Paul Windsor, one of the authors of “Preaching the Parables” and Director for Langham Preaching, discusses how "Preaching the Parables: A Practical Model" came to fruition and how it can serve preachers all over the globe.
Where did the idea of this book come from, and how was it brought together?
In 2019, in Hyderabad, India, Geoff New — one of the book's authors — led a seminar on preaching the parables. I listened to it and thought, "This has possibilities." I field-tested the model in Pakistan and different grassroots settings, and it really seemed to work. At the same time, Wilfredo Weigandt, in Argentina, was writing poems of lament during the pandemic. Both Geoff and Wilfredo are creative and contemplative thinkers who write well, and the idea of collaborating on a book about the parables took shape over Zoom during the pandemic; they have never met in person.
The model is explored one chapter at a time: picture, mirror, window, door.
We collaborated monthly, writing and commenting on each other's work. Later, Esteban Amestegui joined the team. He is a younger, very innovative guy with different ideas, and gradually, the book came together. Since we were all contributing together, we were committed to releasing it in both English and Spanish at the same time.
Geoff's model builds on the ideas of Warren Wiersbe, who said that preaching a parable involves moving from a picture (real life) to a mirror (seeing yourself) to a window (seeing God). That was Warren Wiersbe's model. Geoff added a fourth step: walking through a door into life beyond, by way of a response.
The book plays with this model in different ways. We begin with the history of interpreting parables, then move to a chapter on interpretation skills. Then, the model is explored one chapter at a time: picture, mirror, window, door. Most of the book features examples of sermons that use and play with this model. We think it works well.
Who this book is mainly for?
It's being published with Langham Preaching Resources, and the target audience is grassroots preachers within the Langham Preaching family around the world — people who often haven't had formal theological education but preach regularly. We wanted to give them a helpful resource. But in doing that, I am sure there will be lots of other preachers that will be interested in the book.
At the end of each chapter, we include discussion questions that we spent a lot of time crafting. We imagine the book will also settle in our small groups within Langham Preaching and in other discussion-based settings to support the learning process.
Parables can sometimes be challenging to preach — could you explain why?
There's an American writer by the name of Tom Long who said an interesting thing about the parables, which we quote in the book: "The parable is a novice preacher's dream and an experienced preacher's nightmare."
And by that, he was trying to say that for a new preacher, it looks simple at first glance, but the deeper you go, the more complex it becomes. What has tended to happen — and this would be my testimony — is that people freeze. Here's the central part of Jesus' teaching, and they're not engaging with it. We were trying to melt that freeze and produce a book that would give people the confidence to engage and preach the parables.
The parable gets nightmarish for people and is complicated for two reasons:
1. They're a type of literature many people aren't familiar with. We know how to read letters, poems, and law — but parables like those Jesus told are not that familiar, which makes them harder to grasp.
2. There's no part of the Bible that has had more written on it. There's so much existing interpretation that it can feel overwhelming. The stories seem familiar, but they come from a world that's foreign to many of us. It's like sitting down to dinner with a family that's not your own — you don't get the insider jokes and comments that are made. That makes it tricky.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a parable might mean a thousand sermons.
Also, parables are like works of art in many ways, and art can invite multiple interpretations. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a parable might mean a thousand sermons. That richness of meaning can feel daunting. So, in this book, we're trying to recognize those complexities while offering a simple and practical model and approach.
What impact do you hope this book will have on preachers, pastors, and lay Christians?
I think the main reason or purpose for the book is in the subtitle: it's a practical guide. We've really aimed to make it practical. A beginning preacher who's just wading into the parables will find it accessible, and there's enough content and reflection for more experienced preachers to also benefit from it with new ideas and new ways of preaching.
Bible study groups and non-preaching contexts will also benefit. For an example of the model at work, consider Nathan's parable to David about the lambs and the rich man. David, the shepherd, is listening to a story that is a picture of his world. He knows it well. Then, as he reflects, it becomes a mirror — Nathan helps him see that it's actually about him. "You are the man." The parable reveals the truth about himself. As the story continues, we see truths about God's justice and grace — looking through a window at who God is. Then comes David's response and the rest of Samuel's narrative, where there's a sense of him walking through the door and his response to the message in the parable from Nathan.
That one parable perfectly illustrates the model at work.
"Preaching the Parables" wrestles with the unique challenges of preaching the parables. It provides in–depth and practical tools for studying, interpreting, and applying the parables within the reader’s own setting, while remaining true to the intentions of Scripture. Offering a four–step approach, preachers are invited to consider how a parable operates as a picture, then a mirror, then a window, and then a door.
