Parables are a simple style of telling a story to teach a moral or spiritual lesson and/or to highlight an important Biblical truth. The story
employs a setting which the audience knows or is quite familiar with.
Jesus used parables in his ministry of preaching, healing and reconciliation in the Holy Land more than two thousand years ago. He used parables
often and these parables formed an integral part of his ministry. Among the parables he narrated were those that dealt with the kingdom of God and God’s plan of salvation, and he informed the
people how to find God’s kingdom and salvation.
The parable of the weeds, the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the yeast were stories about the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of
God. In the Parable of the WEEDS (Matthew 13:24-30), Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a man who sowed good seeds in a field but was cheated by an enemy who planted tares (weeds) in his field.
The solution of the man was to separate the wheat from the tares at harvest time. Harvest time represented the end time, the wheat the good people and the weeds the bad people. In the Parables of
the HIDDEN TREASURE and PEARL, the kingdom of heaven was compared to a hidden treasure and a pearl which a person would desire to possess. This was how it was written in the Bible and I quote:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the
Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Matthew 13:44-46 / NLT 2015).
Other parables which Jesus utilized to describe the kingdom of heaven were the parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the yeast and the parable
of the vineyard laborers. In the Parable of the MUSTARD SEED (Mark 4:30-32), Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, the “smallest of all seeds” that can grow into a very large
plant whose branches serve as nesting place of birds. In the Parable of the YEAST (Luke 13:20-21), the kingdom of heaven was compared to the powerful effect of a very small amount of yeast added
to the flour used in making bread while in the Parable of the VINEYARD LABORERS (Matthew 20:1-16), the kingdom of heaven was compared to a landowner who hired laborers at different times of the
same day. The landowner paid them according to number of working hours earned for the day as agreed upon as well as according to his generosity and kindness and, thus, all laborers received a pay
equivalent to a full-day work. But those who spent longer working hours complained about this. The landowner responded that he paid them on the basis of the terms they had agreed to and that it
was his right to be generous and kind to the other formerly jobless laborers who spent less time working in his vineyard. Thus, Jesus said and I quote: “So those who are last now will be first
then, and those who are first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16 / NLT 2015)
Not only did Jesus provided some descriptions about the kingdom of God, he also informed the people of his time about God’s plan of salvation. In
describing the kingdom of God, Jesus was telling the people that it was intended for them if only they repented, returned to God and believed in him and his plan of salvation. Using parables,
Jesus showed them that it was God’s love and mercy that will save them. In the Parable of the LOST SHEEP (Luke 15:1-7), Jesus told a story of a man who left his ninety-nine sheep in order to
search for one lost sheep, and when he found the lost sheep, he carried it on his shoulders and rejoiced with his friends and neighbors. It was a story about God rejoicing over a sinner who
repented and returned to him. The idea, or rather, the reality that God rejoiced when a sinner repented and returned to him was dramatically illustrated in the Parable of the PRODIGAL SON (Luke
15:11-32). This was the story of a merciful father and his young son. The son left for a foreign country to live his own life but ended up squandering the inheritance his father gave him.
Destitute and hungry, the young man still had enough sense in him to make the decision to return to his father who not only forgave him but also celebrated his return. This was what the merciful
father said about the return of his lost son and I quote: “We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” (Luke 15:32
/ NLT 2015)
That God was always ready to love them, that his love was the source of their salvation and that Jesus was the principal agent of God’s kingdom was
illustrated quite clearly in the Parable of the GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10:1-11). In this parable, Jesus told the people that he was the good shepherd who knew and protected his sheep and his sheep
knew him. Since he was their shepherd, he was ready to die for them in order to save them from eternal damnation. Jesus said and I quote: “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be
saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” (Matthew 10:9-11 / NLT 2015)
Since salvation was freely given to them, Jesus informed the people on how to go about achieving the kingdom of God. He told them that God’s love
and salvation operates on the commands to love God and neighbor, to forgive one another’s sins or shortcomings and to accept his teachings and spread it. In the Parable of the SOWER (Mark 4:3-8),
Jesus told a story about a farmer who went to the field to sow seeds. Some seeds fell along the path, others fell on rocky ground, and still others fell among thorn bushes. All of these seeds did
not grow to bear grain. However, the seeds that the farmer scattered in good soil were the ones that bore grain. The “seeds in good soil” represented the people who continue to benefit from
reading and/or hearing the words of God by applying them in their daily lives.
And who was their neighbor whom they – the people of Jesus’s time – should love? Jesus told them exactly who was their neighbor in the Parable of
the GOOD SAMARITAN (Luke 10:29-37). This was the story about three people who were traveling separately at different times and saw a Jewish man robbed and badly beaten and left half dead along
the roadside. A priest and a Temple assistant saw the badly-beaten man but did not stop to help him. However, a Samaritan – a person considered spiritually inferior than the two others – did help
the beaten man, cured his wounds, brought him to an inn to recover and paid the inn’s expenses.
And how should the people of Jesus’s time forgive the individuals who owed them? Jesus told them exactly how to forgive their neighbors in the
Parable of the UNFORGIVING SERVANT (Matthew 18:23-35). This was the story which compared the kingdom of Heaven to a king who wanted to check how much money his servants owed him. One
servant was brought to the king. The servant begged forgiveness from the king to whom he owed a great deal of money and got it, but the same servant did not have the compassion to forgive a
fellow servant who owed him a small amount of money. Then the king learned what the unforgiving servant did to his fellow servant and, consequently, sent the unforgiving servant to jail.
Finally, Jesus told the people of his time that they should spread the good news of salvation, since it was for everyone – all were welcomed in the
kingdom of God. In the Parable of the LAMP, Jesus said these words and I quote: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it
under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who
is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 / NASB 1995)
Summary List
About the KINGDOM of HEAVEN or the KINGDOM of GOD
The Parable of the Weeds (Wheat and Weeds or Tares) – Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl – Matthew 13:44-46
The Parable of the Vineyard Laborers – Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Mustard Seed – Mark 4:30-32
The Parable of the Yeast – Luke 13:20-21
About GOD’S PLAN of SALVATION
The Parable of the Lost Sheep – Luke 15:1-7
The Parable of the Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Coin – Luke 15:8-10
The Parable of the Shepherd – John 10:1-11
About WAYS to ACHIEVE God’s Kingdom and Salvation
The Parable of the Lamp – Matthew 5:14-16
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant – Matthew 18:23-35
The Parable of the Sower – Mark 4:3-8
The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10:29-37
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – Luke 18:9-14
