Jesus the entertainer

Elaine Storkey  looks at the skilful way Jesus told stories that drew people in, but ultimately challenged them

Most entertainers love an audience. It’s so important to them that other people engage with them and like what they do. Whether it’s people buying tickets for a performance, gathering around a street musician or subscribing on YouTube, audiences are the name of the game. And none of this is new. Today, we have more sophisticated ways than ever of amusing ourselves, but wanting to be entertained seems to have run through the whole of history. Every culture has had its means of distraction, whether through laughter and fun, or through horrible and gruesome activities.