There are 35 parables, or short stories, told by Jesus recorded in the four gospels. Nineteen of those 35 are unique to Luke’s gospel. Many of Jesus’ parables employ the use of “like” (see especially the parables about the kingdom of God in Matthew 13), but most are just simple, yet profound, stories. If Jesus didn’t formally say “like” in every parable, it is certainly implied, because parables were told to illustrate truth. In essence, a teacher using a parable is saying, “You don’t understand