Parables 1-2-3-4New cloth, New wine. Lamp on a stand. Wise & foolish builders.
(paperback) by Dr. F. LaGard Smith of Pepperdine University, published by Harvest House. There is another list of the parables in chronological order floating around on the web, but it lists only 35 parables and does not cite a source for the chronology.
Ive found with my groups that each lesson or discussion takes about 45 minutes to go through. Ive also found that people can get passionately involved in these lessons and they can easily run much longer if the leader doesnt keep things moving along.
Parables 35-36Persistent widow and crooked judge. Praying: Pharisee and tax collector.
Some discussion questions are borrowed or adapted from the book
Parables 9-10Wise and foolish servants. Unfruitful fig tree.
Parables 43-44Wise and foolish virgins. Servants must remain watchful.
You can see that the first group of parables focuses on the fact that theres a new story being told, that its not to be hidden, and it serves as a foundation for whats coming next. We then have the very important Parables 12 (sower and four types of soil) and 13 (weeds among good plants). This is followed by a group of Kingdom of Heaven parables (growing seed, yeast, valuable pearl, etc.). Now that the foundation has been built, Jesus gets into the behavior parableshow he would have you act as a Christian in different situations as a disciple, worker, or tenant. He then moves into using your talents well, remaining watchful, and finally into judgement. Basically its the progression of a Christian life. Unfortunately, its a progression we miss out on when we read the parables in the order they appear in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Parables 7-8Rich man builds bigger barns. Servants must remain watchful.
Parables 16-19Hidden treasure. Pearl. Fishing net. Owner of a house. Kingdom of Heaven.
Parable 46Sheep and goats will be separated.
Parables 38-39Two sons, one obeys, one does not. Wicked tenants.
Parable 40Invitation to a wedding banquet.
Parables 41-42Signs from a fig tree. Wise and foolish servants.
in studying Jesus parables, I strongly recommend you look over and allow yourself some time to delve into the leaders notes from the first lesson (Parables Introduction) before you get going. Also, print out the entire list of parables and give everyone in your group a copy that they can refer to as your study progresses.
The discussion questions are slightly different from traditional Bible studies in that they
from NavPress (ISBN 0-89109-688-4). I highly recommend this book, which is available from CBD as well as most large Christian bookstores. The image above is a painting simply called Parables By James Christensen. James says, I worked closely with my friend Robert Millet, Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, in selecting these twelve and we feel that each conveys a special aspect of Jesus teachings. Reproductions of the image are available from many web sites.
these studies are in Adobe PDF format,
Parables IntroductionDefinitions, parable, fable, analogy, count of parables
Parable 11Sower of seeds into four types of soil.
so they can easily be printed out. The first page provides the NIV scripture verses, the second is the discussion questions. Pages 3 and higher are notes for leaders. For the Bible studies that I lead, I print the scripture verses on one side of a sheet and the discussion questions on the other side. However, if saving paper is not a consideration, print them on two sheets so people can refer to both the verses and the questions without excessive flipping over. If you cannot read PDF files, click todownload Adobe Reader.
The chronological order of the parables
Parables 20-21Lost sheep. The sheep, gate, and shepherd.
Parable 34Workers in the vineyard, early and late.
Parables 13-15Growing seed. Mustard seed. Yeast. Kingdom of Heaven.
Parables 26-27Lowest seat at the feast. Invitation to a great banquet.
Parable 37Kings servants given minas.
Parable 12Weeds among good plants. Kingdom of Heaven.
List of Parables in OrderBrief descriptions and scripture references for all 46 parables.
Parables 22-23Master and his servant. Unmerciful servant.
emphasize the application of the scripture to your life today.
Parable 45Three servants given talents.
Most Bible scholars say that Jesus parables appear only in the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). However, if we broaden our view a bit, it seems that Jesus three-part story about the sheep, gate, and shepherd in John 10 can also be considered a parable especially as it chronologically falls right after the related parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12-14.
Unlike some of my other studies, there are Leaders Guides for only about one-half of the lessons. Many of the questions are designed to be a springboard to further discussion and there is often no truly right or wrong answer. If you have questions or comments, please use the Contact Me button on the menu below. I guarantee that I will read your comments, however, as this web site gets more than 3,000 visitors per day, I cant possibly answer every one.
Parables 5-6Moneylender forgives unequal debts. Lamp on a stand (2nd time).
Parables 24-25Good Samaritan. Friend in need.
Parables 29-30Lost sheep (sheep as sinners). Lost copin.
that I have used comes from the very excellent NIV
The parables of Jesus embody much of his fundamental teaching. They are quite simple, memorable stories, often with humble imagery, each with a single message. Jesus, for example, likened the Kingdom of God to yeast (an image usually meant as corruption) or a mustard seed. Like his aphorisms, Jesus parables were often surprising and paradoxical. The parable of the good Samaritan, for example, turned expectations on their head with the despised Samaritan proving to be the wounded mans neighbor. The parables were simple and memorable enough to survive in an oral tradition before being written down years after Jesus death.
The chronology is quite a lesson by itself.
Narrated Bible in Chronological Order