7 Common Themes in Jesus’ Parables
Share
Jesus rarely taught without using a story, what the gospels called parables. But he didn’t just tell stories, he employed them to support a point or establish one.
Many people think Jesus taught in parables to relate to people. However, the Scripture gives a couple of other reasons. First, Jesus used parables to reveal eternal truth (Matthew 13:34-35). A story might be simple and short yet contain great depth, enough to properly point to the infinite realities of God, far more complex than a lecture.
Second, Jesus used stories to hide the truth, like a treasure (Matthew 13:10-15). The lazy want a message pre-wrapped for them. Yet real learning happens when the learner works for it, seeks for it, and gives of him or herself to acquire truth. People love mysteries and finding secrets. Christ gives this adventure to those who truly value truth.
So, Jesus taught in parables. Reading through the gospels, we find specific themes revealed through numerous stories told by Jesus. Here are seven common themes.
1. The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God was one of the main topics of Jesus’ ministry. Therefore, Jesus used several stories to explain how the Kingdom wasn’t only a distant future reality but one his followers could enter in the present. Christ taught how God reigns whenever hearts surrender to God’s will. Being back in right relationship, the Lord’s rule over people transforms their lives.
Interestingly, Jesus never gave an academic definition of the Kingdom of God. Neither did Paul. Instead, he used parables. Earthly language can’t properly express a heavenly realm, but a story can give us hints, come close. With parables, Christ taught different aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven, which doesn’t follow worldly rules — it grows silently, works powerfully, and welcomes the marginalized. The Kingdom of God is both here and to come, challenging his disciples to respond now with faith in the future fulfillment.
Jesus compares the Kingdom to the smallest seed, a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32). However small, it grows into a huge tree and provides shelter for birds. These images reveal how the Kingdom’s beginnings seem small and humble but end up having massive influence, including blessing others. This growth and provision for others connects to God’s covenant with Abraham, how his seed would bless all nations (Genesis 12:3). Jesus himself began with only a few followers. Through the power of the Spirit, God’s reign and transformation over hearts continues to spread and grow across the world into many nations.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Joaquin Corbalan
2. The Love of the Father
The second main topic of Jesus’ ministry, besides the Kingdom, was the love of the Father, which only Jesus could do as the Son.
Jesus taught of a compassionate, loving Father, not a distant, angry one. The Father seeks, forgives, restores. His mercy goes beyond what anyone deserves or expects, revealing a heart for reconciliation and joy over every lost soul who returns. Jesus’ description contrasted the legalistic, judgmental one usually taught by the Jews.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son reveals the heart of the Father (Luke 15:11-32). The younger of two sons demands his inheritance from his father, which essentially means he wishes the father dead. With the money, the son leaves and wastes it all on pleasure. Now destitute, the son returns to the father’s house. The father runs out to meet the son, embracing and reinstating him as a son, even throwing a party. The overwhelming mercy shocks the son. The elder brother resents the prodigal and the party, but the father gently invites him to come celebrate.
The Father doesn’t only forgive, he rejoices and completely restores. His mercy is overwhelmingly generous, especially considering what was deserved. Jesus taught no one is too sinful for God’s love. If the lost will repent, the Father’s arms will remain open and waiting to welcome and fully restore.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Iknuitsin Studio
3. Judgment
Christ focused on God’s mercy and love because there will be a judgment. God, in his love, holds people accountable. Jesus warned of such consequences while offering repentance and opportunity for forgiveness. The Son of God didn’t shy away from reminding his listeners how the Gospel of the Kingdom requires a response: either repentance or rejection. And Jesus often revealed the dangers of rejection through pride and hypocrisy.
In the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46), Jesus clearly shows the consequences for those who reject his rule and reign. In the story, a landowner rents his vineyard to tenants and sends servants to collect the grapes. However, the tenants beat and kill each messenger. Finally, the landowner sends his own son, thinking the tenants wouldn’t dare murder him, but they do. Jesus used this parable to confront the hate the religious leaders had for him. The Jewish leaders rejected Jesus like they had the prophets in the past. The Jews would soon kill Jesus, too.
God, like the landowner, is patient and generous, giving several merciful chances. The parable shows the violent and horrible heart of pride and sin to reject the Son of God, validating the consequence. Jesus ends by saying, “The Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people producing its fruit.” God expects fruit from his creation, those made in his image. Rejection of his ownership and his Son brings rightful, final judgment.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/utah778
4. Repentance and Forgiveness
Thankfully, Jesus continually reminded his listeners that a way existed to avoid such consequences for pride and rejection: humble themselves, repent, and turn to God. God doesn’t offer this because he has to. God doesn’t want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). On the contrary, he greatly prefers humans repent and live. For this, he sent his Son. Christ often spoke about how God stands ready to forgive all who genuinely repent, no matter their past. At the same time, God won’t force repentance or submission; he desires willing relationship.
The famous Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7) reveals this theme. Jesus tells a short story of a shepherd who has 100 sheep. But when one goes astray and gets in trouble, the shepherd leaves the 99 to search for the lost sheep. The shepherd finds it and brings it back, calling his friends and neighbors to celebrate with joy. Jesus often taught how he fulfilled the Old Testament image of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), God himself becoming the leader of his people instead of humans (Ezekiel 34:11). In Luke 15, Jesus explains how this parable shows heaven rejoicing more over one sinner who repents than 99 who think they don’t need to.
The simple parable reveals God’s personal and abundant love for the lost. He seeks and finds, eager to forgive and rescue from danger if they will repent.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Henry Crofts
5. Stewardship
Interestingly, Jesus talked a great deal about money, how people handle wealth and resources with an eternal perspective. Jesus warned how money can deceive and lead to destruction. At the same time, God entrusts people with earthly possessions to use for his purposes. Christ taught how God disciples us with earthly riches to prepare us to handle the eternal, Kingdom wealth. How people handle temporary things exposes spiritual character. Jesus especially taught how to use temporary wealth to have riches in heaven, by giving to the poor.
The Parable of the Rich Fool teaches a powerful lesson regarding stewardship (Luke 12:16-21). Jesus tells a story of a wealthy man who has an especially abundant harvest, more than he can fit in his barns. So he builds bigger ones, planning to store his wealth and relax. But God shows up, calls the rich man a fool, saying, “This very night your life will be demanded of you.” God then asks a rhetorical question: who will enjoy your stuff now? Luke 12 also includes Jesus’ formula for having treasure no one can steal: to give to those in need.
Jesus warns against being self-centered about our own comfort, hoarding wealth while ignoring the opportunity to help others. The rich man failed stewardship — he held onto abundance when he was going to lose it anyway. By giving to God and others, from an eternal perspective, we can turn temporary things into eternal, guaranteed riches. That’s proper stewardship.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/lovelyday12
6. Compassion for the Poor
As we’ve already mentioned, Jesus regularly taught compassion for the poor, pointing to God’s heart for the marginalized and forgotten. Christ challenged his audience to have the Father’s heart. To Jesus, caring for the poor wasn’t optional, it was a mark of true eternal understanding and following God. Jesus warned against selfishness and wealth, especially as his listeners experience such need all around them. Instead, he called people to act with mercy and generosity, as the Father does.
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus clearly illustrates this theme (Luke 16:19-31). In the story, a rich man lives in luxury while a poor man, Lazarus, begs at the gate, covered in sores and longing for simple scraps. Unfortunately, the rich man ignores him. Both men die, and their situations are reversed in the afterlife. Lazarus finds comfort in heaven, while the rich man suffers fiery torment.
In the afterlife, the rich man begs Lazarus for “scraps,” just a drop of water, but the distance in death is too great to bridge. The rich man could have easily reached out and given relief while alive but didn’t. Now, his “hell” is experiencing that heartlessness in the afterlife.
Jesus’ parable wasn’t trying to give us a theology of the afterlife, necessarily. Christ used the story to desperately call people to take advantage of righteous opportunities now, here, before it’s too late. We also have such opportunities every day and week, to reject blindness and distance and instead see those in need and give relief.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/trumzz
7. Watchful and Ready
Finally, Jesus’ teaching included regular references to his coming return, to set all creation right again. Christ taught his disciples not to be lazy or distracted but watchful and ready for his return, even though they wouldn’t know the exact date beforehand. Readiness included faithfulness, a life shaped by obedience, and developing awareness to the Spirit, as if Christ could return at any moment.
In Jesus’ Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), ten virgins wait for the bridegroom to arrive for the wedding to start. In that culture, the groom would arrive when he was ready, and then the big party would start. Five wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps, in case it took longer than expected; the five foolish didn’t bring extra.
When the bridegroom suddenly arrives, the five wise have their lamps lit and can enter the party. The five foolish are out of oil, and the wise can’t share their oil with them. The foolish are exiled and left outside. Jesus warns at the end of the story: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
Spiritual readiness can’t be borrowed. Each of us is responsible for keeping watch and living prepared by the Spirit. Jesus calls us to keep our faith alive, making it a priority, or we may be caught faithless, missing him when he arrives. Jesus consistently taught those of the Kingdom to live with such readiness.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Tara Moore
