Wright on the parables

Here's one more excerpt from Jesus and the Victory of God. After noting that "most of the Old Testament consists of stories about Israel and her god" Wright gives this explanation of how the parables function.

It should therefore be clear that the parables, by their very form, place Jesus firmly within his Jewish context. The genre itself puts into effect that double-edged message of welcome and warning which is the parables' regular actual theme. The parables are not simply information about the kingdom, but are part of the means of bringing it to birth. They are not a second-order activity, talking about what is happening at one remove. They are part of the primary activity itself. They do not merely give people something to think about. They invite people into the new world that is being created, and warn of dire consequences if the invitation is refused. . . . They do not merely talk about the divine offer of mercy; they both make the offer, and defend Jesus' right to make it. (p. 176)

As I've been studying and teaching the parables these definitions have helped me see them in a whole new light. If seen primarily as morality tales designed to give us something to think about, we'll miss the explosive import of Jesus' message—a message he chose to deliver primarily through the medium of stories.