Jesus spoke a great deal in parables. A parable is an illustration, a story that is designed to teach a lesson. Jesus used them frequently and cited the common culture, norms, and situation of the time he was in so as to teach the listeners in terms they would understand.
Following is a list of the parables of Jesus taken from the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, published by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee, 2003.
| 1. The speck and the log | Matt 7:1–6; Luke 6:37–43 |
| 2. The two houses | Matt 7:24–27; Luke 6:47–49 |
| 3. Children in the marketplace | Matt 11:16–19; Luke 7:32 |
| 4. The two debtors | Luke 7:41 |
| 5. The unclean spirit | Matt 12:43–45; Luke 11:24–26 |
| 6. The rich man’s meditation | Luke 12:16–21 |
| 7. The barren fig tree | Luke 13:6–9 |
| 8. The sower | Matt 13:3–8; Mark 4:3–8; Luke 8:5–8 |
| 9. The tares | Matt 13:24–30 |
| 10. The seed | Mark 4:20 |
| 11. The grain of mustard seed | Matt 13:31–32; Mark 4:31–32; Luke 13:19 |
| 12. The leaven | Matt 13:33; Luke 13:21 |
| 13. The lamp | Matt 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33 |
| 14. The dragnet | Matt 13:47–48 |
| 15. The hidden treasure | Matt 13:44 |
| 16. The pearl of great value | Matt 13:45–46 |
| 17. The householder | Matt 13:52 |
| 18. The marriage | Matt 9:15; Mark 2:19–20; Luke 5:34–35 |
| 19. The patched garment | Matt 9:16; Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36 |
| 20. The wine bottles | Matt 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37 |
| 21. The harvest | Matt 9:37; Luke 10:2 |
| 22. The opponent | Matt 5:25; Luke 12:58 |
| 23. Two insolvent debtors | Matt 18:23–35 |
| 24. The Good Samaritan | Luke 10:30–37 |
| 25. The three loaves | Luke 11:5–8 |
| 26. The good shepherd | John 10:1–16 |
| 27. The narrow gate | Matt 7:14; Luke 13:24 |
| 28. The guests | Luke 14:7–11 |
| 29. The great banquet | Matt 22:2–9; Luke 14:16–23 |
| 30. The wedding clothes | Matt 22:10–14 |
| 31. The tower | Luke 14:28–30 |
| 32. The king going to war | Luke 14:31 |
| 33. The lost sheep | Matt 18:12–13; Luke 15:4–7 |
| 34. The lost coin | Luke 15:8–9 |
| 35. The prodigal son | Luke 15:11–32 |
| 36. The unjust steward | Luke 16:1–9 |
| 37. The rich man and Lazarus1 | Luke 16:19–31 |
| 38. The slave’s duty | Luke 17:7–10 |
| 39. Laborers in the vineyard | Matt 20:1–16 |
| 40. The talents | Matt 25:14–30; Luke 19:11–27 |
| 41. The importunate widow | Luke 18:2–5 |
| 42. The Pharisee and tax-gatherer | Luke 18:10–14 |
| 43. The two sons | Matt 21:28 |
| 44. The wicked vine-growers | Matt 21:33–43; Mark 12:1–9; Luke 20:9–15 |
| 45. The fig tree | Matt 24:32; Mark 13:28; Luke 21:29–30 |
| 46. The watching slave | Matt 24:43; Luke 12:39 |
| 47. The man on a journey | Mark 13:34 |
| 48. The character of two slaves | Matt 24:45–51; Luke 12:42–46 |
| 49. The ten virgins | Matt 25:1–12 |
| 50. The vine and branches | John 15:1–6 |
References
| 1↑ | No. 37 is often cited as a parable. However, it most probably is not because it sites a person by name. Therefore, it seems to be an actual event. |
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