Parables : how do we read them?

   A. THE GENERAL THEME IS "THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"...
      1. As suggested by Mt 13:11
      2. As illustrated with several parables, which all start with 
         "The kingdom of heaven is like..." - Mt 13:24,31,33,44,45,47
      3. Indeed, "the kingdom of heaven" was the theme of...
         a. Jesus' itinerant ministry - Mt 4:17,23
         b. His sermon on the mount - Mt 5:3,10,19-20; 6:10,33; 7:21

  B. THREE "SUB-THEMES" ARE STRESSED IN THE PARABLES...

 
     1. The character of the KINGDOM - for example...

 
        a. The Parable of the Mustard Seed

          b. The Parable of the Leaven
reasure
         d. The Parable of the Pearl o
         c. The Parable of the Hidden 
Tf Great Price
The character of the KING - for example...
      2.
 
        a. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

          b. The Parable of the Lost Son
The character of the KING'S SUBJECTS - for example...
      3.
 
        a. The Parable of the Good Samaritan

          b. The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Of course, the sub-themes often overlap in some parables, but they 

[clearly demonstrate that the overall theme of the parables was "the 
kingdom of heaven."


Read more here: 

http://executableoutlines.com/pa/pa_01.htm