Jesus' parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and each conveys a message.

Scholars have commented that although these parables seem simple, the messages they convey are deep, and central to the teachings of Jesus. Christian authors view them not as mere similitudes which serve the purpose of illustration, but as internal analogies where nature becomes a [3][4] witness for the spiritual world. Many of Jesus' parables refer to simple everyday things, such as a woman baking bread (parable of the Leaven), a man knocking on his neighbor's door at night (parable of the Friend at Night), or the aftermath of a roadside mugging (parable of the Good Samaritan); yet they deal with major religious themes, such as the growth of the Kingdom of God, the importance of prayer, and the meaning of love. In Western civilization, these parables formed the prototype for the term parable and in the modern age, even among those who know little of the Bible, the parables of Jesus remain some of the best known [5] stories in the world.

Purpose and motive

In the Gospel of Matthew (13:10-17) Jesus provides an answer when asked about his use of parables: The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand." While Mark 4:33-34 and Matthew 13:34-35 may suggest that Jesus would only speak to the "crowds" in parables, while in private explaining everything to his disciples, modern scholars do not support the private explanations argument and surmise that Jesus used parables as a [19] teaching method. Dwight Pentecost suggests that given that Jesus often preached to a mixed audience of believers and non-believers, he used parables to reveal the truth to some, but hide it [1] from others. Christian author Ashton Axenden suggests that Jesus constructed his parables based on his [20] divine knowledge of how man can be taught: This was a mode of teaching, which our blessed Lord seemed to take special delight in employing. And we may be quite sure, that as "He knew what was in man" better than we know, He would not have taught by Parables, if He had not felt that this was the kind of teaching best suited to our wants. In the 19th century, Lisco and Fairbairn stated that in the parables of Jesus, "the image borrowed from the visible world is accompanied by a truth from the invisible (spiritual) world" and that the parables of Jesus are not "mere similitudes which serve the purpose of illustration, but are [3] internal analogies where nature becomes a witness for the spiritual world". Similarly, in the 20th century, calling a parable "an earthly story with a heavenly [21] meaning", William Barclay states that the parables of Jesus use familiar examples to lead
[18]

men's minds towards heavenly concepts. He suggests that Jesus did not form his parables merely as analogies but based on an "inward affinity between the natural and the spiritual [21] order."

Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven: hearing, seeking and growing

Sower

Hidden Treasure

Pearl

Growing Seed [edit]Parables

Mustard Seed

Leaven

of loss and redemption

Lost Sheep [edit]Parables

Lost Coin

Prodigal (Lost) Son

about love and forgiveness

Good Samaritan

Two Debtors

Unforgiving Servant

[edit]Parables

about prayer

Friend at Night

Unjust Judge Pharisee & Publican

[edit]Eschatological

parables

Faithful Servant

Ten Virgins

Great Banquet

Rich Fool

Wicked Husbandmen

Tares

The Net [edit]Other

Budding Fig Tree

Barren Fig Tree

parables

Wise & Foolish Builders

Lamp under a Bushel

Unjust Steward

Rich Man and Lazarus

Talents (Minas)

Workers in the Vineyard

The Parables of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ told numerous parables as recorded in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. According to the dictionary a parable is a story designed to teach a moral. Ah, but they are so much more. Depending upon the level of understanding a parable can be just a simple story or an elaborate display of God's love for us. As our understanding of God deepens so do new levels of understanding of his parables occur. The following parables are beautiful expressions of God's love for each and every one of us. Many of the parables in the book of Matthew are repeated in slightly different versions and recorded by other disciples - in Mark, Luke or John.

In this story, Jesus told about the word of God being like seed that a sower (farmer) threw out. It fell on many kinds of soil. Some of the seed fell by the wayside, along the path. The birds came down and ate the seed. This is like the person who hears the message, but does not understand it. The evil one comes and takes it away. Some seed fell on the rocky ground.The plants came up quickly, but there was not much earth so the plants dried up. This is the person who receives the word, but falls away when trouble comes. Some seed fell on the thorny ground and the thorn bushes choked the seed. This is the person who is worried about life

and wealth. Then some of the seed fell on good ground. Those seed grew into healthy plants and produced a good crop, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold and some thirtyfold. "The good soil," said Jesus, " is like people who are honest. When they hear God's word, they remember it, and do what God says." These people produce a bountiful crop for the Lord.