The Parables. Parables of Jesus stand unapproachable and unapproached in the history of man. There are thirty-one of them {*}, and they are divided into three classes: - Those which relate to His Kingdom, its growth, characteristics and triumphs. The Sower ( Matthew 13:1 Matthew 13:2 ; Mark 4:1-20 ; Luke 8:1-18 ); The Wheat and the Tares ( Matthew 13:24-30 ); The Mustard Seed ( Matthew 13:31 Matthew 13:32 ; Mark 4:31 Mark 4:32 ); The Seed Planted in the Ground ( Mark 4:26-29 ); The Leaven ( Matthew 13:33 ); The Concealed Treasure ( Matthew 13:44 ); The Pearl of Great Value ( Matthew 13:47-50 ); The Casting of the Net into the Sea ( Matthew 13:47-50 ).
- Those which relate primarily to the lives of men, which were given in answer to inquiries: The Two Debtors ( Luke 7:40-43 ); The Merciless Servant ( Matthew 18:23-35 ); The Good Samaritan ( Luke 10:25-37 ); The Friend at Midnight ( Luke 11:5-13 ); The Rich Fool ( Luke 12:16-21 ); The Wedding Feast ( Luke 12:36-38 ); The Fig Tree ( Luke 13:6-9 ); The Great Supper ( Luke 14:16-24 ); The Prodigal Son ( Luke 15:11-32 ); The Unjust Steward ( Luke 16:1-12 ); The Rich Man and Lazarus ( Luke 16:19-31 ); The Unjust Judge ( Luke 18:1-17 ); The Pharisee and the Publican ( Luke 18:9-14 ); The Laborers in the Vineyard ( Matthew 20:1-16 ).
- Those which are prophetic in character and find their fulfillment in the rejection of Israel and ultimately in the second coming of the Lord: The Pounds ( Luke 19:11-27 ); The Two Sons ( Matthew 21:28-32 ); The Vineyard Let Out to Husbandmen ( Matthew 21:33-46 ; Mark 12:1-12 Luke 20:9-18 ); The Marriage Feast ( Matthew 22:1-13 ); The Wise and Foolish Virgins ( Matthew 25:1-13 ); The Talents ( Matthew 25:14-30 ); The Sheep and the Goats ( Matthew 25:31-46 ).
{*} While Johnson states that there are thirty-one parables, he lists only twenty-nine.