![]() ![]() The juxtaposition of these elements, the recognizable and the unexpected, is employed strategically to “disarm and persuade ” 5 the parable can create conditions for looking at personal responsibility in a new way. 4 A contemporary consensus probably would understand a parable as a brief story, anchored recognizably in daily life, which nevertheless provides something unexpected that demands some evaluation or response of the listeners. There is a complex history of the assessment and interpretation of Jesus’ parables. They highlight by their contrasts the realism of Jesus’ parables, their anchor in daily life, and the flexibility of their application. Hellenistic parallels such as the fables of Aesop, in which talking animals propound wooden morals (“slow and steady wins the race”), and similar stories recorded later by the rabbis, are clumsy and wooden by comparison. The OT contains a handful of similar stories, though perhaps only one that compares closely: Nathan’s story of the ewe lamb, which he spun in order to make David realize the extent of his sin against Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam. 2Jeremias is right to discern in the parables “the very voice of Jesus,” preaching an unprecedented message in a manner creatively suited to its content. Familiar values were being trumped by Jesus and his new message. In a remarkable way, the parables themselves were impressively suited to presenting the challenge of the kingdom of God. 1 But this small creative triumph in a society that thrived on the telling of stories, actually pales in light of the triumph of the parables themselves: their simplicity, their clarity, and their enduring challenge. Joachim Jeremias, in his catalog of “the characteristics of Jesus’ speech for which there is no analogy in contemporary literature,” gave pride of place to the parables. His frequent use of a brief story to prompt thinking or sharpen the point of a question has no apparent parallel in his first-century culture, or any other culture. The parables of Jesus hold their own place in the history of literature. Parables Parables of Jesus-ipsissima vox.
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