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Parables of Jesus Facts & Worksheets

A significant portion of the New Testament in the Bible includes Jesus' parables. Jesus had the wisdom to convey complex spiritual concepts through relatable and uncomplicated stories. A parable is a story that uses a basic, everyday theme to relay a profound, moral message.

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A significant portion of the New Testament in the Bible includes Jesus’ Parables. Jesus had the wisdom to convey complex spiritual truths through relatable and uncomplicated stories. A parable is a story that uses a basic, everyday theme to relay a profound, moral message. The word “parable,” according to its original definition, refers to a placing side by side for the purpose of comparison.

See the fact file below for more information on the Parables of Jesus, or you can download our 25-page Parables of Jesus worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

WHO IS JESUS?

  • According to the Christian Gospels and early Christian texts, Jesus is the Messiah (Christ), the Son of God who was sent to the world and died on the cross to pay the penalty for humanity’s sins and then resurrected from the dead.
  • The Bible clearly states that Jesus Christ, who is both completely human and totally divine, is the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Savior of the World, and the forerunner of Christianity.
  • Jesus was a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth in Galilee around the first century. He developed into a master instructor who worked numerous healing and deliverance miracles. 
  • Twelve Jewish men were invited to follow him, and he worked closely with them to teach and equip them to continue the ministry. 
  • Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, ordered Jesus Christ to be crucified in Jerusalem because He claimed to be the King of the Jews. 
  • Three days after his death, he rose from the dead, showed himself to his followers, and then ascended into heaven. He served as the world’s sins’ atoning sacrifice via the sacrifice of his life and death. 
  • The Bible declares that because of Adam’s sin, humanity was separated from God; yet, through Jesus Christ’s atonement, humanity was brought back into God’s grace.

WHAT IS A PARABLE?

  • A parable is a brief, instructional story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more important ideas. In contrast, fables use characters like animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature, while parables use people as their main characters.
  • A parable is essentially a simple topic or idea, usually spiritual or moral, utilized to highlight something with more profound significance.
  • A narrative, poem, or artwork interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning is an allegory. 
  • Parables have a means of teaching us hidden truths that are unseen and unknown to the typical human mind. They frequently include analogies – comparisons between two objects – used for explanation or figurative language.
  • In the Bible, Jesus instructs his disciples and followers in various ways, including through parables. In an allegory that people could comprehend and relate to, parables were a vehicle to communicate moral, transcendent concepts.
  • In addition, a parable is a teaching strategy that uses the familiar to explain new ideas. It is a tale or proverb that uses simile, hyperbole, or comparison to prove a point.

THE PARABLES OF JESUS

  • Jesus used parables to appeal to and challenge the thinking of his original audience and to cause people to contemplate an alternative perspective about Himself and the kingdom of God in the more than 40 parables He taught throughout the New Testament.
  • Jesus’ parables can be found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as in a few non-Biblical gospels. The three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) contain most of them.
  • Many of Jesus’ parables refer to commonplace events like a woman making bread (The Parable of the Leaven), a man knocking on his neighbor’s door at night (The Parable of the Friend at Night), or the aftermath of a mugging on the side of the road (The Parable of the Good Samaritan).
  • He also addressed important religious concepts like the expansion of God’s Kingdom, the value of prayer, and the nature of love.
  • When asked about using parables, Jesus responds in the Gospel of Matthew (13:10–17):

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have, will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

THE BIBLICAL PURPOSE OF THE PARABLES

  • Jesus used parables to convey important lessons. Jesus, who was both entirely God and totally man, reached out to humanity in ways that His contemporaries could more easily comprehend by using parables to meet people where they were.
  • Jesus used metaphors like logs, specks, light, and salt to more effectively communicate His message and give us a better understanding of who He is. 
  • Jesus pushed us to think beyond what we could see in the same way as an English instructor would. It’s constructive to visualize our impact on the globe by comparing light with salt. 
  • When Jesus spoke this way, he would also protect the truth from skeptics while exposing and elaborating on it for the benefit of believers. These topics highlighted fulfilled prophecies and mesmerized his audience in a fascinating, practical, and unforgettable way.
  • Some notable themes of the parables include:
    • Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven: Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), Hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44-46), Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32), Leaven Bread (Matthew 13:33).
    • Parables of loss and redemption: Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7), Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10), Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
    • Parables about love and forgiveness: Parable of Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Two Debtors (Luke 7:40-50), Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35).
    • Parables about prayer: Parable of The Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14), Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8), Friend at Night (Luke 11:5-7).
    • Eschatological parables: Parable of Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), Wicked Husbandmen (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12), Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9), The Net (Matthew 13:47-50).
    • Other parables: Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builder (Matthew 7:24-27), Lamp under a Bushel (Matthew 5:14-16), Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

Parables of Jesus Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Parables of Jesus across 25 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Parables of Jesus. A significant portion of the New Testament in the Bible includes Jesus’ parables. Jesus had the wisdom to convey complex spiritual truths through relatable and uncomplicated stories.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Parables of Jesus Facts
  2. The First Parable
  3. The Last Parable
  4. The Longest Parable
  5. Short Lessons
  6. Illustrated Parables
  7. The Good Samaritan
  8. Giving a Conclusion
  9. Practical Lessons
  10. Who is Jesus?
  11. Create a Parable

Frequently Asked Questions

What are parables?

Parables are stories or analogies that Jesus used to convey spiritual or moral lessons. They often involve familiar characters, objects, or settings from everyday life, such as farmers, seeds, or lost sheep. Parables were a common teaching tool in Jewish and Middle Eastern cultures at the time of Jesus.

Why did Jesus use parables?

Jesus used parables to communicate his teachings in a way that was accessible and memorable to his audience. The stories were easy to understand but also had deeper meanings that could be contemplated and applied to one’s life. Parables also had the advantage of being non-threatening to religious and political authorities who might otherwise have been offended by Jesus’ teachings.

What are some of the most well-known parables of Jesus?

Some of the most well-known parables of Jesus include the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of the Lost Sheep.

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

The Parable of the Good Samaritan tells the story of a man who is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious leaders pass by him without helping, but a Samaritan, who was despised by the Jewish people, stops to care for him. The parable teaches that we should love and care for all people, even those who are different from us or who we might consider our enemies.

Why did Jesus sometimes explain the meaning of his parables and sometimes not?

Jesus sometimes explained the meaning of his parables to his disciples or to the crowds who were listening to him, but other times he left the interpretation up to the listener. This may have been a way of challenging his audience to think more deeply and to apply the lessons to their own lives. Jesus also recognized that some people were not ready to understand or accept his teachings, and so he may have used parables to teach in a way that was both accessible and safe.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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