I first heard of Bernard Brandon Scott by seeing snippets of an interview and a sermon he gave as a part of the Living the Questions Saving Jesus video guided study. I enjoyed what I heard and put his name on my “to read in the future” book list but had never quite gotten around to reading anything by him.
Then, in October 2010, I got the opportunity to see and hear him in person at Mayflower United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City along with Joanna Dewey as a part of a Jesus Seminar on the Road program. Their topic was “First-Century Jesus Movements: How Did Christianity Evolve?” It was truly fascinating, and I was blown away by their insight.
Trying to stay on a budget, I limited myself to purchasing only one book, and Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus was it.
For me it was an easy initial read, but many of the laity in the church I serve (First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls, Texas) did not find it quite as easy as I did. So, as I read it again in preparation for leading discussions on the book, I could see where some might have trouble with parts of it. It is one thing to read it and understand it; it is another thing to explain what it means to others! Scott does use some “big” or less-used words; however, in general, when a new or relatively unknown topic is mentioned, there are set-apart “Cameo Essays & Texts” that are strategically placed near the introduced topic to help make it more clear. I found these immensely helpful and wish more authors / publishers would do this!
The premise of the book is that through telling parables, Jesus “re-imagines” how the world is, showing that the socially and culturally imposed worldviews of the first century (and even today) are sometimes very wrong. Jesus’ parables thus seek to change:
- How we view the world;
- How we view God and God’s role in the world; and
- How we view ourselves and our role in the world.
For instance, he uses the examples of the beatitudes, which he (and the Scholars Version
) term the “congratulations!” You don’t have to be rich and powerful, for the poor has the kingdom of God and the meek will inherit the earth. That role reversal is seen elsewhere in Jesus’ teachings, including the parables, as noted by Scott.
Scott’s approach is to consider each parable in it’s first century context at the time of Jesus’ ministry. That means, he often pulls it out of the context of the gospel in which it is found, but he shows at the same time how the gospel writer misused the parable to begin with. Here’s an example.
Matthew’s gospel sets up the parable of the unforgiving slave (Matthew 18:23-34) with Peter asking how many times he should forgive one who has sinned against him. Jesus’ response is essentially infinite (77 times or 70×7 times). Then Matthew puts this parable in which the king, who Matthew thinks is God, will only forgive one time (despite the fact that Matthew 5:48 says we are to be perfect / whole / impartial as God is perfect / whole / impartial). Scott argues persuasively that Jesus does not equate the king with God, which gives a completely different interpretation of the parable. I won’t tell you the rest of Scott’s interpretation outside the context of Matthew, though, as I want you to read the book! ;c)
In addition, where there are parallels between parables in different gospels (including the Gospel of Thomas), Scott notes them and also shows where some of the differences between the different versions probably go back to redaction of the gospel writers – making the parables more inline with their own writing style and focus.
An aspect of Scott’s writing style that I thoroughly enjoyed (but other readers at my church did not) is that he sometimes leaves you hanging at the end of the chapter in which he has interpreted a parable. You’re left wanting more – wanting to know how it fits into the big picture of Jesus’ life and ministry. He does exactly that, though in chapters 12-13. So, if you are finding it difficult to read, you might do as members of the Living the Questions Sunday School class did and read those chapters first and as you go along chapter-by-chapter.
I thoroughly recommend this book to you. Members of a recent study that I led also said that this was one of the best books they have used for study. Thus, I hope you’ll consider reading and sharing your insights below!
