(Recorded Course) Those Who Have Ears to Hear - Hear This! Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parables of Jesus with Holly Vaughan

Instructor Access (optional grading support) for Unlimited Access families is available for this course! This class offers Instructor Access.

A lot of the parables that Jesus tells seem pretty straightforward, while others are somewhat mystifying (like that dishonest judge). The truth is, they all have much deeper meanings than a cursory reading can give to us. Register for this course to join us as we journey back to the first century, get a feel for the culture Jesus lived in, and solve the puzzle of the parables!

How to get the most out of Those Who Have Ears to Hear - Hear This! with Holly Vaughan:

  • First, read the course materials below before the first class.

  • Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes.

  • Read assignments before watching the class.

  • Watch the class recording.

  • Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that class.

  • Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.


Special notes: Includes a writing component.

Total classes: 8

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade. Advanced 8th-grade students are welcome.

Suggested credit: ½ semester Theology or New Testament Scripture.

Instructor: Holly Vaughan

Email: mrsvaughanhsc@gmail.com

Course description: This course will dive deep into the parables of Jesus, to situate and interpret them in their first-century context. We will look at how Jesus uses the parables to teach, rebuke, and prophesy. There are many aspects of our Catholic faith embedded into the parables that we miss when we read them at a surface level. So we will, with Jesus as our guide, lift the veil that often shrouds these stories and get to the root of what Jesus is telling us.

Course Outline:

Week 1: What is a Parable? What is Jesus Trying to Tell Us by Using Them?
Week 2: Kingdom Parables
Week 3: Parable of the Sower; The Sermon on the Mount Connection; The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Week 4: The Good Samaritan and the Unmerciful Servant
Week 5: The Dishonest Steward and the Unrighteous Judge
Week 6: The Two Sons and Lazarus and the Rich Man
Week 7: The Parable of the Ten Talents and the Faithful Servant
Week 8: Review

Course materials: Catholic Bible, a notebook, colored pencils & a ballpoint pen (for Bible marking, if desired). All reading materials will be provided free by the instructor. An answer key is provided for this course.

Homework:
-Weekly Reading and Lectio Divina Passages
-Short weekly quizzes to check comprehension of main ideas
-Final exam over main points of the class
-Short Paper Project. This will be a 2-page paper on a parable of the student’s choosing. Due at the end of the course.
Estimated time on homework per week outside of the classroom will be about 30 minutes, not including the Paper Project

Course Objectives:

~Obtain the tools to read and understand the Parables of Jesus within their historical context.
~Obtain the tools to read the Parables of Jesus within the content and unity of the rest of the Gospels and the whole of Scripture.
~Become familiar with key aspects of the parables in the broader teaching of Christ and the teaching of the Church, in order to be able to continue studying independently.
~Understand how Catholic theology demonstrates a proper reading of the Parables of Jesus and to apply that knowledge to grow in faith and to evangelize.

©2022 Homeschool Connections and Holly Vaughan.  All rights reserved. This course is designed by Holly Vaughan.

All primary rights to materials are to the designer. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:

  • This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws. 

  • You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.