Overview and Objectives

Jesus is not content with words. Words can become conventions layered with religious meanings. Over time, they lose their meaning and become dulled by overuse. With his parables, Jesus calls us to attention and breathes life into the concepts of grace, forgiveness, judgement, and neighbor.

In this week’s lesson, we will look at ten more parables and witness how Jesus brings them to life through his storytelling.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

• Explain how in two pairs of parables discussed in this lesson (The Talents/The Minas and The Great Banquet/The Wedding Feast), Jesus used one basic plot and varied it to fit two different contexts.
• Identify the three-point structure in each of the ten parables discussed in this lesson.
• Explain the structure of each of the nontriangular three-point parables.
• Discuss interpretations of each parable covered in this lesson.

As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
Reflect on one of the concepts mentioned in the Lesson Overview ("grace," "forgiveness," "judgement," or "neighbor"). Explain the concept in your own words. Have your studies in this course changed your understanding of the concept? If so, in what way(s)?