The Jesus Parables

By Robert W. Dunne

The author re-read each the four gospels of the New Testament and selected his favorite of Jesus expressions, the parables, to record and to give his interpretation of. The parables are misunderstood by many who try to find the literal meaning of each parable. But each parable is a story with the real meaning hidden within. You will enjoy reading each parable and finding the authors perspective and the true meaning he finds within.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496970503

Robert W. Dunne

The author was raised Catholic, though later on in life he left the church to find a more meaningful way of life. Though he does not believe in the doctrines of the Church, he still finds the teachings of Jesus to be quite meaningful, especially the parables. For him Jesus showed true genius in his construction of the parables to teach a particular meaning not to be found in the literal words. For the author, to forget about Jesus in the process of leaving the Church would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

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© 2015 Robert W. Dunne. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   02/17/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7051-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7050-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015902602

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

NKJV - Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NIV - Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Table of Contents

Preface

The Hidden Treasure

The Pearl

The Sower And The Seed

The Wheat And The Tares

The Dragnet

Workers In The Vineyard

The Lost Sheep

The Lost Coin

The Lost Son Or Prodigal Son

The Woman And The Leaven

The Mustard Seed

The Rich Fool

The Lamp Of The Body

The Wise And Foolish Virgins

The Rock And The Sand

The Narrow Way

The Wedding Feast

The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

The Good Samaritan

The Rich Man And Lazarus

The Talents

The Unforgiving Servant

The Final Judgment

About The Author

Dedicated to My Favorite Woman of All,

My Mother, Jilda Gloria Dunne

PREFACE

P erhaps the most marvelous of Jesus’ teachings are the ones called the parables. According to Wikipedia, a parable is a succinct didactic story in prose or verse which illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, and inanimate objects. The parables of Jesus can be found in all the canonical gospels but are located mainly within the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). They represent a key part of the teachings. It is important to keep in mind when reading the parables of Jesus that the main nugget or nuggets of the story is not to be found in a literal reading. His meaning is deeper within. Also, many characters are not who they seem to be but represent others, for instance, God" himself. The stories are a search for the inner meaning within. One man may represent humankind, another man may represent evil itself. I have found that the joy of reading a parable of Jesus comes from