Parables of Jesus
Parables of Jesus. Everyone loves to read or listen to stories. Of all movies I personally love the ones based on a true story. If you are the same way, you will understand why Jesus used so many parables in His teachings. There are just 26 parables in the Old Testament, while there are 70 Parables by Jesus in the Four Gospels.
Well, what is a parable actually? And why were the parables of Jesus so important?
The Greek word parabole means: a comparison, a figure of speech, a proverb, an illustration. By using such, people can grasp the meaning and significance of what we are trying to say, in a spiritual way, without them being offended. This is a great advantage, as we will not be the ones trying to force people into something, but by using parables we are letting the Holy Spirit work in their spirit, mind and conscience. Finis Jennings Dake, author of the Dakes Annotated Reference Bible says that in the case of the parables of Jesus, Jesus used stories which the people in His time were well familiar with, e.g. in the Parables He used real stories to convey spiritual meaning to the people. In this way, the parables of Jesus illustrated truth and made it so clear, that often the Bible says: "and they understood that He spoke to them about..."
Because of their interesting form, the parables of Jesus created more interest and spiritual hunger in the listeners, in the same way now we have a saying: A picture is worth a thousand words and A movie is worth a thousand pictures. Peoples mind loves to investigate, search out mysteries, make comparisons and find out hidden meanings by making parallels with things already known. On the other hand, the Jesus parables concealed the truth from the rebellious and disinterested hearers, who just did not understand anything. In this way, the ones who are interested, hungry and seeking get the meaning and act accordingly, changing their attitudes, ways and actions, while the ones not interested just go on without being turned off completely.
Because the Lord has given us a free will to choose to follow Him by our own decision, and not by compulsion, thats why He sometimes uses these parables - because they will add revelation and understanding only to the ones already seeking him. As for the rebels and anti-Christ folks, Jesus said: "Do not throw your pearls to the swine, because they will not understand the meaning of pearls, but instead will turn and trample them under their foot and they may even turn and hurt you" (Matthew 7:6).
Here is a list of the parables used in the Bible, for your quick reference. The list I have taken from Dakes Annotated Reference Bible:
Parables in the Old Testament:
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 23:7-10)
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 23:16-24)
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 24:3-9)
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 24:15-19)
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 24:20)
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 23:21)
Balaams of Israel (Numbers 24:23-24)
Jothams of trees (Judges 9:7-18)
Nathans of rebuke (2 Samuel 12)
Parable of woman of Tekoah (2 Samuel 14)
Parable of smitten prophet (1 Kings 20:39)
Parable of Joash (2 Kings 14:9-10)
Jobs parable (Job 27:1; 29:1)
Parable of the vine (Psalm 80:8-16)
Isaiahs of the vine (Isaiah 5:1-7)
Isaiahs of husbandman (Isaiah 28:23-29)
Jeremiahs of wine (Jeremiah 13:12-14)
Jeremiahs of potter (Jeremiah 18:1-11)
Ezekiels of vine (Ezekiel 15:1-8)
Ezekiels of eagles (Ezekiel 17:1-24)
Ezekiels of lions (Ezekiel 19:1-9)
Ezekiels of vine (Ezekiel 19:10-14)
Ezekiels of women (Ezekiel 16:1-63)
Ezekiels of women (Ezekiel 23:1-49)
Ezekiels of pot (Ezekiel 24:3-5)
Parables of Jesus in the New Testament:
Bad trees (Matthew 3:10)
Threshing wheat (Matthew 3:12)
Salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)
Light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16)
Laying up treasures (Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:24)
Fowls of the air (Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:24)
Lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28-29)
Mote and beam in eyes (Matthew 7:3-5)
Dogs and swine (Matthew 7:6)
Earthly parents (Matthew 7:7-11)
The 2 ways (Matthew 7:13-14)
The trees and fruit (Matthew 7:15-20)
The 2 foundation (Matthew 7:24-29)
The 2 classes of men (Matthew 9:11-13)
The 2 bridegrooms (Matthew 9:15)
The 2 kinds of cloth (Matthew 9:16)
The 2 kinds of bottles (Matthew 9:17)
Sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16)
The 2 sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31)
The 2 types of people (Matthew 11:7-9)
Children: 2 kinds (Matthew 11:16-19)
Scholars: 2 types (Matthew 11:25)
The strong man (Matthew 12:29)
The sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:40)
The unclean spirit (Matthew 12:43-45)
Sower sowing seed (Matthew 13:3-23)
The tares and wheat (Matthew 13:24-43)
The mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32)
The leaven (Matthew 13:33)
The hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44)
Pearl and great price (Matthew 13:45-46)
The fishers net (Matthew 13:47-48)
Mixture of old and new (Matthew 13:52)
The plants (Matthew 15:13-14)
The food of man (Matthew 15:10-20)
Leaven of Pharisees (Matthew 16:6-12)
Little children (Matthew 18:1-10)
Lost sheep (Matthew 18:11-14; Luke 15)
Unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-35)
Labourers in vineyard (Matthew 20;1-16)
The 2 sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
The householder (Matthew 21:33-46)
The marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14)
The fig tree (Matthew 24:32-33)
Goodman of the house (Matthew 24:43-44)
The faithful servant (Matthew 24:45-51)
The 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
The talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
Seed sown in ground (Mark 4:26-29)
Master of the house (Mark 13:34-37)
The 2 debtors (Luke 7:41-50)
The good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
Importunate friend (Luke 11:5-10)
The rich fool (Luke 12:16-21)
The wedding trip (Luke 12:35-41)
The faithful steward (Luke 12:42-48)
The barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9)
The ambitious guest (Luke 14:7-15)
The great supper (Luke 14:16-24)
The tower (Luke 14:28-30)
King going to war (Luke 14:31-33)
The lost coin (Luke 15:8-10)
The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)
The unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13)
Unprofitable servant (Luke 17:7-10)
The unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8)
Pharisee and publican (Luke 18:9-14)
Traveller and pounds (Luke 19:11-27)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18)
The vine and branches (John 15:1-18)