The Sower

Matthew 13:3–23; Mark 4:3–20; Luke 8:5–15 · Read the passage

The setting: The first and the key to all the parables (Mark 4:13), spoken from a boat to the multitudes on the shore of Galilee, and explained privately to the disciples.

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”Matthew 13:3–9 (KJV)

“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”Matthew 13:18–23 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A sower scatters seed on four soils: the wayside (birds devour it), stony ground (quick growth, no root, withered by the sun), thorns (choked), and good ground (fruit, thirty to a hundredfold). In the Lord’s own explanation the seed is the word of the kingdom; the soils are the hearts of hearers.

The meaning: The parable of parables: the same word is preached to all, and the difference in the harvest lies in the heart that receives it. Satan snatches the uncomprehended word; persecution withers the rootless profession; cares and riches choke the fruitful one; only the honest and good heart keeps the word and bears fruit with patience.

• Hearing is a heart-condition: “Take heed therefore how ye hear” (Luke 8:18).
• A quick, shallow profession is not conversion — the stony ground believed fast and died fast.
• Fruit, over time, is the evidence of good ground.

The Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken with the other kingdom parables of Matthew 13 beside the sea, and explained to the disciples in the house.

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”Matthew 13:24–30 (KJV)

The meaning: A man sows good seed; his enemy sows tares (darnel, a weed indistinguishable from wheat until the heads form) among it while men sleep. The servants would root them up at once; the householder forbids it until the harvest, lest wheat be rooted with the weeds. In the explanation: the field is the world, the harvest is the end of the world, the reapers are the angels. God tolerates mixture in the world until judgment — but the separation is certain, and it is final.

• Counterfeit religion grows beside the true in this age; resemblance is not identity.
• The separation belongs to the angels at the end, not to men now (cf. Romans 14:4).
• The righteous shine forth in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43) — the same sun that ripens wheat hardens the tares’ exposure.

The Growing Seed

Mark 4:26–29 · Read the passage

The setting: Recorded only by Mark, in the parable-teaching by the sea of Galilee.

“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”Mark 4:26–29 (KJV)

The meaning: A man casts seed and then sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed springs and grows up “he knoweth not how.” The kingdom grows by a life the sower does not supply and cannot hurry — first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn. When the fruit is ripe, the sickle comes: the harvest is God’s appointment.

• Preachers sow; God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6 – 7).
• Growth in grace is staged and organic, not instant — blade, ear, full corn.
• Despair over slow growth misunderstands farming: the seed works while the sower sleeps.

The Mustard Seed

Matthew 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–32; Luke 13:18–19 · Read the passage

The setting: A kingdom parable of Matthew 13 (repeated in Luke as Jesus journeyed toward Jerusalem).

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”Matthew 13:31–32 (KJV)

The meaning: From the smallest of seeds — proverbially tiny in that land — grows the greatest of the garden herbs, a tree in whose branches the birds lodge. So the kingdom of heaven: beginning with a crucified Galilean and twelve plain men, despised as nothing, growing until the nations find shelter in it. The Lord answers all who measure the kingdom by its beginnings.

• God delights in small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10).
• Growth is the kingdom’s nature; a stagnant church should ask why.
• The birds lodging in the branches picture the nations gathered into Christ’s shelter (Daniel 4; Ezekiel 17).

The Leaven

Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20–21 · Read the passage

The setting: Companion to the Mustard Seed in Matthew 13.

“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”Matthew 13:33 (KJV)

The meaning: A woman hides leaven in three measures of meal until the whole is leavened. In Scripture leaven usually pictures corruption (Matthew 16:6; 1 Corinthians 5:6 – 8), but here the comparison is of working power: the kingdom, like leaven, is hidden, quiet, and irresistible — it transforms the whole lump from within. Read with the Mustard Seed: the kingdom grows outwardly (the tree) and inwardly (the leaven) until all is changed.

• Grace works hiddenly before it works visibly.
• The gospel is not a surface coat; it leavens the whole man — mind, heart, and practice.
• Three measures: the whole of humanity the kingdom claims (cf. Genesis 18:6).

The Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:44 · Read the passage

The setting: One of the twin one-verse parables spoken to the disciples in the house (Matthew 13:36).

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”Matthew 13:44 (KJV)

The meaning: A man finds treasure hid in a field — and note the order: for joy of it he sells all he has and buys the field. He is not a merchant calculating profit but a finder overcome with joy. So the kingdom comes to many: a man stumbles on Christ where he never looked, and finds Him worth every price. Nothing he sold was worth grieving; the treasure outweighed the all.

• Salvation is found, not earned — “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
• Joy, not reluctance, is the mark of the true transaction: he sells all rejoicing.
• Whatever the kingdom costs you, it costs you less than it is worth — ask the finder when the field is his.

The Pearl of Great Price

Matthew 13:45–46 · Read the passage

The setting: The twin of the Hidden Treasure, spoken in the house.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”Matthew 13:45–46 (KJV)

The meaning: Where the first man stumbled on treasure, this merchant seeks fine pearls professionally — and finding the one pearl of great price, sells all that he has to buy it. Christ is found both ways: by the ploughman who was not looking, and by the seeker who has examined every other pearl and found them wanting. Many pearls are real pearls — morality, religion, philosophy — but there is one of great price.

• Seeking is honored: “seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7).
• Christ is not one pearl among many to the man who has seen Him; He is the pearl, and the rest are sold.
• The price is “all that he had” both times — whole-heartedness is the only currency the kingdom takes.

The Dragnet

Matthew 13:47–50 · Read the passage

The setting: The last of the Matthew 13 parables, closing the Lord’s interpretation with “Have ye understood all these things?”

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”Matthew 13:47–50 (KJV)

The meaning: A dragnet cast into the sea gathers of every kind; drawn ashore, the good are kept in vessels and the bad cast away. The gospel net gathers promiscuously — whale and minnow, saint and hypocrite — in the visible sweep of preaching; the sorting is not the net’s work but the angels’, at the end of the world, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is the Wheat and Tares from the fisherman’s side of the same sea.

• Being in the net is not being in the vessel: church membership is not conversion.
• The bad fish are not thrown back to grow; the casting away is unto judgment.
• Preachers cast wide; God sorts. Our business is the casting — faithfully, everywhere.

The Labourers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1–16 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken after the rich young ruler and Peter’s question, “what shall we have therefore?” — on the road up to Jerusalem.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”Matthew 20:1–16 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A householder hires labourers at dawn for a penny a day, and more at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours — to the last he promises only “whatsoever is right.” At evening all receive a penny, beginning with the last. The first murmur at the generosity: “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”

The meaning: The kingdom’s wages are grace, not arithmetic. The eleventh-hour men — the thief on the cross is the eternal instance — receive the whole Christ, not a twelfth of Him; and the long-serving have no loss by it, for the penny is life eternal. The parable rebukes the mercenary spirit in old disciples: serving for reward measured against others, rather than for the goodness of the Master.

• “The last shall be first, and the first last” — the kingdom keeps reversing our ladders.
• Envy at another’s blessing is an evil eye toward God’s goodness.
• No one is cheated in the vineyard: the first received exactly their covenant; the last received more than theirs — that is what grace means.

The Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:2–14 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken in the Temple in the last week, to the chief priests and Pharisees who were refusing the King’s Son in person.

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”Matthew 22:2–14 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A king makes a marriage for his son and sends servant after servant to the invited: they make light of it, go to their farms and merchandise, and kill the messengers. The king destroys those murderers and their city, and fills the hall from the highways — bad and good together. One guest, found without a wedding garment, is speechless when challenged, and is cast into outer darkness.

The meaning: Israel’s refusal of the Gospel invitation; Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70; the Gospel going out to the highways of the Gentile world. And the searching final stroke: to come at the King’s call is not enough — a man must come clothed as the King provides. The garment is given, not bought (Isaiah 61:10); to appear in one’s own righteousness is to be speechless at the judgment.

• Making light of the invitation is listed with murdering the messengers — contempt is its own rejection.
• “Many are called, but few are chosen” (v. 14): attend to how you come, not only that you came.
• God fills His hall: the feast does not fail for man’s refusal; it moves past the refusers.

The Lost Sheep

Luke 15:4–7; Matthew 18:12–14 · Read the passage

The setting: The first of Luke 15’s three parables of the lost, spoken to Pharisees and scribes who murmured, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”

“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”Luke 15:4–7 (KJV)

The meaning: Ninety-nine in the wilderness are left for the one that is lost — because the ninety-nine are safe and the one is perishing. The shepherd seeks “until he find it,” carries it home on his own shoulders rejoicing, and heaven’s joy over one repenting sinner outmeasures its joy over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. God does not wait for the lost to find their way back; He seeks.

• The initiative of grace: “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
• The found sheep contributes nothing but its lostness — it is carried, it does not walk.
• Heaven keeps count of repentance with joy; the Pharisees counted it with murmuring. Which arithmetic is ours?

The Lost Coin

Luke 15:8–10 · Read the passage

The setting: The second parable of Luke 15 — the lost sheep was lost in the wilderness; the coin is lost in the house.

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”Luke 15:8–10 (KJV)

The meaning: A woman with ten pieces of silver loses one, lights a candle, sweeps the house, and seeks diligently until she finds it. The coin bears the king’s image — as the soul bears God’s (Genesis 1:27) — and though lost, it has lost none of its value; it is lost in darkness and dust, in the house itself. So are many lost who sit in church: valuable, imaged, and unreconciled.

• A soul can be lost at home — in the house of God, among religious things.
• The candle and the sweeping: the Spirit’s searching light and the church’s diligent care.
• “Joy in the presence of the angels of God” — heaven notices one.

The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11–32 · Read the passage

The setting: The crown of Luke 15, answering the same murmuring — and aimed at the elder brother standing outside the feast.

“And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”Luke 15:11–24 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A younger son demands his inheritance early, wastes it in riotous living in a far country, feeds swine in a famine, and “came to himself”: he rehearses a confession and sets out to beg a servant’s place. The father, watching, runs to him — kisses him before the speech is finished — and restores him with robe, ring, shoes, and the fatted calf: “for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

The meaning: The fullest picture of the gospel in a parable: the sinner’s ruin is self-chosen and self-confessed; the Father’s grace runs, restores, and feasts before any probation is served. And the elder brother — dutiful, obedient, and lost at home — refuses the feast out of injured merit, standing for every Pharisee who ever resented the salvation of a worse man. The father pleads with him too; the parable ends with the door open and the elder still deciding.

• “He came to himself”: repentance begins as sanity returning.
• The father ran — the only place in Scripture where God is pictured running, and it is toward a returning sinner.
• You can perish at the pig trough or at the porch: rebellion and resentment are both the far country.

The Two Debtors

Luke 7:41–43 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken at Simon the Pharisee’s table, over the sinful woman who washed the Lord’s feet with her tears, while Simon judged them both in his heart.

“There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”Luke 7:41–43 (KJV)

The meaning: A creditor freely forgives two debtors — one owing five hundred pence, the other fifty. Which will love him most? “He to whom he forgave most.” Neither could pay; the difference is only in what each knew of his debt. The woman loved much because she knew she was forgiven much; Simon loved little because he thought his account small. Forgiveness is free to both — but gratitude is proportioned to the felt size of the debt.

• No debtor pays: “when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.” The gospel in one line.
• Cold love usually means a small view of our own sin, not a small forgiveness.
• Simon’s failure was hospitality to Christ without humility before Him — religion with the feet unwashen.

The Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:23–35 · Read the passage

The setting: Answering Peter’s question, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” — “Until seventy times seven.”

“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”Matthew 18:23–35 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A king reckons with a servant who owes ten thousand talents — a sum no lifetime could repay, millions in modern reckoning. The king, moved with compassion, forgives it all. That same servant seizes a fellowservant by the throat over a hundred pence — a trifle by comparison — and imprisons him for it. The king revokes the pardon: “O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt… Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant?”

The meaning: Every forgiven sinner’s debt to God dwarfs every debt owed to him, and God expects the arithmetic of mercy to be transitive: forgiven people forgive. Persistent unforgiveness is not a small failing but evidence the heart has not understood its own pardon — and the parable closes with real terror: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

• Ten thousand talents against a hundred pence: get the ratio right and most grudges die on the spot.
• Compassion was the king’s motive (v. 27) and is to be the servant’s: mercy received must become mercy rendered.
• Forgiveness is of the heart, not the ledger (v. 35).

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:30–37 · Read the passage

The setting: Answering a lawyer who, “willing to justify himself,” asked, “And who is my neighbour?”

“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”Luke 10:30–37 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A man falls among thieves on the Jericho road and is left half dead. A priest and a Levite pass by on the other side. A Samaritan — of the race the Jews despised — has compassion: binds his wounds with oil and wine, sets him on his own beast, pays the innkeeper, and pledges more. “Go, and do thou likewise.”

The meaning: The parable reverses the question: not “who qualifies as my neighbour?” but “who proved neighbour to the man in need?” Neighbourhood is made by mercy shown, across every line of race and creed. And beyond the moral stands the gospel portrait read by the church in every age: Christ Himself is the true Samaritan to our ruined race — found us half dead, bound our wounds, and paid the whole cost of our keeping.

• Religion that passes by on the other side has failed its own examination (James 1:27; 1 John 3:17).
• Compassion costs: time, oil, wine, money, and a pledged return. Sentiment that costs nothing is not yet love.
• The lawyer asked for a definition; Jesus gave him a man to imitate.

The Great Supper

Luke 14:16–24 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken at a Pharisee’s table after a guest said, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.”

“Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”Luke 14:16–24 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A great supper is prepared and the invited are called at the hour: one has bought a piece of ground, one five yoke of oxen, one has married a wife — “I pray thee have me excused.” The angry master sends his servant into the streets and lanes for the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind; and still there is room, so out to the highways and hedges: “compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” But of the men first bidden, none taste the supper.

The meaning: The excuses are the study: none is wicked, all are ordinary — property, business, family. A man does not need a scandal to miss heaven; a farm will do, examined at the wrong hour. God’s feast fills anyway — with the poor and maimed who know they are hungry. The parable is the preacher’s charter for the highways and hedges, and the refusers’ warning that the table does not wait forever.

• Excuses are more dangerous than refusals: they feel respectable.
• “Compel them to come in” — earnest persuasion is biblical evangelism (2 Corinthians 5:11).
• Still there is room: the invitation outlasts the first hearers’ contempt.

The Friend at Midnight

Luke 11:5–8 · Read the passage

The setting: Given immediately after the Lord taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer — prayer is the parable’s whole subject.

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”Luke 11:5–8 (KJV)

The meaning: A man at midnight begs three loaves from a friend for an unexpected guest; the friend, already in bed with his children, refuses the friendship but yields to the knocking: “because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” The Lord argues from the lesser to the greater: if shameless persistence moves a reluctant man at midnight, how much more will asking move a willing Father? The parable’s word is importunity — prayer that will not take the first silence for an answer.

• Prayerlessness is usually not ignorance but faint-heartedness; this parable treats the faintness.
• The need was for another man (a guest arrived hungry) — intercession is baked into the story.
• “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13).

The Unjust Judge (The Persistent Widow)

Luke 18:1–8 · Read the passage

The setting: Luke states the purpose outright: “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”Luke 18:1–8 (KJV)

The meaning: A widow with no money, no influence, and no other advocate keeps coming to a judge who fears neither God nor man, until sheer weariness makes him avenge her lest she weary him by her continual coming. The Lord’s argument is a deliberate contrast: if an unjust judge can be worn into justice, “shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” The closing question turns it on the hearer: when the Son of man cometh, shall He find this praying faith on the earth?

• God is not the unjust judge — He is the anti-type; the parable argues by contrast, not comparison.
• The elect cry “day and night”: persistence is portrayed as the normal shape of faith under delay.
• Delay is not denial; but fainting is the danger the parable aims at.

The Pharisee and the Publican

Luke 18:10–14 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken “unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” — the parable of two prayers.

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”Luke 18:10–14 (KJV)

The meaning: Two men go up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee’s prayer is an inventory of himself — his fasts, his tithes, his superiority to the publican across the court: he prayed “with himself.” The publican, standing afar off, will not lift his eyes, smites his breast, and prays the whole gospel in seven words: “God be merciful to me a sinner” — literally, be propitiated to me. He, not the other, went down to his house justified. Justification is God’s verdict on the empty-handed, never His applause for the accomplished.

• A man can go to the place of prayer, use the words of prayer, and never pray — he talked to himself.
• The publican’s prayer names the only ground of acceptance: mercy through propitiation (Romans 3:25).
• “Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” — the arithmetic of the kingdom, again.

The Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1–13 · Read the passage

The setting: On the Mount of Olives, in the Lord’s prophecy of His return — answering “when shall these things be?” (Matthew 24:3).

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”Matthew 25:1–13 (KJV)

The parable in brief: Ten virgins take their lamps to meet the bridegroom; five wise took oil in vessels, five foolish took lamps without oil. The bridegroom tarries; all slumber and sleep. At midnight the cry comes; the foolish, their lamps going out, beg oil from the wise, who refuse — “lest there be not enough for us and you” — and while the foolish go to buy, the bridegroom comes; the ready go in, and the door is shut.

The meaning: All ten looked alike at dusk: same lamps, same company, same waiting. The difference was oil laid in beforehand — a real, possessed supply of the Spirit (oil’s standing emblem) and a faith that was their own. Some things cannot be borrowed at midnight: no man can lend you his conversion, his prayer life, or his preparation. The closed door is the parable’s sermon — “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.”

• Delay is part of the design: the bridegroom tarried, and all slept — readiness must survive delay.
• Borrowed religion fails at the one moment it is needed; grace is not transferable between persons.
• “Lord, Lord, open to us” came too late: there is a too-late in the dealings of God.

The Talents

Matthew 25:14–30 · Read the passage

The setting: Immediately after the Ten Virgins, on the Mount of Olives — “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country.”

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”Matthew 25:14–30 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A lord delivers his goods to his servants — five talents, two, one, “to every man according to his several ability” — and journeys. The five and the two trade and double; the one digs and hides his lord’s money. At the reckoning, the traders hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant… enter thou into the joy of thy lord,” and receive cities of authority; the hider pleads his fear of a hard master, is answered from his own mouth, loses the talent to the ten-talent servant, and is cast into outer darkness.

The meaning: The Lord’s absence is a stewardship: everything you have — gifts, years, money, influence — is delivered capital, not private property, and there is a reckoning coming. Note that the unequal gifts are equally rewarded for equal faithfulness: the two-talent man hears the identical commendation. The condemned man’s sin was not embezzlement but burial — a religion of pure inaction, defended by a slanderous view of God (“I knew thee that thou art an hard man”).

• Ability differs; faithfulness must not. The question is not how much you hold but what you did with it.
• Fear that does nothing is unbelief wearing humility’s clothes.
• “Enter thou into the joy of thy lord” — the reward of service is more service, and joy.

The Pounds (Minas)

Luke 19:11–27 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken near Jericho, at Zacchaeus’ house, “because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”

“And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”Luke 19:11–27 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A nobleman goes into a far country to receive a kingdom, leaving each of ten servants one pound with the charge, “Occupy till I come.” His citizens send a message of hatred after him: “We will not have this man to reign over us.” At his return the traders receive cities — ten pounds, ten cities; five, five. The keeper of the napkin loses his pound; the citizens who refused his reign are slain before him.

The meaning: Beside the Talents’ lessons (stewardship proportioned here by faithfulness with equal trust), Luke’s parable adds what the hour required: the King is rejected by His own citizens in His absence, and His kingdom does not appear immediately — there is an interval of trading before the throne. The final verses answer soft views of Christ’s return: the returning King judges rebels, not only rewards servants.

• “Occupy till I come” — the whole of the Christian’s orders in three words.
• Delay again — the nobleman’s journey is long, and the citizens’ hatred is part of the interval.
• Neutrality about Christ’s kingship does not exist: the citizens who would not have Him reign are treated as enemies.

The Faithful and Wise Servant

Matthew 24:45–51; Luke 12:42–46 · Read the passage

The setting: In the Olivet prophecy, answering Peter’s question whether the watchfulness parables were for the disciples or for all.

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”Matthew 24:45–51 (KJV)

The meaning: A steward is set over the household to give them meat in due season. If his lord returns and finds him so doing, he is blessed and made ruler over all the goods; if he says in his heart “my lord delayeth his coming,” and falls to beating the servants and drunkenness, the lord comes in an hour he is not aware of, and cuts him asunder with the hypocrites. Delay tests servants differently than it tests virgins: here it reveals cruelty and appetite in a man whose profession stays orthodox.

• The danger hour for a steward is not persecution but postponement — “my lord delayeth.”
• How a man treats the other servants is how the Lord reads his stewardship.
• Ministry is feeding the household “in due season”: right food, on time, every week.

The Fig Tree

Matthew 24:32–35; Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33 · Read the passage

The setting: The Lord calls it a parable Himself: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree” — in the Olivet discourse.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”Matthew 24:32–35 (KJV)

The meaning: When the fig tree’s branch is tender and puts forth leaves, you know summer is nigh. So the signs of the Olivet prophecy mean the end is “near, even at the doors.” The parable teaches proportioned reading: signs are for discerning nearness, not for computing dates — “of that day and hour knoweth no man.” And it anchors the whole discourse in the strongest possible guarantee: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

• Signs inform the watchful; they do not excuse the calculator.
• The generation that sees the sign-cluster will see the consummation: nearness, once begun, completes.
• Prophecy’s certainty rests on the permanence of Christ’s words, not on our charts.

The Thief in the Night

Matthew 24:43–44; Luke 12:39–40 · Read the passage

The setting: A one-verse similitude in the Olivet discourse — the picture Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:2) and Peter (2 Peter 3:10) and the risen Lord Himself (Revelation 16:15) take up again.

“But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”Matthew 24:43–44 (KJV)

The meaning: Had the goodman of the house known at what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and protected his house. Since he does not know, the only safety is to be always ready: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” The comparison is of unexpectedness, not of character — Christ comes as a thief in surprise, never in theft.

• Readiness is a state, not a calculation: the ready man is not the one who guessed the watch but the one awake in all of them.
• “As ye think not” — the return will surprise our timetables in whichever direction we err.
• The apostles preach this 1 Thessalonians 5 as comfort to the ready, not terror: “ye are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

The Unjust Steward

Luke 16:1–13 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken to the disciples, with the Pharisees — “who were covetous” — listening and deriding (Luke 16:14).

“And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”Luke 16:1–13 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A steward accused of wasting his lord’s goods is called to give account before dismissal. Facing the loss of his place, he summons his lord’s debtors and slashes their bills — a hundred measures of oil to fifty, of wheat to eighty — to make friends who will receive him when he falls. “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely.”

The meaning: The most misunderstood parable in the Gospels — and the key is in the Lord’s own application: the steward is commended not for dishonesty but for foresight. A ruined man used present means to prepare for a coming change; the children of this world are “wiser in their generation” than the children of light, who hold eternal assets and plan for nothing. Use the mammon of unrighteousness — money, the least of trusts — to make friends for the eternal world (souls won, needs met, treasure laid up in heaven), because if you are not faithful in the least, no one will commit the true riches to you.

• Money is a test with an expiry date: “failure of stewardship is answered with “give an account.”
• The application is giving: earthly wealth spent on eternal ends is the only safe transfer.
• “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (v. 13) — the parable ends by forcing the choice it has been illustrating.

The Rich Fool

Luke 12:16–21 · Read the passage

The setting: Drawn out by a man in the crowd asking Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness.”

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”Luke 12:16–21 (KJV)

The meaning: A rich man’s grounds bring forth plentifully; his problem is storage. He counsels himself — I will pull down my barns and build greater; I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. God calls him Fool, and serves the notice the same night: “this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be?” Covetousness is atheism in practice: his monologue mentions his fruits, his barns, his goods, his soul — and never God, a neighbour, or a grave.

• Abundance is not the sin; the sin is the self-referencing with which abundance is held.
• “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (v. 15).
• Being “rich toward God” is the parable’s remedy — laid-up treasure in the currency of heaven.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19–31 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken against the covetous Pharisees who derided Christ’s teaching on mammon (Luke 16:14). The rich man is unnamed; the beggar alone has a name — Lazarus, “God is my help.”

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”Luke 16:19–31 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A certain rich man fares sumptuously every day while Lazarus lies at his gate full of sores, desiring the crumbs. Both die: Lazarus is carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom; the rich man, in hell, lifts up his eyes in torments and begs first for a drop of water, then for Lazarus to be sent to warn his five brothers. Abraham refuses both: a great gulf is fixed — and “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them… If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

The meaning: Whether read as parable or as the Lord’s unveiling of a real history, its doctrine is fixed and fearful: death ends no account; the state after death is conscious, memory is alive, and no passage crosses the gulf. Riches damned no one and poverty saved no one — the rich man is condemned for a life of merciless self-indulgence beside a gate he stepped over daily. And the closing word is the Bible’s verdict on all demands for more evidence: men who will not hear Scripture will not be persuaded by a resurrection — as the leaders proved when another Lazarus actually rose.

• Eternity reverses the visible ledger: the man history forgot is the one heaven named.
• “Remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things” — memory itself is part of the torment.
• The sufficiency of Scripture is the parable’s last doctrine: Moses and the prophets are enough.

The Unprofitable Servants

Luke 17:7–10 · Read the passage

The setting: Teaching the apostles, immediately after their request, “Lord, Increase our faith.”

“But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”Luke 17:7–10 (KJV)

The meaning: A servant comes in from ploughing the field and is not invited to sit at meat but to gird himself and serve his master’s supper first. Does the master thank him? “I trow not.” So you, when you have done all that is commanded: “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” The parable cuts the root of merit-religion: obedience to God is debt payment, not surplus. Nothing we render puts heaven in our debt; all reward beyond duty is grace.

• Duty fully done is still only duty — a chastening word for the age of applause.
• The servant serves supper before he eats his own: the order of the kingdom is God first.
• This is why salvation cannot be wages: Romans 4:4 – 5 stands behind the parable.

Counting the Cost (The Tower and the King)

Luke 14:28–33 · Read the passage

The setting: To the great multitudes following Him, with the hard words about hating father and mother and bearing the cross (Luke 14:25 – 27).

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”Luke 14:28–33 (KJV)

The meaning: A builder who lays a foundation and cannot finish becomes a mockery; a king with ten thousand who will not reckon against twenty thousand sues for peace while the enemy is far off. Discipleship in Christ’s terms is not an impulse at an altar but a settled transaction: “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” The Lord refuses converts who have not counted — He would rather turn a multitude back than enroll them under false pretenses.

• Christ Himself teaches counting the cost; decision without reckoning produces the mockery of unfinished towers.
• The forsaking is of ownership, not necessarily of possession: all that he hath is yielded to Christ’s disposal.
• Peace sued for “whilst the other is yet a great way off” is wisdom: settle with God before the meeting is forced.

The Two Sons

Matthew 21:28–32 · Read the passage

The setting: In the Temple, to the chief priests and elders who had challenged His authority — the first of three parables of judgment upon them.

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”Matthew 21:28–32 (KJV)

The meaning: A father bids two sons work in his vineyard. One refuses flatly — “I will not” — then repents and goes. The other answers with perfect courtesy, “I go, sir,” and goes not. “Whether of them twain did the will of his father?” The Lord applies it without mercy: the publicans and harlots, who first said no to God and then repented at John’s preaching, enter the kingdom before the courteous professionals who said yes all their lives and never moved.

• God reads feet, not phrases: obedience is a direction of travel.
• A bad beginning repented of beats a polite profession persisted in.
• “Ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward” — seeing others repent is itself a summons.

The Wicked Husbandmen

Matthew 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19 · Read the passage

The setting: In the Temple in the last week, built on Isaiah’s song of the vineyard (Isaiah 5) — and the rulers “perceived that he spake of them.”

“Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”Matthew 21:33–44 (KJV)

The parable in brief: A householder plants a vineyard — hedge, winepress, tower — and lets it to husbandmen, going into a far country. At the fruit seasons he sends servants for his fruit: beaten, killed, stoned. Last he sends his son, saying, “They will reverence my son.” The husbandmen reason, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours” — and cast him out of the vineyard and kill him.

The meaning: Israel’s history in one story: the vineyard is the house of Israel (Psalm 80); the servants are the prophets, beaten and sawn asunder down the centuries; the Son is Christ Himself, and the parable — spoken days before the cross — is prophecy as much as story. The judgment pronounced: the kingdom taken from the unfaithful stewards and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits. And the coda is the cornerstone text of the New Testament: the stone the builders rejected — rejected precisely in this murder — is become the head of the corner.

• The husbandmen’s madness is instructive: killing the heir to keep the inheritance is sin’s whole logic.
• Privilege long abused ripens into removal: stewardship revoked is a Bible pattern (1 Samuel 2; Daniel 5).
• To fall on the Stone in repentance is to be broken and saved; for the Stone to fall on a man is to be ground to powder (v. 44).

The Barren Fig Tree

Luke 13:6–9 · Read the passage

The setting: Spoken after word came of Pilate’s massacre of the Galileans — with the Lord’s double warning, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

“He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”Luke 13:6–9 (KJV)

The meaning: Three years of fruit-seeking on a fig tree planted in a vineyard, and nothing: “cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” The dresser intercedes — one year more, with digging and dunging, special grace upon special care; if fruit, well; if not, after that, cut it down. The parable is time itself preached: profession without fruit lives on borrowed years, and the intercession of Christ buys sinners a season that will not be bought twice.

• Barrenness under long cultivation is an aggravated sin — privileges increase accounts.
• Mercy’s reprieve has an “after that”: the year of grace is not the abolition of the axe.
• Digging and dunging: God often works at the roots of a barren life by trouble — receive it as cultivation, not cruelty.

The New Cloth and the Old Wineskins

Matthew 9:16–17; Mark 2:21–22; Luke 5:36–39 · Read the passage

The setting: Answering the disciples of John and the Pharisees on why Christ’s disciples did not fast as theirs did — at Matthew’s feast.

“No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”Matthew 9:16–17 (KJV)

The meaning: New cloth on an old garment tears worse than before; new wine in old skins bursts them. The gospel of the kingdom is not a patch on Judaism’s worn garment, nor new wine to be corked inside the old forms of law-religion: grace is a new creation requiring new vessels. Luke adds the realistic sigh — “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better” — which is why old-religionists resist grace long after the skins have split.

• Christ did not come to patch the old man; He makes all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Forms must fit life: new wine demands skins that can stretch.
• Religion can become the chief obstacle to the gospel — the old wine tastes better to the unrenewed palate.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:47–49 · Read the passage

The setting: The conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount — the Lord’s own application of all He had taught.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”Matthew 7:24–27 (KJV)

The meaning: Two builders, two houses, one storm. The wise man hears Christ’s sayings and does them, digging to rock; the foolish hears and does not, building on sand without foundation. The difference is invisible in fair weather — both houses stand, both look finished — and absolute in the flood: “and great was the fall of it.” Hearing sermons is not the rock; doing them is. It is the fitting close to the greatest sermon ever preached: its destiny is not admiration but obedience.

• The storm is common to both houses — trouble distinguishes foundations; it does not create them.
• Sand-building is usually faster and cheaper: ease in religion is expensive later.
• The Lord Jesus ends His sermon by making Himself the rock of it: “these sayings of mine.”