Preaching the Parables: From Responsible Interpretation to Powerful Proclamation

by Craig L. Blomberg

A guide to preaching the parables that shows how to first interpret the parables, then proclaim their significance.

Genres: Biblical Studies, New Testament, Reference, Christian, Christianity, Theology

252 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

Dr. Craig Blomberg joined the faculty of Denver Seminary in 1986. He is currently a distinguished professor of New Testament.

Dr. Blomberg completed his Ph.D. in New Testament, specializing in the parables and the writings of Luke-Acts, at Aberdeen University in Scotland. He received an MA from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a BA from Augustana College. Before joining the faculty of Denver Seminary, he taught at Palm Beach Atlantic College and was a research fellow in Cambridge, England with Tyndale House.

In addition to writing numerous articles in professional journals, multi-author works and dictionaries or encyclopedias, he has authored or edited 20 books, including The Historical Reliability of the Gospels, Interpreting the Parables, commentaries on Matthew, 1 Corinthians and James, Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey, From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation, Christians in an Age of Wealth: A Biblical Theology of Stewardship, Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions, Making Sense of the New Testament: Three Crucial Questions, Preaching the Parables, Contagious Holiness: Jesus' Meals with Sinners, and Handbook of New Testament Exegesis.

Reviews

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 reads: #17
Rating: 4 Stars

Blomberg contends that the main characters in the parables all reveal lessons intended as "main points." He puts this theory on display in 15 sermons on parables from the Synoptic Gospels.

Despite the occasional disagreement, there is much to embrace in this book. Most of all, it serves as an encouragement to preachers not to shy away from teaching the parables.

[Luke Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of sermons from some of Jesus' parables.

Each chapter includes a sermon transcript, followed by a few pages of methodology. This look into the actual practice of studying, writing, and (especially) editing the sermon was very interesting. I frequently struggle to know what to leave out of a message. Blomberg gives some wonderful thoughts in these sections on how to make that kind of decisions. These sections also show how he "translated" complicated exegetical and doctrinal issues into the actual sermon.

One final point: he states and refers back to a basic thesis that the parables contain one point per main character (with most parables containing three characters). Although it should not be taken rigidly, I think this was a very helpful insight for many of the parables.

[Tim Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blomberg's book is a rich exploration of Jesus, how Jesus tells stories, and how we we preach from them more effectively. I found this a helpful tool as I was preparing a sermon on the very well known "Parable of the good Samaritan". At the same time, it reads a little like Blomberg has preached one these passages, and then used his sermons as the foundation for this work. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means that chunks of the content were bound to Blomberg's time and circumstances, more than being "timeless wisdom" that the reader could read and apply to their contexts.
Still a worthwhile book that I will refer to again.

[Bledar · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read his book on interpreting the parables, you have the basics of this book. Where this book adds value is that after each sermon on parables, he explains the choices he made in the process of preaching it a certain way. His theological convictions come through many times during the book.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all the Sermons that the Author has put together here, and several were excellent. However I personally often got more out of the Commentary that he included on each sermon, and I think that was an excellent approach.

The main drawback, for me at least, is that several of the Sermons were "too American". I fully understand that these are Sermons that are addressed to a US Evangelical Church audience. Would've been nice to "internationalise" it a bit more. Though this could be part of the Author's own experiential limitations. On the plus side, I do think the Author does address Social Issues very well, and I applaud him for challenging his audience on these matters.

Anyway I got some good sermon ideas and pointers, and I continue to enjoy the work of this audience.

[Bfleegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blomberg did an excellent job with this book. The chapters consist of sample sermons of his own on a particular parable, and then several pages on observation containing such information as why he used certain illustrations, why he preached it a certain way, or how he made it relevant to his congregation. He does an excellent job of preaching fully the original context and setting of the parable, as well as often contemporizing it so that the modern audience is as shocked as the original hearers would have been. This is a wonderful book for anyone seeking to better understand how to preach parables.

[Dustin Bagby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate Blomberg's scholarship and his work on the parables in general. I thought this book was a little dated as far as language and illustrations used. But it does give some good direction as far as how one can preach the parables. I appreciate that he wrote a book that wasn't technical and scholarly at the expense of expository ideas.