When Jesus of Nazareth taught his disciples, he often spoke to them in simple stories called parables.
The Sower
Behold, a sower went out to sow.
As he sowed, some of the seed fell upon the footpath, and it was trampled on and the birds of the air came and ate it up. Some of the seed fell on rocky ground, where there was very little soil. It sprouted quickly, but when the sun came out, it withered for lack of moisture. And some of the seed fell among thistles, and the thistles grew up and choked it.
But some of the seed fell on good ground where it grew and bore fruit a hundred fold.
The Weeds and the Wheat
The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed his field with good seed. But while the man slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds in with the wheat and then ran away. When the wheat began to sprout and grow, the weeds could be seen growing among it. The man's servants went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where have all the weeds come from?"
"My enemy has done this," replied the man.
"Well," the servants said, "shall we go out and gather up the weeds?"
"No," the man answered. "If you do that, you might pull up the wheat too. Let the wheat and the weeds grow together untio harvest time. I will order the reapers to gather the weeds first, tie them into bundles and burn them. Then I will tell them to gather the wheat into my barn."
The Good Samaritan
When a lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?", Jesus told this parable.
A man was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho when he attacked by robbers, who stole his clothing and money, beat him and left him beside the road half-dead.
Now a priest came down the same road, but when he saw the man, he crossed to the other side and continued on his way.
A Levite also came down the road and he too crossed to the other side when he say the man lying there.
But when a Samaritan, who was also traveling the same road, saw the man lying half-dead, he stopped and had pity on him.
The Samaritan went to the man and tended to him. He bound up the man's wounds and bathed them with oil and wine. Then he lifted the man unto his donkey and brought him to an inn, where the Samaritan looked after him.
The next day the Samaritan went to the innkeeper and gave him two pieces of silver, saying, "Take care of him and if you spend anymore, I will repay you on my journey back."
Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of these three men do you think was the true neighbor of the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
The lawyer answered, "The Samaritan, the one who was kind to him."
And Jesus said, "Go and do the same yourself."
The Insistent Friend
Jesus asked his disciples, "Which of you knows someone who would go to a friend's house, even though it is midnight, and say, "Friend, can you lend me three loaves of bread? A friend of mine has just arrived from a long journey, and I have nothing in the house to give him.""
Now, the man in the house answers from inside, "Don't bother me. It's late and everyone's in bed. I can't get up and give you anything."
But the friend outside is very insistent. He begs and finally the man inside rises and gives him what he asked for.
Even though the man inside would not get up because of friendship. he did get up because of his friends insistence.
So I tell you, "Ask and you shall recieve. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it will be opened to you."
