Probing Parables
Thirty parables over five years. That’s what Terry Johnson, minister of Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Ga., did in preparation for his book The Parables of Jesus: Entering, Growing, Living, and Finishing in God’s Kingdom (Christian Focus, 2007).
Johnson began by preaching through all of the “story parables” in Matthew, which spurred him to complete the entire collection.
“Parables are powerful—they express in story form what can be difficult theologically,” said Johnson. “The truths are easier to visualize, and more palatable.”
He notes the parable of the mustard seed as one of his favorites. “It’s greatly encouraging because it teaches that God’s kingdom starts small as a very flawed, vulnerable work, but then it grows to the point that it overtakes the garden.”
The kingdom of God and the rule of God emerged as common themes, said Johnson. “The parables as teachings about the kingdom of God. They can help us as we live under God’s rule and as we enter the Christian life, persevere, and finish it.”
Johnson’s book, which combines careful exegesis with comprehensive exposition and application, has been called “as profound as it is readable,” according to biblical scholar Alec Motyer.
“[Johnson] is as faithful in bruising as in uplifting,” says Motyer. “But, being a true pastor, even his bruises have a velvet and healing touch.”
To order The Parables of Jesus, visit www.ipcsav.org.
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