Preaching the Parables, Pt 3: Bringing the Message to the Postmodern
Among the many genres of Scripture, the parables of Jesus hold a unique power. They are simple and profound, familiar and unsettling, inviting and confrontational. They draw hearers into a story before they realize the story has drawn them before the judgment seat of God. In a postmodern world, which is marked by suspicion of “big stories,” fatigue toward propositional speech, and a renewed attraction to narrative and symbol, Jesus’ parables stand out as timely instruments for preaching. Yet their effectiveness today does not come from capitulating to postmodern relativism. Rather, it flows from embracing what parables truly are: kingdom-charged narratives spoken by the incarnate Son of God, designed to reveal truth to the humble and conceal it from the proud.
Postmodern Hearers and the Return of Story
Postmodern thought resists authoritative claims of truth, often viewing them as power plays, cultural constructions, or oppressive metanarratives. However, postmodern people are not indifferent to meaning. They hunger for stories. They long for authentic, experiential, image-rich narratives that speak to lived reality. As Groothuis argues, although postmodernity challenges traditional notions of objectivity, Scripture’s view of truth remains robust and unshaken (Groothuis 2000). The preacher, therefore, must refuse both the abandonment of truth and the neglect of this hunger for story.
Here is precisely where Jesus’ parables shine. Stiller observes that the parables speak with “narrative energy,” reversing expectations, destabilizing assumptions, and inviting listeners into a world in which God reigns (Stiller 2005). Postmodern listeners resonate with this kind of narrative encounter. A story draws them in, a metaphor disarms them, and a twist exposes their hearts. Yet these same listeners must be guided beyond the narrative experience toward kingdom interpretation. Parables are not open-ended fables. They speak with divine authority.
The Nature of Parables: Kingdom Stories, Not Reader-Constructed Meanings
To preach parables faithfully in a postmodern age, one must understand what parables are. Plummer’s historical survey of parable interpretation demonstrates two recurring dangers: allegorical excess and subjective ambiguity (Plummer 2009). Allegory multiplies meanings based on imagination rather than the text. Postmodernity tends to make the opposite mistake. It assumes that texts have no fixed meaning at all, only the interpretations that readers bring to them.
A Reformed hermeneutic rejects both extremes. Pennington shows in Matthew 13 that Jesus’ parables are embedded within a rich narrative of fulfillment, conflict, judgment, and discipleship (Pennington 2009). They reveal the kingdom to disciples while concealing it from the hard-hearted. Thus, parables possess authorial intent and theological direction. They are grounded in the person and mission of Jesus Christ.
Jeremias famously emphasized the Sitz im Leben Jesu, contending that parables were eschatological proclamations announcing the dawning of God’s kingdom (Jeremias 1954, 101–10). Although Jeremias occasionally pressed historical reconstructions too far, his central point remains indispensable. Parables confront hearers with a decisive kingdom moment. Jesus is not telling moral stories. He is summoning hearers to repentance and faith in the decisive presence of the kingdom.
Kistemaker likewise highlights the vivid narrative color and Christological focus of the parables. He shows that they carry a unifying kingdom point that is rooted in Jesus’ identity and redemptive purpose (Kistemaker 1980). Blomberg’s “limited allegory” approach adds helpful nuance. He argues that most parables have a central point for each major character or group, always tied to the original audience and literary context (Blomberg 2012).
Together, these insights safeguard the preacher from turning the parables into either playgrounds for personal interpretation or rigid moralistic instruction. They demand careful exegesis, canonical awareness, and doctrinal clarity, which are especially necessary in a culture that prizes ambiguity and subjectivity.
Preaching Parables Today: Reformed Homiletic Moves
If the parables possess objective, Christ-centered meaning, how does one communicate them effectively to postmodern hearers?
Moore provides helpful guidelines. He urges preachers to identify the historical setting, trace the narrative tension, clarify the main kingdom point, and apply the parable pastorally to contemporary life (Moore 2022). These guidelines echo a classic Reformed conviction. Preaching must be both theologically faithful and spiritually engaging.
At the same time, the preacher must avoid reducing the parable to a proposition. Allen warns that postmodern homiletics often champions ambiguity, elevating experience over biblical authority (Allen 2000). Preachers must resist this temptation. Parables are not invitations to open-ended interpretation. They are divine confrontations.
Yet the postmodern sensitivity to narrative is not a threat. It is an opportunity. This is where Richards becomes valuable. Although not writing explicitly for homiletics, Richards emphasizes that Scripture teaches not only through propositional content but also through imaginative forms such as story, metaphor, symbol, and narrative movement (Richards 1987). His emphasis on engaging the learner’s imagination (“hook, book, look, took”) provides a pedagogical bridge for preachers who seek to communicate kingdom truth in ways postmodern listeners can actually hear.
A Reformed preaching strategy for parables might unfold as follows:
- Begin with an experiential hook. Enter the imaginative world of the parable as Jesus’ listeners would have.
- Walk through the narrative with clarity and color. Allow the tension, surprise, and imagery to speak.
- Expose the kingdom point. Show how the parable reveals Jesus, confronts sin, and calls for a response.
- Press the application. Not as moralism, but as a summons to follow the King who speaks in stories.
Snodgrass’s exhaustive research reinforces this point. Parables are not vague or indefinite. They were crafted by Jesus to reveal the nature, demands, and grace of God’s kingdom (Snodgrass 2008).
Conclusion: Parables as Pastoral Apologetics
In a culture that is suspicious of certainty yet hungry for meaning, Jesus’ parables function as pastoral apologetics. They bypass defenses, awaken imagination, and invite listeners into a world where God reigns and Christ calls. They also confront, judge, reveal, and demand faith. The preacher who handles them with exegetical integrity and narrative sensitivity is well-equipped to speak to postmodern hearers without surrendering biblical authority.
Postmodernity presents many challenges. It also presents an audience that is uniquely prepared to hear the stories of Jesus. When the parables are preached with Christ-centered clarity, pastoral warmth, and Spirit-filled conviction, they remain what they have always been: kingdom stories that change hearts.
References
Allen, David L. 2000. “Homiletics and Biblical Authority.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43 (3): 489–515.
Blomberg, Craig L. 2012. Interpreting the Parables. 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Groothuis, Douglas. 2000. “The Biblical View of Truth Challenges Postmodernist Truth Decay.” Themelios 26 (1): 3–14.
Jeremias, Joachim. 1954. The Parables of Jesus. 2nd rev. ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Kistemaker, Simon J. 1980. The Parables of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.
Moore, Hamilton. 2022. “Preaching Gospel Parables: Some Guidelines.” Semănătorul 3 (1): 42–63.
Pennington, Jonathan T. 2009. “Matthew 13 and the Function of the Parables in the First Gospel.” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 13 (3): 12–21.
Plummer, Robert L. 2009. “Parables in the Gospels: History of Interpretation and Hermeneutical Guidelines.” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 13 (3): 4–11.
Richards, Lawrence O. 1987. Books in the Masters of the Word. 4 vols. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell.
Snodgrass, Klyne. 2008. Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Stiller, Brian C. 2005. Preaching Parables to Postmoderns. Minneapolis: Fortress.
