Category Archives: The Parables of Jesus

Jesus’ Warnings in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, part 3


The parable of Luke 15 contained a warning that was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70 painted by David Roberts (1796-1864).
Throughout His ministry, Jesus pointed out to the Jews their misconduct, including in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. He warned them what would happen if they didn’t repent. But they didn’t listen. The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70 painted by David Roberts (1796-1864). CC0 1.0 DEED

Until recently, I’ve been able to read the parable of Luke 15 without grasping Jesus’ warnings in it, and, specifically in what is called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I saw that the father was quick to forgive his repentant son. I understood that the elder son was unrepentant, and his father was patient with him. But I was missing so much! What was Jesus saying, specifically, for the first-century Jews? And, what warning does it carry for twenty-first century Christians, both Jews and Gentiles?

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Jesus’ Warnings in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, part 2

The father pleading with his elder son as described in the Parable of the Prodigal Son
The story of the Prodigal Son ends with the elder son stubbornly holding to his works-based righteousness. He refuses to recognize the validity of his father’s gracious forgiveness of his sinning brother. Despite his father’s pleading with him, he won’t enter his father’s house and eat the fattened calf to celebrate his brother’s return. Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We saw in part 1 of “Jesus’ Warnings in the Parable of the Prodigal Son” that the Parable of the Prodigal Son is really the last story in a three-part parable that takes up most of Luke 15. And Luke 15 is set within the context of Jesus criticizing the self-righteous Jewish leaders who looked down upon the poor, uneducated people as sinners. This, in turn, contrasts with passages that reveal that Jesus considered the poor people of the multitude His friends. He even told them, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” When the Pharisees and scribes murmured about Jesus’ welcoming and eating with these people whom they considered sinners, “He told them this parable.”

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Jesus’ Warnings in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, part 1


Painting, "The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Received Home by His Father" by Luca Giordano (1634-1705)
The Parable of the Prodigal Son may seem like a simple story of familial love. In fact, Jesus intended it as a very pointed message in response to the attitude of the Jews of His generation and a severe warning to them. Further, it teaches an alarming lesson that Christians today need to learn.
“The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Received Home by His Father” by Luca Giordano (1634-1705). Public Domain

The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible, and one that we can too quickly assume we understand. We know that Jesus tells the story of a man with two sons. The younger son leaves home, wastes his inheritance, returns, and his father forgives him. But, is knowing that much really enough? Are we grasping the messages Jesus intended to convey? Who did Jesus direct the parable to in His day? Does it contain a lesson—maybe even a warning—for us today? Let’s take a careful look at Scripture so that we can learn what Jesus was teaching in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

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The Parables of Jesus>Who Is the Good Samaritan?

A painting titled The Good Samaritan painted by Balthasar van Cortbemde (1612–1663) in 1647. It shows a man in Middle Eastern attire bending down to help a near-naked man who appears to be on the point of death.
Is Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan merely a moral tale that He intended would encourage us to good works? Or, did He have something else in mind altogether? The Good Samaritan (1647) painted by Balthasar van Cortbemde (1612–1663).

We’ve all heard of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. And, we’ve all heard that through this parable, Jesus was teaching that we should show love to our neighbor through self-sacrifice. “Good Samaritan” has even become a term used to describe a helpful or charitable person. According to this common interpretation, the parable teaches that when we see our neighbor in need, we are to help. Yet, if this is what Jesus is saying, it would mean that the half-dead man on the side of the road is the neighbor of the parable, the person in need, the neighbor we are supposed to help.

A fact that is often missed, however, is that Jesus contradicted this accepted understanding by agreeing with the lawyer when he identified the neighbor in the parable as being, not the man in need of help, but the Samaritan who helped him. In fact, there are several difficulties with the standard definition of the parable that, when corrected by the Bible, completely change the meaning from the one assumed. What, then, is the answer to the lawyer’s question in Luke 10:29, “Who is my neighbor?” And who does the good Samaritan in the parable represent?

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The Parables of Jesus> The Kingdom Parables> The Parable of the Unjust Steward

Many people find the Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke 16 the most difficult of all parables to understand. Why would the steward’s master commend him for stealing money from him? Why would Jesus use the dishonest manager as a positive example? Is the parable saying that we can use unrighteous mammon to do good works so that we can be received into heaven? In this article, I’m going to try to shed some light on this story so that we can see the lesson that Jesus was teaching.

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The Parables of Jesus> The Kingdom Parables> The Parable of the Dragnet

Jesus spoke the Parable of the Dragnet immediately after the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price for a reason. These three parables are a triplet. One follows naturally upon the other. The Parable of the Treasure shows us Christ’s love for us in His buying the world in order to get us so that we could be called out of the world. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price shows us Christ’s love toward us in redeeming us from our sins. The Parable of the Dragnet shows the separation between those who are redeemed and those who are not. It is a pretty straightforward parable, and, yet, perhaps not quite so simple as some think.

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The Parables of Jesus> The Kingdom Parables> The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price is the second of the hidden parables—so-called because Jesus tells them only to His disciples. They are found only in Matthew 13. There are certainly direct similarities between this parable and the Parable of the Hidden Treasure that precedes it. But there are also differences. (For more information, see the previous article in this series, “The Parable of the Hidden Treasure“).

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The Parables of Jesus> The Kingdom Parables> The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

The parable I am going to cover in this article starts what I call the hidden parables. They are the last four parables in Matthew 13. These parables are related to each other, not only because they build off each other, but also because Jesus did not give these parables to the multitudes. Jesus spoke them only to His disciples. We learn this several verses before Jesus actually spoke these parables. Matthew 13:36 says, “Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.” Jesus then explained that parable, and we have covered that in, “The Parable of the Tares of the Field.” But then, staying in the house with His disciples, Jesus gave four more parables that were meant only for them. Let’s look at the first of these.

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The Parables of Jesus> The Kingdom Parables> The Parable of the Leaven

This parable and the Parable of the Mustard Seed are a pair. They tell much the same story, but with somewhat different emphases. Understanding the Parable of the Leaven is very straightforward. In fact, it is so straightforward that it is amazing that most commentators give a wrong interpretation for it. In the Parable of the Mustard Seed, Jesus taught that the small, powerful, and simple faith that He planted would grow into a large and corrupt institution. The Parable of the Leaven focuses on the corruption.

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The Parables of Jesus> The Kingdom Parables> The Parable of the Mustard Seed

The previous parables we have examined in this series centered on the planting of grain. The next two parables we will look at are different. The first one is about a mustard seed that grows into a large tree. The second (which will be discussed in our next installment) is about leaven that leavens the entire three measures of meal. As we study into these parables, we will find that the Bible reveals that their meanings are far different from what most commentators and preachers assume. This means that what you have heard about these parables is probably not what the Bible teaches.

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