Parables of Jesus
The gospels in the Bible recount the parables of Jesus, in which Christ used allegorical stories to teach gospel lessons. Sometimes, the messages of His parables were difficult for hearers to understand. Often, He took his apostles aside and dissected the stories to increase their understanding, and He even told them that only listeners who were aided by the Spirit were meant to grasp the meaning of the stories. Some parables are more complex than others, and some have layers of meaning. In creating allegories, Jesus employed common objects and cultural cues—oil lamps, mustard seeds, wedding traditions, sheep, and wine, for example. Taken collectively and looking at the allegorical material, one can conclude that gospel truths can be grasped in the humblest of circumstances, attuning oneself to the nuances available even in the simplest of environments.
Christ's choice to teach in parables is not limited to the Bible. Christ used parables to teach the Book of Mormon peoples when he visited them in ancient America after His resurrection. He also taught His modern prophets through revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, and even there taught in parables.
Contents
Parables from the Bible
Scholars list thirty-three parables from the Bible, none of them appearing in the Gospel of John. They are as follows:
- Drawing in the Net, Matthew 13:47–50
- Laborers in the Vineyard, Matthew 20:1–16
- Lost Money, Luke 15:8–10
- The Faithful Servant, Luke 12:35–48
- The Good Samaritan, Luke 10:30–37
- The Seed Growing Secretly, Mark 4:26–29
- The Lost Sheep, Matthew 18:12–14, Luke 15:1–7
- The Mustard Seed, Matthew 13:31–32
Mark 4:30–32 Luke 13:18–19
- The Pearl, Matthew 13:45–46
- The Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11–32
- The Sower (The Four Soils), Matthew 13:3–23 Mark 4:1–20 Luke 8:5–15
- The Wedding Feast, Matthew 22:1–14, Luke 14:16–24
- Pharisee and the Publican, Luke 18:9–14
- Ten Talents, Matthew 25:14–30, Luke 19:11–27
- The Budding Fig Tree, Matt 24:32–36, Mark 13:28–32, Luke 21:29–33
- The Friend at Night, Luke 11:5–8
- The Hidden Treasure, Matthew 13:44
- The Importunate Widow, Luke 18:1–8
- The Leaven, Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20–21
- The Master and Servant, Luke 17:7–10
- The Rich Fool, Luke 12:16–21
- The Rich Man and the Beggar Lazarus, Luke 16:19–31
- The Tares, Matthew 13:24–30
- The Ten Virgins, Matthew 25:1–13
- The Two Debtors, Luke 7:41–47
- The Two Sons, Matthew 21:28–32
- The Unjust Steward, Luke 16:1–9
- The Wicked Husbandmen, Matthew 21:33–46, Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19
- The Wise and the Foolish Builders, Matthew 7:24–27
- Unmerciful Servant, Matthew 18:23–35
- Building a tower and waging war, Luke 14:28–33
- The Barren Fig Tree, Luke 13:6–9
- The Guests, Luke 14:7–15
=Some Latter-day Commentary
Concerning the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the Prophet Joseph Smith said,
- Now we can discover plainly that this figure [parable] is given to represent the Church as it shall come forth in the last days.” The Prophet then made a particular application of the parable. Not only did the mustard seed represent the kingdom of heaven; the Prophet also compared the mustard seed to the Book of Mormon: “Let us take the Book of Mormon, which a man took and hid in his field, securing it by his faith, to spring up in the last days, or in due time; let us behold it coming forth out of the ground, which is indeed accounted the least of all seeds, but behold it branching forth, yea, even towering, with lofty branches, and God-like majesty, until it, like the mustard seed, becomes the greatest of all herbs. … It has sprouted and come forth out of the earth, and righteousness begins to look down from heaven, and God is sending down His powers, gifts and angels, to lodge in the branches thereof.” [1]
Concerning the Parable of the Leaven:
- The Prophet Joseph Smith saw a special meaning in the Savior’s mention of three measures of meal: “It may be understood that the Church of the Latter-day Saints has taken its rise from a little leaven that was put into three witnesses. Behold, how much this is like the parable! It is fast leavening the lump, and will soon leaven the whole.” [2]
Concerning the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price:
- See the Church of the Latter-day Saints, selling all that they have, and gathering themselves together unto a place that they may purchase for an inheritance, and that they may be together and bear each other’s afflictions. … See men traveling to find places for Zion and her stakes or remnants, who, when they find the place for Zion, or the pearl of great price, straightway sell that they have, and buy it.” [3]
Concerning the Parable of the Net:
- Concerning the fishermen in this scene, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Behold the seed of Joseph, spreading forth the Gospel net upon the face of the earth, gathering of every kind, that the good may be saved in vessels prepared for that purpose, and the angels will take care of the bad.” [4]
