The Forty Parables of Jesus

Gerhard Lohfink (1934-2024), was professor of New Testament exegesis at the University of Tübingen. His many books include No Irrelevant Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Is This All There Is?, The Our Father, and Prayer Takes Us Home, all from Liturgical Press.

Contents
Preface xi

Part One: How Parables Work
1. The Lion, the Bear, and the Snake (Amos 5:18-20) 3
2. The Bramble Becomes King (Judges 9:8-15) 6
3. The Poor Man’s Lamb (2 Samuel 12:1-4) 11
4. The Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7) 14
5. The Faithless Wife (Ezekiel 16:1-63) 18
6. The Vine and the Branches (John 15:1-8) 22
7. The Elm and the Vine (Hermas Similitudes 2.1-10) 25
8. The King Who Gained a People (Mekhilta Exodus 20.2) 27
9. The Man in the Well (Friedrich Rückert) 30
10. The Perfect Swimmer (Martin Buber) 35

Part Two: Jesus’ Forty Parables
1. The Successful Break-in (Luke 12:39) 42
2. Overpowering the “Strong Man” (Mark 3:27) 45
3. The Treasure in the Field and the Pearl (Matthew 13:44-46) 47
4. The Budding Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-29) 54
5. The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32) 56
6. The Leaven (Luke 13:20-21) 61
7. The Seed Growing by Itself (Mark 4:26-29) 63
8. The Abundant Harvest (Mark 4:3-9) 65
9. The Two Debtors (Luke 7:41-42) 73
10. The Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14) 75
11. The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10) 77
12. The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) 79
13. The Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) 89 1
4. The Judge and the Widow (Luke 18:1-8) 95
15. The Importunate Friend (Luke 11:5-8) 99
16. The Banquet (Luke 14:16-24) 101
17. The Fishnet (Matthew 13:47-50) 106
18. The Weeds in the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30) 109
19. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:10-14) 114
20. The Merciful Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35) 118
21. The Two Different Sons (Matthew 21:28-31) 122
22. The Rich Man and the Poor Man (Luke 16:19-31) 126
23. The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) 131
24. The Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9) 136
25. The Quarreling Children (Matthew 11:16-19) 139
26. Going to Court (Matthew 5:25-26) 141
27. The Foolish Wheat Farmer (Luke 12:16-20) 143
28. The Guest without a Festal Garment (Matthew 22:11-13) 145
29. The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-34) 147
30. The Vigilant Slaves (Luke 12:35-38) 153
31. The Slave Keeping Watch (Matthew 24:45-51) 159
32. A Slave’s Wages (Luke 17:7-10) 162
33. The Money Given in Trust (Matthew 25:14-30) 166
34. The Crooked Manager (Luke 16:1-13) 173
35. The Assassin (Gospel of Thomas 98) 178
36. Building a Tower and Making War (Luke 14:28-32) 181
37. Building a House on Rock or on Sand (Matthew 7:24-27) 184
38. The Lamp on the Lampstand (Matthew 5:15) 187
39. The Grain of Wheat Dies (John 12:24) 189
40. The Violent Farmworkers (Mark 12:1-12) 191

Part Three: What Is Different about Jesus’ Parables
1. The Material 207
2. The Form 210
3. The Tradition 218
4. The Subject 222
5. The Theme within the Theme 234

Acknowledgments 241
Works Cited 242
Scriptural Index 248
The Parables in the Church Year 255