Parables

166 Pages·1981·12.83 MB·English

by  Madeleine I. Boucher

THE PARABLES
Madeleine I. Boucher
Michael Glazier, Inc.
.;~
~~ Wilmington, Delaware

NEW TESTAMENT MESSAGE
A Biblical-Theological Commentary
Wilfrid Harrington, O.P. and Donald Senior, C.P.
EDITORS
New Testament Message, Volume 7
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MADELEINE I. BOUCHER holds the M.A. in English
literature from the Catholic University of America and the
Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Brown University. She is
Associate Professor of New Testament at Fordham Univer
sity. Among her published works is The Mysterious Para
ble: A Literary Study and a number of articles on women in
the Bible.
Revised Edition, 1983
Second Printing of Revised Edition, 1986
Published by MICHAEL GLAZIER, INC., 1935 West Fourth Street, Wilmington,
Dela ware 19805
©1981 by Michael Glazier, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Bible text in this publication is from the Revised Standard Version of the
Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, ©1 971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and used by
permission.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-85421
International Standard Book N urn ber
New Testament Message series: 0-89453-123-9
Parables: 0-89453-130-1
Typography by Richard Reinsmith
Printed in the United States of America
Cover illustration: The Head of Christ bv Eva Sydney Hone
CONTENTS
Editors' Preface 7
Introduction 9
Part One. WHAT IS A PARABLE?
1. Introducing the Parables 13
A. The Parable in the Ancient World 13
B. The Term "Parable" 15
C. The Literary Class 17
D. The Three Types of Parables 19
2. The Parable as Literature: Its Structure 24
A. The Narrative Form 24
B. The Tropical Mode of Meaning 27
3. The Parable as Literature:
Its Purpose and Meaning 35
A. The Art of Rhetoric 35
B. The Religious Genre 40
C. Summary: The Definition of the Parable 42
4. The Markan View of Parables 44
A. The Problem 44
B. Tropical Speech and "Mystery" 46
C. The Use of the Parable in Jesus' Ministry 47
D. The Use of the Parable in Mark's Gospel 49
Part Two.
THE PARABLES OF THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS.
5. Interpreting the Synoptic Parables 57
A. The Authenticity of the Parables 57
B. Modifications in the Parables 60
C. Guidelines for Interpretation 63
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6. The Coming of God's Reign 69
A. The Reign of God 69
B. The Growing Seed; the Mustard Seed;
the Leaven 73
C. The Sower 82
D. The Weeds among the Wheat; the Fishnet 86
7. The Grace of God's Reign 92
A. Jesus, the Righteous, and Sinners 92
B. The Workers in the Vineyard 94
C. The Two Sons; the Two Debtors;
the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 97
D. The Lost Sheep; the Lost Coin;
the Prodigal Son 101
E. The Great Feast; the Wedding Garment 107
8. The Challenge of Discipleship III
A.
The Treasure; the Pearl III
B. The Tower Builder; the Warring King 113
C. The Dishonest Steward; the Master
and Servant 114
D. The Friend at Midnight; The Persistent
Widow 118
E. The Unforgiving Servant; the Good
Samaritan 122
F. The Two Builders 129
9. The Call to Repentance 132
A. The Rich Fool; the Ten Maidens 133
B. The Barren Fig Tree; the Rich Man and
Lazarus 138
C. The Talents/the Pounds; the Faithful or
Unfaithful Servant 143
D. The Wicked Tenants 153
Appendix I: The Parables in Each Synoptic
Gospel 161
Appendix II: The Sources of the Parables 163
For Further Reading 166
EDITORS' PREFACE
New Testament Message is a commentary series designed
to bring the best of biblical scholarship to a wide audience.
Anyone who is sensitive to the mood of the church today is
aware of a deep craving for the Word of God. This interest
in reading and praying the scriptures is not confined to a
religious elite. The desire to strengthen one's faith and to
mature in prayer has brought Christians of all types and all
ages to discover the beauty of the biblical message. Our age
has also been heir to an avalanche of biblical scholarship.
Recent archaeological finds, new manuscript evidence, and
the increasing volume of specialized studies on the Bible
have made possible a much more profound penetration of
the biblical message. But the flood of information and its
technical nature keeps much of this scholarship out of the
hands of the Christian who is eager to learn but is not a
specialist. New Testament Message is a response to this
need.
The subtitle of the series is significant: "A Biblical
Theological Commentary." Each volume in the series, while
drawing on up-to-date scholarship, concentrates on bring
ing to the fore in understandable terms the specific mes
sage of each biblical author. The essay-format (rather than
a word-by-word commentary) helps the reader savor the
beauty and power of the biblical message and, at the same
time, understand the sensitive task of responsible biblical
interpretation.
A distinctive feature of the series is the amount of space
given to the "neglected" New Testament writings, such as
Colossians, James, Jude, the Pastoral Letters, the Letters
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8 Editors' Preface
of Peter and John. These briefer biblical books make a
significant but often overlooked contribution to the richness
of the New Testament. By assigning larger than normal
coverage to these books, the series hopes to give these parts
of Scripture the attention they deserve.
Because New Testament Message is aimed at the entire
English speaking world, it is a collaborative effort of inter
national proportions. The twenty-two contributors repre
sent biblical scholarship in North America, Ireland, Britain
and Australia. Each of the contributors is a recognized
expert in his or her field, has published widely, and has been
chosen because of a proven ability to communicate at a
popular level. And, while all of the contributors are Roman
Catholic, their work is addressed to the Christian com
munity as a whole. The New Testament is the patrimony
of all Christians. It is the hope of all concerned with this
series that it will bring a fuller appreciation of God's saving
Word to his people.
Wilfrid Harrington, a.p.
Donald Senior, C. P.
INTRODUCTION
The importance of the parables can hardly be overesti
mated. They comprise a substantial part of the recorded
preaching of Jesus. The parables are generally regarded by
scholars as among the sayings which we can confidently
ascribe to the historical Jesus; they are, for the most part,
authentic words of Jesus. Moreover, all of the great themes
of Jesus' preaching are struck in the parables. It has been
said that the whole Gospel is, in a sense, expressed in each
parable. Perhaps no part of the NT, then, can better put us
into touch with the mind of Jesus Christ than the parables.
They still today present us with the challenge with which
Jesus encountered his hearers in first-century Palestine.
These little stories (together with the Lord's Prayer and the
Beatitudes) are the best known of all Jesus' words. It is a
measure of the value which the Church places upon them
that every parable without exception occurs in the Sunday
lectionary readings.
This book is divided into two parts. Part I looks at the
parable as a literary artifact. In these chapters, I have
attempted to make clear what a parable is (its structure) and
how it is intended to function (its purpose). This part of the
book will, I hope, help to show why the parable has been
such an extraordinarily effective preaching device in the
ministry of Jesus and in the life of the Church.
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