Parables about the Kingdom of God
(From the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, verses 31-33, 44-48)
Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God by telling stories. His stories were called parables. Here are some of the parables Jesus told.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
"God's Kingdom is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of all the seeds – so small you can hardly see it when you are holding it in your hand! Someone planted one mustard seed in his field. That little seed grew into a plant so big that birds came and made nests in its branches."
The Parable of the Yeast
"God's Kingdom is like yeast. It doesn't look like much – just some gray powder. But a woman mixed a little bit of yeast in with a lot of flour. She added some other ingredients, too, and she made lots of bread to share."
Parables about Treasures
"God's Kingdom is like treasure hidden in a field. Someone found the treasure. He was so happy! He hid the treasure so that no one else would find it. Then he sold everything that he owned and bought the field. Now the treasure was his!"
"God's Kingdom is like a jeweler searching for the finest pearls. One day he found one pearl that was the most beautiful pearl he'd ever seen. He knew it was very precious. He sold everything that he owned and bought that pearl. Now it was his!"
The Parable of the Fishermen
"God's Kingdom is like a net that some fishermen threw into the water. The net filled up with many kinds of fish. Then they brought their boat to the shore and sat down. They put the good fish into baskets. They got rid of all the bad fish."
Questions to think and pray about:
I wonder which of these parables you like the best.
I wonder if any of these parables are alike.
I wonder what parable you can make up that describes God's Kingdom.