Parables by the Numbers
Of 47 parables, 12 are unique to Matthew, 2 to Mark, and 18 to Luke.
Seven parables appear in both Matthew and Luke. (Parables of the Lamp,
the Two Builders, the Evil Spirit That Returned, the Yeast, the Lost Sheep, the
Master and the Thief, and the Faithful and Evil Servants).
Eight parables appear in all three Synoptic Gospels. (Parables of the
Bridegroom’s Guests, the Patch on an Old Garment, New Wine in Old
Wineskins, the Sower, the Mustard Seed, the Tenants, the Rejected Stone,
and the Sprouting Fig Tree).
Luke records the most parables (about 33); Matthew is second (27); and
Mark records the least (10).
The greater number of parables in Matthew and Luke correlates with the
greater emphasis on teaching in these Gospels.
Visual 5