Robert Millet is joined today by Craig Blomberg, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary. The pair discussed several of Jesus' parables, as found in Matthew 13; Luke 12:13-21; and Luke 16:19-31, which are covered in the New Testament Come, Follow Me curriculum on 3/20-26, as well as 4/10-16.

Millet and Blomberg spoke about many of Jesus' most well-known parables, including the parable of the Sower, the Wheat and the Tares, The Laborers in the Vineyard, the Good Samaritan, the Rich Fool, the Lost Coin, the Prodigal Son, and the Lost Sheep. A key point for each of these mini-discussions, was recognizing the context in which each parable was given- where Jesus was, who he was speaking to, and what was happening in his ministry at that moment. They also discussed how these parables relate to each other, how each of their respective faith traditions would interpret the parable, and the details that are personally meaningful for each of them. 

Quotes & references from this podcast: 

Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, November 2000.

Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Other Prodigal,” Ensign, May 2002.

Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign, May 2012.

Craig Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove and Nottingham: IVP, 2012).

Millet, Robert L. (2012) "Lost and Found: Pondering the Parable of the Prodigal Son."

Speaker Bios:

Conversation host Robert L. Millet is Professor Emeritus of Ancient Scripture at Brigham University. He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from BYU in Psychology and his PhD from Florida State University in Religious Studies. During his 31 years at BYU, he served as Chair of the department of Ancient Scripture, Dean of Religious Education, and Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding, a chair that focuses on interfaith relations. During the last thirty years he has been involved in academic dialogues with Evangelical Christians, the Church of the Nazarene, and Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). He is the author or editor of many books and articles dealing with the doctrine and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its relationship to other faiths.

Guest Dr. Craig Blomberg is Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado. He holds the B.A. from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, the M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and the Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Craig is the author of twenty books and has co-authored or co-edited ten more, along with more than 150 journal articles or chapters in multi-author works.