Types Of Parables JSS2 Christian Religious Studies (CRS) Lesson Note

 TYPES OF PARABLES

1. Types of Kingdom Parables (Matthew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:1-20)

The kingdom parables teach us about God’s kingdom. They help us understand how God’s kingdom works and how we can be part of it. Jesus told many parables about the kingdom of heaven to His disciples and the crowds.

The Parable of the Sower

This parable tells about a farmer who went out to plant seeds. As he scattered the seeds, they fell on different types of ground.

The Four Types of Ground:

Seeds on the Path: Some seeds fell on the hard path. Birds came and ate them up quickly. These seeds represent people who hear God’s word but do not understand it. The devil takes the word away from their hearts.

Seeds on Rocky Ground: Some seeds fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil. The seeds grew quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants dried up because they had no deep roots. These seeds represent people who hear the word and receive it with joy. But when trouble comes, they give up quickly because their faith is not deep.

Seeds Among Thorns: Some seeds fell among thorny weeds. The thorns grew up and choked the good plants so they could not produce fruit. These seeds represent people who hear the word, but the worries of life, love of money, and wanting other things choke the word. They do not produce good fruit in their lives.

Seeds on Good Soil: Some seeds fell on good, rich soil. These seeds grew well and produced a good crop. Some plants produced thirty times more seeds, some sixty times, and some one hundred times more. These seeds represent people who hear God’s word, understand it, accept it, and obey it. Their lives produce much good fruit for God.

The Lesson: This parable teaches us that God’s word is like seed. The condition of our heart determines how we receive God’s word. We must have hearts like good soil, ready to receive, believe, and obey God’s word.

2. The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

A man planted good wheat seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and planted weed seeds among the wheat. When the plants grew, the servants saw both wheat and weeds growing together. They asked the owner if they should pull out the weeds. The owner said no, because pulling the weeds might damage the wheat. He told them to let both grow together until harvest time. At harvest, the workers would separate the weeds from the wheat. They would burn the weeds and gather the wheat into the barn.

The Lesson: This parable teaches us that good people and bad people will live together in the world until the end of time. God will separate them on judgment day. The good people will go to heaven, and the bad people will be punished.

3. The Parable of the Mustard Seed

The kingdom of heaven is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in his field. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds. But when it grows, it becomes a large tree. Birds come and make nests in its branches.

The Lesson: This parable teaches us that God’s kingdom starts small but grows very large. Even though the beginning may seem small, God’s kingdom will spread throughout the whole world.

4. The Parable of the Yeast

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour. The yeast spread through all the dough and made it rise.

The Lesson: This parable teaches us that God’s kingdom influences everything it touches. Just like a little yeast changes the whole batch of dough, God’s kingdom changes the whole world and the lives of people.

1. Examples of Each Parable Type

There are different types of parables that Jesus used to teach different lessons. Here are the main types with examples:

1. Kingdom Parables

These parables explain what God’s kingdom is like:

The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32)

The Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13:33)

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)

The Parable of the Pearl (Matthew 13:45-46)

The Parable of the Fishing Net (Matthew 13:47-50)

2. Parables About God’s Love and Mercy

These parables show how much God loves us:

The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7)

The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

3. Parables About Prayer

These parables teach us how to pray:

The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-8)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)

The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

4. Parables About Service and Stewardship

These parables teach us to serve God faithfully:

The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

The Parable of the Faithful Servant (Matthew 24:45-51)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

5. Parables About Loving Others

These parables teach us to love and care for one another:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

6. Parables About Readiness and Judgment

These parables warn us to be ready for Jesus’s return:

The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27)

The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21)

III. Parable Illustrating God’s Love (Luke 15:3-7 and Matthew 18:12-14)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Jesus told this beautiful parable to show us how much God loves each person.

The Story:

A shepherd had one hundred sheep. One day, he counted his sheep and discovered that one sheep was missing. What did the shepherd do? He did not say, “Well, I still have ninety-nine sheep. That is enough.” No! He left the ninety-nine sheep in a safe place and went out to search for the one lost sheep.

The shepherd searched everywhere. He looked in the valleys, on the hills, and among the rocks. He called out for his lost sheep. He did not stop searching until he found it. When he finally found the lost sheep, he was very happy. He picked up the sheep, put it on his shoulders, and carried it home. He was so joyful that he called his friends and neighbors together and said, “Celebrate with me! I found my lost sheep!”

The Meaning:

Jesus explained that this parable shows God’s love for us. Each person is important to God, just like each sheep is important to the shepherd. When one person is lost in sin, God does not give up on that person. He searches for them. He wants them to come back to Him.

The ninety-nine sheep represent people who are already following God. The one lost sheep represents a sinner who has gone away from God. God loves that one lost person so much that He will do everything to bring them back.

The Lesson for Us:

This parable teaches us several important lessons:

God’s Love is Personal: God does not just love people as a group. He loves each person individually. You are special to God. He knows you by name.

God Never Gives Up: Even when we go far away from God, He never stops loving us. He keeps calling us to come back to Him.

Heaven Rejoices: When one sinner repents and comes back to God, there is great joy in heaven. The angels celebrate! God is happy when people turn away from sin and turn to Him.

Every Person Matters: No person is too small or unimportant to God. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, educated or not, God loves you and wants you in His kingdom.

We Should Search for the Lost: Just like the shepherd searched for the lost sheep, we should reach out to people who do not know God. We should tell them about God’s love and help them come to Jesus.

1. Parable Illustrating Love for One Another

The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

This parable teaches us to show love and kindness to everyone, even people who are different from us.

The Story:

One day, a teacher of the law asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered by telling this parable:

A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way, robbers attacked him. They beat him, took his clothes and money, and left him half dead on the road.

A priest came down the road and saw the injured man. But the priest crossed to the other side of the road and passed by without helping.

Then a Levite (a temple helper) came to the place. He also saw the injured man. He looked at him but did not stop to help. He also passed by on the other side.

Finally, a Samaritan man came down the road. Now, Samaritans and Jews were enemies. They did not like each other at all. But when the Samaritan saw the injured man, he felt sorry for him.

The Samaritan stopped and went to the man. He bandaged his wounds and poured oil and wine on them to help them heal. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn. He took care of him there.

The next day, the Samaritan had to leave. He gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Take care of this man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay you back when I return.”

Jesus’s Question:

After telling the story, Jesus asked, “Which of these three men was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?”

The teacher of the law answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”

The Meaning:

This parable teaches us powerful lessons about loving one another:

Love Crosses Boundaries: The Samaritan helped the Jewish man even though Jews and Samaritans were enemies. We should show love to everyone, not just people who are like us or who belong to our group.

Love is Action: The priest and Levite saw the man but did nothing. Real love is not just feeling sorry for someone. Real love takes action to help people in need.

Our Neighbor is Anyone in Need: A neighbor is not just the person living next door. Anyone who needs our help is our neighbor. We should be ready to help anyone God brings across our path.

Love is Sacrificial: The Samaritan used his own time, energy, and money to help a stranger. He did not expect anything in return. True love means we are willing to sacrifice for others.

Love Does Not Make Excuses: The priest and Levite probably had excuses for not helping. Maybe they were busy or afraid. But love does not make excuses. Love finds a way to help.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

This parable teaches us to forgive one another.

The Story:

A king decided to collect the money his servants owed him. One servant owed the king a huge amount of money – millions of dollars! The servant could not pay. The king ordered that the servant, his wife, his children, and everything he owned should be sold to pay the debt.

The servant fell on his knees and begged, “Please be patient with me! I will pay you everything!” The king felt sorry for him. He forgave the servant’s entire debt and let him go free.

But then, that same servant went out and found another servant who owed him a small amount of money – just a few dollars. He grabbed him and choked him, saying, “Pay me what you owe!”

The other servant fell down and begged, “Please be patient with me! I will pay you!” But the first servant refused. He had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

When the other servants saw what happened, they were very upset. They told the king everything. The king called the unmerciful servant back. He said, “You evil servant! I forgave your huge debt because you begged me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” The king was very angry and sent the servant to prison to be punished.

The Lesson:

Jesus said that this is how God will treat us if we do not forgive others from our hearts. This parable teaches us:

We Must Forgive: God has forgiven us for so much. We must forgive others who hurt us or sin against us.

Our Forgiveness is Small Compared to God’s: The debt we forgive others is small compared to the debt God has forgiven us. Our sins against God are much greater than what others do to us.

Forgiveness Must Come from the Heart: We cannot just say words of forgiveness with our mouths. We must truly forgive from our hearts and let go of anger and bitterness.

Refusing to Forgive Has Consequences: If we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us. This is very serious.

Conclusion

The parables teach us important truths about God’s kingdom, His love for us, and how we should treat one another. The kingdom parables show us that God’s kingdom is powerful and will grow. The parable of the lost sheep shows us that God loves each person and searches for those who are lost. The parables about loving one another teach us to help people in need and to forgive those who hurt us.

We should read these parables carefully and ask God to help us understand them. Then we should obey what they teach us. When we do this, our lives will please God and we will be good examples to others.