PARABLES

1. The Parables of New Cloth and New Wineskins

Passage: Matthew 9:16–17, Mark 2:21–22, Luke 5:36–38

Audience: John the Baptist's disciples

Context: John's disciples ask Jesus why the Pharisees fast, but His disciples do not.

Key verse: "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull
away from the garment, making the tear worse" (Matthew 9:16).

The first-century religious establishment had expectations for the Messiah. In their
understanding, He would come and build upon the traditions and practices of Judaism. Even
John the Baptist's disciples didn't know how to understand why Jesus wasn't adhering to
common Jewish observances.

Jesus tells them that any attempt to patch up what was lacking in Judaism's traditional
expressions of righteousness would only make everything worse. Like a piece of unshrunk
cloth sewn into an old garment or a new wine in an old wineskin, Jesus was bringing
something that wouldn’t fit into the religious traditions of the time.

2. The Parable of the Lamp Stand

Passage: Matthew 5:14–16, Mark 4:21–22, Luke 8:16

Audience: A great crowd

Context: The sermon on the mount

Key Verse: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

First-century homes in Palestine were modest, and it didn't take much light to illuminate
them. People used very small oil lamps which could easily fit under a small bowl. But the idea
of lighting a lamp and putting it under a bowl is absurd. Not only would it be a waste of light,
but it would also be a waste of oil.

Like a lamp, followers of Jesus should be put in a place of prominence where the light within
them can be seen clearly.

For a closer look at this parable, check out the post “What Does It Mean to Be Salt and
Light?"

3. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders

Passage: Matthew 7:24–27, Luke 6:47–49

Audience: A great crowd

Context: The sermon on the mount

Key Verse: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24).

Hearing Jesus's words and putting them into practice is like building your home on a solid and
trustworthy foundation that can withstand life's storms. Jesus contrasts that to the dangers
of ignoring His words, which He compares to building one's life on sand.

This would have been a shocking statement to people listening to Christ’s sermon because
they believed the Torah was the most reliable foundation to build one’s life upon.

For a closer look at this parable, check out the post “What Is the Parable of the Wise and
Foolish Builders About?"

4. The Parable of the Sower

Passage: Matthew 13:3–23, Mark 4:3–20, Luke 8:5–15

Audience: Large crowd

Context: Jesus teaching beside a lake

Key Verse: "But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and
understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times
what was sown" (Matthew 13:23).

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus uses the image of various kinds of soil to contrast different
heart responses to the gospel:

The path: Hard ground where the enemy snatches away the seed of the gospel before it has
a chance to take root.

Rocky places: Soil that is too shallow for the root of faith to survive.

Thorns: Soil where there are too many allegiances vying for space.

Good soil: Ground where the gospel can take root, flourish, and reproduce.

Jesus's point in this parable is that how we receive the gospel is primarily determined by the
condition of our heart.

For a closer look at this parable, check out the post "What Is the Parable of the Sower
About?"

5. The Parable of the Weeds

Passage: Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

Audience: Large crowd

Context: Jesus teaching beside a lake

Key Verses: "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot
the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the
harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the
wheat and bring it into my barn'" (Matthew 13:29–30).

Darnel is a weed that mimics wheat. In its younger stages, it's virtually indistinguishable from
this vital crop. As it grows, it’s roots intertwine with the wheat and make it difficult to uproot
without losing the grain, too. If a rival farmer wanted to hamstring another, he would come
and sow darnel in another’s field.

Jesus uses this word picture to communicate the dangers of judging whether someone else is
a member of God's kingdom. At the end of the age, it will be God who sorts out the weeds
from the wheat.

For a closer look at this parable, check out the post “What is the Meaning of the Parable of
the Weeds?"