Jesus' Parables in Today's Language

A rewriting of Jesus' Parables in today's language.

Jesus’ parables were told some 2000 years ago. Remarkably, they are just as relevant today as they were then. However, many of the situations he uses in his parables are not that familiar to us today. We are not likely to know what a denarii is. So, Joseph Faulkner has rewritten 23 of his parables in today’s context. First, the parable as we have long read it in the Bible is presented. Following the original reading of the parable, a contemporary version is presented. Example: instead of on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho the man beaten up and left on the roadside becomes a Wal-Mart employee traveling from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. The good “Samaritan” becomes the good Muslim who is an immigrant to this country. The landowner who hires people at different times of the day and pays them equally—Mexican immigrants—perhaps illegal at that-- raises the question of how he could get away today with this and the unions! And so on. Our response to these stories is as important today as in Jesus’ time. Herman Hendrickx aptly sums up our exposure to the parables: when we confront the parables we must make a decision which will affect the future of our lives.

Author: Joseph E Faulkner is a retired university professor and ordained United Methodist minister. A graduate of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, he received his doctorate in sociology at Penn State University, where he taught for 33 years. He retired from Penn State as Director of the Program in Religious Studies. He is the author or co-author of 4 books plus numerous articles and book reviews in professional sociological journals. He lives with his wife in State College, Pa. Sketch Artist: Rose Ann Hoover graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After 16 years working in the offset printing/graphic design field, she now enjoys working as a freelance graphic designer. In addition to computer graphics, she has experience with illustration and wood carving. Rose Ann happily lives in Halfmoon Township with her husband, John. She is a proud mom of three kids, and a loving owner of three horses.