The Parables of Jesus: Introduction

Praised be Jesus Christ

Now and forever. Amen.


Hello dear readers. It has been a while since I last posted. If you're still visiting, I want to thank you. If you're new, welcome!

I've decided to do a series on the Parables of Jesus. There's a great deal that can be said on this topic. There are some great articles available online that discuss what, exactly, parables are, the way Jesus uses them to teach us, how many there are, the differences between the Gospels, etc.: here, for example.

In short, a parable is a story whereby one thing is compared to another. Between the various Christian denominations, there is no consensus regarding how many parables there are. That might seem funny, but the disagreement has to do with how Jesus' teachings are categorized--yes there are differences between metaphors, similes, parables, etc.

For the sake of completeness, I'm going to use the list given here. Now, I know that not all of the verses listed there are parables, but that's okay. I'm going to be using the term here in an imprecise manner to refer generally to any teaching that Jesus offers wherein he makes a comparison, story or otherwise.

Now, just in case the link I've provided for the list breaks sometime down the road, I'm just going to list the parables here. In the order that they appear in the Gospels:

You are the Salt of the Earth, Matthew 5:13

You are the Light of the world, Matthew 5:14-16

The Eye is the Lamp of the Body, Matthew 6:22-23

Serving God and Mammon, Matthew 6:24

Seeing the Speck in your Brothers Eye, Matthew 7:3-5

Pearls Thrown Before Swine, Matthew 7:6

The House upon Rock and the House upon Sand, Matthew 7:24-27

Children Chanting in the Markets, Matthew 11:16-19

The Tree and its Fruit, Matthew 12:33

Return of the Unclean Spirit, Matthew 12:43-45

Tares Sown Among the Wheat, Matthew 13:24-30

The Hidden Treasure, Matthew 13:44

The Pearl of Great Price, Matthew 13:45-46

The Dragnet , Matthew 13:47-48

The Conversion of a Scribe, Matthew 13:52

The Unmerciful Servant, Matthew 18:23-35

The Laborers in the Vineyard, Matthew 20:1-16

The Two Sons Asked to Work, Matthew 21:28-31

The Body and the Vultures, Matthew 24:28

The Sleeping Householder and the Thief, Matthew 24:33

The Wise and Foolish Virgins, Matthew 25:1-2

The Talents, Matthew 25:14-30

New Cloth on Old Garments, Mark 2:21

New Wine and Old Wineskins, Mark 2:22

The Sower and the Seeds, Mark 4:3-8 

The Mustard Seed, Mark 4:31-32

The Wicked Tenants, Mark 12:1-9

The Fig Tree, Mark 13:28

The Blind Leading the Blind, Luke 6:39

The Two Debtors, Luke 7:41-43

The Good Samaritan, Luke 10:30-36

The Friend at Midnight, Luke 11:5-8

The Rich Fool, Luke 12:16-21

The Barren Fig Tree, Luke 13:6-9

The Seats of Honor, Luke 14:8-11

Invite the Poor, Not the Rich, Luke 14:12-14

The Guests Who Refused the Banquet, Luke 14:16-24

Building a Tower, Luke 14:28-30

The King Goes to War, Luke 14:31-33

The Lost Sheep, Luke 15:4-7

The Lost Coin, Luke 15:8-10

The Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32

The Unjust Steward, Luke 16:1-8

The Rich man and the Beggar Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31

The Ten Lepers, Luke 17:11-19

The Unjust Judge and the Pleading Widow, Luke 18:2-5

The Pharisee and the Publican, Luke 10:10-14

The Good Shepherd, John 10:1-21

The True Vine, John 15:1-17

Now, I'm not going to offer a reflection on one in this post. I'll do that in my next one. This was really just a heads-up that I'd be doing this. I'm looking forward to it! I hope you enjoy these reflections as much as I do (or hope to)!

God bless, and thank you for reading!