Abstract
Keith Bodner’s exploration of the parables of Jesus which involve finance at some level is a very engaging read. His scope is expansive, drawing on related stories in the Old Testament, and across the books of the New Testament, as well as a dizzying range of examples from popular culture from our own times. He leaves the reader with a powerful sense of his interpretation of the full sweep of redemption history, with the parables as the accessible entry-point.
The book begins with a reading of Nathan’s story of the ewe-lamb in 2 Samuel, leading Bodner to formulate his approach to the parables of Jesus which culminates in his conviction that the ‘ultimate purpose of a parable is to challenge our perspective and shift the direction of our lives’ (p. x). Chapter 2 tackles the controversial parable of the Shrewd Manager; Chapter 3 focuses on the Good Samaritan; Chapter 4 on the Rich Man and Lazarus; and Chapter 5 on the Prodigal Son. Chapters 6 and 7 review the parables of the Persistent Widow, the Vineyard Workers, the Pharisees and the Tax Collector, the Tower Builder and the Talents. The book concludes with a consideration of the parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
This brief synopsis indicates the wide range of parables which are brought under the ‘financial’ wrapper, and one of the strengths of the book is the way it highlights the deep-seated significance of issues of wealth and poverty in the teaching of Jesus. The message of all of them, for Bodner, is related to the way they illuminate the generosity of God in response to the spiritual poverty of human individuals. Sin is identified closely with debt in this context, and the parables are read as assuring the reader that their ‘debt’ has been paid and it is in God’s nature to restore them to ‘solvency’/redemption whenever they call upon him, no matter how inadequately.
Bodner identifies the student and the general reader, rather than the expert biblical scholar, as the intended audience for the book. As I read the book, I asked myself if I would recommend it to the students on my Honours course on ‘Parables in Practice’, and the answer was ‘yes’, as an introduction to particular parables from a confessional perspective. There is clear engagement with wider scholarship through the extensive yet inobtrusive use of footnotes. However, it would be important to caution students that the narrative arc of redemption from sin by the action of a merciful God is not the only plausible interpretation of the parables discussed or, more significantly, those which are not. The more bracing parables, such as the Wedding Feast (‘many are called but few are chosen’[Matt 22.14]), or the Wicked Tenants, create troubling friction between this narrative arc and the evidence of the Gospel texts. The book’s conclusion is very ‘smooth’ and in slightly odd contrast to the open-ended nature of many of the parables themselves.
It is clear that much scholarly reading lies behind this discussion of the ‘financial parables’, and the accessible tone and use of sermon-ready analogies is appealing. In many ways the reader is taken into the heart of the stories in a fresh and illuminating manner. Those who are looking for warm assurance of their salvation and inspiration to live in light of this conviction will find much to treasure. Those who are drawn to the parables in all their contradictory and allusive narrative strangeness might feel a little disappointed.