-
Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
-
He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
-
Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
-
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,
-
Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
-
Parable of the Lamp
Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
-
Parable of the Growing Seed
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.
-
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?
-
In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
-
Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used.
-
Parable of the Evil Farmers
Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.