Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
History and Religion
3 Ways to Keep the Parables Alive

3 Ways to Keep the Parables Alive

Last updated on: March 24, 2025 at 12:14 pm by Guest Contributor

3 Ways to Keep the Parables Alive 2025-03-24T12:14:15-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The parable of the good Samaritan painting by Matthias Stom, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Mike Elms

The Parables were one of Jesus’ principal teaching and preaching tools, but 2,000 years later, they are dying.

While this is a bold statement, there’s a reason to why this is happening. According to a recent Gallup study, only 44% of Christians in the U.S. regularly attend church. Since 2000, this number has decreased by 4%. Additionally, the American Bible Society notes that fewer people are reading the Bible.

So, an increasing number of folks are not hearing the Parables that Jesus told, and when stories are not heard, they’re not retold. And when stories are not heard and not retold, they die.

Think about it. For centuries the Parables were regarded as the greatest stories ever told, but if we’re honest, many people nowadays would give that accolade to Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones or the Hunger Games – each of which have a moral underpinning, but not a spiritual one nor a heavenly one. Therefore, how can we help keep these stories Jesus told 2000 years ago alive today?

Here are 3 suggestions, or, as Eddie Cochrane once sang: “Three Steps to Heaven.”

Step 1: Study the original Parable, as Jesus told it

Most Christians are familiar with the Parables—maybe too familiar. Many of us have known them for most of our lives and have the inclination to believe we know all they have to tell us.

Wrong!

Hebrews 4:12 reminds us “the word of God is alive and active.” The Parables are constantly shape-shifting, bringing fresh perspectives to our changing circumstances. We need to keep going back to them and interrogating them anew. If we do, we shall find them speaking to us here and now.

They will also bring fresh perspectives to the world around us. We may well find a particular Parable speaking to one or more of our friends and family, our neighbors or our work colleagues. And those fresh perspectives will be Kingdom perspectives!

Step 2: Imagine how Jesus might tell these Parables to us, today

Jesus told his Parables in first century Palestine, using imagery and storylines that made sense to the ancient, agricultural society and culture he was speaking into.

They featured kings and servants, wineskins and vineyard workers, shepherds and their sheep, fig trees and goats, tax collectors and Samaritans. However, if he were telling these stories to us, here and now, surely he’d use different imagery.

I believe that he would resonate with our 21st century, ultra-diverse society and culture. Perhaps he would tell stories involving builders and electricians, entrepreneurs and investors, lawyers and newspaper editors, Ferraris and Fords, sailboats and motorboats, a ski-trip and a theme park.

The underlying messaging wouldn’t change, but the storyline would.

The Hershey Bar first appeared in 1900. The recipe formula for the bar itself has remained largely unchanged, but the packaging has undergone many changes. The aim being to keep the product contemporary and relevant.

The Parables of Jesus have endured for centuries, but their impact often depends on how they are understood in the present.

To make these timeless lessons resonate with today’s world, Ivan Filby and I have “reimagined” their settings while preserving their original message in our latest book.

The Good Samaritan, for example, becomes the “Caring Russian Ultra,” the Lost Sheep is retold as the “Missing Pupil,” and the Rich Fool takes on the form of the “Selfish Lawyer.”

By placing these stories in familiar, modern contexts, our goal is to help Christians engage with the Parables in a fresh way—seeing their relevance not just as ancient wisdom, but as truths that speak directly to the challenges of our time.

Maybe even inspire them to create their own storylines!

Step 3: Share the Parables with your community.

Jesus told his stories for the intention that they would be shared and re-told. While this is a big challenge, it’s up to us to do that!

Whether you use a resource such as Jesus Unbranded to start a small group study, encourage your pastor to teach about the Parables from the pulpit or share these stories with your friends and neighbors, we must continue to find ways to point others to the powerful, transformation teachings of Jesus, which still apply to us today.

With intentionality, we can keep the stories of Jesus Alive. Are you ready for this challenge?

Evangelical

History and Religion

Education and Religion

Uncategorized

About Mike Elms

Mike Elms is an author and a former ad executive. Now Chair of Trustees at Christian Publishing and Outreach, he has collaborated with organizations like MAF, TWR Radio and ChurchAds.Net. Elms has served as both an Anglican Churchwarden and a Baptist Deacon and contributes to Thought for the Day on Radio Kent. His books include Parables: Rewired, Proverbs: Restitched in Time and Jesus Unbranded, which is now available. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

February 14, 2025

Was Hitler a Christian?

Next Post

April 10, 2025 6 Trends in Modern Christian Persecution

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 October 2023 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 October 2018 March 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz