As 10 parábolas mais importantes de Jesus

3 He was telling them many parables. One of the parables that he told them was this: "Listen! A man went out to his field to sow some seeds. 4 As he was scattering them over the soil, some of the seeds fell on the path. Then some birds came and ate those seeds. 5 Other seeds fell on ground where there was not much soil on top of the rock. Those seeds sprouted very soon, because the sun quickly warmed the shallow soil. 6 But when the young plants came up, they were scorched by the sun, and they withered because they did not have deep roots. 7 Other seeds fell on ground that contained roots of thorny weeds. The thorny weeds grew together with the young plants, and they crowded out the plants. 8 But other seeds fell on good soil, and the plants grew and produced a lot of grain. Some plants produced 100 times as many seeds as were planted. Some plants produced 60 times as much. Some plants produced 30 times as much. 9 If you want to understand this [MTY], you should consider carefully what I have just said."

Jesus taught that we must show our love to everyone, even ones we do not like to associate with.

25 One day as Jesus was teaching people, a man was there who had studied carefully the laws that God gave Moses. He wanted to ask Jesus a difficult question. So he stood up and asked, "Teacher, what shall I do in order to live with God forever?" 26 Jesus said to him, "You (sg) have read [RHQ] what Moses has written in the laws that God gave him. What did Moses write about living forever?" 27 The man replied, "He wrote that we (inc) must love the Lord our God. We must show that by what we feel and by what we do and by what we think. He also wrote that we must love people that we come in contact with as much as we love ourselves." 28 Jesus replied, "You (sg) have answered your question correctly. If you do all that continually, you will live with God forever."

29 But the man wanted to defend the way he acted toward people that he came in contact with (OR, to defend why he had asked a question that Jesus answered so simply). So he said to Jesus, "Which people that I come in contact with should I love?" 30 Jesus replied by telling him this illustration: "A Jewish man was once going down along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Bandits attacked him. They took away most of the man’s clothes and everything else that he had, and they beat him until he was almost dead. Then they left him. 31 It happened that a Jewish priest was going along that road. When he saw that man, instead of helping him, he passed by on the other side of the road. 32 Similarly, a man who worked in the temple in Jerusalem came to that place and saw the man. But he also passed by on the other side of the road. 33 Then a man from Samaria province came along that road to where the man was lying. People from Samaria despise Jews. But when he saw that man, he pitied him. 34 He went over to him and put some olive oil and wine on his wounds to help heal them. He wound strips of cloth around the wounds. He placed the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next morning he gave two silver coins to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of this man. If you (sg) spend more than this amount to care for him, I will pay you back when I return.’" 36 Then Jesus said, "Three people saw the man whom bandits attacked. Which one of them acted in a loving way toward that man?" 37 The man who studied the Scriptures replied, "The one who acted mercifully toward him." Jesus said to him, "You (sg) go and act like that toward everyone whom you can help!"

4 "Suppose that one of you had 100 sheep. If one of them were lost, ◄you (sg) would certainly leave the 99 sheep in the pasture, and go and search for the one lost sheep until you found it./would you not leave the 99 sheep in the pasture, and go and search for the one lost sheep until you found it?► [RHQ] 5 When you (sg) found it, you would put it on your shoulders and be happy. 6 When you brought it home, you would call together your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ 7 I tell you (pl) that similarly God will be very happy about each and every sinner who turns from doing evil. God is not happy about 99 people who think that they are [IRO] righteous and think that they do not need to turn from doing evil.

Jesus taught the Jewish leaders that they also ought to be glad when people turn from their sinful ways.

11 Then Jesus told them this parable to compare what the Pharisees and teachers of the Jewish law thought about those who turn from their sinful behavior with what God thinks about such people. He said, "A certain man had two sons. 12 One day the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, I do not want to wait until you(sg) die. Give me now the share of your property that belongs to me!’ So the man divided his property between his two sons. 13 A few days later, the younger son sold his share. He gathered his money and other things together and went to a country far away. There he spent all his money foolishly in reckless/wild living. 14 After he had spent all his money, there was a great famine throughout that country. And soon he did not have enough food to eat. 15 So he went to one of the landowners in that area and asked for work. The man sent him to work taking care of the pigs in his field. 16 Because he was very hungry, he would have been glad to eat the bean pods that the pigs ate. But no one gave him anything to eat. 17 Finally he thought clearly about what he had done. He said to himself, ‘All of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food! They have more [SYN] than they can eat, but here I am dying because I do not have anything to eat [HYP]! 18 So I will leave here and go back to my father. I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against God [MTY, EUP] and against you (sg). 19 I am no longer worthy to be called {of you calling me} your son. Just hire me to be like one of the other hired servants."’ 20 So he left there and went back to his father’s house. But while he was still some distance from the house, his father saw him. He pitied him. He ran to his son and embraced him and kissed him on the cheek. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God [MTY/EUP] and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called {of you calling me} your son.’ 22 But his father said to his servants, ‘Go quickly and bring to me the best robe in the house! Then put it on my son. Put a ring on his finger to show that I am honoring him again as my son! Put sandals on his feet to show that I do not consider him to be a slave! 23 Then bring the fat calf and kill it and cook it. We (inc) must eat and celebrate, 24 because my son has returned! It is as though [MET] he was dead and is alive again! It is as though he was lost and now has been found!’ So they did that, and they all began to celebrate.

25 While all that was happening, the man’s older son was out working in the field. When he came near to the house, he heard people playing music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what was happening. 27 The servant said to him, ‘Your younger brother has come home Your father has told us to kill the fat calf to celebrate because your brother has returned safe and healthy.’ 28 But the older brother was angry. He refused to enter the house. So his father came out and pleaded with him to come in. 29 But he replied to his father, ‘Listen to me! For many years I have worked for you like a slave. I always obeyed everything you told me to do. But you never even gave me a young goat, so that I could kill it and cook it and celebrate with my friends. 30 But this son of yours spent all the money he got from what you gave him. He spent it to pay for sleeping with prostitutes! Yes, now he has returned home, but it is not fair that you have told your servants to kill the fat calf and cook it for him!’ 31 But his father said to him, ‘My son, you have always been with me, and all my property that I did not give to your brother has been yours. 32 But it is as though [MET] your brother was dead and is alive again! It is as though he was lost and now he has been found! So it is appropriate for us to be happy and celebrate!’ "

45 Also, what people do who begin to allow God [MTY/EUP] to rule their lives is like what a merchant did who was looking for good quality pearls to buy. 46 When he found one very costly pearl that was for sale, he sold all his possessions to acquire enough money to buy that pearl. Then he went and bought it.

Jesus taught about not thinking that we are better than others in God’s sight.

9 Jesus also told a parable to warn people who mistakenly thought that they were doing things that made them acceptable to God. Besides, they also despised other people. 10 He said this: "Two men went up to the Temple in Jerusalem to pray. One was a Pharisee. The other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed silently, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men. Some extort money from others; some treat others unjustly; some commit adultery. I do not do such things. And I am certainly not like this tax collector who cheats people! 12 Our law says that we(exc) should ◄fast/abstain from food► once a week, but I do more than that. I fast twice a week! I give you ten percent of all that I earn!’ 13 But the tax collector stood far from the other people in the Temple courtyard because he felt very unworthy. He would not even look up toward heaven. Instead, he beat on his chest to show that he was sorry for his sin. He said, ‘God, I am a sinner; be merciful to me and forgive me!’" 14 Then Jesus said, "I tell you (pl) that as the tax collector went home, the record of his sins was erased {God erased the record of his sins}, not that of the Pharisee. Remember this: Those who exalt themselves will be humbled {God will humble all those who exalt themselves}, but those who humble themselves will be exalted {he will exalt those who humble themselves}."

Jesus told a parable to teach his disciples about making good use of what God has given them.

14 "When I return from heaven as king, I will deal with those who say that they have been serving me like a man who was about to go on a long journey dealt with his servants. He called them together and gave them each some of his wealth to invest and gain more money for him. 15 He gave them money according to their ability to take care of it. For example, he gave one servant 5,000 dollars, he gave another servant 2,000 dollars, and he gave another servant 1,000 dollars. Then he left on his journey. 16 The servant who had received 5,000 dollars went immediately and used that money to gain 5,000 dollars more. 17 Similarly, the servant who had received 2,000 dollars gained two thousand dollars more. 18 But the servant who had received one thousand dollars went and dug a hole in the ground and hid the money there to keep it safe.

19 After a long time the servants’ boss returned. He called them together to find out what they had done with his money. 20 The servant who had received 5,000 dollars brought two bags, each containing 5,000 dollars. He said, ‘Boss, you gave me 5,000 dollars to take care of. Look, I have gained 5,000 more!’ 21 His boss replied, ‘You are a very good and faithful servant! You have done very well! You have faithfully handled a small amount of money, so I will put you in charge of a lot of things. Come and be happy with me!’

22 The servant who had received 2,000 dollars also came and said, ‘Boss, you gave me 2,000 dollars to take care of. Look, I have gained 2,000 more!’ 23 His boss replied, ‘You are a very good and faithful servant! You have done very well! You have faithfully handled a small amount of money, so I will put you in charge of a lot of things. Come and be happy with me!’

24 Then the servant who had received 1,000 dollars came. He said, ‘Boss, I was afraid of you. I knew that you are a man who does not do foolish things with his money. You even take from others money that does not really belong to you, like a farmer who harvests grain from another man’s field where he did not even plant the seeds. 25 So because I was afraid of what you would do to me if I did not make a profit from my business, I went out and hid your 1,000 dollars in the ground to keep it safe. Here, this is the money that belongs to you!’ 26 His boss replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! ◄You knew that I take from others money that does not really belong to me, like a farmer who harvests grain from another man’s field where I did not even plant the seeds!/Did you not know that I take from others money that does not really belong to me, like a farmer who harvests grain from another man’s field where I did not even plant the seeds?► [RHQ] 27 So then, you should have put my money on deposit in a bank, so that when I returned I would get it back with the interest it earned!’ 28 Then the boss said to his other servants, ‘Take the 1,000 dollars from him, and give it to the servant who has the 10,000 dollars! 29 To those who use well what they have received, God will give more, and they will have plenty. But from those who do not use well what they have received, even what they already have will be taken away. 30 Furthermore, throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where he will be with those who are wailing and gnashing their teeth because they are in much pain.’"

Jesus warned what would happen to those who did not share their possessions with poor people.

19 Jesus also said [MET], "Once there was a rich man who wore expensive purple linen garments. He ate luxuriously every day. 20 And every day a poor man whose name was Lazarus was laid {some people also laid a poor man whose name was Lazarus} at the gate of the rich man’s house. Lazarus’ body was covered with sores. 21 He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the scraps of food that fell from the table where the rich man ate. Furthermore, to make things worse, dogs came and licked his sores. 22 Eventually the poor man died. Then he was taken by the angels {the angels took him} to start feasting next to his ancestor Abraham. The rich man also died, and his body was buried {some people buried his body}. 23 In the place where dead people wait for God to judge them, he was suffering great pain. He looked up and saw Abraham far away, and he saw Lazarus sitting close to Abraham. 24 So he shouted, ‘Father Abraham, I am suffering very much in this fire! So please pity me, and send Lazarus here so that he can dip his finger in water and touch my tongue to cool it!’ 25 But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that while you (sg) were alive on earth you enjoyed many good things. But Lazarus was miserable. Now it is fair that he is happy here, and you are suffering. 26 Besides that, there is a huge ravine between you (sg) and us. So those who want to go from here to where you (sg) are, are not able to. Furthermore, no one can cross from there to where we (exc) are.’ 27 Then the rich man said, ‘If that is so, father Abraham, I ask you (sg) to send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 I have five brothers who live there. Tell him to warn them to turn away from their sinful behavior so that they do not also come to this place, where we(exc) suffer great pain!’ 29 But Abraham replied, ‘No, I will not do that, because your brothers are able to go to the Jewish meeting places where the priests read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should listen to what Moses and the prophets [MTY] wrote!’ 30 But the rich man replied, ‘No, father Abraham, that will not be enough But if someone from those who have died goes back to them and warns them, they will turn from their sinful behavior.’ 31 Abraham said to him, ‘No! If they do not listen to what [MTY] Moses and the prophets [MTY] wrote, even if someone would become alive again and go and warn them, they would not be convinced {he could not convince them} that they should turn from their sinful behavior.’"

Jesus told a parable about wheat and weeds.

24 Jesus also told the crowd another parable, by which he tried to explain that although God [MTY/EUP] is a king, he will not immediately judge and punish all the wicked people. Jesus said, "God is like a landowner who sent his servants to sow good wheat seed in his field. 25 While those servants were sleeping and not watching the field, an enemy of the landowner came and scattered weed seeds in the midst of the wheat. Then he left. 26 After the seeds sprouted and the green plants grew, the heads of grain began to form. But the weeds also grew. 27 So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, you [RHQ] gave us good seeds and those are the ones we [RHQ] planted in your field. So where did the weeds come from?’ 28 The landowner said to them, ‘My enemy did this.’ His servants said to him, ‘So, do you want us to pull up the weeds and put them in a pile?’ 29 He said to them, ‘No, do not do that, because you might pull up some of the wheat at the same time. 30 Let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest time.’ At that time I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather the weeds, tie them into bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat and put it into my barns.’"

Jesus taught in a parable that his disciples should always be ready for his return.

1 Jesus continued by saying, "I will tell you something else about the time when I return from heaven as king [MET]. What will happen to many people who say that they know me will be like what happened to ten virgins who took their lanterns and went to the place where they would meet a bridegroom and go to his wedding celebration. 2 Five of the virgins were foolish and five of them were wise. 3 The virgins who were foolish took their lanterns, but they did not take any extra olive oil for the lantern. 4 But the virgins who were wise took oil in their flasks as well as in their lanterns. 5 The bridegroom was delayed, and it became late at night. So all the virgins became sleepy and fell asleep. 6 In the middle of the night someone woke them up by shouting, ‘Hey! The bridegroom is arriving! Go outside and meet him!’ 7 So all the virgins got up and trimmed their lantern wicks so that they would burn properly. 8 The foolish virgins said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your olive oil, because our lanterns are about to go out!’ 9 The wise virgins replied, ‘No, because there might not be enough oil for our lanterns and for yours. Go to a store and buy some for yourselves!’ 10 But while the foolish virgins were going to buy some oil, the bridegroom arrived. So the wise virgins, who were ready, went with the bridegroom to the wedding hall where the bride was waiting. Then the door was closed {someone closed the door of that hall}. 11 Later, the rest of the virgins came to the hall and they called to the bridegroom, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ 12 But he said to them, ‘The truth is that I do not know you, so I will not open the door for you!’" 13 Then Jesus continued by saying, "So, in order that this will not happen to you, keep expecting that I will return, because you do not know when [MTY] it will be."