Jesus' Parables

The Point of the Gospel

Parables

{Luke} Jesus traveled to towns and villages proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The disciples traveled with him as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene), released from seven demons; Joanna, wife of Cuza and Herod’s house manager; Suzanna and many others, all helping support Jesus with their own money.

{Matthew and Mark} Such large crowds gathered around Jesus that he got into a boat to teach them in parables.

The Sower of Seeds {Matthew, Mark, and Luke}

Jesus said, “A farmer planted his seeds by scattering them on tilled land. Some fell on the walkway and the birds ate it. Some fell on rocky, shallow soil and sprouted quickly. But the sun burned the plants because they had insufficient root systems. Seeds that fell in the thorns were overgrown by them. The seeds that reached good ground produced a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. If you have ears, hear this.”

The disciples asked why he spoke in parables, and he answered, “You have received knowledge of the kingdom of heaven, not these people. Those who have will be given more and have plenty. Those who do not, even what they have will be taken away. The prophecy of Isaiah (6:9, 10) is fulfilled: ‘You will hear but never understand, see but never comprehend. For these people have become insensitive, barely hearing or seeing. If they opened ears and eyes, they might understand, change their direction, and be healed.’

“Blessed are you for seeing and hearing. Truthfully, many prophets and righteous men yearned to but did not see and hear what you have. The parable means that when one doesn’t understand the message about the kingdom, Satan snatches away what was sown in his heart, the seed on the walkway. The seed in rocky soil is the man who joyously hears the word but, having no root, quickly lets it go during trouble or persecution from non-believers. The seed in the thorns is the man who allows worries and materialism to overshadow the word, and he doesn’t mature. But the seed on good ground is the man who hears and understands. By persevering, he produces a crop, yielding more than what was sown.”