What did Jesus teach about the Kingdom of God and how people should live?
The teaching of Jesus: the Kingdom of God in parables such as the Sower and the Mustard Seed, and teaching on forgiveness through the parables of the Lost Son and the Unforgiving Servant.
A focused CCEA GCSE Religious Studies guide to the teaching of Jesus in Unit 3. Covers the Kingdom of God in the parables of the Sower and the Mustard Seed, and Jesus' teaching on forgiveness through the Lost Son and the Unforgiving Servant, and what they reveal about God and how people should live.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain the teaching of Jesus about the Kingdom of God and about forgiveness, mainly through his parables. CCEA examiners reward precise knowledge of named parables, the Sower and the Mustard Seed for the Kingdom, and the Lost Son and the Unforgiving Servant for forgiveness, together with an understanding of what each one teaches. A parable is a short story with a deeper meaning, and the strongest answers explain that meaning rather than simply retelling the story.
The Kingdom of God
Together these parables teach that the Kingdom of God is offered to all but only bears fruit in those who truly accept it, and that, although it begins in a small and hidden way, it will grow into something great.
Teaching on forgiveness
Forgiveness lies at the heart of Jesus' teaching, and he taught it most powerfully through parables.
- In the parable of the Lost Son (sometimes called the Prodigal Son), a younger son wastes his inheritance, then returns home expecting to be a servant. Instead his father runs to meet him, embraces him and holds a feast, showing God's loving forgiveness for those who repent.
- In the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, a servant is forgiven a huge debt by his master but then refuses to forgive a fellow servant a small debt. The master punishes him, teaching that those who have been forgiven by God must forgive others.
- Jesus taught Peter to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times, meaning forgiveness should have no limit.
These teachings reveal God as endlessly forgiving and call Christians to forgive others as they have been forgiven.
Why the parables mattered
Jesus used parables so that ordinary people could grasp deep truths through familiar images of farming, family and money. The parables of the Kingdom reveal what God's rule is like, while the parables of forgiveness reveal both God's mercy and the duty that mercy places on believers. For Christians today, the parables remain a guide to how God acts and how they should live.
How to answer a question on the parables
A model paragraph from this method: "The parable of the Lost Son teaches that God's forgiveness is generous and complete. When the wasteful son returns, the father runs to meet him while he is still far off and holds a feast, which shows that God is eager to welcome back anyone who repents and that there is joy in heaven over a sinner who turns around." This scores well because each detail is explained for its meaning.
Try this
Q1. What does the seed represent in the parable of the Sower? [2 marks]
- Cue. The message of the Kingdom of God; the soils are the different ways people receive it.
Q2. What does the parable of the Mustard Seed teach about the Kingdom of God? [2 marks]
- Cue. It starts small, like the smallest seed, but grows into something great, like the largest garden plant.
Q3. What does the parable of the Unforgiving Servant teach? [2 marks]
- Cue. Those who have been forgiven a great debt by God must forgive others, or face judgement.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 3 (style)5 marksExplain what the parable of the Sower teaches about the Kingdom of God.Show worked answer →
A five-mark AO1 question. Give two or three developed points.
The seed and the word: the seed is the message of the Kingdom, and the different soils are the different ways people receive it.
The poor soils: seed on the path, on rocky ground and among thorns is lost to the devil, to shallow faith, or to the worries and riches of life, showing that not everyone accepts the Kingdom.
The good soil: seed on good soil produces a great harvest, showing that those who truly hear and accept the message bear fruit in their lives.
Develop each point by explaining its meaning. Two or three explained points reach the top of the band.
CCEA Unit 3 (style)10 marks'Christians today find it easy to forgive.' Consider different points of view.Show worked answer →
A ten-mark AO2 evaluation question. Give different points of view, refer to the statement and judge.
Agree it is hard, not easy: Jesus taught radical forgiveness, in the Lost Son and the command to forgive "seventy-seven times", and the Unforgiving Servant warns of judgement, yet deep hurt makes this very difficult in practice.
Other views: some Christians find forgiveness possible through prayer, the example of Jesus forgiving from the cross, and the belief that they too are forgiven by God.
Judgement: argue that Jesus' teaching makes forgiveness a duty rather than an easy feeling, so it is demanding but, with God's help, possible. A balanced judgement that refers to the statement reaches the top level.
Related dot points
- The identity of Jesus: his baptism, the temptations, the titles Son of God, Son of Man and Messiah, Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi and the Transfiguration.
A focused CCEA GCSE Religious Studies guide to the identity of Jesus in Unit 3. Covers the baptism, the temptations in the wilderness, the titles Son of God, Son of Man and Messiah, Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi, and the Transfiguration, and how they reveal Jesus as both human and divine.
- The encounters of Jesus with others: Jairus and the woman with the haemorrhage, the rich young man, and Zacchaeus, and what they reveal about faith, wealth and repentance.
A focused CCEA GCSE Religious Studies guide to the encounters of Jesus in Unit 3. Covers the healing of Jairus' daughter and the woman with the haemorrhage, the rich young man, and Zacchaeus the tax collector, and what these encounters reveal about faith, wealth, repentance and the mission of Jesus.
- The death of Jesus: the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, the crucifixion, and Christian beliefs about salvation and sacrifice.
A focused CCEA GCSE Religious Studies guide to the death of Jesus in Unit 3. Covers the Last Supper, the agony in Gethsemane, the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, the crucifixion and the words from the cross, and Christian beliefs about salvation, sacrifice and atonement.
- The resurrection of Jesus: the empty tomb, the appearances of the risen Jesus, the ascension, and Christian beliefs about life after death and the significance of the resurrection.
A focused CCEA GCSE Religious Studies guide to the resurrection of Jesus in Unit 3. Covers the empty tomb, the appearances of the risen Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the disciples, the ascension, and Christian beliefs about the significance of the resurrection and life after death.
- The Christian Church: forms of worship, the festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion.
A focused CCEA GCSE Religious Studies guide to Christian worship and festivals in Unit 3. Covers liturgical and non-liturgical worship, prayer, the festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and their meaning for Christians.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE Religious Studies specification — CCEA (2017)