Luke 'travels' (not in person) with Jesus as he teaches on several occasions.
Jesus gives a series of illustrations, starting from Chapter 12 right through to Chapter 20... but that's quite a lot of reading, so we can summarize.
The summary is as short as possible, but lengthy, in order to show clearly the reality.
1. (Luke 12:16) With that he told them an illustration, saying: “The land of a rich man produced well.
2. (Luke 12:35, 36)
35 “Be dressed and ready and have your lamps burning,
36 and you should be like men waiting for their master to return from the marriage, so when he comes and knocks, they may at once open to him.
Note. Peter knew Jesus was speaking parables, but he was not sure to whom Jesus was directing it.
(Luke 12:41) . . .Then Peter said: “Lord, are you telling this illustration just to us or also to everyone?”
This is a point I was trying to explain to
@Brian2, when I was trying to help him understand that when Jesus spoke of persons seeing Abraham in the kingdom, Jesus was speaking a parable.
To this day
@Brian2 has not answered my question as to what door the people were knocking on - a door in heaven? That's one of the parables coming up.
This is important - realizing that
Jesus taught by parables.
3. (Luke 13:6) Then he went on to tell this illustration: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none.
4. (Luke 13:18, 19)
18 So he went on to say: “What is the Kingdom of God like, and with what can I compare it?
19 It is like a mustard grain that a man took and planted in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of heaven nested in its branches.”
5. (Luke 13:20, 21)
20 And again he said: “With what can I compare the Kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed with three large measures of flour until the whole mass was fermented.”
6. (Luke 13:22-25)
22 And he traveled from city to city and from village to village, teaching and continuing on his journey to Jerusalem.
23 Now a man said to him: “Lord, are those being saved few?” He said to them:
24 “Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able.
25 When the householder gets up and locks the door, you will stand outside knocking at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ . . .
7. (Luke 14:7, 8)
7 He then told the invited men an illustration when he noticed how they were choosing the most prominent places for themselves. He said to them:
8 “When you are invited by someone to a marriage feast, do not recline in the most prominent place. Perhaps someone more distinguished than you may also have been invited.
8. (Luke 14:16, 17)
16 Jesus said to him: “A man was spreading a grand evening meal, and he invited many.
17 He sent his slave out at the hour of the evening meal to say to the invited ones, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
9. (Luke 14:25-29)
25 Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them:
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Whoever does not carry his torture stake and come after me cannot be my disciple.
28 For example, who of you wanting to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 Otherwise, he might lay its foundation but not be able to finish it, and all the onlookers would start to ridicule him. . .
10. (Luke 14:34, 35)
34 “Salt, to be sure, is fine. But if the salt loses its strength, with what will it be seasoned?
35 It is not suitable for soil or for manure. People throw it away. Let the one who has ears to listen, listen.”
11. (Luke 15:3, 4)
3 Then he told them this illustration, saying:
4 “What man among you with 100 sheep, on losing one of them, will not leave the 99 behind in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
12. (Luke 15:8) “Or what woman who has ten drachma coins, if she loses one of the drachmas, does not light a lamp and sweep her house and search carefully until she finds it?
13. (Luke 15:11, 12)
11 Then he said: “A man had two sons.
12 And the younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that should come to me.’ So he divided his belongings between them.
14. (Luke 16:1, 2)
1 Then he also said to the disciples: “A rich man had a steward who was accused of handling his goods wastefully.
2 So he called him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Hand in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer manage the house.. . .
15. (Luke 16:14-20)
14 Now the Pharisees, who were money lovers, were listening to all these things, and they began to sneer at him.
15 So he said to them: “You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is considered exalted by men is a disgusting thing in God’s sight.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John. From then on, the Kingdom of God is being declared as good news, and every sort of person is pressing forward toward it.
17 Indeed, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to go unfulfilled.
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 “There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and linen, enjoying himself day after day with magnificence.
20 But a beggar named Lazarus used to be put at his gate, covered with ulcers
16. (Luke 17:6-7)
6 Then the Lord said: “If you had faith the size of a mustard grain, you would say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea!’ and it would obey you.
7 “Which one of you who has a slave plowing or shepherding would say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come here at once and dine at the table’?
17. (Luke 18:1, 2)
1 Then he went on to tell them an illustration about the need for them always to pray and not to give up,
2 saying: “In a certain city there was a judge who had no fear of God and no respect for man.
18. (Luke 18:9, 10)
9 He also told this illustration to some who trusted in their own righteousness and who considered others as nothing:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
19. (Luke 19:11, 12)
11 While they were listening to these things, he told another illustration, because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God was going to appear instantly.
12 So he said: “A man of noble birth traveled to a distant land to secure kingly power for himself and to return.
20. (Luke 20:9) Then he began to tell the people this illustration: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to cultivators, and he traveled abroad for a considerable time.
So there we have the scriptures showing that Jesus is teaching by illustrations.
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus included... being directed at the money-loving Pharisees.
We also know these are parables from their content... in some cases.
