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Parable of the Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is a parable of Jesus that likens the kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed that grows large enough for birds to lodge in its branches. It appears in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The Transfiguration
The Transfiguration is the event, recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, in which Jesus was transformed in appearance on a high mountain before Peter, James, and John, and Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with him.
The Last Supper
The Last Supper was the final meal Jesus Christ shared with the twelve disciples on the night before his crucifixion. At this meal Jesus distributed the bread and the cup and spoke of the new covenant, and the church's celebration of the Lord's Supper (Communion) derives from it.
Parable of the Minas
The Parable of the Minas is a parable of Jesus found in Luke 19:11-27. It tells of a nobleman who goes to a far country to receive a kingdom, entrusts one mina to each of ten servants, and on his return settles accounts with them.
Cleansing of the Temple
The cleansing of the Temple is the event in which Jesus drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is recorded in all four Gospels and is read as a passage that raises questions about the true meaning of the Temple and of worship.
Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower is a parable in which Jesus used the image of seed falling by the wayside, on stony ground, among thorns, and on good ground to teach about the different ways people respond to the word. It appears in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the event in which the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples gathered in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after Jesus' ascension, enabling them to speak in other languages. It is recorded in Acts 2.
Parable of the Tares
The Parable of the Tares is a parable in which Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and the final judgment. In it, an enemy sows tares in a wheat field, and the owner lets them grow alongside the wheat until the harvest. It appears only in the Gospel of Matthew.
Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 15:11-32. It tells of a father who welcomes home his younger son after the son has squandered his share of the estate. It is also called the "Returning Prodigal."
Parable of the Lost Coin
The Parable of the Lost Coin is a parable of Jesus found in Luke 15:8-10. It tells of a woman who loses one silver coin, finds it, and rejoices with her neighbors, and it speaks of the joy before God when one sinner repents.
Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 10:25-37. In answer to a lawyer's question, "Who is my neighbour?", Jesus tells the story of a Samaritan who helped a man who had been attacked by robbers.
Parable of the Leaven
The Parable of the Leaven is a short parable in which Jesus likens the kingdom of God to "leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." It appears in Matthew 13 and Luke 13.
Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl are two brief parables of Jesus recorded in Matthew 13:44-46. They convey the worth of the kingdom of God by depicting a person who discovers it and joyfully sells everything he owns to obtain it.
Parable of the Lost Sheep
The Parable of the Lost Sheep is a parable of Jesus in which a shepherd with a hundred sheep goes in search of the one that has gone astray and rejoices when he finds it. It appears in Luke 15 and Matthew 18.
Parable of the Talents
The Parable of the Talents is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 25:14-30. Before going on a journey, a master entrusts his property to his servants; on his return, he settles accounts with each of them over how they used what they had been given.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
The Rich Man and Lazarus is a story told by Jesus in Luke 16:19–31. A rich man who lived in luxury and Lazarus, a beggar who lay at his gate, find their situations reversed after death. The story addresses wealth, care for one's neighbor, repentance, and the word of God.
Parable of the Ten Virgins
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 25:1–13. It tells of ten virgins waiting for a bridegroom, of whom only the five who had prepared oil in advance entered the wedding feast, and it teaches believers to watch and be ready for the Second Coming.
Parable of the Wedding Feast
The Parable of the Wedding Feast is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 22:1-14. A king invites guests to his son's wedding feast, but they refuse; he then gathers people from the highways to fill the banquet hall. Luke 14 contains a similar "Parable of the Great Banquet."
Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen
The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen is a parable of Jesus in which the tenants entrusted with a vineyard kill the servants sent by the owner and finally his son as well. It appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and is read as a warning to the leaders who rejected Jesus.
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is a parable of Jesus recorded in Matthew 20:1–16. In it, laborers who worked from early morning and laborers who arrived near sundown all receive the same wage. The parable conveys the grace of the kingdom of God and the teaching that "the last shall be first."