What would it have been like to actually sit and listen to Jesus’ preaching? We know from the New Testament record that Jesus liked to tell stories, but these stories were really much more than nice little tales. They were filled with images and warnings drawn from the Old Testament. We call these stories “parables.” In this book it will be our pleasure to sit with these people of Jesus’ day and to listen carefully to Jesus’ words. I hope the reader will see that these lessons were not just for the people of his day.