The Parables Are a New Way of Bringing Order to the World

The parables are full of surprises, which is why they're so memorable. Jesus often takes a common sense idea that he does share with his hearers, but he'll twist it and tweak it and turn it upside down. The parables are one of the many ways that Jesus launched his mission of announcing and bringing into reality the reign and rule of God among a new kind of people. And when we see the parables in that context, some of the things pop in what they are, what they do and what they're trying to communicate.