Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

The people were utterly amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one with authority, and not like their scribes.

So the man got up, immediately picked up his mat, and went out in front of all of them. As a result, all of the people were amazed and began to glorify God as they kept on saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it,

Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word,

Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown."

He was also saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.

He was also saying, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it?

It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it's the smallest of all the seeds on earth,

With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand.

Others were saying, "He is Elijah." Still others were saying, "He is a prophet like one of the other prophets."

because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John, he did much of what he said. In fact, he liked listening to him.

When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

You are destroying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other things like that."

The man looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking around."

The spirit screamed, shook the child violently, and came out. The boy was like a corpse, and many said that he was dead.

"Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

John told Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us."

When Jesus saw this, he became furious and told them, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these.

Jesus called his disciples and told them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them.

When people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.

As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted in the marketplaces,

It's like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge, each with his own work, and he ordered the doorkeeper to be alert.

Irritated, some who were there asked one another, "Why was the perfume wasted like this?