In the second and final episode on Jesus' parable of "The Sower," Dr. Proctor discusses the genre of allegory and its relevance for studying Jesus' parables. Having acknowledged the presence of allegorical treatments of the "Sower" in each of the Synoptic Gospels, he and Lee move on to proffer an alternative way to understand the parable. Using clues from the development of the tradition after Mark and the commentary present in ancient agricultural texts about crop production rates, Mark and Lee settle on an interpretation of the famous story that is relevant and timely for anyone dealing with the wearying effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In the first of two episodes on Jesus' parable of "The Sower," Mark and Lee first discuss a variety of unproductive responses to the Coronavirus pandemic before turning to examine the story's content. As one of three quadruply attested parables, the story's authenticity seems undeniable. Yet the versions of "The Sower" present in our source material each have their own unique features worth noting.

In the third and final episode on the topic of "why" Jesus spoke in parables, Dr. Mark and Lee investigate the changes Matthew made to Mark 4:10-13 in an effort to see how his "parables theory" differs from that of his source material.  In the process they discover that the parables cannot in Matthew serve the same charitable pedagogical function for Jesus that they do in Mark. Matt 13:10-17 instead excludes the possibility of public comprehension of Jesus’ message on the grounds that such insight “has not been given to them” (v. 11). This editorial change permits Matthew to counteract Mark’s negative assessment of the disciples, but only at the public’s expense. In Matthew, the disciples basically trade places with the public when it comes to who’s in Jesus’ good graces and who’s not. 

Having characterized Jesus' use of parables in Mark as his attempt to accommodate the public's need for pedagogical assistance in season two's opening episode, Dr. Proctor examines Mark's characterization of the twelve disciples in episode two. Whereas the public appears to have no problem discerning the meaning of his stories,  those closest to Jesus in Mark are by way of contrast least likely to understand his instruction. As a consequence of their collective dimwittedness, the disciples routinely require clarification in order to make sense of what Jesus says. 

Who? What? When? Where? Why? In season two's first episode, Lee and Dr. Mark address a very important question: Why did Jesus speak in parables? In order to provide an answer, they examine a critical passage  scholars commonly refer to as a the "Parables Theory:" Mark 4:10-13.  While nearly all versions of the Bible translate the first word in the Greek text of v. 12 with the English gloss "so that" or "in order that," Dr. Mark explains why doing so is problematic. He then offers an alternative approach to the verse that allows for understanding Jesus' parables as readily accessible heuristic devices that facilitate public learning by making his deeply existential topics comprehensible for everyone. 

As one of only three quadruply attested parables in the Gospel Tradition, the Mustard Seed describes the transformational growth of what Jesus calls the smallest of all the seeds. Season one’s final episode begins with a lighthearted quiz before moving on to examine the various differences between the story’s four extant versions. In the process of doing so Mark and Lee discover it is possible to understand the Mustard Seed both as a similitude and a parable proper with distinct meanings. Though reading the story as a parable proper presents readers with difficult existential challenges, Dr. Proctor prefers this approach on the grounds it enhances the story’s aesthetic and yields a more timely meaning for our contemporary situation. 

In "Parabolic Polyvalency Part 2," Mark and Lee offer a second reading of Luke's story about the supposedly "barren" fig tree. The episode begins with an examination of the Third Gospel's largely negative presentation of money and the wealthy, and uses it to suggest a novel approach to the parable's content. Of critical importance is the following question: "What if the fig tree really isn't barren?"

The ninth episode of "Stories for the Waiting Room" introduces a new way of categorizing Jesus' parables. While interpretive comments accompany many of these stories, others Jesus presents in a less direct fashion as illustrations of the Kingdom of God. In the parable of the Barren Fig Tree, however, one encounters what Dr. Proctor describes as an uninterpreted parable. Such stories (all of which are in Luke) appear in the text without commentary, without clear ties to their surrounding context, and without comparison to the kingdom. As a consequence, Luke leaves his readers free to assess the stories' meanings in any way that might align with his broader purposes as a writer. The uninterpreted parables are thus capable of carrying multiple meanings; i.e., they are "potentially polyvalent." Having made this critical distinction, Mark and Lee use the opening scene of Luke 13 along with ancient horticultural texts to offer an initial interpretation the Barren Fig Tree that sees it as an illustration of loyalty's irrational demands. In the same way Jesus demonstrates loyalty to the Galileans in Luke 13:1-5 by countering their biased Judean critics, so the vintner shows fidelity to an out-of-place and barren fig tree in the parable that follows.

In the eighth episode of "Stories for the Waiting Room" Mark and Lee investigate Luke's parable of the Lost Coin. This unique story follows closely on the heels of the Lost Sheep (see episode seven), and so forms one of Luke's many gendered pairs. It concerns a woman's delight in finding a coin she misplaced in her home, and aims to illustrate the "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Whereas the Jesus Seminar regarded the story's claim to authenticity as substantial, good reasons also exist for thinking the Lost Coin just might be the literary product of what Oscar Wilde once referred to as flattery's sincerest form.

In the seventh episode of "Stories for the Waiting Room," Mark and Lee take a look at the three versions of Jesus' parable of the Lost Sheep in the Gospel of  Thomas 107, Matthew 18:10-14, and Luke 15:1-7.  In each instance, the gospel writers use Jesus' story to address their respective theological concerns. In Thomas the parable affirms the good shepherd's love for wise disciples. Matthew instead presents the sheep not as the biggest of the bunch but as a vulnerable and immature member of the flock in need of the shepherd’s care and rescue. Finally, Luke uses the Lost Sheep story to cast Jesus' association with tax collectors and sinners as his attempt to encourage their repentance and bring joy to God in the process.