PARABLES

THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED
(Matthew 13:31-32)

A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nest in the branches.

Moral Lesson*:
We must learn to see the value of little things because they certainly mean a lot.
We must value the deeds done by the common people; they are the genuine products of pure endeavor.


THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
(Matthew 13:3-9)

Once there was a man who went out to sow corn. As he scattered the seeds in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
Some of them fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it burnt the young plants; and because the roots have not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up.
Some of the seeds fell along thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants.
But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants produced corn; some produced a hundred grains, others sixty, and others thirty.

Moral Lesson*:
We, the youth of the modern times, must be watchful of the situations and places that we are in. Our society today is filled with birds (drug lords, drug pushers, etc.), rocks (pornographic materials, fraternities and sororities which promote hazing and initiations, wrong notions on sexuality, premarital encounters, etc.), thorns (disrespect to parents and elders, political misguidance, cheating, etc.), and bushes (wicked ideologies and practices). Let us let God be the center of our endeavors and our parents and teachers as our guides.

(We must be watchful of all situations that we are in.)


PARABLE OF THE WEEDS
(Matthew 13:24-30)

A man sowed good seeds in his field. One night when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plant grew and the ears of corn began to form, the weeds showed up. The man’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, you sowed good seeds in your field; where did the weeds come from?” “Some enemy did this,” he answered. “Do you want us to go and pull the weeds?” they asked him. “No,” he answered, “because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them. Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then gather the wheat and put them in my barn.”
Moral Lesson:
God has given us the freewill to do what is best for us, to do either right or wrong. He allows us to be with the tempters who will not only destroy our future but also our souls. We must be on guard especially that we are in our adolescent age – a vulnerable stage in our life. One mistake, a lifetime distress if not overcome.
At this stage, our parents are still our best friends who can honestly tell us what to do because I believe that what they do today are for our good futures tomorrow. They only want what are best for us.

(God allows us to grow with the wicked; hence we need proper guidance to overcome the temptations.)


THE PARABLE OF THE YEAST
(Matthew 13:33)

A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with forty liters of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.

Moral Lesson:
May we be like the dough and make our presence to our team or school or home an asset and not a liability. That our teammates or school mates or family siblings are happy when we are around, not that they would display unpleasant behaviors towards us when we are with them because our being with them brings disadvantages to them.

(Make your presence asset to your team and not a liability)


THE PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE
(Matthew 13:44)

A man happens to find a treasure hidden in the field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.

Moral Lesson:
God has given us all the blessings that he can offer. May we use them wisely for his glory.

(Use your talents and skills correctly and wisely)