Jesus Tells Three Parables

By Mary Vee
Mark 4

From Mark's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee.

My name is Mark, I am a follower of Jesus. I have recorded in this post some of what I witnessed. 

Jesus gathered the twelve chosen disciples and others who followed him for a time to hear short stories that are call parables. He used these parables to teach truths. 

In each parable, Jesus talked about people like us, living in places like we do, working as we do and in a situation that teaches the lesson. 

Other parables have been sent In previous posts sent to you by Matthew and Luke. You can scroll down and read them. 

Here are three short parables Jesus shared with us on this day:

Jesus said to us, "Do you bring in a lamp and set it under a bowl or a bed where no one can see the light?"

He paused and let us respond. Obviously we said no.

Jesus said, "Of course not. You put it on the stand and let the light shine in the whole room. There will come a day when the truth behind these parables will shine brightly. 

I, Mark, am going to interrupt here, because Jesus is about to say something that needs to be thought about carefully. Ready?

"Put into practice what you area able to understand from these parables. The more you do this, the more you will understand what I tell you. To him who has understood and practiced the teachings, more will be given. To him who does not practice, the understanding will be taken away."

Jesus said, "Here is another parable, This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man went out to his field one day and scattered his seed on the ground. During the next nights and days, whether the man slept or rose from his bed, the seed sprouted and grew even though he didn't understand how this happened. 

"All by itself the soil produces grain: first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, the man takes his sickle and reaps the wheat, because the harvest has come."

Jesus gave us a few moments to think about these words.

Jesus then told us another parable. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though this seed is the smallest of all your seeds it grows to be the largest of the garden plants, turning into a tree and a place where birds of the air can perch in its branches."

There are more parables that Jesus shared, which will be told to you in the next posts. But for now, think about these three stories. The lamp. The seed that grows into a plant when the farmer is away. The tiny mustard seed that grows into a large plant. What do you think the meaning of these parables are?

If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section.


I will share more of what Jesus taught next time.

 Come back to read the next story.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.