This parable, spoken by Jesus, is both challenging and freeing in its simplicity. At first glance, the story of the master and servant might seem harsh or unyielding. The servant labors all day, then returns only to continue serving his master, without expectation of special praise or recognition. Yet, as we reflect deeper, we begin to see the profound wisdom Jesus offers about humility, obedience, and the nature of our relationship with God.

Jesus often used simple stories from everyday life to reveal profound truths about God’s kingdom. In the parable of the Growing Seed, He invites us to consider the quiet, steady work of God in the process of spiritual growth. The farmer scatters seed and then goes about his daily life—sleeping and rising, trusting that something is happening beneath the surface. He cannot see the inner workings of the seed, nor can he force it to grow faster. Yet, in time, the seed sprouts, matures, and eventually produces a harvest.

The parable of the new cloth and the new wineskins is one of the most profound illustrations Jesus used to describe the radical nature of His ministry and the transformative power of the gospel. In response to questions about fasting and religious traditions, Jesus pointed out that His coming brought something fundamentally new—something that could not simply be added onto old patterns or mindsets. Just as a patch of new cloth will tear away from an old garment, and new wine will burst old wineskins, the message and life that Jesus offers cannot be contained within outdated frameworks or the routines of the past.

Jesus shared this parable while dining at the house of Simon the Pharisee, who had just witnessed a woman known for her sins pour out her gratitude and tears at Jesus' feet. The story itself is simple: two people owe a debt, one large and one small. Neither can pay. The creditor, instead of demanding repayment or punishing them, chooses to forgive both debts freely. He asks Simon which debtor would love the creditor more, and Simon rightly concludes it would be the one who had the greater debt forgiven.

Jesus told the parable of the barren fig tree in response to questions about repentance and the urgency of spiritual change. The story centers on a fig tree planted in a vineyard, for which the owner has hoped for fruit year after year. Frustrated by its barrenness, he decides the tree should be cut down, but the vineyard keeper pleads for one more year to nurture it, hoping it will finally bear fruit.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, surrounded by followers who expected the immediate arrival of God’s kingdom, He shared the parable of the Ten Minas. In this story, a nobleman leaves for a distant country to receive a kingdom, entrusting ten of his servants with a mina each—an amount of money—before his departure. He instructs them to "do business till I come." Upon his return, he calls them to account. Some servants have multiplied what was entrusted to them, while one, out of fear or complacency, hides his mina in a cloth and returns it untouched. The nobleman commends those who have been faithful and fruitful, rewarding them with greater responsibility, but rebukes the servant who failed to act, taking away even what little he had.