Christian Mysteries and Salvation

All Parables of Jesus

Parable of the Good Samaritan: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he passed him by. A temple assistant (Levite) walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the inn keeper two silver coins, telling him “Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here”. (Now which of these men three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits? Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same”) Bible verse: Luke 10: 30-37

Parable of the Rich Fool: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself “What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops”. Then he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” But God said to him, You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” (Jesus says “Yes a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God”) Bible Verse: Luke 12:13-21

Parable of the barren Fig Tree: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden. The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down”. Bible verse: Luke 13: 6-9

Parable of the Mustard Seed: “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” Bible Verse: Luke 13:18-19 Matthew 13:31-32

Parable of the Yeast: He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Bible Verse: Luke 13:20-21 Matthew 13:33

Parable of the Great Feast: Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a

blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said ‘I just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me. Another said, I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me. Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.

The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more. So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of these I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.” Bible Verse: Luke 14:15-24 Matthew 22: 1-14

Parable of the Lost Sheep: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep. In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God Than over the ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Bible Verse: Luke 15:1-7 Matthew 18:12-12

Parable of the Lost Coin: “Or suppose the woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin. In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” Bible Verse: Luke 15:7-10

Parable of the Lost Son: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, I want my share of your estate now before you die. So, his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran, a great famine swept over the land and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.

The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”

But his father said to the servants, Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must be celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. Your brother is back, he was told, and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return. The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to.

And in all that time you never gave me even one young got for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf! His father said to him, Look, dear son you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now is found! Bible Verse: Luke 15: 11-32

Parable of the Shrewd Manager: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order because you are going to be fired. The manager thought to himself, Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.

“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, How much do you owe him? The man replied, I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil. So the manager told him, Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons. And how much do you owe my employer? He asked the next man. I owe him 1000 bushels of wheat, was the reply. Here the manager said, take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.

The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd”. (And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches in heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.) Bible verse: Luke 16:1-13

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered in sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. The rich man shouted, Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.

But Abraham told him, Son remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to us from there. Then the rich man said, Please, Father, Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this torment.

But Abraham said, Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote. The rich man replied, No Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God. But Abraham said, If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. Bible verse: Luke 16:19-31

Parable of the Persistent Widow: There was a judge in a certain city, “he said, who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy. The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!” (Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So, don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?) Bible Verse: Luke 18:1-8

Parable of the Evil Farmers: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty handed. So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty handed.

A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away. What will I do? The owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him. “But when the farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves! So, they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.” Bible Verse: Luke 20:9-15 Matthew 21:33-39

Parable of the Ten Servants: A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying ‘Invest this for me while I am gone. But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king. After he was crowned king, he returned and called in his servants to whom he had give the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.

The first servant reported, Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ Well done! The king exclaimed. You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ The next servant reported, Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ Well done! The king said. You will be governor over five cities.

“But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ “You wicked servant! The king roared. Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvest crops didn’t plant, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.

Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ But, master, they said, ‘he already has ten pounds! Yes, the king replied, and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king -bring them in and execute them right here in front of me. Bible Verse: Luke 19:11-27

Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed: A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the other tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

(Anyone with ears to hear to hear should listen and understand.) Bible Verse: Matthew 13:1-9

Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crops began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?”

“An enemy has done this! The farmer exclaimed. Should we pull out the weeds? They asked. No, he replied, you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.”

Bible Verse: Matthew 13:24-30

Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl: 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! Bible Verse: Matthew 13: 44-46

Parable of the Fishing Net: Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. When the net was full, they dragged it up onto a shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates but threw the bad ones away. (That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked and the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.) Bible Verse: Matthew 13:47-50

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor: Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned to pay the debt.

But the man fell down before his master and begged him, Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all. Then his master filled with pity for him, and released him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to his fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

His fellow servant fell down before him and begged him for a little more time. Be patient with me and I will pay it, he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he paid his entire debt. (That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart) Bible Verse: Matthew 18:21-35

Parable of the Vineyard Workers: For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the land owner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. At nine o clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard.

At noon and again at three o clock he did the same thing. At five o clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, Why haven’t you been working today? “They replied, Because no one hired us.’ The landowner told them, “Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they too were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner. Those people worked only one hour, and yet you paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.

He answered one of them. Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others? (So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.) Bible Verse: Matthew 20: 1-16

Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids: “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight they were roused by the shout, Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!

All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out. But the others replied, We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves. But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went with him to the marriage feast, and thedoor was locked.

Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, Lord! Lord! Open the door for us! But he called back, Believe me, I don’t know you! (So, you too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.) Bible Verse: Matthew 25:1-13

Parable of the Three Servants: Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servants who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid their master’s money. After a long time, their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they used his money.

The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more. The master was full of praise. Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!

The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more. The master said, Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let celebrate together!

Then the servant with one bag of silver came and said, Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back. But the master replied, You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it. Then he ordered, Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten bags of silver.

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Bible verse: Matthew 25:14-31