Exploring the Financial Parables of Jesus: The Economy of Grace and the Generosity of God - Softcover

Keith Bodner

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1540969320 ISBN 13: 9781540969323

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2025

Synopsis

Storytelling is a powerful and effective means of communication, a truth Jesus knew and used to great advantage in his parables. Many of the plots in these parables involve financial matters. They teach about God’s perspective on money, resources, and their use, but further, they teach profound spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, wherein relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth and possessions. Taken together, the parables examined in this book paint a picture of divine generosity and grace in both the financial and spiritual realms. This in turn challenges readers to reexamine their priorities and how money and possessions can be used for the kingdom. The author brings his expertise in literature and biblical studies to bear in a fresh examination of the nature of parables and their interpretation in general and of a number of Jesus’s prominent parables with financial themes, all with an eye toward contemporary application. He does so without scholarly jargon, making this accessible book ideal for both undergraduate courses on the Gospels and for church leaders and groups.

About this title

About the Author

Keith Bodner (PhD, University of Manchester; PhD, University of Aberdeen) is Stuart E. Murray Chair and professor of religious studies at Crandall University in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. He is also on the pastoral staff at Brunswick Street Baptist Church, Fredericton. Bodner is the author or editor of numerous books, including Jeroboam’s Royal Drama, The Psalms, and The Theology of the Book of Kings.

From the Back Cover

"A concise yet compelling interpretation of some of Jesus's most stirring and even confusing parables"

This book offers a fresh examination of Jesus's financial parables with an eye toward contemporary application. Bible and literature scholar Keith Bodner shows how these parables teach us not only about God's perspective on money and resources but also about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, one in which relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth and possessions.

"Bodner has written a concise yet compelling interpretation of some of Jesus's most stirring and even confusing parables. He appeals to a mix of Old Testament narratives, famous literature, cultural anecdotes, and even movies to show us how the parables work and how they continue to challenge us today. It is a book that shows us, very cleverly, how the parables teach the grift of sin and the gains of grace."
--Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

"Full of insight and written in a wonderfully engaging style, Bodner's book demonstrates how Jesus's financial parables provide a coherent message about God, God's kingdom, and the upside-down / right-side-up nature of faithful life before God. Practically every page challenges contemporary perspectives and calls readers to reflect on and embody God's economy of grace. The way Bodner weaves Old Testament material into his work adds real depth to the message of the book. Pastors, students of the Bible, and even those who struggle with what to make of Jesus's parables will find themselves enriched by this study."
--Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Bodner is a perceptive interpreter and an excellent communicator. Exploring the Financial Parables of Jesus abounds in stimulating exegesis and fresh insight. Every reader will find it satisfying and rewarding."
--Craig A. Evans, The Bible Seminary, Katy, Texas

Edition details

• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1540969320
• ISBN 13: 9781540969323
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192