Mercy is one of the most powerful yet overlooked forces in Western civilization. From the parables of Jesus—stories like the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the unforgiving servant, and the workers in the vineyard—emerged a vision of forgiveness and compassion that has shaped our culture more deeply than law, empire, or politics. The Parables of Mercy: Stories of Forgiveness and Compassion in the Teachings of Jesus uncovers this hidden influence and shows how these ancient stories continue to frame how we think about justice, love, and community today.

This book is not simply a devotional or a work of biblical commentary. It is a cultural history, written with narrative force and scholarly care. Bill Johns approaches the parables as cultural seeds planted in the imagination of the West. He traces how mercy, first spoken in the language of banquets, fig trees, and lost children, later came to define entire civilizations. In art, the prodigal son appears in Rembrandt’s masterpiece; in literature, Dostoevsky and Dickens dramatize mercy’s scandal and necessity; in politics, Lincoln and Mandela draw upon its logic to heal fractured nations. Even in law and education, echoes of mercy persist, shaping how we forgive debts, grant clemency, and offer second chances. These stories remain among the most enduring cultural legacies of Christianity, influencing not only churches but the very ways societies imagine what it means to be human.

Johns writes as both cultural historian and storyteller. He takes the reader from the dusty roads of first-century Palestine to the galleries of Europe, from the trauma of apartheid to the rituals of family life. Along the way, he shows how mercy unsettles as much as it heals. It is not sentimental comfort but disruptive grace, challenging fairness, dismantling pride, and demanding imagination. The parables become mirrors in which readers see their own lives reflected: the father who waits, the son who wanders, the neighbor who stops, the servant who refuses.

Each parable is explored not only in its biblical context but in its afterlives across centuries. The reader encounters mercy in theology and philosophy, but also in novels, paintings, and public life. Mercy becomes a thread that ties together memory and politics, daily life and enduring culture. The book argues that to understand the parables is to understand one of the deepest roots of Western identity. Our admiration for forgiveness, our assumption that compassion belongs in law and education, our instinct to honor reconciliation over vengeance—none of these are inevitable. They are legacies of stories told by Jesus, remembered and reimagined across generations.

The Parables of Mercy speaks to both the heart and the mind. It invites readers into a tradition that is ancient yet alive, unsettling yet healing. Johns shows that mercy is difficult because it is costly, but also enduring because it is necessary. To read these pages is to see the world differently: to recognize that culture has been trained by parables, that mercy surrounds us in places we do not notice, and that forgiveness, though scandalous, is the force that makes futures possible.

In the end, this is a book about memory and imagination. To remember the parables is to remember who we are; to imagine their mercy is to imagine who we might become. Readers will leave not only with deeper understanding of Scripture but with sharpened awareness of culture, history, and the choices that define us. This is literary nonfiction that speaks to faith and society alike, offering both historical insight and moral urgency.

Step into these stories again, and discover how the parables of Jesus—perhaps the greatest cultural inheritance of the West—still invite us into the scandal, the beauty, and the necessity of mercy.

“Sinopsis” puede pertenecer a otra edición de este título.

PBShop.store UK

Fairford, GLOS, Reino Unido

Vendedor de 5 estrellas

Vendedor de IberLibro desde 11 de junio de 1999

Tarifas de envío de Reino Unido a Estados Unidos de America

Artículo	De 10 a 20 días hábiles	De 10 a 20 días hábiles
Primer artículo	EUR 4,93	EUR 4,93

Los plazos de entrega los establecen los vendedores y varían según el transportista y la ubicación. Los pedidos que pasan por la aduana pueden sufrir retrasos y los compradores son responsables de los aranceles o tarifas asociadas. Los vendedores pueden ponerse en contacto con usted en relación con cargos adicionales para cubrir cualquier aumento en los costes de envío de los artículos.

Métodos de pago

Descripción de la tienda

**Please note our transit times are from the date of dispatch.** We first started out as “The Paperback Exchange,” a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become “PBShop.” This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first purchase with us, or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.…

Especialidad

Hardbacks, Paperbacks

Información empresarial del vendedor

Pbshop.co.uk

Unit 22 Horcott Industrial Estate, Horcott Road
Fairford, Reino Unido GL7 4BX

Contactar con el vendedorVer los artículos de este vendedorVer la página principal del vendedor

Condiciones de venta

Returns Policy
We ask all customers to contact us for authorisation should they wish to return their order. Orders returned without authorisation may not be credited.
If you wish to return, please contact us within 14 days of receiving your order to obtain authorisation.
Returns requested beyond this time will not be authorised.
Our team will provide full instructions on how to return your order and once received our returns department will process your refund.
Please note the cost to return any unwanted order to us is borne by the buyer.
Should your order arrive damaged, not as advertised or faulty, we must be advised of this within 14 days of delivery. Please contact us so we can find the best solution for you.

Our Customer Care Team can be contacted by emailing alborders@paperbackshop.co.uk, or by calling our UK Office on +441285 712 917. We are available 9:00am till 5:30pm GMT Monday to Friday.

Derecho al desistimiento

Si es un consumidor, puede rescindir el contrato de acuerdo con lo siguiente. Por consumidor se entiende cualquier persona física que actúe con fines ajenos a su actividad comercial, empresarial, oficio o profesión.

Información sobre el derecho de desistimiento

Derecho legal de desistimiento

Tiene derecho a rescindir este contrato en un plazo de 14 días sin dar ningún motivo.

El periodo de desistimiento vencerá a los 14 días desde que usted, o un tercero que no sea el transportista e indicado por usted, adquiera la posesión física del último bien o del último lote o pieza.

Para ejercer el derecho de desistimiento, complete de forma electrónica y envíe una declaración clara en nuestro sitio web, desde "Mis compras" en "Mi cuenta". Le enviaremos sin demora un acuse de recibo de dicho desistimiento a través de un soporte duradero (por ejemplo, por correo electrónico).

Para cumplir con el plazo de desistimiento, basta con que envíe su comunicación relativa al ejercicio del derecho de desistimiento antes de que venza el periodo de desistimiento.

Efectos del desistimiento

Si rescinde este contrato, le reembolsaremos todos los pagos que hayamos recibido de usted, incluidos los gastos de envío (excepto los gastos adicionales que surjan si elige un tipo de envío que no sea el tipo de envío estándar más económico que ofrecemos).

Podemos hacer una deducción del reembolso por la pérdida de valor de cualquier bien suministrado, si la pérdida es el resultado de una manipulación innecesaria por su parte.

Efectuaremos el reembolso sin demoras indebidas y, a más tardar, 14 días después de que se nos informe de su decisión de rescindir este contrato.

Efectuaremos el reembolso utilizando el mismo medio de pago que utilizó para la transacción inicial, a menos que haya acordado expresamente lo contrario; en cualquier caso, no incurrirá en ningún cargo como resultado de dicho reembolso.

Podremos retener el reembolso hasta que hayamos recibido los bienes o hasta que nos haya presentado una prueba de que los ha devuelto, lo que ocurra primero.

Deberá devolver los bienes o entregarlos a PBShop.store UK, Fairford, United Kingdom, +44 1285 712917, sin demoras indebidas y, en cualquier caso, en un plazo máximo de 14 días a partir del día en que nos comunique su desistimiento del presente contrato. El plazo se cumple si devuelve la mercancía antes de que venza el periodo de 14 días. Tendrá que asumir los gastos directos de devolución de los bienes. Usted solo es responsable de la disminución del valor de los bienes como resultado de una manipulación distinta a la necesaria para establecer la naturaleza, las características y el funcionamiento de los bienes.

Excepciones al derecho de desistimiento

El derecho de desistimiento no se aplica a lo siguiente:

La entrega de periódicos, diarios o revistas, con la excepción de los contratos de suscripción; y
El suministro de contenido digital que no se proporcione en un soporte tangible (por ejemplo, en un CD o DVD) si, al hacer el pedido, aceptó que podíamos empezar a entregarlo y que no podría desistir una vez iniciada la entrega.

Condiciones de envío

Orders are shipped from our UK warehouse. Delivery thereafter is between 4 and 14 business days. Please contact us if you have any queries about our services or products.

The Parables of Mercy

Descripción del artículo del vendedor

Detalles bibliográficos

Sinopsis