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About This Quiz
A parable is a story that uses narrative to convey meaning or instruction. One of the most famous users of this teaching device is none other than Biblical star and (depending on your beliefs) messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus dedicated much of his life spreading his teachings by word of mouth, and parables were one of his favorite tools. He would use them to convey important teachings about morality, one's relationship to God, redemption, loss, love, forgiveness, and more.
Most of the parables are based on everyday situations which which his audience could relate: the outcome of a roadside mugging, a woman baking bread, or agricultural life. Despite the seeming simplicity of the stories, some deploy vivid imagery, and all convey an important lesson. These messages are considered extended similes and analogies, and are a crucial representation of the religious themes expressed in these texts.
The longevity and influence of the parables is substantial, and both the religious and irreligious can find something to enjoy or study in them. They have transcended one faith and entered a wider culture. Do you know them well, and if so, can you tell us their meaning? How about getting the details of the stories right? Test your knowledge here!
In the parable of the wise and foolish builders, the foolish man did what?
He used pine for his wood.
He used cypress for his wood.
He used rock for his foundation.
He used earth for his foundation.
"But, he that heareth and doeth not is like a man that without a foundation build an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell, and the ruin of the house was great." (Luke 6:49)
In Jesus's parable, who helped the man who was beaten up and left along the roadside?
The good Samaritan.
Samaritans were people who lived in the area that was once the Northern Kingdom. When the Assyrians conquered Israel in the Old Testament, they practiced massive relocation plans that moved some of the Hebrews out and some foreigners into the area who then married the natives. The Samaritans were not only no longer physically “pure†Hebrew, but also they had intermingled religions as well.
The priest.
The innkeeper.
The Levite.
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, what happened to the two men?
The rich man gave Lazarus a job.
The rich man killed Lazarus.
Lazarus inherited the rich man’s estate when he died.
Both of them died.
“And it came to pass, that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.†–Luke 16:22
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Where should you NOT place a candle according to Jesus’s parable?
In a cave.
In the bathtub.
Under a bushel.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.†– Matthew 5:14-15
On a candlestick.
Which seed from the parable of the sower was the one who heard the Word, understood, it and bore fruit?
The seed that falls on stony ground.
The seed that falls among thorns.
The seed that falls on good ground.
"But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." (Mathew 13:23)
The seed that falls by the wayside.
What did it mean when Jesus said, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed 500 pence and the other 50. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both?â€
You should not go in debt to others.
If you ask it will be given to you.
People only listen when money is involved.
A person who has more sins to forgive will be more thankful for the forgiveness.
The word translated “pence†is one denarii. A denarii was a single day’s wages that an average Roman soldier would receive.
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In one parable, Jesus stated that you couldn’t enter a strong man’s house without first?
Knocking on the door.
Killing the strong man.
Binding the strong man.
In ancient Israel, the family was the primary unit of society. The family, at that time, provided people with their identity.
Cutting the strong man’s hair.
Fill in the blank from the parable of the rich fool: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, _______________________."
"…And labor no more."
"…Eat, drink, and be merry.â€
"And [the fool] will say to [his] soul, ‘Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said unto him, ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’ So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." –Luke 12:19-21
"…That He may judge you righteously."
"…And rest in His bosom."
In one parable, what did an enemy do to a man’s field after he planted it?
The enemy told the authorities it was his field.
The enemy dug up the field.
The enemy set the field on fire.
The enemy planted tares in the field.
“Tares†are a plant called Zizanion. This plant looks like wheat when it is small, but is easy to tell it apart form the wheat when it is mature.
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What did the friend ask to borrow from his neighbor at midnight?
A pint of butter.
A cup of flour.
Three loaves of bread.
“…Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?’ …I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.†–Luke 11:5-6, 8
A barrel of wine.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant who did what?
Wept for all his customers.
Sold his wares on street corners.
Gave away all he had to the poor.
Sold everything he had for an expensive pearl.
Although coins were popular since the time of Alexander the Great (the 3rd century B. C.), money and banking was still in its early stages at the time of Jesus. As such, many people buried their wealth to prevent theft.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, how many brothers did the Prodigal have?
He was an only child.
One.
And he said, "A certain man had two sons: 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.†–Luke 15: 11-12
Two.
Three.
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According to one parable, what should a man do before building a tower?
Make the bricks.
Count the cost.
This parable has an object lesson about planning out a project to make sure you can finish it, and it can apply in many situations. However, the main meaning behind the parable is that you should not rush into being a Christian without counting the cost and being willing to accept the responsibilities that come with it.
Buy the land.
Get a good night’s rest.
In the parable of the Great Banquet, what happened to those the King first invited to the banquet?
They could not be found.
They all came in their work clothes and the King threw them out of the wedding.
They were waylaid on the way to the wedding.
They ignored the invitation and the king made war on them.
“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.†–Matthew 22:7
In the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, how did the King treat the servant when he first begged for mercy?
He tossed his family in prison while the servant raised the money.
He had him beaten anyway.
He said he would give him one year to raise the money.
He had compassion on him and completely forgave his debt.
The standard of sympathy in Jesus’s day was to forgive someone three times. Jesus taught you should continue to forgive people when they are sorry for their actions. Like many of Jesus’s parables, we have two examples in this one: the need for us to be forgiving because we are forgiven, and the justice of what happens when people are not truly sorry for their actions.
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Who was humble when he prayed—the Pharisee or the publican?
Both men prayed humbly.
Neither of them prayed humbly.
The Pharisee was more humble in his prayer than the publican.
The publican was more humble in his prayer than the Pharisee.
There were designated times for people to go to the temple and pray, but these usually corresponded with the times for sacrifice. The temple was also open for prayer any time someone felt the need.
In the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, what did the servant do that made the King throw him in prison?
He went home and beat his wife.
He ran up even more debt.
He had another servant who owed him money thrown in prison.
"But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me that thou owest.’ And his fellowservant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’ And he would not but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt." –Matthew 18:28-30
He failed to repay the money after a year.
In the parable with the fig tree, what did the dresser of the vineyard do when the master wanted to cut it down?
He cut it down for him.
He offered to take special care of it for a year to see if it would fruit before cutting it.
Figs are unique in that the flower blossoms inside the husk of the fruit. Each tiny flower produces one seed.
He asked if he could transplant it into his own yard.
He told his master to graft new branches onto the old.
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Fill in the blank: " Neither do men put __________________
"…New wine into new bottles."
"…New wine into old bottles."
"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.." –Matthew 9: 17
"…Old wine into old bottles."
"…Old wine into new bottles."
In the parable of the Lost Coin, how many coins did the woman have before she lost one?
1.
5.
10.
A silver coin would have been the Greek drachma. Like the Roman denarius, it was the equivalent of a solder’s pay for one day.
100.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, what job did the Prodigal take after spending all his inheritance?
An innkeeper.
An outhouse cleaner.
A swine feeder.
“And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.†–Luke 15:15-16
A wheat harvester.
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The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that did what?
Broke because it was so full of fish.
Collected the good and the bad, which were later sorted.
The primary fish caught in the Sea of Galilee were carp, tilapia, and sardines. Fish was either dried and sold locally or turned into fish sauce and exported.
Only collected the good fish and let the ones that were too small go through its holes.
Fell on people and trapped them.
Finish the Parable: "And again he said, ‘Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like __________, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was __________.’"
"…Water; wet."
"…Leaven; leavened."
"And again he said, ‘Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.’†– Luke 13:20-21
"…Sugar; sweet."
"…Salt; salty.â€
What did the Unjust Steward do when he discovered he was about to be fired?
He went to his Master’s enemies for work.
He tried to get a job digging ditches.
He went to his Master’s debtors and reduced their debts.
Many debate whether the Unjust Steward was continuing his dishonesty or whether he was merely making things right. It could be that he had overcharged the people initially, and he was simply returning their debts to where they should be. Alternately, he could have been cheating his Master even more.
He became a beggar.
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In the parable of the Persistent Woman, what was the woman persistent about?
Asking God for a child.
Asking a beggar to come stay with her.
Asking a judge to avenge her.
"…There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, 'Avenge me of mine adversary.'" –Luke 18:2-3
Asking a merchant to sell her grain for half the price.
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where was Lazarus resting in Heaven?
In Moses’s bosom.
In Elijah’s bosom.
In Abraham’s bosom.
Since Abraham was considered the founder of the Hebrew nation, being close to him in Heaven would be a place of the highest honor. This parable also accentuates the fact that people cannot pass from Heaven to Hell nor can they return to earth once they are in Hell.
In Jeremiah’s bosom.
When the man needed workers for his vineyard, how much more did he offer to pay the first recruits as opposed to the last group of workers he collected?
The first recruits received a days wages more than the last ones.
The last ones were not given money—only a meal after the work..
The last ones were not given money—only a meal after the work..
All the workers received the same pay regardless of the time they were hired.
“And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more, and they likewise received every man a penny.†–Matthew 20:9-10
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In the parable of the Wedding Banquet, what happened to the man who didn’t show up in the correct clothing?
The King fined him and sent him on his way.
The King gave him a garment and helped him dress.
The King had him bound and cast into the darkness.
In ancient times, the host would have given all of his guests an appropriate garment to wear to the event. Since this guest chose not to wear it, the host would have taken it as an insult.
The guards did not permit him into the wedding.
Fill in the blank for the parable of the Wicked Tenants: "But last of all he sent unto them his ____________, saying, ‘They will reverence my ____________,.’"
Father.
Servant.
Son.
"But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’ But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.’†–Matthew 21: 37-38
Brother.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, who was upset to see the Prodigal return home after losing all his inheritance?
The dad’s servants.
The Prodigal’s brother.
The youngest son would have received only 1/3 of the estate by ancient inheritance laws. However, the rest of the estate that remained would have rightfully belonged to the eldest son who stayed behind. The first born always received a double portion because it would have been his job to take care of the rest of the family, including any sisters, once the father passed away.
The Prodigal’s wife.
The Prodigal’s dad.
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In the parable of the Lost Sheep, how many sheep total did the Good Shepherd own?
25.
50.
75.
100.
“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?†–Matthew 18:12
When comparing the end of the generation to a fig tree in a parable what was the analogy?
Just as you can see when summer is close by the leaves appearing on the fig tree, you will know when the end is close.
Fig trees in the Middle East begin to leaf in March or April. The will not produce fruit until all the leaves are on the tree, which is usually about June.
Just as the fig tree rests in the winter, so will man be resting in the end.
Just as the fig tree is attacked by birds for its fruit, so will we be attacked by the evil one in the end.
Just as a fig tree is one day here and the next gone, so will those who love Him be raptured.
When the Master returns the good servant won’t be found doing what, according to the parable?
Sleeping with the Master’s wife.
Eating at the Master’s table.
Stealing.
Sleeping.
“Watch ye therefore. For ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.†– Mark 13:35-36
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In the parable of the Ten Virgins, what did the five wise virgins do?
Bring extra clothing.
Bring extra oil.
At that time in history, a lamp would need to be refilled every 15 minutes to keep it burning. The charred ends of the wicks would also need to be clipped to keep the lamp lit.
Bring extra food.
Bring extra wine.
In the parable of the Talents, how many talents did the faithful servant return to the Master?
He returned the five that were given to him and five more.
"After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, 'Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.'" –Mark 25:19-20
He returned the one that was given to him and one more.
He returned only the five that were given to him.
He returned only the one that was given to him.
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