Jesus told stories. His most powerful stories were parables about the kingdom of God:
The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. . . .
The kingdom of God is like a persistent widow. . . .
The kingdom of God is like a man who had two sons. . . .
Jesus’ stories have captivated hearts for thousands of years. Countless books and sermons have been written and preached explaining the background of these parables, but these dry explanations can rob the parables of their beauty and “punch.”
Think about it: if you explain a joke, it isn’t funny.
Jesus’ parables primarily captivated the heart. Similarly, in Mustard Seeds and Viral Videos, I combine my background in New Testament theology and semiotics with my fifteen years of preaching the Bible to retell the parables of Jesus in modern contexts. Instead of explaining that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed because it starts small and grows big, I tell a story of a video that goes viral. Each chapter is a different story of the kingdom of God based on a different parable of Jesus.
"This is a remarkable book. Readers will see the parables of Jesus in a new light as they walk with Edwards through the stories he tells, experience the range of human emotions, and be encouraged to be changed by the encounter with the reality of the kingdom. I know of no book like it; I highly recommend it."
--Glenn R. Kreider, editor-in-chief, Bibliotheca Sacra
"Mustard Seeds and Viral Videos places in modern garb the stories (read: parables) Jesus told. Using the imagination with which Jesus told his parables, this book gives a modern feel to these old images, but does so in a way that shows what Jesus's point was all about. This book will take these familiar parables and show you afresh to see what they really mean. Well done."
--Darrell L. Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary
"With the sophistication of a theologian, coupled with the sanctified imagination of a pastor, master storyteller Matt Edwards retells the parables of Jesus in such winsome ways that you will not only be startled into hearing good news as if for the first time, but find yourself ushered more deeply into the wonder of the kingdom of God."
--Eric E. Peterson, pastor, Colbert Presbyterian Church