Thematic Bible: Parable of


Thematic Bible





"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were thoughtless and five were thoughtful, for the thoughtless ones took their lamps but took no oil with them. read more.
But the thoughtful ones not only took their lamps but also extra oil in their oil cans. While the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and dropped off to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Here comes the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!' Then all those bridesmaids awoke and trimmed their lamp-wicks. And the thoughtless ones said to the thoughtful ones, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the thoughtful ones answered, 'No, no, there may not be enough for you and us. Go to the store and buy your own oil.' And while they were going to buy it, the bridegroom came, and the bridesmaids that were ready went in with him to the wedding reception; and the door was closed. At last the rest of the bridesmaids came, and kept begging, 'Master, master, open the door for us!' But he answered, 'I positively say to you, I do not know you.' So you must keep on watching, for you do not know either the day or the hour.


He told another story: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to yeast which a woman took and worked into a bushel of flour until it all had risen."

It is like yeast which a woman took and hid in a bushel of flour until it all had risen."




"What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides, and go and search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than he does over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.

"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep, and if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and continue to look for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, with joy he puts it on his shoulders, and when he reaches home he calls in his friends and neighbors, and says to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!' read more.
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinful person who repents than over ninety-nine upright people who do not need any repentance.


Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more to eat than they need, and here I am dying of hunger!

I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men."'


"For the kingdom of heaven is like an owner of an estate who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had contracted with the laborers at twenty cents a day, he sent them off to his vineyard. He went out again about nine o'clock and found others standing around doing nothing. read more.
So he said to them, 'You too go out to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is right.' And they went. Again he went out about twelve o'clock and three o'clock, and did as before. About five he went out again and found still others standing around, and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?' They answered him, 'Because nobody has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go out to my vineyard.' "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' And they who had been hired at five o'clock came and received twenty cents each. And those who were hired first, when they came, supposed that they would receive more, but they too received twenty cents each. And as they received it, they began to grumble against the owner of the estate, and say, 'These last worked only one hour, and yet you have put them on the same footing with us who have borne the heavy burdens and scorching heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not contract with me at twenty cents? Take what belongs to you and go. I want to give this man hired last as much as I do you. Have I not the right to do what I please with my own money? Or, is your eye causing you to be covetous, because I am generous?


He gave one five thousand dollars, another two thousand, another one thousand, to each in accordance with his ability. Then he started on his long journey.

And when he began, a man was brought to him who owed him ten million dollars.


He told them another story, as follows: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed in his field. But while the world was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed wild wheat seed in the midst of the good seed, and went away. And when the wheat plants grew up and yielded their ripened grain, the wild wheat plants appeared too. read more.
And the farmer's slaves came up to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the wild wheat plants come from?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' Then they said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them?' And he said, 'No, never, for while you are gathering the wild wheat plants you might root up the good ones with them. Let them both grow together until harvest time, and at the harvest time I will order the reapers, "Gather first the wild wheat plants and tie them into bundles to be burned up, but get the wheat into my barn."'"

the field is the world; the good seed are the members of the kingdom; the wild wheat seed are the followers of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the close of the age, the reapers are angels. Just as the wild wheat plants are gathered and burned up, so it will be at the close of the age. read more.
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all those who cause wrongdoing, and the wrongdoers, and will throw them into the furnace of torturing punishment; there they will wail and grind their teeth.


"What man among you, if he wishes to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see whether he has money enough to complete it? Lest, perchance, after he has laid the foundation but cannot complete the building, all who see it begin to make sport of him,


"The kingdom of heaven is like a pot of gold which was buried in a field, which a man found and buried again; and for joy over it he went and sold all he had and bought that field.