Jesus was a master storyteller, and the parables He told were ingeniously simple word pictures. Some of them were no more than fleeting remarks about commonplace incidents, objects, or persons. In fact, the most compact of all Jesus' short stories does not even fill a complete verse of Scripture. Yet the all were filled with profound spiritual lessons that He wanted His listeners to hear and understand. Jesus told these parables so they would clearly comprehend His message about the kingdom of God and the reason He had come to earth.

In the Parables Workbook, master expositor and Bible commentator John MacArthur draws on his years spent studying and explaining the Word of God to guide readers through some of the most famous and influential short stories that Jesus told. Each session contains the following:

• Biblical focus: the primary passages on which the session draws
• Another look: questions to facilitate review of content in the book
• Biblical connections: questions that focus on the main Bible passage
• Highlighting the lesson: questions that focus on the central teaching points
• Lasting implications: questions to help draw out personal conclusions
• Daily assignments: five sets of questions that reflect on the parable, the point, the purpose, the principles, and the practical application

This workbook has been designed to enhance readers' experience of reading the book and is intended both for individual use and for study in a small-group setting.

MacArthur, John F.

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker. He has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four married children and fifteen grandchildren. John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly two thousand English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and digital recordings by John MacArthur. John is chancellor of The Master's University and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Bestselling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, Slave, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.