The Parables of Grace

Have you ever noticed how Jesus said his yoke is easy and light, but sermons on his teachings often sound hard and heavy? Something doesn’t add up.

Take his parables, for example.

The parables of Jesus may be the most influential stories ever told. Millions of people know them. Each week, the parables are taught from pulpits and in Sunday School classes all over the world.

The parables reveal the kingdom, yet they are often hijacked to preach dead works and self-righteousness. Apparently, the parable of the Good Samaritan is about being kind to others, while the parable of the Shrewd Manager is about giving to the poor.

There is nothing wrong with being kind and generous, but Jesus did not come to rehash religious clichés.

Some use the parables to portray God as angry and uncaring. Apparently, he’s asleep (the Friend at Midnight), he’s mean but malleable (the Unjust Judge), and he murders people (the Wedding Banquet).

Nope.

Jesus was not an old covenant preacher frightening people with pictures of a scary God. He was the herald of the new covenant, which is why his stories were full of surprises and reversals.

They were new. They were different.

They were unlike anything we’d heard before.

Stories of the kingdom

Through his stories, Jesus described a right-side-up kingdom where prodigals are received, tax collectors are justified, and outcasts are invited to feasts. It’s a kingdom of justice and peace, of heaven on earth.

The disciples once asked Jesus why he spoke in parables. Why not speak plainly?

Jesus replied that many people were not ready to receive what he wanted to tell them. He could have spoken plainly about the kingdom of God, but they would not believe him or remember what he said. Tell them a good story, however, and they would remember it for life (see Matt. 13:10–13). Stories stick.

Jesus spoke in parables because stories disarm us. Facts and arguments may leave us unmoved, but who can resist a story about a starving prodigal, an unforgiving servant, or a poorly dressed wedding guest? Stories slip past our defenses and pierce the heart.

But only if they are told right. Which they often aren’t. To twist the stories of Jesus into an anti-grace message is surely one of the greatest harms ever inflicted.

I have read many books and heard countless sermons on the parables of Jesus, and I have found few that interpret these stories through the lens of the new covenant. Most preach dead works or mixture. “Get busy for Jesus.” “Prove your faithfulness through endless praying.” “Turn or burn.”

Yecch.

We need to take a fresh look at the parables of Jesus. We need to read them through the lens of grace.

We don’t need a parable to tell us to be good to our neighbors, but a parable may reveal that God longs to be good to us.

Nor do we need a parable to tell us that God’s kingdom is valuable and worth everything you have, but a parable may reveal that you are precious to God and that he will gladly give up everything he has to win you.

If grace and truth came through Jesus (see John 1:17), then his parables must be full of grace and truth—and they are. The parables of Jesus are the most enduring stories ever told because they reveal what we desperately need to hear. They unveil the true nature of God and the relentless love and grace he has for all of us.

Mark your diary

For the past ten years or so, I have been working on a grace-based commentary titled The Parables of Jesus. It is the latest book in The Grace Bible series and probably the most exciting project I have undertaken. When I started, I had no idea how big it would grow, but the more I dug into these timeless treasures, the more I found.

The Grace Bible: The Parables of Jesus covers all of the parables Jesus told. The book goes on sale on March 10, 2026, but you can read a sample chapter, or pre-order the Kindle version now.

If the parables of Jesus leave you scratching your head – What did Jesus mean by that?! – this is the book you’ve been waiting for.

—

In my next email, I will tell you how you can get an advance copy of The Parables of Jesus and get your name listed in the acknowledgements!