Adult Sabbath
School Bible
Study Guide
Lesson 8:
The Great Controversy in
the Parables of Jesus
Memory Text:
“Then the righteous will
shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father.”
Parables Studied:
1. The Soils
2. The Tares
3. The Vineyard
4. The Wedding
Feast
5. The Lost Coins
(sheep/prodigal
son).
What is a parable? Story with a
spiritual application. “An earthly
story with a Heavenly meaning”.
Why did Jesus teach in parables? “That
seeing they might not see and hearing they
might not hear.” There is a war going on.
Jesus was fully aware of that. Men were
seeking an excuse to kill Him … He had to
“watch His words”.
• PARABLE
TEACHING
• 1. The Soils
The reception of truth.
• 2. The Tares
The plan of salvation.
• 3. The Vineyard
The plan of salvation.
• 4. The Wedding Feast The transformation of character.
• 5. The Lost Coins
• (sheep/prodigal son).
Divine love, mercy and justice.
The Four Soils:
The Wayside
Stony Ground
In the end can we blame satan if our
soil is poor? If we are not “good
ground”?1 Cor. 10:13
Thorny Ground
Good Ground
Matthew
Wheat and
Tares:
13:24 - 30
SYMBOLS:
MEANING:
THE FIELD
The world
THE TARES
Evildoers
THE HARVEST
The end of the world
THE GOOD SEED
God’s word
THE TWO SOWERS
Jesus, satan
THE HARVESTERS
The angels
The Vineyard:
The Landowner, The Vineyard,
The Wall, The Tenants, The
Landowner’s Servants, The Son,
The Other Tenants
Work diligently for
the Lord – He will
reward you greatly.
Read:
Matthew
21:33 - 44
We need Christ’s
righteousness!
Read:
Matthew 22:1 – 14.
The Wedding Feast and the Wedding Garment
The Lost and Found:
1. The
Sheep
God left Heaven to save
one lost sheep – this world!
Luke
15:4 - 7
2.The Lost Coin
Luke
15:8 - 10
We don’t even know
we are lost – God is
searching for us! Turn
to Him today!
Luke 15:11-32
11. “And He said, A
certain man had two
sons: 12.And the younger
of them said to his father,
Father give me the
portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he
divided unto them his
living. 13. And not many
days after the younger
son gathered all together
and took his journey into
a far country, and there
wasted his substance
with riotous living. …”
The Prodigal Son: Interpretation
Of all the parables this comes closest to giving us
a glimpse of the hallowed face of God. It
illustrates that God’s love is beyond justice,
beyond reason - that He ever hungers for the
return of a sinner. The righteous are His already;
they have His love. But they are not to be self
righteous , nor jealous of their position in His
eyes. They are to love with His own love - to
yearn as He does for their wandering brothers.
‘The Perfect Father’ might be a more descriptive
title for this gem of a parable.
Witnessing:
Should we ask
God to give us
lost people or
help us find
lost people?
What borders might you
need to cross, or what walls
might you need to scale, in
your search for people who
need God?
Summary:
Jesus came to this earth to uncover satan’s
lies about God. He did this not only through
the way he lived but through the parables
taught. From many of these we learn vision,
affect our attitude and appeal to our sense of
pride and self sufficiency. But each parable
brings a note of victory. There is a harvest.
People do accept God’s invitation. Some of
us do find the way home.