Stories Jesus Told: Favourite Stories from the Bible

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I tell you, when this man went home, he was right with God. The other one was not. Everyone who puts himself up in a high place will be brought down to a low place. And everyone who puts himself in a low place will be brought up to a high place.' Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. John says that because of this first miracle, the disciples saw the glory of Jesus and believed in Him. But we know from some of the coming stories that they still did not have a full understanding of who Jesus was. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, God blesses those who have faith without needing to see tangible proof. Why Should You Read Bible Stories to Your Kids? The parable about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) also encompasses the last three themes, but particularly shows that God looks on the heart not the outward person, and God recognises justice, mercy, and kindness List of Parables on Themes 6and7 The Weak Made Strong, God Looks on theHeart About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ The travelling life of the caravan and its occupants provide the opportunity for Rabbit to share these tales with other animals they meet and they join Caravan Bear, Whitby and Freddie in listening - and learning from - the stories. He is frequently interrupted by questions from his listeners, the kind of questions any child - or adult - might ask. As followers of Jesus we live in an environment which is hostile to his life and teachings and to his way of love. Although it is difficult to live in a world of evil, this parable tells us that judgment is something we need to leave in God’s hands.

Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ When Jesus had fed the five thousand, He made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him, and He went up onto a mountainside to pray. When it was evening, the boat had reached the middle of the ocean and Jesus was the only one on land. He saw the disciples fighting against the wind because it was too strong. Later, He went out to them, walking on water. In this parable Jesus teaches us how important it is to respond with gratitude to his abundant love and generous mercy, so that we can to let go of our fear and self-judgment and freely extend love and mercy toward others. The parables of the Empty House and the Foolish Virgins (Matthew 12:43-45, Matthew 25:1-13) are about failure to respond to God’s kind invitation, to see the sin in oneself, and to get ready for judgment

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ When the people whom God has chosen call to him day and night, he will save them from their enemies. He may let them wait a time. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

The life, ministry, death and resurrection of Christ formed the foundation of Christianity and its teachings, its theology. Yet Jesus didn’t teach theology as it’s taught today. He taught like a playwright or a poet. He used metaphor, simile, parable, overstatement, and dramatic action. Jesus sent His disciples to find food while He traveled through an area called Samaria. Many Jews did not like to travel through there because they did not like the people of Samaria. But Jesus said that He needed to go through that area. Why did He need to go? He knew that He would meet a woman there who needed to hear about God.

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” The parables of the Hidden treasure, Pearl of Great Price, Yeast, Mustard seed, Household Treasures, Sprouting seed, and the Dragnet, (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 13) picture the very great value of the kingdom ofGod, and its universal nature But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.