The Gospel of Matthew is filled with parables, or short moral stories, used by Jesus to teach his followers about the kingdom of heaven and his other teachings. Jesus speaks through parables to fulfill what the prophets had said in the Old Testament and to help the people understand his teachings because "they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand." I believe these parables are the most important part of the Gospel of Matthew because through Jesus' teachings we can understand not only the kingdom of heaven but the message which God sent Jesus to give.

In this parable the enemy came while everyone was asleep and planted weeds among the crops of the Master of the land. The Master's slaves asked him if they should pull the weeds out now but the Master told them to leave them in until the harvestt, since pulling the weeds out might damage the crops. At the harvest the weeds would be burned while the wheat is gathered into the barn.

Jesus uses this passage to show the people a glimpse of heaven. The weeds that are planted among the crops are the sinners in society who do not repent and follow the Lord, and they are placed there by the enemy, Satan. These people almost prevent other people from being good and living with the right morales, as is illustrated in the parable as the weeds almost choke the life of the crops, or the good people on earth. In the Bible, Jesus is often called Master by his followers and I think he uses the Master of the land in the parable to describe how he will save the good people from those who are evil. However, if the weeds and crops make it to harvest they will be dealed with appropriately by the harvesters, God's angels. The weeds will be burned while the crops will be stored in a barn. This comparison explains how God deals with the people after death; the sinners are sent to Hell and the good people stay with him. The living are judged by God after death.

This parable describes how a mustard seed, when first planted, is the smallest of all the seeds yet grows to be one of the biggest bushes around and birds come to rest on its branches.

Jesus uses this parable to show how the meek and poor-spirited will triumph in the afterlife. As the mustard seed is, so are the meek small and humble while they live on earth. However, when they enter the kingdom of God, they will grow to be the mightiest of the people.

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to yeast that is mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the bread rises and has become leavened.

Jesus uses this parable to show how the people will ascend to heaven. The people are the yeast and they cannot rise to become leavened until the three measures of wheat flour are added in. Jesus is the wheat flour and only through him and his teachings can the people rise to heaven as the bread rises to become leavened.

In this parable the kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure that is buried in a field. A person will find the treasure but then hide it again. Then the person who has found the treasure will sell everything he has to have that land with the hidden treasure. The story of the merchant is a lot like the parable of the lost treasure. In this parable a merchant is looking for a pearl. When he finds the pearl he is looking for he will go and sell all he has to buy the pearl.

This is a great parable that shows a person's path to heaven. The person who has found the treasure has actually found the path of Christ in real life. The person gives away all of his material wealth in order to have that one treasure, which ends up being worth much more. The merchant also gives everything he has so that he can have the pearl, which symbolizes the path of Christ. Jesus is trying to show us that wealth does not come from material items but from a person's inside or their treasure.

In the parable a net is thrown over a boat and catches all types of fish. The fishermen haul the net out of the water and separate the good fish from the bad fish by putting the good fish in a different bucket and the bad fish they throw away.

Jesus uses this parable to show what will happen at the end of one's life. The fish, or all the people, will be gathered into heaven and once there they will be judged by the angels of God. The good stay in the kingdom of heaven and the evil people are sent down to the fiery furnace.

In this parable a king almost sells someone who owes him money in order to pay him back. However, the servant begs the king not to sell him and the king is merciful and forgives him the loan. The servant later grabs a servant who owes him money and demands that he be paid back. The man who owes the servent money begs for forgiveness but the servent then places him in jail until he pays him back. The king is outraged because when the servent begged him for money he forgave him yet he did not forgive the man who owed him money. The king then tortured the servant until he could pay the king back.

Jesus uses this parable to show how God will act toward His people. He will forgive the sinners, as the people with debt were forgiven by the king. However, if the people do not forgive each other after they have been pitied by Him, He will send them to the fiery furnace of Hell to be tortured.

A landowner went out and hired some workers to work his land. They agreed to work at the usual daily wage and went to work. Throughout the day the landowner hires workers to work his fields for the same price as the first group of people until about five o'clock. At the end of day the landowner tells everyone to line up and he pays them their wages. When the people who worked all day get the same wages as the people who worked for only one hour they complain that the landowner is not fair. The landowner tells the workers that he is giving them what they agreed to work for and what he pays the other workers is his own choice and right. The land owner asks the complaining workers "Are you envious because I am generous?"

This parable shows how people will be rewarded for following Jesus. The people who followed him for a long time will receive the same reward as the people who just started to follow him late in their lives. Both will be able to spend an eternity with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is also trying to tell his followers not to become angry or envious when he does accept those people who have just started following him because he is just showing them the same kindness he has shown his other followers.

A man builds a vineyard with a tower and a hedge and rents it out to people when he goes on his journey. When it was vintage time the man sent servants to collect the wine but the tenants beat or killed the servants. The man sent more servants but still the tenants killed them or beat them. The man then decides to send his son as they might respect his son and give him the wine. However, the tenants killed the son when they saw him as they could then claim the vineyard.

In this parale, Jesus attempts to point out what the Pharisees have done to God's people. The prophets who have come to lead the good people to heaven, or the servants who are collecting the wine, are being rejected by the Pharisees. Once again a man will come to lead the people to God and that will be Jesus, or the son who tried to collect the wine. Jesus will be killed as the others were by the Pharisees.

A king is holding a banquet for the wedding of his son. Many people are invited to the banquet but none want to come to the feast. Then the servants told those invited that there was a great feast prepared yet the people either ignored them or killed and hurt the servants. The king becomes angry and sends his soldiers to destroy the people. Then he turns to his servants that those who were first invited were unworthy so invite the people off the street. Once everyone is at the banquet though the king sends those without a wedding garment away.

This parable describes God's reaching out to his people. God sends the prophets, or servants,to invite the people to his feast which symbolizes heaven. Many ignore the prophets though or even kill them. At that point God is abandoned by his people who then go through rough times, which is represented by the soldiers who attack the people. Then God sends another servant, Jesus, to gather the people. This time many people try to come to the feast, or heaven, yet those without wedding garments are not accepted, or those who are sinful are not accepted into heaven.

There were ten virgins, five wise and five foolish that went out to meet the bridegroom. The wise brought flasks of oil for their lamps while the foolish brought no extra oil. The bridegroom was late however so the virgins fell asleep. The bridesmaids were then awoken when the bridegroom arrived yet only the wise had enough oil to light their lamps. The foolish ones asked the wise for oil but they only had enough for themselves so they were forced to go buy oil from the merchants. The wise virgins then entered the feast with the bridegroom yet the foolish were stuck outside.

This parable shows how the followers of Christ will be rewarded. The light that is stored in the lamps is the faith that Jesus is the Messiah. Only the wise have that faith and with it they are able to enter the feast, or heaven. The foolish do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah and do not follow him into the feast. The doors of heaven are then shut to the foolish who did not follow Jesus.

Before a man left on a journey he gave entrusted his possessions to his servants. To one he gave five talents, a second servant two and a third servant one. The first two servants made as much money as was given to them while the last one buried his money. Eventually the master came back and the servants gave him his money back, the first servant with five more talents, the second with two more talents and the third with one. The first two servants were given more responsibility since they had handled such small matters well while that last servant was thrown into the darkness outside.

This parable shows three people who are being judged by God. The first servant was given much and in return has given much to God. The second servant has been given less than the first but still gives God back as much as he has received. The last servant was given little but gave nothing back to God. The first servants were good people and went to heaven while the last servant was lazy and was therefore sent to hell. Jesus is using this parable to show us that it is not what you are given but what you do with what is given to you that lets you ascend to heaven.