The Parable of the Great Banquet (Lk 14:15-24)The Labourers in the Vineyard (Mt 20:1-16) The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk 18:9-14)Summarise the three stories above

The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24): This parable tells the story of a man who prepared a great banquet and invited many guests. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The master then ordered his servant to go out into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. When there was still room, the master told his servant to go out to the roads and country lanes and compel people to come in, so that his house will be full. The master declared that not one of those who were initially invited will get a taste of his banquet. This parable is often interpreted as an allegory of God's grace, available to all, but often rejected by those who believe they have no need for it.

The Labourers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16): This parable is about a landowner who hired laborers for his vineyard. Early in the morning, he agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, and sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He told them to go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right, he would give them. So they went. He did the same thing at the sixth, ninth, and eleventh hour. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his steward to call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning from the last to the first. Those who were hired about the eleventh hour came, and each received a denarius. When the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received a denarius. When they received it, they murmured against the master of the house, saying, 'These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn't you agree with me for a denarius? Take that which is yours, and go your way. I want to give to this last just as much as to you. Isn't it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. This parable is often interpreted as a lesson about God's generosity and the importance of not begrudging others the blessings they receive.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14): This parable tells the story of two men who went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' Jesus concludes the parable by saying, "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." This parable is often interpreted as a lesson about the importance of humility and the dangers of self-righteousness.