“So listen to the parable of the sower:

So ¹  Jesus ²  told them ³  this parable: ⁴ 

Then ¹  his disciples asked him what this parable meant. ² 

“Now the parable means ¹  this: The seed is the word of God.

Then ¹  he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees. ² 

He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then ¹  how will you understand any parable?

“Son of man, offer a riddle, ¹  and tell a parable to the house of Israel.

But Peter ¹  said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”

Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.

Now ¹  when Jesus ²  had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus ¹  from one town after another, ²  he spoke to them ³  in a parable:

He then ¹  told them a parable: ²  “The land of a certain rich man produced ³  an abundant crop,

Then ¹  Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” ² 

Then ¹  Jesus ²  told them a parable to show them they should always ³  pray and not lose heart. ⁴ 

I will sing a song that imparts wisdom; I will make insightful observations about the past. ¹ 

He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it?

He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples.

He presented them with another parable: ¹  “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

Then ¹  when Jesus ²  noticed how the guests ³  chose the places of honor, ⁴  he told them a parable. He said to them,