JESUS' PARABLES (39)

1. Jesus' Parables

a) There are 43 parables that Jesus used. The Lord Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning.

b) Jesus' parables are short stories based on the agricultural life that was intimately familiar to His original first century audience. Some aspect of an unfamiliar concept, such as the kingdom of God, was compared to something from everyday life that could easily be understood.

c) It has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Each of Jesus' parables teaches only one or two important lessons. It is the lesson of a parable that is important to us. The story is not important in itself; it may or may not be literally true.

d) My prayer will be "Lord, for Your glory, help me understand these parables, and apply their principles to my everyday life."

2. Parable: Wicked Tenants

a) Luke 20:9-16 New International Version (NIV)

9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”