Description: "Jesus' originally provocative parables have been sanitized, spiritualized, allegorized, and in general turned into 'chicken soup for the soul' for so many generations now that it can only be called Good News when another wise Jewish teacher calls a halt to that whole process, and asks 'what if we read Jesus' parables in their original Jewish context'? What happens is that we are challenged, confronted, caught off guard, and in general made uncomfortable by the pronouncements of Jesus about the coming saving reign of God. As A.J. Levine shows in this wonderfully readable book, not only could Jesus spin a yarn, he could challenge whole worldviews in the process. If it was the job of a true sage to comfort the afflicted all the while afflicting the comfortable, Jesus, as A.J. reminds us, shows us how to do this in his powerful parables. Highly Recommended!" - Dr. Ben Witherington, III, Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary "Ready or not, A.-J. Levine is here to change how you think about Jesus and the stories he told. With her characteristic wit and learned, iconoclastic imagination, Levine presses readers of the parables--especially Christian readers--to question their assumptions, curb their biases, and read Jesus's words afresh with ancient eyes. A provocative read." - Peter Enns, author of The Bible Tells Me So "Levine will change how you think about Jesus and the stories he told. With her characteristic wit and learned, iconoclastic imagination, Levine presses readers of the parables-especially Christian readers-to question their assumptions, curb their biases, and read Jesus's words afresh with ancient eyes. A provocative read." - Peter Enns, author of The Bible Tells Me So "In this brilliant book Amy-Jill Levine invites her audience to read the parables of Jesus through a Jewish lens. The result is a series of stunning new insights into our religious heritage. Levine, a Jewish New Testament scholar of enormous depth, powerfully illumines both Jesus and the Christian story." - John Shelby Spong, author of The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic "As subversive as any parable, this book not only offers readers new ears for hearing stories we thought we knew by heart; it also shakes the faithful where we most need to be shaken, showing us how close we have come to disarming some of Jesus' most potent teachings. Every new book from A. J. Levine startles me with its brilliance and pluck, but this one goes next to my Bible." - Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Learning to Walk in the Dark "As subversive as any parable, this shakes the faithful where we most need to be shaken, showing how close we have come to disarming some of Jesus' most potent teachings. Every new book from Levine startles me with its brilliance and pluck, but this one goes next to my Bible." - Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Learning to Walk in the Dark "Well crafted and ably supported, Levine's touching and scholarly readings...should be fodder for rich discussion in church groups and also deserve a place on library shelves." - Library Journal "An erudite scholar who writes in an accessible and engaging prose, [Levine] is a wise sculptor who first chips away at the 'complacent anti-Judaism' of traditional interpretations of the parables . . . a remarkably generous book . . . a profound work of mercy." - The Catholic Worker "You will close the [book's] back cover with far more questions than you dreamed possible. And that's a very good thing. This highly esteemed Bible scholar... clearly loves these short stories by Jesus and wants readers to treasure the mufti-faceted reflections that Jesus intended to provoke in his listeners." - Read the Spirit

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