THE BOOK CORNER 

Short Stories by Jesus
by Amy-Jill Levine

This author provides many insights if you're open to different interpretations based on contextual knowledge of the period. My favorite is the parable "The Pearl." I had my favorite interpretation, but I enjoyed seeing how many different folks have seen this entirely differently. This is the point of good parables, more than one meaning can be pulled forth. If you approach the Bible as having fixed singular meaning, this book is not for you.

I admit I was challenged by a very scholarly approach, dissecting the parable carefully. I often just want to get to the summary-tell me what it really means! But this misses the power of a good story. Sometimes to appreciate the full meaning, you need to turn it over, look at it from different angles, feel it slowly and try on these different meanings. This may not be the approach many take to the Bible, as we often want to believe there's one firm meaning there that all can see. What this author does successfully is show that Jesus was like many thoughtful leaders-they didn't provide answers as much as they provoked us to search ourselves for how their story fits our circumstances.

May you all fund your "pearl."
Review by Jeremy Freeman