(Questions at the end of each lesson are borrowed from Jeff Asher)
Lesson 1
The Parables of the Lost Ones
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
- Luke 15: 1-7; Parable of the Lost Sheep
- Luke 15:8-10; Parable of the Lost Coin
- Luke 15:11-32; Parable of the Prodigal Son
B. Memory Verse – Luke 15:6 – “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
C. Other BIBLE readings – Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 17:32-37; Isaiah 40:11; 2 Corinthians 7:6-12; John 3:16-21; Romans 5:1-12; 1 Peter 1:12; Matthew 18:10; Matthew 3:1-12; James 4:1-10
D. Retell each Parable in your own words
- The Lost Sheep –
- The shepherd had the responsibility for all 100 of his sheep
- One became lost.
- The one was no more valuable than the 99, but each of the 100 sheep was important to the shepherd.
- The Lost Sheep needed to be found
- The 99 were put in a safe place while the shepherd went to look for the one lost sheep.
- The Shepherd rejoiced when he found the lost sheep
- He invited his friends to share in his joy.
- The comparison is made to joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents of his sins.
- 2. The Lost Coin
- For a woman to own ten silver coins was to show that she was a rich woman.
- Some might think that to lose ONE coin was no major problem.
- The woman thought otherwise
- Each of her coins was valuable to her.
- She worked hard to find that which was lost.
- Like the shepherd, the woman rejoiced and shared her joy with her friends.
- The comparison is also made to one lost sinner who repents. There is joy in Heaven.
- The Prodigal Son
- The difference with a man is that the man CHOOSES to become lost or to stay in a safe place.
- Safety is in the home of his father.
- The lost son acted foolishly in wanting to leave home.
- Another difference is that the father of the foolish son did not go out to find his son.
- The son had to decide for himself that he wanted to be found. He had to decide he wanted to come home.
- He was feeding the pigs for someone else and the pigs were eating better than he was.
- He “came to himself” and decided to go home to his father.
- The father was diligently working at home always ready to receive the lost son back to his rightful place.
- Like the shepherd and like the woman, the father rejoiced and shared his joy with his friends when his son returned home.
- What of the son who did not leave?
- He was angry
- He was jealous
- He refused to rejoice over the return of his brother.
- This hurt his father and showed disrespect.
- The difference with a man is that the man CHOOSES to become lost or to stay in a safe place.
II. Main Lesson – The Value of the Individual
A. In each parable, the “Lost One” was important to the master.
B. In each parable the return of the lost one caused JOY!
III. Questions to ask and answer
A. Who does the shepherd represent?
B. Who does the lost sheep represent?
C. Who are the ninety-nine in the fold?
D. What does the shepherd do and why?
E. How long does the shepherd search? What does this signify?
F. When the lost sheep is found, what does the shepherd do? What might this represent?
G. After finding the sheep and returning home, what does the shepherd do?
H. Who does the woman represent in the parable of the lost coin?
I. Who does the lost coin represent?
J. What was the coin’s REAL value? (Teacher: consult a Bible reference work)
K. What does the woman do when she realizes the coin is lost?
L. What does this tell us about the importance of the lost coin to the woman?
M. What significance do the candle and broom have in the story?
N. What does the found coin represent?
O. Who does the younger son represent?
P. Who does the father represent?
Q. Who does the elder brother represent?
R. How did the younger son come to be lost in a foreign land?
S. What was necessary for the young son to return home?
T. How does the father receive his prodigal son?
U. What is wrong with the attitude of the elder son toward his brother?
V. What did the elder son refuse to accept from his younger brother?
W. Compare the sins of the two brothers.
Lesson 2
The Parable of the Talents
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
- 1. Matthew 25:14 – 30
B. Memory Verse: Matthew 25:21
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
- 1. Luke 19:11-27; Ezekiel 18:1-32; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
- 2. 1 Corinthians 4:1,2; 6:9-20; 1 Peter 4:1-11
D. Retell the Parable in your Own Words
- The Five Talent Man
- Worked and multiplied
- Was blessed by his master upon his return
- Was promised more blessings as a result of taking care of his responsibilities.
- The Two Talent Man
- Worked and multiplied
- Was blessed by his master upon his return
- Was promised more blessings as a result of taking care of his responsibilities.
- The One Talent Man
- Buried his talent in the ground.
- Was punished by his master upon his return
- Lost the one talent he had because of his failure to take care of his responsibility.
E. What is a Talent?
II. The Main Lesson – Working in the Kingdom and the Reward
A. The Master gave out the talents as each servant had ability.
- God NEVER asks of man to do what we cannot do.
- BUT, He ALWAYS expects us to do all that we CAN do!
B. The Master planned to return some day and reconcile accounts with his servants.
- Jesus is coming again.
- Acts 19-11
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
- We have responsibilities in life that we must keep.
- Obeying those in authority
- God – Obeying the Gospel – Faith Repentance Confession Baptism — Followed by a pure life
- Parents; Ephesians 6:1
- Teachers; Hebrews 13: 7, 17
- Law enforcement; Romans 13:1-4
- Providing for our families
- 1 Timothy 5:8
- Ephesians 6:1-4
- Working for a living
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7-13
- 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12
- Obeying those in authority
III. Questions to ask and answer
A. Who is represented by the businessman?
B. Who is represented by the three servants?
C. On what basis does the businessman bestow his goods upon each of his servants?
D. What does each servant do with their respective talents?
E. How is it that both servants were good and faithful? (After all, one did a lot more for his master than did the other….comment)
F. Why was the one talent man condemned? (Discuss the fact that he only had one talent.)
G. What is the description of Christ which the one talent man gives? Is it accurate? (See verses 24-26)
H. How do we fulfill our responsibility to Christ when we serve other people?
Lesson 3
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
- Matthew 18:21 – 35;
B. Memory Verse: Matthew 18:33
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
- 2 Kings 4:1-7; Leviticus 25:39-55; Colossians 3:13
- Ephesians 4:32; Luke 6:37; James 5:9; 2 Peter 2:20-22
D. Retell the Parable in your Own Words
- The Frequency of Forgiveness
- Did Jesus mean that 490 times was all we have to forgive?
- What does it mean to forgive? See Hebrews 8:12
- Remember that without repentance there can be NO FORGIVENESS
- Jesus only forgives those who repent
- Acts 2:38
- Acts 8:22
- Matthew 18:26
- The Debt of the Servant
- 10,000 talents was more than most people will ever have
- Such an enormous debt was more than the man could repay
- He begged of his master, the king, only for patience, the time to work to repay the debt
- The king had compassion and forgave the entire debt.
- The Second Servant
- 100 denarii was a lot of money, but nothing like 10,000 talents.
- This debt was repayable, but not all at once for most people.
- Like the first servant, this servant begged for mercy, patience for the time to repay.
- The first servant was unwilling to forgive.
- The King’s Response
- Anger – totally appropriate in this situation.
- The King explained his anger and chastised his servant whom he had forgiven
- Punished the unforgiving servant by reinstating the debt which he had previously forgiven
- He had the man tortured for his unforgiving ways
- Jesus made the application to those who would hear this parable.
- God has forgiven US
- We must be willing to forgive others.
II. The Main Lesson – Forgiving Those Who Ask For It
A. Jesus made the application to those who would hear this parable.
- God has forgiven US
- We must be willing to forgive others.
B. Consider the Lord’s Model Prayer
- Matthew 6:8-15
- Pay special attention to verses 14 & 15
- If WE do not forgive those who sin against US, how can we expect God to forgive US when WE sin against HIM?
C. In Class…Discuss circumstances of forgiveness
- When WE need to be forgiven
- AND when we need to forgive others.
III. Questions to ask and answer
A. Who is represented by the king in this parable?
B. Who is represented by the unforgiving servant in this parable?
C. Who does the other servant represent? How much did he owe?
D. What is the significance of the ten thousand talent debt owed to the king?
E. What does the king do for his servant? What does this represent?
F. What does the servant do to his fellow-servant? What does this represent?
G. What does the king do when he learns of the action of his unforgiving servant?
H. What should the servant have done for his fellow-servant?
I. What punishment did the unforgiving servant receive?
J. Discuss some lessons learned from this parable
- Is there someone you have done wrong that you want to forgive you?
- Is there someone who has done you wrong that has asked for forgiveness from you, but you did not forgive?
Lesson 4
The Parables of the Sower and Tares
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
- Luke 8:4-15; Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23; Sower
- Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43; Tares
B. Memory Verse: Luke 8:11
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
- Mark 4:4-8; Mark 4:14-21; Romans 10:8-17; 1 Peter 1:8-17; 1 Corinthians 4:14-16
- 2 Corinthians 11:1-4; 12 – 15; Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 1:6-9
D. Retell the Parables in your Own Words
- The Parable of the Sower
- Explain what it is to “sow” – to spread or plant seed for the growth of a crop.
- The key to this lesson is that the seed sown by Christians is the word of God – the seed MUST BE sown
- The memory verse is so important
- The Different Soils
- The wayside – along the side of the road…not much fruit going to grow there. This seed was trampled and eaten up by the birds.
- The rocky ground — Hard and dry ground…the ground for planting a crop has to be loose and wet.
- Among the thorns – thorns are weeds…they grow up and take up the space and get all the nutrients out of the ground and starve out the good plants.
- The good ground – rich, moist, and ready to receive seed…so that the ground can and will bear fruit.
- Jesus explained the parable Himself.
- The seed is the Word of God
- When the seed is sown by the wayside, it is like someone hearing the word, and, having heard it, the Devil comes and snatches it away before any fruit is able to be born.
- The rocky soil is soil without a strong root system. Seed sown here sprouts up quickly “with joy”. Without the firm and strong root system to nourish the growth, the least temptation is able to draw away the one who heard the word. Studying to make the foundation sure is necessary.
- Thorns represent cares and worries. Seed sown among the thorns gets choked out by cares and problems and worrying so that the pleasures of this life become more important, and the believer goes on his way chasing after riches and the solutions to worldly problems.
- The good ground is the ground Jesus calls a good and honest heart. The seed sown here is able to bear much fruit with patience and perseverance.
- The Main Lesson – The Seed is the Word of God.
- The seed must be sown
- The seed will find different types of soil
- It is not OUR JOB to look for the soils, but to sow the seed.
- God gives the increase — 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
- The Parable of the Tares – Retell the parable
- What is a “tare”?
- A tare is a weed that only LOOKS LIKE wheat.
- It, like most weeds, is not good for anything
- The enemy of the man came in the night and sowed tares in with his wheat
- The servants of the man asked if they should gather up the tares so as to not disturb the wheat
- The answer was no as the man did want the gathering up of tares to hurt the good wheat.
- At the harvest, the tares would be bundled up and burned.
- What is a “tare”?
- The Main Lesson – There is a great conflict between the Lord and His enemies, BUT the Lord will ALWAYS win!
- This parable in no way is intended to teach us to keep sinners among God’s people.
- Too many verses teach otherwise.
- 2 Corinthians 6:17
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
- 2 John 9 – 11
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
- Our mission is to save souls with the gospel.
- God will judge the sinners the enemy has planted who only look like they are Christians.
II. Questions to ask and answer
A. Who is the sower?
B. What is the seed?
C. List the four different types of soil.
D. List now what each represents
E. Who do the birds represent? (Luke 8:12)
F. What does the sun represent?
G. What do the thorns represent?
H. What are the characteristics of good ground?
I. With what does the good ground produce? (Luke 8:15)
J. Why do you suppose that all good ground does not yield the same? (Matthew 13:23)
K. What two seeds are involved in the parable of the tares? What do each represent?
L. Where did the sower sow the good seed? What does this represent in the parable?
M. How did the tares get into the field? Who put them there?
N. Who is the Sower?
O. What solution is given for the removal of the tares?
P. When will this be accomplished and by whom?
Q. Who are the tares?
R. Explain how it is that there are wicked people in the church.
Lesson 5
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
- Luke 10:30-37
B. Memory Verse: Luke 10:27
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
- Luke 10:25-29; John 7:45-53; John 8:46-51; Matthew 5:43-48; John 4:9; Micah 6:6-9; Luke 9:51-56; Leviticus 19:33-37
D. Retell the Parable in your Own Words
- First, set the situation of the parable.
- The man, a lawyer, was trying to test Jesus.
- Called him “teacher” – That COULD HAVE BEEN respectful, but probably not.
- He asked how he could inherit eternal life.
- A noble question…
- He got an expected answer – Luke 10:27 (The MEMORY VERSE!!)
- Verse 29…seeking self justification…”Who is my neighbor?”
- So the parable is told to teach us about being a good neighbor and telling us WHO those neighbors are.
- The victim of crime was left for dead.
- Comment on violence in the society
- Respect for the law is vital to God and the society.
- Three men passed by and saw the man “half dead”
- A Priest – A religious leader – Just because people appear religious does not mean that they are good people.
- A Levite – Of the Priestly tribe of the Israelites, but not necessarily a priest, although he KNEW what it was to be Godly, but he, like the priest who went before him, left the man and did not help him.
- The Samaritan – A man with whom the Jews did not keep company – (John 4:9)
- Samaritans were people from the Northern Tribes after the period of captivity.
- They were not Jews (God’s chosen people before Christ) by the strictest definition.
- Jews were forbidden to marry Samaritans.
- The Jewish leaders who saw the man half dead had no compassion for the injured man.
- Why they took this view of their countryman we are not told.
- Any number of reasons are possible
- Too busy
- Did not want to be bothered
- Generally just no feelings for the injured man
- They walked by on the other side of the road
- The Samaritan, however, had no real reason to stop and help, other than the fact that it was the right thing to do.
- We are told, verse 33, he felt compassion for the injured man.
- Define compassion
- Webster – sorrow for the sufferings or trouble of another or others; accompanied by an urge to help; deep sympathy; pity
- The roots of the word strictly define it as “suffering together”
- We are told, verse 33, he felt compassion for the injured man.
- The Samaritan went out of his way at his own personal expense to help the man recover.
- He medicated and bandaged the wounds
- He sacrificed his own riding beast to provide a means of travel for the injured Jew.
- He took care of him at the inn in town
- When he had to leave the next day, he paid the innkeeper to continue his care and promised to pay the innkeeper more if there was more expense.
- To this day, the phrase “Good Samaritan” is applied to people who help those in trouble with no real reason to do so other than their own personal compassion.
- The victim of crime was left for dead.
II. The Main Lesson – Learn – “Who is My Neighbor?”
A. The Law of God – Luke 10:27
- Love the Lord – with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.
- Deuteronomy 6:5; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
- Love your neighbor as yourself
- Ephesians 5:28-29; So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
- We know who the Lord is…the Lord is God!
- This parable teaches us that all men are our neighbors
- Galatians 6:10; Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
III. Questions to ask and answer
A. To whom was Jesus speaking when he told this parable?
B. What was the question that man asked Jesus?
C. What was the answer to the question? (Memory Verse)
D. Who is my neighbor?
E. In the parable, what happened to the man of whom Jesus spoke?
F. Who first came by and what did he do?
G. Who was next to come by the scene and what did he do?
H. Who finally came by and helped the man in need? What did he do?
I. What word does Jesus use to describe this man’s actions? Do you remember the definition of that word?
J. What was the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach the lawyer?
K. Who is YOUR neighbor?
