How Beautiful are the Feet Trivia Quiz

Answer:

While all the stories listed have a moral lesson that can be learned, only the parables listed come from Jesus. Jesus' parables were recorded in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Parables are often described as "earthly stories with a heavenly meaning." Jesus used them often in his teachings, because they could be related to by the audience better than simply preaching a sermon. Parables like these were a good way to not only start the tough conversations with his disciples and followers, but to make them real and applicable to the lives of those Jesus taught.

The parable of the wise and foolish builders is recorded in Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49. Jesus said that those who follow his teachings and those who don't are like wise and foolish builders. Those who don't follow, he said, are like someone who builds their house on the sand, which washes away during a storm, bringing the house crashing down. But those that follow his teachings, he said, were like those that built their house on the rock, steady and solid, allowing the house to withstand the storm.

The parable of the sower is found in Matthew 13:3-23, Mark 4:3-20, and Luke 8:5-15. This was another parable Jesus used to describe those that hear and receive the words Jesus was speaking. Those that hear and receive with the right heart bear spiritual fruit, just like the seeds on the good soil. Those that don't are like seeds that fall among the thorns or plucked away by birds.

The parable of the weeds is also called the wheat and the tares, and is recorded in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. Jesus compared the end of time and the judgement of all people to a man who sowed seeds in his field, and while he slept, his enemy planted weeds to thwart his harvest. Instead of having the weeds ripped up immediately, which could damage the wheat, the two grew together, and during the harvest, were separated, and the weeds burned.

The parable of the mustard seed is found in Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, and Luke 13:18-19. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, small and insignificant at first when it is planted, but when it grows, it becomes a tree large enough for birds to nest and shelter in its branches. The story of Jesus coming from God's heavenly kingdom began inconspicuously in a manger in Bethlehem, but it reshaped the lives of many who heard it then, and still transforms lives of many today.

The parable of the lost sheep is found in Matthew 18:12-14. Jesus used this parable to describe the importance of just one soul coming to God. "If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and...seek the one that is straying?" The final verse of the parable describes the joy of just one person coming to God, the one that went astray, coming home to join the other ninety-nine.

When asked by Peter how many times we should forgive those who wrong us, Jesus used the parable of the unmerciful servant. The parable tells the story of a man who was a servant to the king, who owed the king a great sum of money. When he begged for more time to pay, the king had compassion and forgave the debt. However, when the man confronted someone who owed him a tiny amount of money, he threw him in jail until he could pay. When the king heard about it, he had the man tortured until he could pay his massive debt. Forgiveness, Jesus said, is expected by God, and what we do to others will be done to us. This parable is found in Matthew 18:23-31.

The parable of the ten virgins is found in Matthew 25:1-13. Jesus used this parable to tell his followers the importance of remaining vigilant and ready for God's return. Ten virgins took their lamps out to meet the bridegroom upon his return in the dark of night. Only half of them were prepared with oil when he finally returned, so they were the only ones invited inside for the wedding.

Speaking of weddings, Jesus also had a parable about a wedding feast or banquet, found in Matthew 22:1-14. Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a wedding banquet prepared by a king for his son. When he invited his friends and noblemen, they came up with excuses to not come celebrate the wedding. So, the king sent his servants out into the streets to gather those that would come. Those that did come were expected to wear the garments the king had prepared, and those that refused were thrown out.

One of the most well known parables Jesus told is the story of the good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. When asked by a lawyer what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to love the Lord and love your neighbor as yourself. The lawyer asked Jesus who his neighbors are, and Jesus told him this parable. A Jewish man was travelling when he was attacked and robbed, beaten and left for dead along the side of the road. A priest and a Levite, both of Jewish descent came upon him and passed by without helping him. Finally, a Samaritan, people who historically dislike the Jews, came by and helped him. He bandaged him, and took him to an inn for aid. Jesus told the lawyer to go and be like the good Samaritan, no matter who he would encounter.

Finally, another very famous parable of Jesus is the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32. Jesus told those gathered with him the parable in response to the Pharisees complaining that Jesus ate with tax collectors and other sinners. Jesus told them about a man that had two sons, one of whom asked his father for his inheritance early so he could go out on his own and make a new life. The father granted him his inheritance and he departed, while the other son stayed behind to help his father. The first son eventually squandered all of his inheritance and returned to his father, broke, broken, and starving. Expecting his father to be angry with him, he was not expecting his father to run to him, and embrace him, and throw him a coming home party! The other son complained to his father saying that he never left, but that their father was celebrating the return of the son who left them behind. The father explained that he that never left was always with his father, and that all he had was his son's as well. But, because the prodigal came back, that they should indeed celebrate, for when the lost souls are found, it is worth celebrating!

The incorrect options are some of the many Aesop's Fables. These stories are also ones that have a deeper moral meaning to them, but they are not based on spiritual principles. Only Jesus' parables were told from the perspective of drawing people closer to God.