The Parables of Jesus Christ

Posted on November 20, 2025

The Parables of Jesus

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The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Breaking down the core of the parable in relation to this guide. Though seeing (having physical sight of the material world), they may not see (the spiritual path to God); though hearing (the audible teachings of Jesus), they may not understand (the spiritual path to God). Jesus confirms the existence of the Evil One and its ability to cloak a deep understanding

A Lamp on a Stand
Matthew 13:16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
A quick dive into this - Will be given more. Often this is taken as a physical, worldly, gift of possessions and conveniences. It is not. This - in the Spiritual - is pure insight. Understanding of the Righteous Path, Seeing Pitfalls and Temptations so they do not blindside you. Those off the path will enter into a deeper labyrinth. This illustrates what we need to be asking for - wisdom. Not Stuff.

The Parable of the Growing Seed
Matthew 13:26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Let's focus again on the Spiritual metaphor. If Jesus is the sower, and the Word is the seed, we are the soil in which Faith grows. When we are ready to accept Him Jesus will come to us - as that is the season when our hearts are ready to commit.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Matthew 13:30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
I have come across a number of interpretations on this one. I find that most are missing the point. When God sows the Spirit within you it leads directly to your worldly personal growth. As you grow in Faith it attracts Angels (birds) so that they are with you to ward off evil.

The parable of the Yeast
Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
I am still working through this one. It is one of the more vague and mysterious of Jesus’ parables. I am leaning toward this - The Spirit is something to take a little of and mix it in throughout our life. In doing so our spirit will be like leavened bread, which is greater in taste and volume than unleavened bread.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Spiritually we should be seeking entry into the Kingdom as though - if we could - we would trade all of our worldly possessions to enter it. This is a spiritual warning against placing too much value into worldly possessions that you cannot take with you when you pass and ignoring the spiritual, or allowing the acquisition of such goods to rule your life.

The Parable of the Net
Matthew 13:47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
There is very little to parse in this verse. You get both the parable and the literal all in one.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
One of the clearest parables of Jesus.

The Parable of the Lost Coin
Luke 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Prodigal Son
Matthew 18:20 “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the Prodigal Son are all the same parable. They all highlight the need for free will. Without it you would never sin, be lost, or need to return. Also, they confirm that should you stray from Righteousness there is a path back in God’s Grace.

The Unmerciful Servant
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Forgiveness is a key tenet of Spiritual renewal. Animosity is sludge that clogs your soul. If we are unable to forgive we are passing judgment that will be passed on to us.

The Parable of the Two Sons
Matthew 21:28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
In this parable we need to understand that Jesus has the ability to see within them and know that they have sins they are hiding as the core of the message is relating to repentance. If both were true Godly men then the conversation would be different. This serves us as a clear message about our personal baggage. Jesus doesnt want you carrying it around. It affects those around you. If you are breaking a commandment - either from God or Jesus - it is time to repent and refocus yourself on the righteous path.
This is yet another reminder of Faith. The pharasees were often called out as hypocrites for having such little faith but claiming to be teachers of Gods word. When you are teaching something you dont fully believe in it shows. It also doesnt imprint on the pupil as something you have a true zeal for.

The Parable of the Tenants
Matthew 21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Quite a bit to unpack. The vineyard is the synagogue or the church. God has sent messengers time and time again. Those messengers have often been killed as the church outgrows the means or desire to regulate itself and opposition is met with force. It should also be a message to us to be very weary of the company we keep, that their influence may lead us astray. That in our own spiritual journey we are not a false front - prothletising what we ourselves do not believe in order to gain followers, wealth, influence or power.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Matthew 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

This parable is a complex message for both the clergy and the faithful. This is one I often dwell on as I had felt that Jesus was inviting me in for many years, and I refused. I went about my business. I have never experienced direct physical confrontation over religion but the early disciples most certainly would have. For those that take action against those preaching - for the act of spreading God’s word alone, there does seem to be the direct threat of retribution. It also is a warning to the church to not let just anyone in. That there is a direct call from God and Jesus that a Rabbi or Preacher should know who is in attendance. That not everyone can enter. There are some actions where God and Jesus do draw the line. We see this again in the teachings of Jesus. We would like to believe there are no boundaries to forgiveness. There is the tone in this parable that view may not hold up. Not that Grace cannot be achieved but there will be a hefty penance required to get back into the good graces of God. It highlights that if God does ask you at judgment how you got in you had best have a good answer ready. If you do not believe you should be there in the first place then you are most likely right. Which is why this teaching is so complex - on its face. This is a good place to state we must refrain from absolutism. We must take the teaching of the Bible as a whole and not allow one line, seemingly contradictory, to be a reason to unravel the entire narrative. We are also viewing the Bible from years of transcription, interpretation, and translation - all of which may contribute to distorting the initial intent. Where other parables are explained. This one is left vague. It may be that no one - not even the disciples, fully understood its meaning.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

This parable is a fairly straightforward warning to all of us that we must prepare daily for our lives to end - as we are all to have our own judgment. We must be a light in the darkness. We must have accumulated our own good works and our own love of God. Here again is another example given, directly from Jesus, that not everyone is getting into Heaven

The Parable of the Bags of Gold
Matthew 25:14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For 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. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In this parable the gold is Faith, the Word of God, or Personal Interaction with Christ. The good are to serve God by spreading his word and doing good works in His name. The wicked hide these. They keep their unique talents from the world to avoid embarrassment. Those that have denied Christ on many occasions are no longer willing to exalt Christ as it would expose a flaw in their past. We must move beyond the flaws of our past and fully embrace our future in Christ. The parable is also a lesson in Fear vs Faith. The servant is fearful of his master and therefore has no faith in him. The servant does not believe that the master has the propensity to forgive mistakes so this fear is what causes him to bury the gold and return it to his master. I believe this is an overt statement to the faithful that you do not need to be perfect in your representation of God and Christ, that it is acceptable to make mistakes while making an effort to bring more light into the world. However, it is unacceptable to lack faith.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The parable is one of the more clear and concise in the Bible. There is very little room for interpretation. So clear that many believe it contains the two core Commandments from Jesus. The first is reinforcement of the First Commandment from God, but the second is a clear new definition of what a follower of Christ must be. Those around you, regardless of their race or religion, must be looked after as you would expect yourself to be.

The Rich Fool
(Luke 12:13-21) 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Many lessons here straight from Jesus. Jesus is not here to settle earthly disputes. As he has taught previously we are to adjudicate our differences between each party without getting the government involved (or expecting God to intervene on our behalf). Jesus reinforces the Tenth Commandment and point out very early in this lesson how we must disassociate the physical/material from the spiritual. Being good to each other, loving one another, sharing in our successes will fill our spirits and please the Father. But to hoard for our own earthly comforts while neglecting the needs of others will draw the wrath of God. This hints again at two core teachings of Jesus: III (possessions weigh down the spirit) and VI (You are expected to bear fruit in the Kingdom. You are a servant. Reclining in the throne room is not your role). Many would argue that through their success they should not have to give to the foolish, lazy or faithless. It is the same granted wisdom that led to success which is expected to be used to find worthy causes and recipients of your harvest. It doesnt command you to feed the wicked, but it clearly calls us to distribute our abundance.

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
(Luke 13:6-9) 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

God is the landowner, Jesus is the vinedresser, and we are the trees. God has given us the ability to bear fruit and expects that of us. Jesus has come to feed our spirits. When Jesus comes into your life there's an expectation of good works.

The Wedding Feast
(Luke 14:7-11) 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This parable is very clear and summarized in the last line. Humility is a requirement. One unable to follow will not follow God or Jesus. One unable to kneel will not accept a King. By doing these simple things on Earth - letting go of places of prominence you believe you have earned - you are preparing yourself to accept diving judgement and be content with your station before God.

The Lost Coin
(Luke 15:8-10)8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

This parable is a reinforcement of The Lost Sheep and comes directly after it in Luke. If Jesus believed it were a message worth repeating then it is one we must pay special attention to. To receive the full benefit of Christ you must have an unshakeable belief that there is joy in Heaven resulting from your redemption. This is part of the alignment of your Spirit. As you align with God your decision making comes into focus and the distractions and disruptions of sin are cleared from your path. You are able to focus on relationships instead of rewards. This will lead to success in your family and business.

The Prodigal Son
(Luke 15:11)11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Luke is now hammering this home - There is great joy in Heaven for the Lost to return. His order of the parables is clearly done to reinforce a core message that must be accepted.

The Dishonest Manager
(Luke 16:1)Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ 7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

With this parable we will start from the end and unpack as we go back. This parable takes a good deal of study to fully understand. There are many interpretations. You will need to make your own decision on where this ranks in order of importance for the teachings of Jesus.
The best example I have of this in my own life is Gambling. I struggle with it. It isn’t the transaction so much as it is a deep love for money. It is a core focus for me to transfer that love of money to love of God.
Start with the Spiritual when encountering these complex parables. The manager as the priest or church is forgiving debts they have no rights to forgive solely to maintain favor with those around him. It is an act of survival. Survival of one that is unwilling to put in the same work as those he has lorded over. Why would God (the Master) commend a priest (the manager) for falsely reducing debts (sin)? Only to enamore the sinner to the church, and by way of doing so therefore increase the love of the Forgiving God by reducing the fear of accumulated debt. The debts in the parable are substantial. Maybe the message is that those with a mass accumulation of sin first need to have a fraction reduced so they will continue to work toward repaying the majority of the debt instead of defaulting on the full burden and turning away from God.
The following makes no sense: I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. When Jesus says I TELL YOU that means LISTEN. But the teaching is hidden from me now. How can earthly friends lead to heavenly benefits? Especially when those benefits were derived from deception.

The Rich Man and Lazarus
(Luke 16:19) 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

The core teaching here is in verse 26 “between us and you a great chasm has been set in place” as in the parable The Rich Man had many opportunities to comfort Lazarus The Beggar. He was right there, right outside his door. It would take no effort, nor be a burden to him financially. This created a chasm between God and The Rich Man. We can assume that he had fully turned from God. For if he and his family, which he is now concerned, had aligned with God he would have heard the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. Sadly The Rich Man and his family have turned from God and have crossed a bridge, never to look back. Nothing, not even the risen dead, will turn them.

The Persistent Widow
(Luke 18:1) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

This is another extremely hard parable to break down and get to a meaning that will align with other teachings of Jesus. I may be off the mark but this is best I can surmise:
Jesus - Listen to the judge.
The judge says (essentially) Justice must be done to avoid wrath.
We must assume that from the perspective of Jesus the woman is truly innocent and that her adversaries are committing a wrongdoing against her. That her issues warrant a redress and the judge is not cowering to persistence alone. Judgements rendered cannot be an injustice to another.
Jesus then delivers the promise to us that God will ensure that justice is done, and quickly. For his Chosen Ones.
However, we must be aware of our own actions and is the tribulation we are currently facing God’s own judgement against us for our transgressions? Will Jesus come back to find that you have faith in God, have followed His Commandments, and have weathered storms through your faith?
I believe the main teaching of Jesus here is to put your faith in God, continue on a righteous path, and believe that God’s justice will be served even when the timeline is not of your choosing.

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
(Luke 18:9) To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This is a persistent theme in the teachings of Jesus and should be followed closely. It is our own hubris that is our downfall. Our pride that destroys so much. To be humble enough to take ownership, admit fault, and seek a better path is central to being a productive Christian. It is the lesson of the Narrow Gate - if you will not suffer laying yourself low how do you submit to God? If you are not willing to do the dirtiest or most dangerous tasks how will others follow your lead? Humility should be worked on daily by those orienting themselves to God. This is why I have ordered Be Humble Before God as third in my Core Teachings of Jesus.

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