Parables of Jesus
The stories Jesus told to reveal the kingdom of God. Tap any to read the passage.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
Matthew 7:24–27
Building your life on Jesus' words is like a house founded on rock. It stands when the storms come.
New Cloth and New Wineskins
Matthew 9:16–17
The new life Jesus brings can't be patched onto the old. It calls for new wineskins.
The Sower
Matthew 13:1–23
The same seed of God's word bears fruit or withers depending on the soil of the heart that receives it.
The Wheat and the Weeds
Matthew 13:24–30
God lets wheat and weeds grow together until the harvest, when the two are finally separated.
The Mustard Seed
Matthew 13:31–32
The kingdom of heaven starts as the smallest seed and grows into a tree that shelters all.
The Leaven
Matthew 13:33
Like yeast worked through dough, the kingdom quietly transforms everything it touches.
The Hidden Treasure
Matthew 13:44
The kingdom is a treasure worth joyfully selling everything to gain.
The Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:45–46
A merchant sells all he has for one pearl of surpassing value. So precious is the kingdom.
The Net
Matthew 13:47–50
The gospel gathers all kinds, but at the end the good and the bad are sorted.
The Unforgiving Servant
Matthew 18:23–35
Forgiven an unpayable debt, we are called to forgive others from the heart.
The Workers in the Vineyard
Matthew 20:1–16
God's generosity gives the same grace to the last as to the first.
The Two Sons
Matthew 21:28–32
It is not the one who says "yes" but the one who actually does the Father’s will.
The Wicked Tenants
Matthew 21:33–46
Tenants who reject the owner's son picture leaders who reject God's Messiah.
The Wedding Feast
Matthew 22:1–14
Many are invited to the King's banquet, but not all are ready to come.
The Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1–13
Wisdom keeps its lamp ready, for no one knows the hour the bridegroom comes.
The Talents
Matthew 25:14–30
We are entrusted with gifts to invest, and will give account for how we use them.
The Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 25:31–46
The King welcomes those who served him in the hungry, the stranger, and the prisoner.
The Growing Seed
Mark 4:26–29
The kingdom grows in ways we cannot see or explain, as surely as seed sprouts in the earth.
The Two Debtors
Luke 7:41–43
The one forgiven much loves much.
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25–37
Our neighbor is anyone in need, and love crosses every boundary to help.
The Friend at Midnight
Luke 11:5–8
Keep asking; persistent prayer is heard.
The Rich Fool
Luke 12:16–21
Storing up wealth for oneself is folly if one is not rich toward God.
The Barren Fig Tree
Luke 13:6–9
God's patience gives more time to bear fruit, but the call to repent is urgent.
The Great Banquet
Luke 14:15–24
When the invited make excuses, the poor and outcast fill the master's table.
The Lost Sheep
Luke 15:3–7
The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one that is lost, and heaven rejoices when it is found.
The Lost Coin
Luke 15:8–10
God searches for the lost like a woman sweeping her house for one lost coin, rejoicing when it's found.
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11–32
However far we wander, the Father runs to welcome the returning child home.
The Shrewd Manager
Luke 16:1–13
Use worldly resources wisely and faithfully, for you cannot serve both God and money.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19–31
Wealth ignored the suffering at its gate, and the reversal came too late to undo.
The Persistent Widow
Luke 18:1–8
Pray always and do not lose heart, for God will bring justice to those who cry to him.
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 18:9–14
The humble prayer of the sinner, not the proud boast of the righteous, goes home justified.
The Ten Minas
Luke 19:11–27
Faithful use of what the King entrusts is rewarded when he returns in power.
32 parables