Artistry in Jesus’ parables and in preaching on them

The artistry in Jesus’ parabolic teaching is approached via a Heideggerian perspective. Reference is made to the rift that exists in parabolic teaching between earth (represented by words) and world (the Kingdom of God). Jesus poetically spins a world ordered by God’s will and purpose out of everyday things and scenarios. Furthermore, Jesus employs the techniques of indirection and open-endedness. He shows rather than tells. In this way, Jesus stimulates, teases, provokes his listeners to think for themselves. Taking a cue from his teaching style, an artistic/poetic approach is offered as an alternative to the expository/didactic method advocated in two recent and popular works on preaching on the parables.