Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus’ stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives.

In this wise, entertaining, and educational book, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus’ narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus, she analyzes these “problems with parables,” taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables’ connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us–and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later. How did the original audiences understand Jesus’ stories?  What challenges do these often familiar stories have for modern hearers?

Join us during this six week bible study, beginning on Tuesday, January 15 and Wednesday, January 16. This class will be offered every week on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM and Wednesdays at 10:30 AM. Pastor Linda Meyer will be teaching on Tuesdays and Pastor David Burt will be teaching on Wednesdays. If you are interested in participating in this study, please sign up on the sign-up sheet on the hospitality desk in the gallery. The price for the study books is $10 each.