which these stories were told, the part they played in Jesus’ overall message, and the ways in which they have been interpreted in the church and the academy.
Snodgrass begins by surveying the primary issues in parables interpretation and providing an overview of other parables—often neglected in the discussion—from the Old Testament, Jewish writings, and the Greco-Roman world. He then groups the more important parables of Jesus thematically and offers a comprehensive treatment of each, exploring both background and significance for today. This tenth anniversary edition includes a substantial new chapter that surveys developments in the interpretation of parables since the book’s original 2008 publication.
For the first edition of this title, see here.
- Provides an in-depth guide to Jesus’ parables
- Examines the parables in context and their historical interpretations
- Features a new chapter on the developments in parable analysis in the ten years since the first edition
- Introduction to the Parables of Jesus
- Parables in the Ancient World
- Grace and Responsibility
- Grace and Responsibility
- The Parable of the Sower and the Purpose of Parables
- Parables of the Present Kingdom in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 13
- Parables Specifically about Israel
- Parables about Discipleship
- Parables about Money
- Parables concerning God and Prayer
- Parables of Future Eschatology
- Recent Contributions to Parable Interpretation
Top Highlights
“6. Determine specifically the function of the story in the teaching of Jesus.” (Page 26)
“3. Remember that Jesus’ parables were oral instruments in a largely oral culture.” (Page 25)
“The question for each parable is: How did Jesus seek to change attitudes and behaviors with this parable?5” (Page 3)
“10. Note where the teaching of the parables intersects with the teaching of Jesus elsewhere.” (Page 30)
“2. Listen to the parable without presupposition as to its form or meaning.” (Page 25)
Here in one volume is the latest and best interpretation of the parables of Jesus. This book is sure to be received as a fine resource for engaging proclamation of the parables.
—William H. Willimon
This book is simply a stunning achievement. . . . Scholar and student alike will appreciate its admirable clarity and its numerous fresh suggestions.
—Graham Stanton
Here is a book with intent, and it succeeds exceptionally well in opening up a key dimension of Jesus’ ministry and teaching.
—Darrell Bock
Klyne R. Snodgrass is professor emeritus of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois. His other books include The Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Between Two Truths: Living with Biblical Tensions, and the NIV Application Commentary volume on Ephesians. The first edition of his Stories with Intent won the 2009 Christianity Today Book Award for Biblical Studies.
Reviews
5 ratings
Alessandro
4/11/2024
Jörg Rüffer
4/19/2023
Dale Baker
11/6/2021
Henry Sun
7/18/2020
By FAR the single best resource on the parables of Jesus. Deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Jeremias' Rediscovering the Parables and Ken Bailey's Poet and Peasant. An absolute must if you want to understand the parables in their historical-cultural-linguistic context. Couldn't recommend it more highly.
Felmar Roel Rap. Singco
2/16/2018
The parables are primaryly God's way of telling humans His divine trueths, His divine nature and His personality, and His eternal intentions for His creations.
Larry Craig
2/15/2018
There are a lot of books about the parables out there, including, of course, all the regular commentaries on the gospels. In this case, it would have been more helpful to see how the author treats the parables rather than reading an introduction. I bought the book anyway, because it is almost 900 pages. Perhaps wordy, but I'll take my chances. But let me see what the author is doing instead of just letting tell me what he is going to do. Thank you.
