50 Bible Trivia Questions About the Parables of Jesus

The sower, the mustard seed, the lost sheep, the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. How well do you know the stories Jesus told?

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Easy questions

  1. Question 1Easy

    From which tree did Jesus say to learn a parable?

    Answer: D. The fig treeMatthew 24:32
    ‹Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer› is ‹nigh:›
  2. Question 2Easy

    In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the older brother was angry and would not go in to the celebration.

    Answer: TrueLuke 15:28
    ‹And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.›
  3. Question 3Easy

    Where was Jesus when he began to teach the Parable of the Sower?

    Answer: B. In a boat on the seaMark 4:1
    And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
  4. Question 4Easy

    In Jesus's parable, why couldn't new wine be put into old 'wineskins'?

    Answer: A. Old skins were stretched and brittle, and the fermenting wine would burst themMatthew 9:17
    ‹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.›
  5. Question 5Easy

    In Jesus's parable, how many sheep did a shepherd leave behind to search for the one lost sheep?

    Answer: C. Ninety-nineLuke 15:4
    ‹What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?›
  6. Question 6Easy

    In the parable of the persistent widow, who did she keep bothering for justice?

    Answer: A. An unjust judgeLuke 18:2
    Saying, ‹There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:›
  7. Question 7Easy

    What made five of the virgins "foolish" in the parable?

    Answer: D. They did not take extra oil for their lampsMatthew 25:3-4
    ‹They that› were ‹foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:› ‹But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.›
  8. Question 8Easy

    In the Parable of the Talents, the master said to the faithful servant, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'

    Answer: TrueMatthew 25:21
    ‹His lord said unto him, Well done,› thou ‹good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.›
  9. Question 9Easy

    In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, the king saw a man who did not have a wedding garment.

    Answer: TrueMatthew 22:11
    ‹And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:›
  10. Question 10Easy

    How did Jesus conclude the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector?

    Answer: D. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.Luke 18:14
    ‹I tell you, this man went down to his house justified› rather ‹than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.›
  11. Question 11Easy

    In the Parable of the Lost Coin, how many coins did the woman have originally?

    Answer: A. TenLuke 15:8
    ‹Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find› it?
  12. Question 12Easy

    Jesus concluded the wedding banquet parable by saying: 'For many are invited, but few are...'

    Answer: A. ChosenMatthew 22:14
    ‹For many are called, but few› are ‹chosen.›
  13. Question 13Easy

    In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, at what time was the cry heard, 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming'?

    Answer: B. MidnightMatthew 25:6
    ‹And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.›
  14. Question 14Easy

    In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, what highly degrading job did the Jewish son have to take during the famine?

    Answer: D. Feeding pigsLuke 15:15
    ‹And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.›
  15. Question 15Easy

    In the parable of the sheep and the goats, what will the King say to those on his right?

    Answer: B. Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritanceMatthew 25:34
    ‹Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:›

Medium questions

  1. Question 16Medium

    In the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers, what did the landowner plant?

    Answer: B. A vineyardMatthew 21:33
    ‹Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:›
  2. Question 17Medium

    In the parable of the ten minas, what did the servant who feared his master do with his mina?

    Answer: B. Kept it put away in a handkerchiefLuke 19:20-21
    ‹And another came, saying, Lord, behold,› here is ‹thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:› ‹For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.›
  3. Question 18Medium

    Jesus said if the disciples didn't understand the parable of the sower, they wouldn't understand any parable.

    Answer: TrueMark 4:13
    And he said unto them, ‹Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?›
  4. Question 19Medium

    In the explanation of the Parable of the Sower, what does the seed by the wayside represent?

    Answer: C. Anyone who hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches it awayMatthew 13:19
    ‹When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth› it ‹not, then cometh the wicked› one, ‹and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.›
  5. Question 20Medium

    In the Parable of the Sower, the seed that fell on the path was eaten by birds.

    Answer: TrueMark 4:4
    ‹And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.›
  6. Question 21Medium

    In the parable of the leaven, how many measures of flour did the woman use?

    Answer: A. ThreeMatthew 13:33
    Another parable spake he unto them; ‹The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.›
  7. Question 22Medium

    In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, where did the king send his servants after the first guests refused to come?

    Answer: C. Into the highwaysMatthew 22:9
    ‹Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.›
  8. Question 23Medium

    In the parable of the unmerciful servant, what did the master do to the servant who refused to forgive a debt?

    Answer: D. Delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was dueMatthew 18:34
    ‹And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.›
  9. Question 24Medium

    In Jesus' parable, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who arranged a _____ for his son.

    Answer: C. Marriage feastMatthew 22:2
    ‹The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,›
  10. Question 25Medium

    In the parable of the net, what do the fishermen do with the bad fish?

    Answer: A. Throw them awayMatthew 13:47-48
    ‹Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:› ‹Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.›
  11. Question 26Medium

    In the Parable of the Talents, what did the servant who received one talent do with it?

    Answer: B. Dug in the ground and hid his lord's moneyMatthew 25:18
    ‹But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.›
  12. Question 27Medium

    In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, how many brothers did the rich man have?

    Answer: C. FiveLuke 16:27-28
    ‹Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:› ‹For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.›
  13. Question 28Medium

    In the Parable of the Talents, how many talents were given to the servants?

    Answer: C. Five, two, and oneMatthew 25:15
    ‹And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.›
  14. Question 29Medium

    In the parable of the rich fool, what did the rich man decide to do because he had no room for his crops?

    Answer: D. Pull down his barns and build greater onesLuke 12:16-18
    And he spake a parable unto them, saying, ‹The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:› ‹And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?› ‹And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.›
  15. Question 30Medium

    In the Parable of the Sower, what chokes the word sown among thorns?

    Answer: A. Cares of this world and deceitfulness of richesMark 4:19
    ‹And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.›
  16. Question 31Medium

    In the Parable of the Weeds, the owner told his servants to pull up the weeds immediately.

    Answer: FalseMatthew 13:28-30
    ‹He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?› ‹But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.› ‹Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.›
  17. Question 32Medium

    When asked by His disciples, why did Jesus say He spoke to the crowds in parables?

    Answer: A. Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been givenMatthew 13:10-11
    And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, ‹Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.›
  18. Question 33Medium

    In the Parable of the Tenants, the tenants welcomed the landowner's son and gave him the fruit of the vineyard.

    Answer: FalseMatthew 21:33-39
    ‹Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:› ‹And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.› ‹And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and …
  19. Question 34Medium

    In the parable of the barren fig tree, how many years did the owner come seeking fruit and finding none?

    Answer: D. Three yearsLuke 13:6-7
    He spake also this parable; ‹A certain› man ‹had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.› ‹Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?›
  20. Question 35Medium

    In the Parable of the Bags of Gold (Talents), how were the bags distributed to the servants?

    Answer: D. According to their ability (5, 2, and 1)Matthew 25:14-15
    ‹For› the kingdom of heaven is ‹as a man travelling into a far country,› who ‹called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.› ‹And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.›

Hard questions

  1. Question 36Hard

    In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, how much did the first servant owe the king?

    Answer: D. 10,000 talentsMatthew 18:24
    ‹And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.›
  2. Question 37Hard

    In the Parable of the Sower, how much did the seed falling on good soil yield?

    Answer: D. 100, 60, or 30 times what was sownMatthew 13:8
    ‹But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.›
  3. Question 38Hard

    In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, where was the man going when he fell among thieves?

    Answer: D. From Jerusalem to JerichoLuke 10:30
    And Jesus answering said, ‹A certain› man ‹went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded› him, ‹and departed, leaving› him ‹half dead.›
  4. Question 39Hard

    In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, at what hour were the last workers hired?

    Answer: B. 11th hourMatthew 20:6
    ‹And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?›
  5. Question 40Hard

    In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Abraham said if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though _____.

    Answer: A. One rose from the deadLuke 16:31
    ‹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.›
  6. Question 41Hard

    In the Parable of the Ten Minas, how many minas did the first servant earn with his one mina?

    Answer: B. 10Luke 19:16
    ‹Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.›
  7. Question 42Hard

    Regarding the purpose of parables, Jesus quotes Isaiah saying that some may be 'ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never...'

    Answer: A. UnderstandingMark 4:12
    ‹That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and› their ‹sins should be forgiven them.›
  8. Question 43Hard

    In the parable of the unforgiving servant, how much did the fellow servant owe the first servant?

    Answer: C. One hundred denariiMatthew 18:28
    ‹But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took› him ‹by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.›
  9. Question 44Hard

    Jesus spoke in parables to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet about hidden things.

    Answer: TrueMatthew 13:35
    That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
  10. Question 45Hard

    In Jesus' parable of the wedding banquet, what did the king notice about one of the guests?

    Answer: B. He did not have on a wedding garmentMatthew 22:11-12
    ‹And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:› ‹And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.›
  11. Question 46Hard

    In Jesus' parable, what did the mustard seed become when it grew?

    Answer: C. A large treeLuke 13:19
    ‹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.›
  12. Question 47Hard

    In Jesus' parable, why did the master commend the unjust steward?

    Answer: B. Because he had dealt shrewdlyLuke 16:8
    ‹And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.›
  13. Question 48Hard

    Who are the harvesters in the parable of the weeds?

    Answer: B. AngelsMatthew 13:39
    ‹The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.›
  14. Question 49Hard

    In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus's use of parables is cited as fulfilling the prophecy: 'I will open my mouth in parables.'

    Answer: TruePsalms 78:2
    I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
  15. Question 50Hard

    In the Parable of the Minas (Pounds), how many minas did the nobleman give to his ten servants?

    Answer: A. Ten (one each)Luke 19:13
    ‹And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.›

Answer key

  1. D. The fig tree (Matthew 24:32)
  2. True (Luke 15:28)
  3. B. In a boat on the sea (Mark 4:1)
  4. A. Old skins were stretched and brittle, and the fermenting wine would burst them (Matthew 9:17)
  5. C. Ninety-nine (Luke 15:4)
  6. A. An unjust judge (Luke 18:2)
  7. D. They did not take extra oil for their lamps (Matthew 25:3-4)
  8. True (Matthew 25:21)
  9. True (Matthew 22:11)
  10. D. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 18:14)
  11. A. Ten (Luke 15:8)
  12. A. Chosen (Matthew 22:14)
  13. B. Midnight (Matthew 25:6)
  14. D. Feeding pigs (Luke 15:15)
  15. B. Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance (Matthew 25:34)
  16. B. A vineyard (Matthew 21:33)
  17. B. Kept it put away in a handkerchief (Luke 19:20-21)
  18. True (Mark 4:13)
  19. C. Anyone who hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches it away (Matthew 13:19)
  20. True (Mark 4:4)
  21. A. Three (Matthew 13:33)
  22. C. Into the highways (Matthew 22:9)
  23. D. Delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due (Matthew 18:34)
  24. C. Marriage feast (Matthew 22:2)
  25. A. Throw them away (Matthew 13:47-48)
  26. B. Dug in the ground and hid his lord's money (Matthew 25:18)
  27. C. Five (Luke 16:27-28)
  28. C. Five, two, and one (Matthew 25:15)
  29. D. Pull down his barns and build greater ones (Luke 12:16-18)
  30. A. Cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches (Mark 4:19)
  31. False (Matthew 13:28-30)
  32. A. Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given (Matthew 13:10-11)
  33. False (Matthew 21:33-39)
  34. D. Three years (Luke 13:6-7)
  35. D. According to their ability (5, 2, and 1) (Matthew 25:14-15)
  36. D. 10,000 talents (Matthew 18:24)
  37. D. 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown (Matthew 13:8)
  38. D. From Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30)
  39. B. 11th hour (Matthew 20:6)
  40. A. One rose from the dead (Luke 16:31)
  41. B. 10 (Luke 19:16)
  42. A. Understanding (Mark 4:12)
  43. C. One hundred denarii (Matthew 18:28)
  44. True (Matthew 13:35)
  45. B. He did not have on a wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-12)
  46. C. A large tree (Luke 13:19)
  47. B. Because he had dealt shrewdly (Luke 16:8)
  48. B. Angels (Matthew 13:39)
  49. True (Psalms 78:2)
  50. A. Ten (one each) (Luke 19:13)
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What are the parables of Jesus?

A parable is a short story drawn from everyday life that teaches a spiritual lesson. Jesus often taught this way, and Matthew notes that "without a parable spake he not unto them" (Matthew 13:34). Questions here include well-known parables such as the sower (Matthew 13:3–8), the mustard seed, the lost sheep, the ten virgins, the talents, the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37) and the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32).

The questions ask who is in each story, what happens and what it teaches. Use them to review a sermon series, to prepare a Sunday school lesson, or as a family game where each person tries to name the parable from a single detail. After each answer, read the verse aloud and talk together about what Jesus was teaching and how it applies today.

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