Parables in the Bible Study

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Read the parables of Jesus together, and learn eight ways Christians have read them.

A free Bible study for churches, small groups, Sunday School classes and families, for youth and adults. Begin with one intro session on eight ways the parables have been read through the centuries. Then work through the parables of Jesus one at a time, with a worksheet for each.

Built for groups.

• Scripture first. Every passage in the King James Version and the Charles Thomson Bible, side by side.
• Eight ways to read a parable. Allegorical, Single-Point, Historical-Critical, Redemptive-Historical, Sociological and Political, Literary, Reader-Response (and why it is not recommended) and Canonical, each with its strengths and weaknesses.
• A worksheet for every parable. All 33, each with its own setting and questions, so every session is different.
• Room to disagree in love. The study builds an “iron sharpens iron” culture: listen, share and learn from one another.

What’s included.

• Intro Slides (16:9 PDF, 12 slides): why Jesus spoke in parables, the eight approaches, and how to break into groups.
• Leader’s Guide (Letter, 8 pages): getting started, goals, how each session runs, what to print, what to say on every slide (with the Good Samaritan as the example), and three plans: all 33 parables, a 13-week quarter, or six weeks.
• Group Handout (Letter, 9 pages): why Jesus spoke in parables, the 33 parables in the order He gave them, the eight approaches, questions to ask from each one, and notes pages.
• Parable Worksheets (Letter, 68 pages): one sheet for each of the 33 parables, printed front and back. The front has the passage in both translations. The back has the setting, three questions for that parable, the approaches and room to write.

Four PDFs, ready to print or show on a screen.

Who it’s for.

Pastors, small-group leaders, Sunday School teachers and parents who want to read the parables of Jesus with others, and anyone who wants to understand them better.