Parables of Jesus

The Parables of Jesus are a collection of parables told by Jesus that embody much of his teaching and are recorded in the four Gospels. Among Christians they are the best known examples of stories referred to as parables, and so form the prototype for the term parable.

Occurrence

Each of the four canonical Gospels contains parables of Jesus unique to that Gospel, with two of the best known, the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, both being among those that occur only in the Gospel of Luke.

Only two parables occur in the Gospel of John, and both are unique to that Gospel.

A few parables appear in more than one of the synoptic Gospels, with three of them occurring in all three of these gospels (The Parable of the Lamp), and another two (some say three, on the grounds that the parables of the Talents and the Pounds are essentially the same story) in both Matthew and Luke. But no parable is common to the Gospel of Mark and either Matthew or Luke but not both; That is, if a parable occurs in Mark and also somewhere else, then it appears in all three. This observation is one of those used to try to identify and analyse the sources used by the gospel writers, see Q document.

Parables also exist in the Old Testament and in many other writings, see parable.

Purpose

Mark 4:10–12, Matthew 13:10–17 and Luke 8:9–10 offer an explanation as to why Jesus would teach in parables. These verses say that whenever Jesus would go off by himself (away from the crowds of followers he attracted), those close to him and the disciples would ask about the parables. He told them that they had been given the secret of the Kingdom of God (a concept commonly called the Messianic Secret) but that outsiders did not have this secret, so everything to them is given in parables, never to be fully understood, otherwise they might find forgiveness, citing variations of Isaiah 6:9–10. Matthew 13:12 adds: "Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (NIV), a saying also found in the Gospel of Thomas 41 as well as Mark 4:25, Matthew 25:29 and Luke 8:18, 19:26.

Mark 4:33–34 and Matthew 13:34–35 repeat that Jesus would only speak to the "crowds" in parables, while secretly, in private, explaining everything to his disciples.

Examples

• The Wise and the Foolish Builders, Matt 7:24–27
• The Sower, Matt 13:3–23 Mark 4:1–20 Luke 8:5–15
• The Tares, Matt 13:24–30
• The Mustard Seed, Matt 13:31–32 Mark 4:30–32 Luke 13:18–19
• The Leaven, Matt 13:33, Luke 13:20–21
• The Hidden Treasure, Matt 13:44
• The Pearl, Matt 13:45–46
• Drawing in the Net, Matt 13:47–50
• The Lost Sheep, Matt 18:12–14, Luke 15:1–7
• The Unmerciful Servant, Matt 18:23–35
• The Laborers in the Vineyard, Matt 20:1–16
• The Wicked Husbandmen, Matt 21:33–46, Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19
• The Marriage of the King's Son, Matt 22:1–14
• The Two Sons Matt 21:28–32
• The Leafing Fig Tree, Matt 24:32
• The Ten Virgins, Matt 25:1–13
• The Ten Talents, Matt 25:14–30
• The Seed Growing Secretly, Mark 4:26–29
• The Two Debtors, Luke 7:41–47
• The Good Samaritan, Luke 10:30–37
• The Friend at Night, Luke 11:5–8
• The Rich Fool, Luke 12:16–21
• The Faithful Servant, Luke 12:35–48
• The Barren Fig Tree, Luke 13:6–9
• The Great Supper, Luke 14:15–24
• Lost Money, Luke 15:8–10
• The Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11–32
• The Unjust Steward, Luke 16:1–9
• The Rich Man and the Beggar Lazarus, Luke 16:19–31
• The Importunate Widow, Luke 18:1–8
• The Pharisee and the Publican, Luke 18:9–14
• The Parable of the Pounds, Luke 19:11–27
• The Good Shepherd John 10:11–18
• The Vine, John 15:1–5

See also

• Parable
• List of New Testament stories#Parables told by Jesus for a complete list more clearly showing corresponding passages in the different Gospels, and with links to the full texts.
• Miracles of Jesus

Reference

• Trench, Richard Chenevix, Notes on the parables of our Lord, London : John W. Parker, 1841 and many later editions

External links

• List of biblical parables
• Another list, slightly different and only of the synoptic Gospels
• Analysis of biblical parables
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Parable
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Parable
• LDS Bible Dictionary: Parables
• Parables of Jesus: are they authentic?