In “Jesus’ Silent Years: Parable” Jesus matures through temptation, doubt, and longing. He follows the classic path of the hero—

beginning in an unremarkable mudhole, unknown and undistinguished, innocent and naïve, in Foundations. He steadily moves down into the mainstream of growing up— leaving home, wrestling with his own unique God-man identity. Suffering and loss carve out an interior life for him, in Parable and Journey. Finally, he shows us all how to listen to the world of spirit—adorned with the jewels of wisdom, compassion, and courageous vulnerability—in Homecoming.

Parable is the second of four volumes in Jesus’ Silent Years. Jesus is ordered by Caesar Augustus to Rome. He survives a shipwreck and attempted murder, falls in love with the emperor’s granddaughter, and develops an interior life that directs his actions. He learns to explain who he is and isn’t in parables. He matures—like you and me—by failing, falling, and then rising again, stronger.