Jesus Parables
Christ often taught in parables. His parables are discussed in all of the four gospels in the Bible. The following is the list of Christ’s parables and where they are found in the King James Version of the Bible.
Parable of the Sower: This parable shows what happens when various types of people hear the gospel. In some, the gospel takes root, is nourished through the efforts of the believer, and deepens into commitment. For others the gospel takes root, but is never nourished, and faith withers. In another, the gospel is preached to deaf ears and hard hearts, which provide an inhospitable environment for testimony to grow — Matt. 13: 3-9, 18-23, Mark 4: 3-9, 14-20, Luke 8: 4-8, 11-15
The treasure in the field: The kingdom of heaven is like a grand treasure. We should do anything necessary to obtain it, even to ridding ourselves of earthly treasure in favor of that which is of heaven — Matt. 13: 44.
The http://understandingmormonism.org/pearl_great_price: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. To obtain it, it is worth selling all worldly things — Matt. 13: 45-46.
The Fisherman’s Net: The fisherman gathers fish of every sort in his net, keeps the good, and casts out the bad. The final judgment is the same; the wicked will be cast into the fire — Matt. 13: 47-50.
The Householder: A scribe instructed in the truths of God’s kingdom brings forth treasure both new and old, as a householder does from his house — Matt. 13: 51-52.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep: The Lord cares about his children as much as the shepherd cares about his sheep. A good shepherd will leave the flock and search for the single lost lamb. The Lord rejoices when a straying child is found and brought back to the flock — Matt. 18: 12-14, Luke 15: 1-7.
The Parable of the Lost Coin: As with the parable of the lost sheep, a woman rejoices with her friends when she finds her lost coin. Heaven rejoices over the soul of a person who repents — Luke 15: 8-10.
The Prodigal Son: Like the parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep, the father rejoices when his prodigal son returns. It doesn’t matter how low the son fell, nor what sins he commit. The father is still willing to receive him with joy, when the son humbles himself and returns home — Luke 15: 11-32.
The Unmerciful Servant: The Lord forgives us, even while we are deeply in debt to Him. Yet, He will not, if we refuse to forgive others — Matt. 18: 23-35.
The Good Samaritan: There are many messages in the story of the Good Samaritan. The story is an answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor”? The question followed Christ’s counsel to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Samaritans were hated by the Jews, because they were not of pure Israelite blood and had tried to thwart the building of the temple after the Babylonian captivity. Yet the Samaritan in the story is willing to help a stranger who is probably an Israelite. The priests have already passed by the injured man. The priests would have had to isolated themselves for 30 days, had they attended to the man, because they would have been rendered unclean. Yet, by keeping the letter of the law, they failed to keep the spirit of the law —Luke 10: 25-37.
The Unjust Steward: This is the most difficult parable to analyze, and opinions vary as to its meaning. The unjust steward is in danger of losing his job, but he forgives a portion of the debt of the Lord’s debtors and thereby wins favor with the Lord. Click here for an analysis — Luke 16: 1-8.
Lazarus and the Rich Man: Lazarus was a beggar who languished in front of the rich man’s house, receiving no help from the rich man. In the afterlife, Lazarus was blessed, but the rich man burned in hell. The rich man prayed that Lazarus could bring him water, but a great gulf separated them, so the request was impossible to fill. The rich man requested that Lazarus could return from the dead and warn his brethren, lest they pursue a selfish life and perish eternally. But the Lord answered that if people don’t hearken to the prophets, they likewise will not hearken to Lazarus — Luke 16: 14-15, 19-31.
The Unjust Judge: A widow importunes a judge for redress. Although the judge is unjust, he responds to her needs, because she is so persistent. The Lord is not unjust. He will respond to His elect. We need to importune Him in prayer — Luke 18: 1-8.
The Good Shepherd: In this parable Christ defines Himself as the good shepherd. His sheep know his voice; He is their protector. The good shepherd is willing to give his life for his sheep. Jesus confused His listeners by claiming to also be the door of the sheepfold, and then by claiming that He could lay down His life and take it up again. No one to that point had ever been resurrected, so the Pharisees could not fathom what Jesus was talking about — John 10: 1-21. Christ visited http://mormonolympians.org/controversial_mormon_beliefs peoples after His resurrection and told them they were also His sheep. He had told the Jews that He had other sheep, not of that fold, but they did not understand — 3 Ne 15: 17-24.
Laborers in the Vineyard: This parable has been explained in different ways, but probably differentiates between the Jews, who were the original chosen people, and the Gentiles, to whom the gospel was taken later in history, but who will inherit the same glory — Matt. 20: 1-16, Mark 10: 31.
Pounds: The parable of the pounds is very similar to the parable of the talents (talents were units of money). To those who “have much” will be given more, and from those who “have little,” what little they have will be taken away. This refers to the magnifying of the gifts given us by the Lord. If we use our gifts in His service, they magnify. Those who do this will be rewarded in heaven — Luke 19: 11-27.
Two Sons: In this parable Jesus compares those who seem willing but who fail to perform, and those who are rebellious, but then repent and do the Lord’s work. Jesus says it is the repentant who will gain the kingdom, putting the repentant sinner on better footing than the Pharisees — Matt. 21: 28-32.
The Wicked Husbandmen: The Lord established His vineyard and left it in the hands of husbandmen. He sent His servants to check on it, but they were abused by the husbandmen. So the Lord sent His Son, whom the husbandmen killed. The Jews abused the prophets and then would crucify the Christ. Then Jesus claims to the stone of Israel, on whom the kingdom is built — Matt. 21: 33-46, Mark 12: 1-12, Luke 20: 9-19.
The Wedding of the King’s Son: The king invites all sorts of guests to his son’s wedding. Many refuse to come. Some kill the servants he sends to invite them (the prophets). Some come but are unworthy or unprepared. This parable ends with the phrase, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” The Lord invites us all to become part of His kingdom, but few qualify for eternal life in His presence — Matt. 22: 1-14, Luke 14: 7-24.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins: The Ten Virgins represent the Church. They are all invited to the wedding feast. Wedding imagery is common in the scriptures, with Christ being married to the Church. The bridegroom (Christ) delays His coming. Half the virgins do not have sufficient oil (faith, testimony) to endure to the end, so they do not qualify to be Christ’s when He comes. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord refers to the parable and has this to say, in part, “For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.” — Matt. 25: 1-13, Luke 12: 35-36, D&C 45: 56-59.
The Parable of the Talents: Like the parable of the pounds, the Lord will make us accountable for the gifts He has given us. We should use those gifts to serve in His earthly kingdom, especially to serve our fellow men. The Lord says, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” — Matt. 25: 14-30.
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: The Lord will separate the righteous and the wicked, and the righteous will be exalted. Jesus calls the righteous sheep, because they hearken unto the voice of the shepherd, while the goats go their own way. The sheep are those who follow the shepherd and serve as “undershepherds,” caring for his other sheep. Any service we give to our fellow men in the name of Christ, is as if we did it unto the Savior. — Matt. 25: 31-46.
The Parable of the Tower: This parable is found in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 101. The main part of the parable is in verses 43 – 54, which the Lord introduces to with this phrase: “And now, I will show unto you a parable, that you may know my will concerning the redemption of Zion.” The Lord leaves the vineyard in the hands of his servants and commands them to build a hedge around it and then to build a watchtower. Seeing that it’s a time of peace, the servants see no need for the watchtower, and they fail to finish building it. The enemy comes and pillages the vineyard. The Lord says that if they had completed the tower, they would have seen the enemy while he was “yet afar off.” The bricks of the tower are God’s commandments. If we leave them on the ground, we never get the tower built, and we fail to discern Satan’s attacks.