Jesus talked to the crowds in parables. He taught his disciples plainly.

(Matthew 13:10-16 NIV) The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" {11} He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. {12} Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. {13} This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. {14} In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. {15} For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' {16} But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

We don't know how many disciples Jesus had but Luke refers to 72 disciples that he sent out to preach and perform miracles.

(Luke 10:1 NIV) After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.