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Luke 14:16
Jesus replied,“ A certain man was preparing a great banquet. He invited many guests.
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Matthew 12:43-45
“ What happens when an evil spirit comes out of a person? It goes through dry areas looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find it.Then it says,‘ I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives there, it finds the house empty. The house has been swept clean and put in order.Then the evil spirit goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself. They go in and live there. That person is worse off than before. That is how it will be with the evil people of today.”
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Matthew 20:1-16
“ The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day’s work. Then he sent them into his vineyard.“ About nine o’clock in the morning he went out again. He saw others standing in the market doing nothing.He told them,‘ You also go and work in my vineyard. I’ll pay you what is right.’So they went.“ He went out again about noon and at three o’clock and did the same thing.About five o’clock he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them,‘ Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’“‘ Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.“ He said to them,‘ You also go and work in my vineyard.’“ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard spoke to the person who was in charge of the workers. He said,‘ Call the workers and give them their pay. Begin with the last ones I hired. Then go on to the first ones.’“ The workers who were hired about five o’clock came. Each received the usual day’s pay.So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received the usual day’s pay.When they received it, they began to complain about the owner.‘ These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said.‘ You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’“ The owner answered one of them.‘ Friend,’ he said,‘ I’m being fair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for the usual day’s pay?Take your money and go. I want to give the one I hired last the same pay I gave you.Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?’“ So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”
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Luke 8:10
He said,“ You have been given the chance to understand the secrets of God’s kingdom. But to outsiders I speak by using stories. In that way,“‘ They see, but they will not know what they are seeing. They hear, but they will not understand what they are hearing.’( Isaiah 6:9)
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Matthew 21:28-46
“ What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said,‘ Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’“‘ I will not,’ the son answered. But later he changed his mind and went.“ Then the father went to the other son. He said the same thing. The son answered,‘ I will, sir.’ But he did not go.“ Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”“ The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them,“ What I’m about to tell you is true. Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you.John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. You saw this. But even then you did not turn away from your sins and believe him.“ Listen to another story. A man who owned some land planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it. He dug a pit for a winepress in it. He also built a lookout tower. He rented the vineyard out to some farmers. Then he moved to another place.When harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the renters. He told the slaves to collect his share of the fruit.“ But the renters grabbed his slaves. They beat one of them. They killed another. They threw stones at the third to kill him.Then the man sent other slaves to the renters. He sent more than he did the first time. The renters treated them the same way.Last of all, he sent his son to them.‘ They will respect my son,’ he said.“ But the renters saw the son coming. They said to one another,‘ This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come, let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard. Then they killed him.“ When the owner of the vineyard comes back, what will he do to those renters?”“ He will destroy those evil people,” they replied.“ Then he will rent the vineyard out to other renters. They will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”Jesus said to them,“ Haven’t you ever read what the Scriptures say,“‘ The stone the builders didn’t accept has become the most important stone of all. The Lord has done it. It is wonderful in our eyes’?( Psalm 118:22, 23)“ So here is what I tell you. The kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who will produce its fruit.Anyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ stories. They knew he was talking about them.So they looked for a way to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowd. The people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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Matthew 9:15-17
Jesus answered,“ How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.“ People don’t sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. The new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse.People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst. The wine will run out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. No, people pour new wine into new wineskins. Then both are saved.”
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Matthew 13:3-11
Then he told them many things using stories. He said,“ A farmer went out to plant his seed.He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up.Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep.When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots.Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants.Still other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than what was planted.Whoever has ears should listen.”The disciples came to him. They asked,“ Why do you use stories when you speak to the people?”He replied,“ Because you have been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. It has not been given to outsiders.
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Mark 4:33-34
Using many stories like these, Jesus spoke the word to them. He told them as much as they could understand.He did not say anything to them without using a story. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything.
