Parables: The Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told
UPDATE: Have you picked up a copy? What are your own thoughts? Please comment below!
I am floored by the parables. Always have been. Always will be. The simplicity of each story matched with the theologically attuned attention to detail blows me away every single time that I sit down and wrestle through Jesus’ sermonette’s.
MacArthur to Release New Book October 27th, Parables.
Typically, when discussing a particular book on this site, I try to answer the questions of who the book is good for and what problem the book is trying to solve (a.k.a., why read it?). There really is not any discussion to be had on either of those points. This book is not geared toward pastors or laypeople in particular — anyone and everyone should check it out. And there are innumerable reasons why someone should give an ear to MacArthur’s discourse on Jesus’ teachings. MacArthur is a tried-and-true voice in bringing sound Biblical interpretation and instruction to his listeners, and this book does not disappoint.
Something a bit peculiar about this approach is that MacArthur mixes and matches parables thematically. I was somewhat expecting to walk through from beginning to end of each chapter, but he weaves and integrates the stories across Biblical books to show their place in context (to both one another, and to each individual Gospel as a whole). This is not a devotional, by any means, in that you are not going to walk through simple ice-breakers before hearing snippets of truth tagged with 3-4 practical “to do” to make you feel good. MacArthur gets down to business from the start and allows thoroughly researched exegetical notes (accompanied, no doubt, with prayerfully inviting the Holy Spirit into his work) to do the preaching.
“There is not a truism so familiar or a doctrine so complex that Jesus could not give it new depth and insight through the telling of a simple story.” — John MacArthur
Releasing October 27, 2015, from Nelson Books, John MacArthur’s latest work is sure to be the quintessential teaching on the Parables since … well, the Parables!
Despite the popularity of the parables, both their meaning and the reasons Jesus used them are frequently misrepresented, even by Bible scholars. Today’s Christians are the poorer for it. As John MacArthur says, “These narratives epitomize the plain, powerful, profundity of Jesus’ message and His teaching style.” In his book, John reminds us of Matthew 13:10: The disciples came and said to Him [Jesus], ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?'” And Jesus’ answer to that question becomes the theme of this book that’s sure to be the beginning of a spirited conversation!
Pastor-teacher John MacArthur helps readers understand Jesus’ parables and how they relate to the whole of His message.
Jesus was a master storyteller, and the parables He told were ingeniously simple word pictures with profound spiritual lessons. Understanding the parables is a crucial matter for followers of Jesus. Jesus told parables so His people might comprehend His message about the kingdom of God clearly.
Master expositor and Bible commentator John MacArthur has spent a lifetime explaining the Word of God in clear and comprehensible terms. In Parables he helps Christians understand the essential lessons contained in the most famous and influential short stories the world has ever known.
About the Author
John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, president of the Master’s College and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. In more than four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The MacArthur Study Bible, The Gospel According to Jesus, andSlave. He lives in Los Angeles.
