If you are thinking, "What another book on the parables?" then think again! Here's a single volume that judiciously surveys parables research, sketches the significance of Jesus' parables for each of the synoptic Gospels, analyzes the importance of the parables for understanding Jesus' ministry, and discusses how these parables would have been heard in their own contexts - all of this in readable prose that is fully conversant with scholarly discussion without bogging us down in that discussion. It is hard to imagine a better introduction to Jesus' parables than Stephen Wright's new book, but it also makes a welcome contribution with its emphases on story and narrative.' Joel B. Green, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary