After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.

“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.

Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.

“Therefore, you should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Your name be honored as holy.

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

When the demon had been driven out, the man spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.

“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.

It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!

“To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to each other:

He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through all of it.”

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Anyone who has ears should listen!

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish,

“Therefore,” He said to them, “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.”

He was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light.

“I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.

If he pays no attention to them, tell the church. But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you.

He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts. But it was not like that from the beginning.

His disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry!”

Then Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.”

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.

The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.

“For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them.

His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow.

The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men.

As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending to Him like a dove.

“Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Right away Jesus understood in His spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Immediately he got up, picked up the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

“The kingdom of God is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground;

It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground.

He would speak the word to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand.

But others said, “He’s Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet—like one of the prophets.”

So as He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then He began to teach them many things.

When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.)

He looked up and said, “I see people—they look to me like trees walking.”

Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.”

I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

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

It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert.

When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.”

and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:

You are My beloved Son.
I take delight in You!

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them:

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built.

But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!”

“To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?

They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other:

We played the flute for you,
but you didn’t dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn’t weep!

Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.

He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash.

“Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.”

“Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!

You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.

He said, therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to?

It’s like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”

It’s like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through the entire mixture.”

I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’

It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I’m not like other people —greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

For they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.

like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth.

But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving.

“Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.

Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.]

But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.

And John testified, “I watched the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him.

This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”

The police answered, “No man ever spoke like this!”

You’ve never known Him, but I know Him. If I were to say I don’t know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word.

Some said, “He’s the one.” “No,” others were saying, “but he looks like him.”

He kept saying, “I’m the one!”

If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying.

And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

Moses said:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He will say to you.

And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

“This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers.

Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so He does not open His mouth.

At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.

In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be examined with the scourge, so he could discover the reason they were shouting against him like this.

Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”

“Tomorrow you will hear him,” he replied.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.

And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.