A New Limited Edition Print from James C. Christensen:
"Parables" Uplifting Stories to Remember and Share

As James C. Christensen says, "Few of us remember all of Jesus’ parables; it seems each time I read The New Testament", it’s a matter of rediscovery. I’ll come upon a certain parable and find it has new meaning and relevance to my life. That’s why I thought I would gather several together in one painting and create an opportunity for viewers to recall and share them. I worked very closely with my friend Robert Millet, Dean of Religious Studies at Brigham Young University, in selecting these twelve, and we feel each conveys a special aspect of Jesus’ teachings.

Each limited edition print is accompanied by a booklet which includes the parable from the King James version of the Bible and an insightful introduction and helpful interpretation which relates each parable to our contemporary lives. (Click on each of the 12 parables or on sections of the picture to read the complete text from the "Parables" booklet.)

Jesus of Nazareth is without peer. We measure time according to his birth and a large segment of the world measures truth according to his teachings and his life. For many he is the consummate healer and miracle worker, for others the friend of the lonely and downtrodden. A significant percentage of humankind worships him as God.

Jesus was a master teacher and his messages are both timely and timeless. His teaching methods were simple but direct and memorable: he asked questions, quoted scripture, made comparisons and contrasts and consistently drew upon the everyday-weather, plant and animal life, occupations and cultural and religious festivals-to make his points. But the teaching technique for which he is most famous, the one he perfected, is the parable.

The word parable, of Greek origin, means a "setting side-by-side" or a comparison between two or more things. Thus for Jesus the kingdom of heaven is like a sower, a mustard seed, a pearl of great price. The faithful are like a humble and hated tax collector, like wise virgins who keep oil in their lamps. Parables are therefore stories, accounts, narratives that make known important truths. They are neither fantasy nor fable. They are imaginary stories, although the events described in them could likely have taken place. The parables of Jesus contain counsel for gaining greater happiness, warnings, condemnations of hypocrisy and an invitation to repent and improve. Because Jesus employed parables with his own followers as well as with his enemies, some of the messages are crystal clear, while others are intentionally veiled. The simpleness or complexity of the parable often depended upon the openness and spiritual receptivity of the listeners.

While it is always wise to seek to understand exactly what a speaker had in mind (in this case, Jesus' intended interpretation of a parable), it is also the case that each of us brings our own backgrounds, strengths and needs to the reading of a parable. In that sense, a parable can have many applications. Thus one person could read a particular parable and come away feeling peace and gratitude, while another feels smitten in his or her conscience and eager to become more sensitive and caring.

On the whole, it might be said that Jesus' parables are a call to greater goodness, an effort to point men and women toward things that matter most in life. They contain universal truths, meaningful maxims that are relevant to persons of any religious persuasion. Jesus Christ was described once by his disciple Peter as one who "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38), and the Master Teacher's parables extend the invitation to rich or poor, learned or ignorant, religious or irreligious, to do the same-to raise one's sights slightly, to stand a little taller and to make a difference for good in a world that desperately needs it.