The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life with God

Book Review Rating: 9/10 This Book Is: - A great posthumous addition to Dallas Willard's body of work. - Written in the same pastoral/conversational style as other Dallas Willard books (e.g. Life Without Lack). - An application of Dallas Willard's theology to the parables of Jesus about the Kingdom of God. - Written at a more accessible level than longer works by Dallas Willard (e.g. Divine Conspiracy). This Book Is Not: - A comprehensive study of the parables. - A theology textbook. - A repackaging of other books already published. My Evaluation; I was skeptical about the quality of the content for a book published more than a decade after the author's death. Having read many of Dallas Willard's books already, I wasn't sure what needed to be added to his body of work that would add value. Reading The Scandal of the Kingdom was a pleasant surprise! There are many connections to the ideas and underlying theology that underlies many of Dallas Willard's other books, but the concepts are more clearly stated here. Jesus taught using parables because they are the most effective way to teach what Jesus wanted his audience to learn. Dallas uses the same parables to help us learn the same lessons in a way that we can apply to our lives today. The book is written in the same pastoral/conversational tone with personal anecdotes that can be found in his other writings. It makes for an enjoyable read. This book would make for a great group Bible study. My Takeaways: 1) Make the Most of the Small Things: Dallas Willard uses the parable of the Talents (Luke 19) to show how life in the kingdom of God means reigning with creativity alongside God for eternity. We are responsible for making the most out of the things God has given us, even the small things. It is a challenge to think about how I can make an impact in the spheres of influence that I have. We are often misled into thinking that we have very little and therefore very little to give. Dallas Willard points out how we need to take God seriously and believe that we are worth the investment that God has made in us. Believing that God has given me specific gifts to use to reach people for his kingdom gives me the courage and freedom to step out of my comfort zone and see where God leads me. 2) Think Big: God is able to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. I don't think I have ever set out to do something for God's glory that could only be possible with God's power. I tend to aim small and limit my aspirations to things that I can achieve with my own power, probably to avoid disappointment. It is also very easy for me to jump from wanting to do something significant to wanting to be recognized as having done something significant. It is helpful to think about what seeking a God-sized goal from a place of humility could look like in my life. 3) Wealth In the Kingdom of God: Dallas Willard uses the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12) to teach about wealth in the kingdom of God. Wealth can take hold of our hearts and become an idol. God transforms our relationship with money and frees us from the pull of wealth by teaching us to be content with the gifts God has generously provided. Wealth in the kingdom of God is not based on money, possessions, or treasures. Wealth is based on our own character and the investment we make in the lives and character of others. It can be easily fall back into relying on my bank account balance for my security. It is easy to focus on spiritual growth and character formation from a place of privilege. I need to learn to be vulnerable and trust God for my security beyond what makes sense from my logical, human perspective. 4) Persistence in the Kingdom of God: Dallas Willard uses several parables to show how persistence in forgiveness, service, prayer, and humility are prerequisites for growth. For me, the hardest of these four areas are prayer and humility. Prayer can sometimes feel more like a duty or chore than a conversation with a friend or father. I pray that God gives me a greater desire to seek him. Humility helps us trust in God and not in ourselves. I can easily view myself as superior to those around me, but this judgmental attitude comes from a place of insecurity and desire for meaning through recognition. I ask God to give me humility to see and value others as God does.

This book was recommended by a friend. Great Book

It was in reading Dallas Willard's words In his other books that the "Upside Down Kingdom" first became real to me, especially in my thinking about the Beatitudes and great respect for Jesus in ways I had not thought of before even though I had been going to church all my life. The book The Scandal of the Kingdom gently brings the parables of Jesus into a deeper understanding and clarity. Chapter 14 "Persistence as the Prerequisite to Growth" was one of my favorite chapters. I had the word "Persist" on my heart one morning after a restless night of prayer shortly before the book arrived in the mail. Chapter 11 "The Miracle of Forgiveness" is another one of my favorite chapters in the book as it refreshes that we need God's help to forgive and what forgiveness is and what it is not. I also love the dedication to Jane. What beautiful lives Jane and Dallas's love of God together created and his love for them blessed us with so much help in figuring out how to persist. This book is just another testimony to their good lives in the Kingdom of God.

Great Book! Our homegroup used it as a study of the Parables.

A great read from Dallas Willard’s teaching. This was compiled by family and friends so it reads a little differently than Dallas’s previous books. It somehow just misses his touch, but is still excellent.

I may be biased toward Dallas Willard, I have been reading his books for many years. This one on the Parables of Jesus continues my journey in discipleship with the challenges that Jesus puts to all of His followers. I grow with every insightful passage.

Loved, loved, loved this deep dive into familiar parables… never will look at the parables the same! Excellent for a group study!

As readers of Willard would expect, this is deep, helpful, and contains much beautiful I sight into Christ and his kingdom as taught through many parables. Will definitely read again.

This book is excellent. I buy lots of books that have worthwhile content, but this one is a treasure - it has helped me understand the difference between the world and kingdom of God much more clearly.

So great. I never imagined that I could glean so much about God's upside-down kingdom through Jesus' parables.

Whilst written over a decade after Dallas' passing, this book is truly faithful to his voice and teachings. It is far more accessible given the editing than his larger volumes such as The Divine Conspiracy, and Spirit of the Disciplines. This book is an impactful and inviting meditation on a selection of Jesus' parables with Dallas' enchanted and true vision of discipleship. There is more life available in God's Kingdom now and this book is an encouraging step in that direction. Highly recommend.

Great book based on 1980s lessons series, compiled by author's daughter. Insightful and applicable. Thank you

Marvelous read. Everyone should read this book