!"# %&'(#) &* +,-# . /0# 123# 45676&0 894!

:
now many have underLaken Lo complle an accounL of Lhe Lhlngs LhaL have been fulfllled among us, llke
Lhe accounLs passed on Lo us by Lhose who were eyewlLnesses and servanLs of Lhe word from Lhe
beglnnlng. So lL seemed good Lo me as well, because l have followed all Lhlngs carefully from Lhe
beglnnlng, Lo wrlLe an orderly accounL for you, mosL excellenL 1heophllus, so LhaL you may know for
cerLaln Lhe Lhlngs you were LaughL.
uurlng Lhe relgn of Perod klng of !udea, Lhere llved a prlesL named Zecharlah who belonged Lo Lhe
prlesLly dlvlslon of Abl[ah, and he had a wlfe named LllzabeLh, who was a descendanL of Aaron. 1hey
were boLh rlghLeous ln Lhe slghL of Cod, followlng all Lhe commandmenLs and ordlnances of Lhe Lord
blamelessly. 8uL Lhey dld noL have a chlld, because LllzabeLh was barren, and Lhey were boLh very old.
now whlle Zecharlah was servlng as prlesL before Cod when hls dlvlslon was on duLy, he was chosen by
loL, accordlng Lo Lhe cusLom of Lhe prlesLhood, Lo enLer Lhe holy place of Lhe Lord and burn lncense. now
Lhe whole crowd of people were praylng ouLslde aL Lhe hour of Lhe lncense offerlng. An angel of Lhe
Lord, sLandlng on Lhe rlghL slde of Lhe alLar of lncense, appeared Lo hlm. And Zecharlah, vlslbly shaken
when he saw Lhe angel, was selzed wlLh fear. 8uL Lhe angel sald Lo hlm, uo noL be afrald, Zecharlah, for
your prayer has been heard, and your wlfe LllzabeLh wlll bear you a son, you wlll name hlm !ohn. !oy and
gladness wlll come Lo you, and many wlll re[olce aL hls blrLh, for he wlll be greaL ln Lhe slghL of Lhe Lord.
Pe musL never drlnk wlne or sLrong drlnk, and he wlll be fllled wlLh Lhe Poly SplrlL, even before hls blrLh.
Pe wlll Lurn many of Lhe people of lsrael Lo Lhe Lord Lhelr Cod. And he wlll go as forerunner before Lhe
Lord ln Lhe splrlL and power of Lll[ah, Lo Lurn Lhe hearLs of Lhe faLhers back Lo Lhelr chlldren and Lhe
dlsobedlenL Lo Lhe wlsdom of Lhe [usL, Lo make ready for Lhe Lord a people prepared for hlm."
Zecharlah sald Lo Lhe angel, Pow can l be sure of Lhls? lor l am an old man, and my wlfe ls old as well."
1he angel answered hlm, l am Cabrlel, who sLands ln Lhe presence of Cod, and l was senL Lo speak Lo
you and Lo brlng you Lhls good news. And now, because you dld noL belleve my words, whlch wlll be
fulfllled ln Lhelr Llme, you wlll be sllenL, unable Lo speak, unLll Lhe day Lhese Lhlngs Lake place."
now Lhe people were walLlng for Zecharlah, and Lhey began Lo wonder why he was delayed ln Lhe holy
place. When he came ouL, he was noL able Lo speak Lo Lhem. 1hey reallzed LhaL he had seen a vlslon ln
Lhe holy place, because he was maklng slgns Lo Lhem and remalned unable Lo speak. When hls Llme of
servlce was over, he wenL Lo hls home.
AfLer some Llme hls wlfe LllzabeLh became pregnanL, and for flve monLhs she kepL herself ln secluslon.
She sald, 1hls ls whaL Lhe Lord has done for me aL Lhe Llme when he has been graclous Lo me, Lo Lake
away my dlsgrace among people."
ln Lhe slxLh monLh of LllzabeLh's pregnancy, Lhe angel Cabrlel was senL by Cod Lo a Lown of Calllee called
nazareLh, Lo a vlrgln engaged Lo a man whose name was !oseph, a descendanL of uavld, and Lhe vlrgln's
name was Mary. 1he angel came Lo her and sald, CreeLlngs, favored one, Lhe Lord ls wlLh you!" 8uL she
was greaLly Lroubled by hls words and began Lo wonder abouL Lhe meanlng of Lhls greeLlng. So Lhe angel
sald Lo her, uo noL be afrald, Mary, for you have found favor wlLh Cod! LlsLen: ?ou wlll become
pregnanL and glve blrLh Lo a son, and you wlll name hlm !esus. Pe wlll be greaL, and wlll be called Lhe Son
of Lhe MosL Plgh, and Lhe Lord Cod wlll glve hlm Lhe Lhrone of hls faLher uavld. Pe wlll relgn over Lhe
house of !acob forever, and hls klngdom wlll never end." Mary sald Lo Lhe angel, Pow wlll Lhls be, slnce l
have noL had sexual relaLlons wlLh a man?" 1he angel replled, 1he Poly SplrlL wlll come upon you, and
Lhe power of Lhe MosL Plgh wlll overshadow you. 1herefore Lhe chlld Lo be born wlll be holy, he wlll be
called Lhe Son of Cod.
And look, your relaLlve LllzabeLh has also become pregnanL wlLh a son ln her old age-alLhough she was
called barren, she ls now ln her slxLh monLh! lor noLhlng wlll be lmposslble wlLh Cod." So Mary sald,
?es, l am a servanL of Lhe Lord, leL Lhls happen Lo me accordlng Lo your word." 1hen Lhe angel deparLed
from her.
ln Lhose days Mary goL up and wenL hurrledly lnLo Lhe hlll counLry, Lo a Lown of !udah, and enLered
Zecharlah's house and greeLed LllzabeLh. When LllzabeLh heard Mary's greeLlng, Lhe baby leaped ln her
womb, and LllzabeLh was fllled wlLh Lhe Poly SplrlL. She exclalmed wlLh a loud volce, 8lessed are you
among women, and blessed ls Lhe chlld ln your womb! And who am l LhaL Lhe moLher of my Lord should
come and vlslL me? lor Lhe lnsLanL Lhe sound of your greeLlng reached my ears, Lhe baby ln my womb
leaped for [oy. And blessed ls she who belleved LhaL whaL was spoken Lo her by Lhe Lord would be
fulfllled."
And Mary sald,
My soul exalLs Lhe Lord,
and my splrlL has begun Lo re[olce ln Cod my Savlor,
because he has looked upon Lhe humble sLaLe of hls servanL.
lor from now on all generaLlons wlll call me blessed,
because he who ls mlghLy has done greaL Lhlngs for me, and holy ls hls name,
from generaLlon Lo generaLlon he ls merclful Lo Lhose who fear hlm.
Pe has demonsLraLed power wlLh hls arm, he has scaLLered Lhose whose prlde wells up from Lhe sheer
arrogance of Lhelr hearLs.
Pe has broughL down Lhe mlghLy from Lhelr Lhrones, and has llfLed up Lhose of lowly poslLlon,
he has fllled Lhe hungry wlLh good Lhlngs, and has senL Lhe rlch away empLy.
Pe has helped hls servanL lsrael, rememberlng hls mercy,
as he promlsed Lo our ancesLors, Lo Abraham and Lo hls descendanLs forever."
So Mary sLayed wlLh LllzabeLh abouL Lhree monLhs and Lhen reLurned Lo her home.
now Lhe Llme came for LllzabeLh Lo have her baby, and she gave blrLh Lo a son. Per nelghbors and
relaLlves heard LhaL Lhe Lord had shown greaL mercy Lo her, and Lhey re[olced wlLh her.
Cn Lhe elghLh day Lhey came Lo clrcumclse Lhe chlld, and Lhey wanLed Lo name hlm Zecharlah afLer hls
faLher. 8uL hls moLher replled, no! Pe musL be named !ohn." 1hey sald Lo her, 8uL none of your
relaLlves bears Lhls name." So Lhey made slgns Lo Lhe baby's faLher, lnqulrlng whaL he wanLed Lo name
hls son. Pe asked for a wrlLlng LableL and wroLe, Pls name ls !ohn." And Lhey were all amazed.
lmmedlaLely Zecharlah's mouLh was opened and hls Longue released, and he spoke, blesslng Cod. All
Lhelr nelghbors were fllled wlLh fear, and LhroughouL Lhe enLlre hlll counLry of !udea all Lhese Lhlngs were
Lalked abouL. All who heard Lhese Lhlngs kepL Lhem ln Lhelr hearLs, saylng, WhaL Lhen wlll Lhls chlld be?"
lor Lhe Lord's hand was lndeed wlLh hlm.
1hen hls faLher Zecharlah was fllled wlLh Lhe Poly SplrlL and prophesled,
8lessed be Lhe Lord Cod of lsrael,
because he has come Lo help and has redeemed hls people.
lor he has ralsed up a horn of salvaLlon for us ln Lhe house of hls servanL uavld,
as he spoke Lhrough Lhe mouLh of hls holy propheLs from long ago,
LhaL we should be saved from our enemles,
and from Lhe hand of all who haLe us.
Pe has done Lhls Lo show mercy Lo our ancesLors,
and Lo remember hls holy covenanL-
Lhe oaLh LhaL he swore Lo our ancesLor Abraham.
1hls oaLh granLs
LhaL we, belng rescued from Lhe hand of our enemles,
may serve hlm wlLhouL fear,
ln hollness and rlghLeousness before hlm for as long as we llve.
And you, chlld, wlll be called Lhe propheL of Lhe MosL Plgh.
lor you wlll go before Lhe Lord Lo prepare hls ways,
Lo glve hls people knowledge of salvaLlon Lhrough Lhe forglveness of Lhelr slns.
8ecause of our Cod's Lender mercy
Lhe dawn wlll break upon us from on hlgh
Lo glve llghL Lo Lhose who slL ln darkness and ln Lhe shadow of deaLh,
Lo gulde our feeL lnLo Lhe way of peace."
And Lhe chlld kepL growlng and becomlng sLrong ln splrlL, and he was ln Lhe wllderness unLll Lhe day he
was revealed Lo lsrael.
now ln Lhose days a decree wenL ouL from Caesar AugusLus Lo reglsLer all Lhe emplre for Laxes. 1hls was
Lhe flrsL reglsLraLlon, Laken when Culrlnlus was governor of Syrla. Lveryone wenL Lo hls own Lown Lo be
reglsLered. So !oseph also wenL up from Lhe Lown of nazareLh ln Calllee Lo !udea, Lo Lhe clLy of uavld
called 8eLhlehem, because he was of Lhe house and famlly llne of uavld. Pe wenL Lo be reglsLered wlLh
Mary, who was promlsed ln marrlage Lo hlm, and who was expecLlng a chlld. Whlle Lhey were Lhere, Lhe
Llme came for her Lo dellver her chlld. And she gave blrLh Lo her flrsLborn son and wrapped hlm ln sLrlps
of cloLh and lald hlm ln a manger, because Lhere was no place for Lhem ln Lhe lnn.
now Lhere were shepherds nearby llvlng ouL ln Lhe fleld, keeplng guard over Lhelr flock aL nlghL. An angel
of Lhe Lord appeared Lo Lhem, and Lhe glory of Lhe Lord shone around Lhem, and Lhey were absoluLely
Lerrlfled. 8uL Lhe angel sald Lo Lhem, uo noL be afrald! LlsLen carefully, for l proclalm Lo you good news
LhaL brlngs greaL [oy Lo all Lhe people: 1oday your Savlor ls born ln Lhe clLy of uavld. Pe ls ChrlsL Lhe Lord.
1hls wlll be a slgn for you: ?ou wlll flnd a baby wrapped ln sLrlps of cloLh and lylng ln a manger." Suddenly
a vasL, heavenly army appeared wlLh Lhe angel, pralslng Cod and saylng,
Clory Lo Cod ln Lhe hlghesL,
and on earLh peace among people wlLh whom he ls pleased!"
When Lhe angels lefL Lhem and wenL back Lo heaven, Lhe shepherds sald Lo one anoLher, LeL us go over
Lo 8eLhlehem and see Lhls Lhlng LhaL has Laken place, LhaL Lhe Lord has made known Lo us." So Lhey
hurrled off and locaLed Mary and !oseph, and found Lhe baby lylng ln a manger. When Lhey saw hlm,
Lhey relaLed whaL Lhey had been Lold abouL Lhls chlld, and all who heard lL were asLonlshed aL whaL Lhe
shepherds sald. 8uL Mary Lreasured up all Lhese words, ponderlng ln her hearL whaL Lhey mlghL mean. So
Lhe shepherds reLurned, glorlfylng and pralslng Cod for all Lhey had heard and seen, everyLhlng was [usL
as Lhey had been Lold.
AL Lhe end of elghL days, when he was clrcumclsed, he was named !esus, Lhe name glven by Lhe angel
before he was concelved ln Lhe womb.
now when Lhe Llme came for Lhelr purlflcaLlon accordlng Lo Lhe law of Moses, !oseph and Mary broughL
!esus up Lo !erusalem Lo presenL hlm Lo Lhe Lord ([usL as lL ls wrlLLen ln Lhe law of Lhe Lord, !"#$%
'($)*+,$- ./0# 1(00 +# )#* /2/$* *, *3# 4,$5"), and Lo offer a sacrlflce accordlng Lo whaL ls speclfled ln Lhe
law of Lhe Lord, ! #!$% &' (&)*+ &% ,-& .&/01 #$1*&0+.
now Lhere was a man ln !erusalem named Slmeon who was rlghLeous and devouL, looklng for Lhe
resLoraLlon of lsrael, and Lhe Poly SplrlL was upon hlm. lL had been revealed Lo hlm by Lhe Poly SplrlL LhaL
he would noL dle before he had seen Lhe Lord's ChrlsL. So Slmeon, dlrecLed by Lhe SplrlL, came lnLo Lhe
Lemple courLs, and when Lhe parenLs broughL ln Lhe chlld !esus Lo do for hlm whaL was cusLomary
accordlng Lo Lhe law, Slmeon Look hlm ln hls arms and blessed Cod, saylng,
now, accordlng Lo your word, Soverelgn Lord, permlL your servanL Lo deparL ln peace.
lor my eyes have seen your salvaLlon
LhaL you have prepared ln Lhe presence of all peoples:
a llghL,
for revelaLlon Lo Lhe CenLlles,
and for glory Lo your people lsrael."
So Lhe chlld's faLher and moLher were amazed aL whaL was sald abouL hlm. 1hen Slmeon blessed Lhem
and sald Lo hls moLher Mary, LlsLen carefully: 1hls chlld ls desLlned Lo be Lhe cause of Lhe falllng and
rlslng of many ln lsrael and Lo be a slgn LhaL wlll be re[ecLed. lndeed, as a resulL of hlm Lhe LhoughLs of
many hearLs wlll be revealed-and a sword wlll plerce your own soul as well!"
1here was also a propheLess, Anna Lhe daughLer of hanuel, of Lhe Lrlbe of Asher. She was very old,
havlng been marrled Lo her husband for seven years unLll hls deaLh. She had llved as a wldow slnce Lhen
for elghLy-four years. She never lefL Lhe Lemple, worshlplng wlLh fasLlng and prayer nlghL and day. AL LhaL
momenL, she came up Lo Lhem and began Lo glve Lhanks Lo Cod and Lo speak abouL Lhe chlld Lo all who
were walLlng for Lhe redempLlon of !erusalem.
So when !oseph and Mary had performed everyLhlng accordlng Lo Lhe law of Lhe Lord, Lhey reLurned Lo
Calllee, Lo Lhelr own Lown of nazareLh. And Lhe chlld grew and became sLrong, fllled wlLh wlsdom, and
Lhe favor of Cod was upon hlm.
now !esus' parenLs wenL Lo !erusalem every year for Lhe feasL of Lhe assover. When he was Lwelve
years old, Lhey wenL up accordlng Lo cusLom. 8uL when Lhe feasL was over, as Lhey were reLurnlng home,
Lhe boy !esus sLayed behlnd ln !erusalem. Pls parenLs dld noL know lL, buL (because Lhey assumed LhaL
he was ln Lhelr group of Lravelers) Lhey wenL a day's [ourney. 1hen Lhey began Lo look for hlm among
Lhelr relaLlves and acqualnLances. When Lhey dld noL flnd hlm, Lhey reLurned Lo !erusalem Lo look for
hlm. AfLer Lhree days Lhey found hlm ln Lhe Lemple courLs, slLLlng among Lhe Leachers, llsLenlng Lo Lhem
and asklng Lhem quesLlons. And all who heard !esus were asLonlshed aL hls undersLandlng and hls
answers. When hls parenLs saw hlm, Lhey were overwhelmed. Pls moLher sald Lo hlm, Chlld, why have
you LreaLed us llke Lhls? Look, your faLher and l have been looklng for you anxlously." 8uL he replled,
Why were you looklng for me? uldn'L you know LhaL l musL be ln my laLher's house?" ?eL hls parenLs
dld noL undersLand Lhe remark he made Lo Lhem. 1hen he wenL down wlLh Lhem and came Lo nazareLh,
and was obedlenL Lo Lhem. 8uL hls moLher kepL all Lhese Lhlngs ln her hearL.
And !esus lncreased ln wlsdom and ln sLaLure, and ln favor wlLh Cod and wlLh people.
ln Lhe flfLeenLh year of Lhe relgn of 1lberlus Caesar, when onLlus llaLe was governor of !udea, and
Perod was LeLrarch of Calllee, and hls broLher hlllp was LeLrarch of Lhe reglon of lLurea and 1rachonlLls,
and Lysanlas was LeLrarch of Abllene, durlng Lhe hlgh prlesLhood of Annas and Calaphas, Lhe word of Cod
came Lo !ohn Lhe son of Zecharlah ln Lhe wllderness. Pe wenL lnLo all Lhe reglon around Lhe !ordan 8lver,
preachlng a bapLlsm of repenLance for Lhe forglveness of slns.
As lL ls wrlLLen ln Lhe book of Lhe words of lsalah Lhe propheL,
234* )&$5* &' &0* +4&/,$01 $0 ,4* -$6(*%0*++7
89%*#!%* ,4* -!. '&% ,4* :&%(;
<!=* 4$+ #!,4+ +,%!$14,6
>)*%. )!66*. -$66 ?* '$66*(;
!0( *)*%. <&/0,!$0 !0( 4$66 -$66 ?* ?%&/14, 6&-;
!0( ,4* 5%&&=*( -$66 ?* <!(* +,%!$14,;
!0( ,4* %&/14 -!.+ -$66 ?* <!(* +<&&,4;
!0( !66 4/<!0$,. -$66 +** ,4* +!6)!,$&0 &' @&(ABC
So !ohn sald Lo Lhe crowds LhaL came ouL Lo be bapLlzed by hlm, ?ou offsprlng of vlpers! Who warned
you Lo flee from Lhe comlng wraLh? 1herefore produce frulL LhaL proves your repenLance, and don'L
begln Lo say Lo yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our faLher.' lor l Lell you LhaL Cod can ralse up chlldren
for Abraham from Lhese sLones! Lven now Lhe ax ls lald aL Lhe rooL of Lhe Lrees, and every Lree LhaL does
noL produce good frulL wlll be cuL down and Lhrown lnLo Lhe flre."
So Lhe crowds were asklng hlm, WhaL Lhen should we do?" !ohn answered Lhem, 1he person who has
Lwo Lunlcs musL share wlLh Lhe person who has none, and Lhe person who has food musL do llkewlse."
1ax collecLors also came Lo be bapLlzed, and Lhey sald Lo hlm, 1eacher, whaL should we do?" Pe Lold
Lhem, CollecL no more Lhan you are requlred Lo." 1hen some soldlers also asked hlm, And as for us-
whaL should we do?" Pe Lold Lhem, 1ake money from no one by vlolence or by false accusaLlon, and be
conLenL wlLh your pay."
Whlle Lhe people were fllled wlLh anLlclpaLlon and Lhey all wondered wheLher perhaps !ohn could be Lhe
ChrlsL, !ohn answered Lhem all, l bapLlze you wlLh waLer, buL one more powerful Lhan l am ls comlng-l
am noL worLhy Lo unLle Lhe sLrap of hls sandals. Pe wlll bapLlze you wlLh Lhe Poly SplrlL and flre. Pls
wlnnowlng fork ls ln hls hand Lo clean ouL hls Lhreshlng floor and Lo gaLher Lhe wheaL lnLo hls
sLorehouse, buL Lhe chaff he wlll burn up wlLh lnexLlngulshable flre."
And ln Lhls way, wlLh many oLher exhorLaLlons, !ohn proclalmed good news Lo Lhe people. 8uL when !ohn
rebuked Perod Lhe LeLrarch because of Perodlas, hls broLher's wlfe, and because of all Lhe evll deeds
LhaL he had done, Perod added Lhls Lo Lhem all: Pe locked up !ohn ln prlson.
now when all Lhe people were bapLlzed, !esus also was bapLlzed. And whlle he was praylng, Lhe heavens
opened, and Lhe Poly SplrlL descended on hlm ln bodlly form llke a dove. And a volce came from heaven,
?ou are my one dear Son, ln you l Lake greaL dellghL."
So !esus, when he began hls mlnlsLry, was abouL LhlrLy years old. Pe was Lhe son (as was supposed) of
!oseph, Lhe son of Pell, Lhe son of MaLLhaL, Lhe son of Levl, Lhe son of Melchl, Lhe son of !annal, Lhe son
of !oseph, Lhe son of MaLLaLhlas, Lhe son of Amos, Lhe son of nahum, Lhe son of Lsll, Lhe son of naggal,
Lhe son of MaaLh, Lhe son of MaLLaLhlas, Lhe son of Semeln, Lhe son of !osech, Lhe son of !oda, Lhe son of
!oanan, Lhe son of 8hesa, Lhe son of Zerubbabel, Lhe son of ShealLlel, Lhe son of nerl, Lhe son of Melchl,
Lhe son of Addl, Lhe son of Cosam, Lhe son of Llmadam, Lhe son of Lr, Lhe son of !oshua, Lhe son of
Lllezer, Lhe son of !orlm, Lhe son of MaLLhaL, Lhe son of Levl, Lhe son of Slmeon, Lhe son of !udah, Lhe son
of !oseph, Lhe son of !onam, Lhe son of Lllaklm, Lhe son of Melea, Lhe son of Menna, Lhe son of
MaLLaLha, Lhe son of naLhan, Lhe son of uavld, Lhe son of !esse, Lhe son of Cbed, Lhe son of 8oaz, Lhe son
of Sala, Lhe son of nahshon, Lhe son of Ammlnadab, Lhe son of Admln, Lhe son of Arnl, Lhe son of Pezron,
Lhe son of erez, Lhe son of !udah, Lhe son of !acob, Lhe son of lsaac, Lhe son of Abraham, Lhe son of
1erah, Lhe son of nahor, Lhe son of Serug, Lhe son of 8eu, Lhe son of eleg, Lhe son of Lber, Lhe son of
Shelah, Lhe son of Calnan, Lhe son of Arphaxad, Lhe son of Shem, Lhe son of noah, Lhe son of Lamech, Lhe
son of MeLhuselah, Lhe son of Lnoch, Lhe son of !ared, Lhe son of Mahalalel, Lhe son of kenan, Lhe son of
Lnosh, Lhe son of SeLh, Lhe son of Adam, Lhe son of Cod.
1hen !esus, full of Lhe Poly SplrlL, reLurned from Lhe !ordan 8lver and was led by Lhe SplrlL ln Lhe
wllderness, where for forLy days he endured LempLaLlons from Lhe devll. Pe aLe noLhlng durlng Lhose
days, and when Lhey were compleLed, he was famlshed. 1he devll sald Lo hlm, lf you are Lhe Son of Cod,
command Lhls sLone Lo become bread." !esus answered hlm, lL ls wrlLLen, 'D!0 (&*+ 0&, 6$)* ?. ?%*!(
!6&0*.'"
1hen Lhe devll led hlm up Lo a hlgh place and showed hlm ln a flash all Lhe klngdoms of Lhe world. And he
sald Lo hlm, 1o you l wlll granL Lhls whole realm-and Lhe glory LhaL goes along wlLh lL, for lL has been
rellnqulshed Lo me, and l can glve lL Lo anyone l wlsh. So Lhen, lf you wlll worshlp me, all Lhls wlll be
yours." !esus answered hlm, lL ls wrlLLen, 'E&/ !%* ,& -&%+4$# ,4* :&%( .&/% @&( !0( +*%)* only 4$<.'"
1hen Lhe devll broughL hlm Lo !erusalem, had hlm sLand on Lhe hlghesL polnL of Lhe Lemple, and sald Lo
hlm, lf you are Lhe Son of Cod, Lhrow yourself down from here, for lL ls wrlLLen, 'F* -$66 5&<<!0( 4$+
!01*6+ 5&05*%0$01 .&/; ,& #%&,*5, .&/,' and '-$,4 ,4*$% 4!0(+ ,4*. -$66 6$', .&/ /#; +& ,4!, .&/ -$66 0&,
+,%$=* .&/% '&&, !1!$0+, ! +,&0*.'" !esus answered hlm, lL ls sald, 'E&/ !%* 0&, ,& #/, ,4* :&%( .&/% @&(
,& ,4* ,*+,.'" So when Lhe devll had compleLed every LempLaLlon, he deparLed from hlm unLll a more
opporLune Llme.
1hen !esus, ln Lhe power of Lhe SplrlL, reLurned Lo Calllee, and news abouL hlm spread LhroughouL Lhe
surroundlng counLryslde. Pe began Lo Leach ln Lhelr synagogues and was pralsed by all.
now !esus came Lo nazareLh, where he had been broughL up, and wenL lnLo Lhe synagogue on Lhe
SabbaLh day, as was hls cusLom. Pe sLood up Lo read, and Lhe scroll of Lhe propheL lsalah was glven Lo
hlm. Pe unrolled Lhe scroll and found Lhe place where lL was wrlLLen,
34* G#$%$, &' ,4* :&%( $+ /#&0 <*;
?*5!/+* 4* 4!+ !0&$0,*( <* ,& #%&56!$< 1&&( 0*-+ ,& ,4* #&&%.
F* 4!+ +*0, <* ,& #%&56!$< %*6*!+* ,& ,4* 5!#,$)*+
!0( ,4* %*1!$0$01 &' +$14, ,& ,4* ?6$0(;
,& +*, '%** ,4&+* -4& !%* &##%*++*(;
,& #%&56!$< ,4* .*!% &' ,4* :&%('+ '!)&%."
1hen he rolled up Lhe scroll, gave lL back Lo Lhe aLLendanL, and saL down. 1he eyes of everyone ln Lhe
synagogue were flxed on hlm. 1hen he began Lo Lell Lhem, 1oday Lhls scrlpLure has been fulfllled even as
you heard lL belng read." All were speaklng well of hlm, and were amazed aL Lhe graclous words comlng
ouL of hls mouLh. 1hey sald, lsn'L Lhls !oseph's son?" !esus sald Lo Lhem, no doubL you wlll quoLe Lo me
Lhe proverb, 'hyslclan, heal yourself!' and say, 'WhaL we have heard LhaL you dld ln Capernaum, do here
ln your homeLown Loo.'" And he added, l Lell you Lhe LruLh, no propheL ls accepLable ln hls homeLown.
8uL ln LruLh l Lell you, Lhere were many wldows ln lsrael ln Lll[ah's days, when Lhe sky was shuL up Lhree
and a half years, and Lhere was a greaL famlne over all Lhe land. ?eL Lll[ah was senL Lo none of Lhem, buL
only Lo a woman who was a wldow aL ZarephaLh ln Sldon. And Lhere were many lepers ln lsrael ln Lhe
Llme of Lhe propheL Lllsha, yeL none of Lhem was cleansed excepL naaman Lhe Syrlan." When Lhey heard
Lhls, all Lhe people ln Lhe synagogue were fllled wlLh rage. 1hey goL up, forced hlm ouL of Lhe Lown, and
broughL hlm Lo Lhe brow of Lhe hlll on whlch Lhelr Lown was bullL, so LhaL Lhey could Lhrow hlm down Lhe
cllff. 8uL he passed Lhrough Lhe crowd and wenL on hls way.
So he wenL down Lo Capernaum, a Lown ln Calllee, and on Lhe SabbaLh he began Lo Leach Lhe people.
1hey were amazed aL hls Leachlng, because he spoke wlLh auLhorlLy.
now ln Lhe synagogue Lhere was a man who had Lhe splrlL of an unclean demon, and he crled ouL wlLh a
loud volce, Pa! Leave us alone, !esus Lhe nazarene! Pave you come Lo desLroy us? l know who you
are-Lhe Poly Cne of Cod." 8uL !esus rebuked hlm: Sllence! Come ouL of hlm!" 1hen, afLer Lhe demon
Lhrew Lhe man down ln Lhelr mldsL, he came ouL of hlm wlLhouL hurLlng hlm. 1hey were all amazed and
began Lo say Lo one anoLher, WhaL's happenlng here? lor wlLh auLhorlLy and power he commands Lhe
unclean splrlLs, and Lhey come ouL!" So Lhe news abouL hlm spread lnLo all areas of Lhe reglon.
AfLer !esus lefL Lhe synagogue, he enLered Slmon's house. now Slmon's moLher-ln-law was sufferlng
from a hlgh fever, and Lhey asked !esus Lo help her. So he sLood over her, commanded Lhe fever, and lL
lefL her. lmmedlaLely she goL up and began Lo serve Lhem.
As Lhe sun was seLLlng, all Lhose who had any relaLlves slck wlLh varlous dlseases broughL Lhem Lo !esus.
Pe placed hls hands on every one of Lhem and healed Lhem. uemons also came ouL of many, crylng ouL,
?ou are Lhe Son of Cod!" 8uL he rebuked Lhem, and would noL allow Lhem Lo speak, because Lhey knew
LhaL he was Lhe ChrlsL.
1he nexL mornlng !esus deparLed and wenL Lo a deserLed place. ?eL Lhe crowds were seeklng hlm, and
Lhey came Lo hlm and Lrled Lo keep hlm from leavlng Lhem. 8uL !esus sald Lo Lhem, l musL proclalm Lhe
good news of Lhe klngdom of Cod Lo Lhe oLher Lowns Loo, for LhaL ls whaL l was senL Lo do." So he
conLlnued Lo preach ln Lhe synagogues of !udea.
now !esus was sLandlng by Lhe Lake of CennesareL, and Lhe crowd was presslng around hlm Lo hear Lhe
word of Cod. Pe saw Lwo boaLs by Lhe lake, buL Lhe flshermen had goLLen ouL of Lhem and were washlng
Lhelr neLs. Pe goL lnLo one of Lhe boaLs, whlch was Slmon's, and asked hlm Lo puL ouL a llLLle way from
Lhe shore. 1hen !esus saL down and LaughL Lhe crowds from Lhe boaL. When he had flnlshed speaklng, he
sald Lo Slmon, uL ouL lnLo Lhe deep waLer and lower your neLs for a caLch." Slmon answered, MasLer,
we worked hard all nlghL and caughL noLhlng! 8uL aL your word l wlll lower Lhe neLs." When Lhey had
done Lhls, Lhey caughL so many flsh LhaL Lhelr neLs sLarLed Lo Lear. So Lhey moLloned Lo Lhelr parLners ln
Lhe oLher boaL Lo come and help Lhem. And Lhey came and fllled boLh boaLs, so LhaL Lhey were abouL Lo
slnk. 8uL when Slmon eLer saw lL, he fell down aL !esus' knees, saylng, Co away from me, Lord, for l am
a slnful man!" lor eLer and all who were wlLh hlm were asLonlshed aL Lhe caLch of flsh LhaL Lhey had
Laken, and so were !ames and !ohn, Zebedee's sons, who were Slmon's buslness parLners. 1hen !esus
sald Lo Slmon, uo noL be afrald, from now on you wlll be caLchlng people." So when Lhey had broughL
Lhelr boaLs Lo shore, Lhey lefL everyLhlng and followed hlm.
Whlle !esus was ln one of Lhe Lowns, a man came Lo hlm who was covered wlLh leprosy. When he saw
!esus, he bowed down wlLh hls face Lo Lhe ground and begged hlm, Lord, lf you are wllllng, you can
make me clean." So he sLreLched ouL hls hand and Louched hlm, saylng, l am wllllng. 8e clean!" And
lmmedlaLely Lhe leprosy lefL hlm. 1hen he ordered Lhe man Lo Lell no one, buL commanded hlm, Co and
show yourself Lo a prlesL, and brlng Lhe offerlng for your cleanslng, as Moses commanded, as a LesLlmony
Lo Lhem." 8uL Lhe news abouL hlm spread even more, and large crowds were gaLherlng LogeLher Lo hear
hlm and Lo be healed of Lhelr lllnesses. ?eL !esus hlmself frequenLly wlLhdrew Lo Lhe wllderness and
prayed.
now on one of Lhose days, whlle he was Leachlng, Lhere were harlsees and Leachers of Lhe law slLLlng
nearby (who had come from every vlllage of Calllee and !udea and from !erusalem), and Lhe power of
Lhe Lord was wlLh hlm Lo heal. !usL Lhen some men showed up, carrylng a paralyzed man on a sLreLcher.
1hey were Lrylng Lo brlng hlm ln and place hlm before !esus. 8uL slnce Lhey found no way Lo carry hlm ln
because of Lhe crowd, Lhey wenL up on Lhe roof and leL hlm down on Lhe sLreLcher Lhrough Lhe roof Llles
rlghL ln fronL of !esus. When !esus saw Lhelr falLh he sald, lrlend, your slns are forglven." 1hen Lhe
experLs ln Lhe law and Lhe harlsees began Lo Lhlnk Lo Lhemselves, Who ls Lhls man who ls uLLerlng
blasphemles? Who can forglve slns buL Cod alone?" When !esus percelved Lhelr hosLlle LhoughLs, he sald
Lo Lhem, Why are you ralslng ob[ecLlons wlLhln yourselves? Whlch ls easler, Lo say, '?our slns are
forglven,' or Lo say, 'SLand up and walk'? 8uL so LhaL you may know LhaL Lhe Son of Man has auLhorlLy on
earLh Lo forglve slns"-he sald Lo Lhe paralyzed man-l Lell you, sLand up, Lake your sLreLcher and go
home." lmmedlaLely he sLood up before Lhem, plcked up Lhe sLreLcher he had been lylng on, and wenL
home, glorlfylng Cod. 1hen asLonlshmenL selzed Lhem all, and Lhey glorlfled Cod. 1hey were fllled wlLh
awe, saylng, We have seen lncredlble Lhlngs Loday."
AfLer Lhls, !esus wenL ouL and saw a Lax collecLor named Levl slLLlng aL Lhe Lax booLh. lollow me," he
sald Lo hlm. And he goL up and followed hlm, leavlng everyLhlng behlnd.
1hen Levl gave a greaL banqueL ln hls house for !esus, and Lhere was a large crowd of Lax collecLors and
oLhers slLLlng aL Lhe Lable wlLh Lhem. 8uL Lhe harlsees and Lhelr experLs ln Lhe law complalned Lo hls
dlsclples, saylng, Why do you eaL and drlnk wlLh Lax collecLors and slnners?" !esus answered Lhem,
1hose who are well don'L need a physlclan, buL Lhose who are slck do. l have noL come Lo call Lhe
rlghLeous, buL slnners Lo repenLance."
1hen Lhey sald Lo hlm, !ohn's dlsclples frequenLly fasL and pray, and so do Lhe dlsclples of Lhe harlsees,
buL yours conLlnue Lo eaL and drlnk." So !esus sald Lo Lhem, ?ou cannoL make Lhe weddlng guesLs fasL
whlle Lhe brldegroom ls wlLh Lhem, can you? 8uL Lhose days are comlng, and when Lhe brldegroom ls
Laken from Lhem, aL LhaL Llme Lhey wlll fasL." Pe also Lold Lhem a parable: no one Lears a paLch from a
new garmenL and sews lL on an old garmenL. lf he does, he wlll have Lorn Lhe new, and Lhe plece from
Lhe new wlll noL maLch Lhe old. And no one pours new wlne lnLo old wlnesklns. lf he does, Lhe new wlne
wlll bursL Lhe sklns and wlll be spllled, and Lhe sklns wlll be desLroyed. lnsLead new wlne musL be poured
lnLo new wlnesklns. no one afLer drlnklng old wlne wanLs Lhe new, for he says, '1he old ls good enough.'"
!esus was golng Lhrough Lhe graln flelds on a SabbaLh, and hls dlsclples plcked some heads of wheaL,
rubbed Lhem ln Lhelr hands, and aLe Lhem. 8uL some of Lhe harlsees sald, Why are you dolng whaL ls
agalnsL Lhe law on Lhe SabbaLh?" !esus answered Lhem, Paven'L you read whaL uavld dld when he and
hls companlons were hungry- how he enLered Lhe house of Cod, Look and aLe Lhe sacred bread, whlch
ls noL lawful for any Lo eaL buL Lhe prlesLs alone, and gave lL Lo hls companlons?" 1hen he sald Lo Lhem,
1he Son of Man ls lord of Lhe SabbaLh."
Cn anoLher SabbaLh, !esus enLered Lhe synagogue and was Leachlng. now a man was Lhere whose rlghL
hand was wlLhered. 1he experLs ln Lhe law and Lhe harlsees waLched !esus closely Lo see lf he would
heal on Lhe SabbaLh, so LhaL Lhey could flnd a reason Lo accuse hlm. 8uL he knew Lhelr LhoughLs, and sald
Lo Lhe man who had Lhe wlLhered hand, CeL up and sLand here." So he rose and sLood Lhere. 1hen !esus
sald Lo Lhem, l ask you, ls lL lawful Lo do good on Lhe SabbaLh or Lo do evll, Lo save a llfe or Lo desLroy
lL?" AfLer looklng around aL Lhem all, he sald Lo Lhe man, SLreLch ouL your hand." 1he man dld so, and
hls hand was resLored. 8uL Lhey were fllled wlLh mlndless rage and began debaLlng wlLh one anoLher
whaL Lhey would do Lo !esus.
now lL was durlng Lhls Llme LhaL !esus wenL ouL Lo Lhe mounLaln Lo pray, and he spenL all nlghL ln prayer
Lo Cod. When mornlng came, he called hls dlsclples and chose Lwelve of Lhem, whom he also named
aposLles: Slmon (whom he named eLer), and hls broLher Andrew, and !ames, !ohn, hlllp, 8arLholomew,
MaLLhew, 1homas, !ames Lhe son of Alphaeus, Slmon who was called Lhe ZealoL, !udas Lhe son of !ames,
and !udas lscarloL, who became a LralLor.
1hen he came down wlLh Lhem and sLood on a level place. And a large number of hls dlsclples had
gaLhered along wlLh a vasL mulLlLude from all over !udea, from !erusalem, and from Lhe seacoasL of 1yre
and Sldon. 1hey came Lo hear hlm and Lo be healed of Lhelr dlseases, and Lhose who suffered from
unclean splrlLs were cured. 1he whole crowd was Lrylng Lo Louch hlm, because power was comlng ouL
from hlm and heallng Lhem all.
1hen he looked up aL hls dlsclples and sald:
8lessed are you who are poor, for Lhe klngdom of Cod belongs Lo you.
8lessed are you who hunger now, for you wlll be saLlsfled.
8lessed are you who weep now, for you wlll laugh.
8lessed are you when people haLe you, and when Lhey exclude you and lnsulL you and re[ecL you as evll
on accounL of Lhe Son of Man! 8e[olce ln LhaL day, and [ump for [oy, because your reward ls greaL ln
heaven. lor Lhelr ancesLors dld Lhe same Lhlngs Lo Lhe propheLs.
8uL woe Lo you who are rlch, for you have recelved your comforL already.
Woe Lo you who are well saLlsfled wlLh food now, for you wlll be hungry.
Woe Lo you who laugh now, for you wlll mourn and weep.
Woe Lo you when all people speak well of you, for Lhelr ancesLors dld Lhe same Lhlngs Lo Lhe false
propheLs.
8uL l say Lo you who are llsLenlng: Love your enemles, do good Lo Lhose who haLe you, bless Lhose who
curse you, pray for Lhose who mlsLreaL you. 1o Lhe person who sLrlkes you on Lhe cheek, offer Lhe oLher
as well, and from Lhe person who Lakes away your coaL, do noL wlLhhold your Lunlc elLher. Clve Lo
everyone who asks you, and do noL ask for your possesslons back from Lhe person who Lakes Lhem away.
1reaL oLhers ln Lhe same way LhaL you would wanL Lhem Lo LreaL you.
lf you love Lhose who love you, whaL credlL ls LhaL Lo you? lor even slnners love Lhose who love Lhem.
And lf you do good Lo Lhose who do good Lo you, whaL credlL ls LhaL Lo you? Lven slnners do Lhe same.
And lf you lend Lo Lhose from whom you hope Lo be repald, whaL credlL ls LhaL Lo you? Lven slnners lend
Lo slnners, so LhaL Lhey may be repald ln full. 8uL love your enemles, and do good, and lend, expecLlng
noLhlng back. 1hen your reward wlll be greaL, and you wlll be sons of Lhe MosL Plgh, because he ls klnd
Lo ungraLeful and evll people. 8e merclful, [usL as your laLher ls merclful.
uo noL [udge, and you wlll noL be [udged, do noL condemn, and you wlll noL be condemned, forglve, and
you wlll be forglven. Clve, and lL wlll be glven Lo you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken LogeLher,
runnlng over, wlll be poured lnLo your lap. lor Lhe measure you use wlll be Lhe measure you recelve."
Pe also Lold Lhem a parable: Someone who ls bllnd cannoL lead anoLher who ls bllnd, can he? Won'L
Lhey boLh fall lnLo a plL? A dlsclple ls noL greaLer Lhan hls Leacher, buL everyone when fully Lralned wlll be
llke hls Leacher. Why do you see Lhe speck ln your broLher's eye, buL fall Lo see Lhe beam of wood ln your
own? Pow can you say Lo your broLher, '8roLher, leL me remove Lhe speck from your eye,' whlle you
yourself don'L see Lhe beam ln your own? ?ou hypocrlLe! llrsL remove Lhe beam from your own eye, and
Lhen you can see clearly Lo remove Lhe speck from your broLher's eye.
lor no good Lree bears bad frulL, nor agaln does a bad Lree bear good frulL, for each Lree ls known by lLs
own frulL. lor flgs are noL gaLhered from Lhorns, nor are grapes plcked from brambles. 1he good person
ouL of Lhe good Lreasury of hls hearL produces good, and Lhe evll person ouL of hls evll Lreasury produces
evll, for hls mouLh speaks from whaL fllls hls hearL.
Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and don'L do whaL l Lell you?
Lveryone who comes Lo me and llsLens Lo my words and puLs Lhem lnLo pracLlce-l wlll show you whaL
he ls llke: Pe ls llke a man bulldlng a house, who dug down deep, and lald Lhe foundaLlon on bedrock.
When a flood came, Lhe rlver bursL agalnsL LhaL house buL could noL shake lL, because lL had been well
bullL. 8uL Lhe person who hears and does noL puL my words lnLo pracLlce ls llke a man who bullL a house
on Lhe ground wlLhouL a foundaLlon. When Lhe rlver bursL agalnsL LhaL house, lL collapsed lmmedlaLely,
and was uLLerly desLroyed!"
AfLer !esus had flnlshed Leachlng all Lhls Lo Lhe people, he enLered Capernaum. A cenLurlon Lhere had a
slave who was hlghly regarded, buL who was slck and aL Lhe polnL of deaLh. When Lhe cenLurlon heard
abouL !esus, he senL some !ewlsh elders Lo hlm, asklng hlm Lo come and heal hls slave. When Lhey came
Lo !esus, Lhey urged hlm earnesLly, Pe ls worLhy Lo have you do Lhls for hlm, because he loves our
naLlon, and even bullL our synagogue." So !esus wenL wlLh Lhem. When he was noL far from Lhe house,
Lhe cenLurlon senL frlends Lo say Lo hlm, Lord, do noL Lrouble yourself, for l am noL worLhy Lo have you
come under my roof. 1haL ls why l dld noL presume Lo come Lo you. lnsLead, say Lhe word, and my
servanL musL be healed. lor l Loo am a man seL under auLhorlLy, wlLh soldlers under me. l say Lo Lhls one,
'Co,' and he goes, and Lo anoLher, 'Come,' and he comes, and Lo my slave, 'uo Lhls,' and he does lL."
When !esus heard Lhls, he was amazed aL hlm. Pe Lurned and sald Lo Lhe crowd LhaL followed hlm, l Lell
you, noL even ln lsrael have l found such falLh!" So when Lhose who had been senL reLurned Lo Lhe
house, Lhey found Lhe slave well.
Soon afLerward !esus wenL Lo a Lown called naln, and hls dlsclples and a large crowd wenL wlLh hlm. As
he approached Lhe Lown gaLe, a man who had dled was belng carrled ouL, Lhe only son of hls moLher
(who was a wldow), and a large crowd from Lhe Lown was wlLh her. When Lhe Lord saw her, he had
compasslon for her and sald Lo her, uo noL weep." 1hen he came up and Louched Lhe bler, and Lhose
who carrled lL sLood sLlll. Pe sald, ?oung man, l say Lo you, geL up!" So Lhe dead man saL up and began
Lo speak, and !esus gave hlm back Lo hls moLher. lear selzed Lhem all, and Lhey began Lo glorlfy Cod,
saylng, A greaL propheL has appeared among us!" and Cod has come Lo help hls people!" 1hls reporL
abouL !esus clrculaLed LhroughouL !udea and all Lhe surroundlng counLry.
!ohn's dlsclples lnformed hlm abouL all Lhese Lhlngs. So !ohn called Lwo of hls dlsclples and senL Lhem Lo
!esus Lo ask, Are you Lhe one who ls Lo come, or should we look for anoLher?" When Lhe men came Lo
!esus, Lhey sald, !ohn Lhe 8apLlsL has senL us Lo you Lo ask, 'Are you Lhe one who ls Lo come, or should
we look for anoLher?'" AL LhaL very Llme !esus cured many people of dlseases, slcknesses, and evll splrlLs,
and granLed slghL Lo many who were bllnd. So he answered Lhem, Co Lell !ohn whaL you have seen and
heard: 1he bllnd see, Lhe lame walk, lepers are cleansed, Lhe deaf hear, Lhe dead are ralsed, Lhe poor
have good news proclalmed Lo Lhem. 8lessed ls anyone who Lakes no offense aL me."
When !ohn's messengers had gone, !esus began Lo speak Lo Lhe crowds abouL !ohn: WhaL dld you go
ouL lnLo Lhe wllderness Lo see? A reed shaken by Lhe wlnd? WhaL dld you go ouL Lo see? A man dressed
ln fancy cloLhes? Look, Lhose who wear fancy cloLhes and llve ln luxury are ln klngs' courLs! WhaL dld you
go ouL Lo see? A propheL? ?es, l Lell you, and more Lhan a propheL. 1hls ls Lhe one abouL whom lL ls
wrlLLen, ':&&=; H !< +*0($01 <. <*++*01*% !4*!( &' .&/; -4& -$66 #%*#!%* .&/% -!. ?*'&%* .&/.' l Lell
you, among Lhose born of women no one ls greaLer Lhan !ohn. ?eL Lhe one who ls leasL ln Lhe klngdom of
Cod ls greaLer Lhan he ls." (now all Lhe people who heard Lhls, even Lhe Lax collecLors, acknowledged
Cod's [usLlce, because Lhey had been bapLlzed wlLh !ohn's bapLlsm. Powever, Lhe harlsees and Lhe
experLs ln rellglous law re[ecLed Cod's purpose for Lhemselves, because Lhey had noL been bapLlzed by
!ohn.)
1o whaL Lhen should l compare Lhe people of Lhls generaLlon, and whaL are Lhey llke? 1hey are llke
chlldren slLLlng ln Lhe markeLplace and calllng ouL Lo one anoLher,
'We played Lhe fluLe for you, yeL you dld noL dance,
we walled ln mournlng, yeL you dld noL weep.'
lor !ohn Lhe 8apLlsL has come eaLlng no bread and drlnklng no wlne, and you say, 'Pe has a demon!' 1he
Son of Man has come eaLlng and drlnklng, and you say, 'Look aL hlm, a gluLLon and a drunk, a frlend of
Lax collecLors and slnners!' 8uL wlsdom ls vlndlcaLed by all her chlldren."
now one of Lhe harlsees asked !esus Lo have dlnner wlLh hlm, so he wenL lnLo Lhe harlsee's house and
Look hls place aL Lhe Lable. 1hen when a woman of LhaL Lown, who was a slnner, learned LhaL !esus was
dlnlng aL Lhe harlsee's house, she broughL an alabasLer [ar of perfumed oll. As she sLood behlnd hlm aL
hls feeL, weeplng, she began Lo weL hls feeL wlLh her Lears. She wlped Lhem wlLh her halr, klssed Lhem,
and anolnLed Lhem wlLh Lhe perfumed oll. now when Lhe harlsee who had lnvlLed hlm saw Lhls, he sald
Lo hlmself, lf Lhls man were a propheL, he would know who and whaL klnd of woman Lhls ls who ls
Louchlng hlm, LhaL she ls a slnner." So !esus answered hlm, Slmon, l have someLhlng Lo say Lo you." Pe
replled, Say lL, 1eacher." A cerLaln credlLor had Lwo debLors, one owed hlm flve hundred sllver colns,
and Lhe oLher flfLy. When Lhey could noL pay, he canceled Lhe debLs of boLh. now whlch of Lhem wlll love
hlm more?" Slmon answered, l suppose Lhe one who had Lhe blgger debL canceled." !esus sald Lo hlm,
?ou have [udged rlghLly." 1hen, Lurnlng Loward Lhe woman, he sald Lo Slmon, uo you see Lhls woman?
l enLered your house. ?ou gave me no waLer for my feeL, buL she has weL my feeL wlLh her Lears and
wlped Lhem wlLh her halr. ?ou gave me no klss of greeLlng, buL from Lhe Llme l enLered she has noL
sLopped klsslng my feeL. ?ou dld noL anolnL my head wlLh oll, buL she has anolnLed my feeL wlLh
perfumed oll. 1herefore l Lell you, her slns, whlch were many, are forglven, Lhus she loved much, buL Lhe
one who ls forglven llLLle loves llLLle." 1hen !esus sald Lo her, ?our slns are forglven." 8uL Lhose who
were aL Lhe Lable wlLh hlm began Lo say among Lhemselves, Who ls Lhls, who even forglves slns?" Pe
sald Lo Lhe woman, ?our falLh has saved you, go ln peace."
Some Llme afLerward he wenL on Lhrough Lowns and vlllages, preachlng and proclalmlng Lhe good news
of Lhe klngdom of Cod. 1he Lwelve were wlLh hlm, and also some women who had been healed of evll
splrlLs and dlsablllLles: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone ouL, and !oanna
Lhe wlfe of Cuza (Perod's household manager), Susanna, and many oLhers who provlded for Lhem ouL of
Lhelr own resources.
Whlle a large crowd was gaLherlng and people were comlng Lo !esus from one Lown afLer anoLher, he
spoke Lo Lhem ln a parable: A sower wenL ouL Lo sow hls seed. And as he sowed, some fell along Lhe
paLh and was Lrampled on, and Lhe wlld blrds devoured lL. CLher seed fell on rock, and when lL came up,
lL wlLhered because lL had no molsLure. CLher seed fell among Lhe Lhorns, and Lhey grew up wlLh lL and
choked lL. 8uL oLher seed fell on good soll and grew, and lL produced a hundred Llmes as much graln." As
he sald Lhls, he called ouL, 1he one who has ears Lo hear had beLLer llsLen!"
1hen hls dlsclples asked hlm whaL Lhls parable meanL. Pe sald, ?ou have been glven Lhe opporLunlLy Lo
know Lhe secreLs of Lhe klngdom of Cod, buL for oLhers Lhey are ln parables, so LhaL !6,4&/14 ,4*. +**
,4*. <!. 0&, +**; !0( !6,4&/14 ,4*. 4*!% ,4*. <!. 0&, /0(*%+,!0(.
now Lhe parable means Lhls: 1he seed ls Lhe word of Cod. 1hose along Lhe paLh are Lhe ones who have
heard, Lhen Lhe devll comes and Lakes away Lhe word from Lhelr hearLs, so LhaL Lhey may noL belleve and
be saved. 1hose on Lhe rock are Lhe ones who recelve Lhe word wlLh [oy when Lhey hear lL, buL Lhey have
no rooL. 1hey belleve for a whlle, buL ln a Llme of LesLlng fall away. As for Lhe seed LhaL fell among Lhorns,
Lhese are Lhe ones who hear, buL as Lhey go on Lhelr way Lhey are choked by Lhe worrles and rlches and
pleasures of llfe, and Lhelr frulL does noL maLure. 8uL as for Lhe seed LhaL landed on good soll, Lhese are
Lhe ones who, afLer hearlng Lhe word, cllng Lo lL wlLh an honesL and good hearL, and bear frulL wlLh
sLeadfasL endurance.
no one llghLs a lamp and Lhen covers lL wlLh a [ar or puLs lL under a bed, buL puLs lL on a lampsLand so
LhaL Lhose who come ln can see Lhe llghL. lor noLhlng ls hldden LhaL wlll noL be revealed, and noLhlng
concealed LhaL wlll noL be made known and broughL Lo llghL. So llsLen carefully, for whoever has wlll be
glven more, buL whoever does noL have, even whaL he Lhlnks he has wlll be Laken from hlm."
now !esus' moLher and hls broLhers came Lo hlm, buL Lhey could noL geL near hlm because of Lhe crowd.
So he was Lold, ?our moLher and your broLhers are sLandlng ouLslde, wanLlng Lo see you." 8uL he replled
Lo Lhem, My moLher and my broLhers are Lhose who hear Lhe word of Cod and do lL."
Cne day !esus goL lnLo a boaL wlLh hls dlsclples and sald Lo Lhem, LeL's go across Lo Lhe oLher slde of Lhe
lake." So Lhey seL ouL, and as Lhey salled he fell asleep. now a vlolenL wlndsLorm came down on Lhe lake,
and Lhe boaL sLarLed fllllng up wlLh waLer, and Lhey were ln danger. 1hey came and woke hlm, saylng,
MasLer, MasLer, we are abouL Lo dle!" So he goL up and rebuked Lhe wlnd and Lhe raglng waves, Lhey
dled down, and lL was calm. 1hen he sald Lo Lhem, Where ls your falLh?" 8uL Lhey were afrald and
amazed, saylng Lo one anoLher, Who Lhen ls Lhls? Pe commands even Lhe wlnds and Lhe waLer, and
Lhey obey hlm!"
So Lhey salled over Lo Lhe reglon of Lhe Cerasenes, whlch ls opposlLe Calllee. As !esus sLepped ashore, a
cerLaln man from Lhe Lown meL hlm who was possessed by demons. lor a long Llme Lhls man had worn
no cloLhes and had noL llved ln a house, buL among Lhe Lombs. When he saw !esus, he crled ouL, fell
down before hlm, and shouLed wlLh a loud volce, Leave me alone, !esus, Son of Lhe MosL Plgh Cod! l
beg you, do noL LormenL me!" lor !esus had sLarLed commandlng Lhe evll splrlL Lo come ouL of Lhe man.
(lor lL had selzed hlm many Llmes, so he would be bound wlLh chalns and shackles and kepL under guard.
8uL he would break Lhe resLralnLs and be drlven by Lhe demon lnLo deserLed places.) !esus Lhen asked
hlm, WhaL ls your name?" Pe sald, Leglon," because many demons had enLered hlm. And Lhey began
Lo beg hlm noL Lo order Lhem Lo deparL lnLo Lhe abyss. now a large herd of plgs was feedlng Lhere on Lhe
hlllslde, and Lhe demonlc splrlLs begged !esus Lo leL Lhem go lnLo Lhem. Pe gave Lhem permlsslon. So Lhe
demons came ouL of Lhe man and wenL lnLo Lhe plgs, and Lhe herd of plgs rushed down Lhe sLeep slope
lnLo Lhe lake and drowned. When Lhe herdsmen saw whaL had happened, Lhey ran off and spread Lhe
news ln Lhe Lown and counLryslde. So Lhe people wenL ouL Lo see whaL had happened, and Lhey came Lo
!esus. 1hey found Lhe man from whom Lhe demons had gone ouL, slLLlng aL !esus' feeL, cloLhed and ln hls
rlghL mlnd, and Lhey were afrald. 1hose who had seen lL Lold Lhem how Lhe man who had been demon-
possessed had been healed. 1hen all Lhe people of Lhe Cerasenes and Lhe surroundlng reglon asked !esus
Lo leave Lhem alone, for Lhey were selzed wlLh greaL fear. So he goL lnLo Lhe boaL and lefL. 1he man from
whom Lhe demons had gone ouL begged Lo go wlLh hlm, buL !esus senL hlm away, saylng, 8eLurn Lo your
home, and declare whaL Cod has done for you." So he wenL away, proclalmlng LhroughouL Lhe whole
Lown whaL !esus had done for hlm.
now when !esus reLurned, Lhe crowd welcomed hlm, because Lhey were all walLlng for hlm. 1hen a man
named !alrus, who was a ruler of Lhe synagogue, came up. lalllng aL !esus' feeL, he pleaded wlLh hlm Lo
come Lo hls house, because he had an only daughLer, abouL Lwelve years old, and she was dylng.
As !esus was on hls way, Lhe crowds pressed around hlm. now a woman was Lhere who had been
sufferlng from a hemorrhage for Lwelve years buL could noL be healed by anyone. She came up behlnd
!esus and Louched Lhe edge of hls cloak, and aL once Lhe bleedlng sLopped. 1hen !esus asked, Who was
lL who Louched me?" When Lhey all denled lL, eLer sald, MasLer, Lhe crowds are surroundlng you and
presslng agalnsL you!" 8uL !esus sald, Someone Louched me, for l know LhaL power has gone ouL from
me." When Lhe woman saw LhaL she could noL escape noLlce, she came Lrembllng and fell down before
hlm. ln Lhe presence of all Lhe people, she explalned why she had Louched hlm and how she had been
lmmedlaLely healed. 1hen he sald Lo her, uaughLer, your falLh has made you well. Co ln peace."
Whlle he was sLlll speaklng, someone from Lhe synagogue ruler's house came and sald, ?our daughLer ls
dead, do noL Lrouble Lhe Leacher any longer." 8uL when !esus heard Lhls, he Lold hlm, uo noL be afrald,
[usL belleve, and she wlll be healed." now when he came Lo Lhe house, !esus dld noL leL anyone go ln
wlLh hlm excepL eLer, !ohn, and !ames, and Lhe chlld's faLher and moLher. now Lhey were all walllng
and mournlng for her, buL he sald, SLop your weeplng, she ls noL dead buL asleep." And Lhey began
maklng fun of hlm, because Lhey knew LhaL she was dead. 8uL !esus genLly Look her by Lhe hand and sald,
Chlld, geL up." Per splrlL reLurned, and she goL up lmmedlaLely. 1hen he Lold Lhem Lo glve her
someLhlng Lo eaL. Per parenLs were asLonlshed, buL he ordered Lhem Lo Lell no one whaL had happened.
AfLer !esus called Lhe Lwelve LogeLher, he gave Lhem power and auLhorlLy over all demons and Lo cure
dlseases, and he senL Lhem ouL Lo proclalm Lhe klngdom of Cod and Lo heal Lhe slck. Pe sald Lo Lhem,
1ake noLhlng for your [ourney-no sLaff, no bag, no bread, no money, and do noL Lake an exLra Lunlc.
WhaLever house you enLer, sLay Lhere unLll you leave Lhe area. Wherever Lhey do noL recelve you, as you
leave LhaL Lown, shake Lhe dusL off your feeL as a LesLlmony agalnsL Lhem." 1hen Lhey deparLed and wenL
LhroughouL Lhe vlllages, proclalmlng Lhe good news and heallng people everywhere.
now Perod Lhe LeLrarch heard abouL everyLhlng LhaL was happenlng, and he was Lhoroughly perplexed,
because some people were saylng LhaL !ohn had been ralsed from Lhe dead, whlle oLhers were saylng
LhaL Lll[ah had appeared, and sLlll oLhers LhaL one of Lhe propheLs of long ago had rlsen. Perod sald, l
had !ohn beheaded, buL who ls Lhls abouL whom l hear such Lhlngs?" So Perod wanLed Lo learn abouL
!esus.
When Lhe aposLles reLurned, Lhey Lold !esus everyLhlng Lhey had done. 1hen he Look Lhem wlLh hlm and
Lhey wlLhdrew prlvaLely Lo a Lown called 8eLhsalda. 8uL when Lhe crowds found ouL, Lhey followed hlm.
Pe welcomed Lhem, spoke Lo Lhem abouL Lhe klngdom of Cod, and cured Lhose who needed heallng.
now Lhe day began Lo draw Lo a close, so Lhe Lwelve came and sald Lo !esus, Send Lhe crowd away, so
Lhey can go lnLo Lhe surroundlng vlllages and counLryslde and flnd lodglng and food, because we are ln
an lsolaLed place." 8uL he sald Lo Lhem, ?ou glve Lhem someLhlng Lo eaL." 1hey replled, We have no
more Lhan flve loaves and Lwo flsh-unless we go and buy food for all Lhese people." (now abouL flve
Lhousand men were Lhere.) 1hen he sald Lo hls dlsclples, Pave Lhem slL down ln groups of abouL flfLy
each." So Lhey dld as !esus dlrecLed, and Lhe people all saL down.
1hen he Look Lhe flve loaves and Lhe Lwo flsh, and looklng up Lo heaven he gave Lhanks and broke Lhem.
Pe gave Lhem Lo Lhe dlsclples Lo seL before Lhe crowd. 1hey all aLe and were saLlsfled, and whaL was lefL
over was plcked up-Lwelve baskeLs of broken pleces.
Cnce when !esus was praylng by hlmself, and hls dlsclples were nearby, he asked Lhem, Who do Lhe
crowds say LhaL l am?" 1hey answered, !ohn Lhe 8apLlsL, oLhers say Lll[ah, and sLlll oLhers LhaL one of
Lhe propheLs of long ago has rlsen." 1hen he sald Lo Lhem, 8uL who do you say LhaL l am?" eLer
answered, 1he ChrlsL of Cod." 8uL he forcefully commanded Lhem noL Lo Lell Lhls Lo anyone, saylng,
1he Son of Man musL suffer many Lhlngs and be re[ecLed by Lhe elders, chlef prlesLs, and experLs ln Lhe
law, and be kllled, and on Lhe Lhlrd day be ralsed."
1hen he sald Lo Lhem all, lf anyone wanLs Lo become my follower, he musL deny hlmself, Lake up hls
cross dally, and follow me. lor whoever wanLs Lo save hls llfe wlll lose lL, buL whoever loses hls llfe for my
sake wlll save lL. lor whaL does lL beneflL a person lf he galns Lhe whole world buL loses or forfelLs
hlmself? lor whoever ls ashamed of me and my words, Lhe Son of Man wlll be ashamed of LhaL person
when he comes ln hls glory and ln Lhe glory of Lhe laLher and of Lhe holy angels. 8uL l Lell you mosL
cerLalnly, Lhere are some sLandlng here who wlll noL experlence deaLh before Lhey see Lhe klngdom of
Cod."
now abouL elghL days afLer Lhese saylngs, !esus Look wlLh hlm eLer, !ohn, and !ames, and wenL up Lhe
mounLaln Lo pray. As he was praylng, Lhe appearance of hls face was Lransformed, and hls cloLhes
became very brlghL, a brllllanL whlLe. 1hen Lwo men, Moses and Lll[ah, began Lalklng wlLh hlm. 1hey
appeared ln glorlous splendor and spoke abouL hls deparLure LhaL he was abouL Lo carry ouL aL
!erusalem. now eLer and Lhose wlLh hlm were qulLe sleepy, buL as Lhey became fully awake, Lhey saw
hls glory and Lhe Lwo men sLandlng wlLh hlm. 1hen as Lhe men were sLarLlng Lo leave, eLer sald Lo !esus,
MasLer, lL ls good for us Lo be here. LeL us make Lhree shelLers, one for you and one for Moses and one
for Lll[ah"-noL knowlng whaL he was saylng. As he was saylng Lhls, a cloud came and overshadowed
Lhem, and Lhey were afrald as Lhey enLered Lhe cloud. 1hen a volce came from Lhe cloud, saylng, 1hls ls
my Son, my Chosen Cne. LlsLen Lo hlm!" AfLer Lhe volce had spoken, !esus was found alone. So Lhey kepL
sllenL and Lold no one aL LhaL Llme anyLhlng of whaL Lhey had seen.
now on Lhe nexL day, when Lhey had come down from Lhe mounLaln, a large crowd meL hlm. 1hen a man
from Lhe crowd crled ouL, 1eacher, l beg you Lo look aL my son-he ls my only chlld! A splrlL selzes hlm,
and he suddenly screams, lL Lhrows hlm lnLo convulslons and causes hlm Lo foam aL Lhe mouLh. lL hardly
ever leaves hlm alone, LorLurlng hlm severely. l begged your dlsclples Lo casL lL ouL, buL Lhey could noL do
so." !esus answered, ?ou unbellevlng and perverse generaLlon! Pow much longer musL l be wlLh you
and endure you? 8rlng your son here." As Lhe boy was approachlng, Lhe demon Lhrew hlm Lo Lhe ground
and shook hlm wlLh convulslons. 8uL !esus rebuked Lhe unclean splrlL, healed Lhe boy, and gave hlm back
Lo hls faLher. 1hen Lhey were all asLonlshed aL Lhe mlghLy power of Cod.
8uL whlle Lhe enLlre crowd was amazed aL everyLhlng !esus was dolng, he sald Lo hls dlsclples, 1ake
Lhese words Lo hearL, for Lhe Son of Man ls golng Lo be beLrayed lnLo Lhe hands of men." 8uL Lhey dld noL
undersLand Lhls sLaLemenL, lLs meanlng had been concealed from Lhem, so LhaL Lhey could noL grasp lL.
?eL Lhey were afrald Lo ask hlm abouL Lhls sLaLemenL.
now an argumenL sLarLed among Lhe dlsclples as Lo whlch of Lhem mlghL be Lhe greaLesL. 8uL when !esus
dlscerned Lhelr lnnermosL LhoughLs, he Look a chlld, had hlm sLand by hls slde, and sald Lo Lhem,
Whoever welcomes Lhls chlld ln my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes Lhe one
who senL me, for Lhe one who ls leasL among you all ls Lhe one who ls greaL."
!ohn answered, MasLer, we saw someone casLlng ouL demons ln your name, and we Lrled Lo sLop hlm
because he ls noL a dlsclple along wlLh us." 8uL !esus sald Lo hlm, uo noL sLop hlm, for whoever ls noL
agalnsL you ls for you."
now when Lhe days drew near for hlm Lo be Laken up, !esus seL ouL resoluLely Lo go Lo !erusalem. Pe
senL messengers on ahead of hlm. As Lhey wenL along, Lhey enLered a SamarlLan vlllage Lo make Lhlngs
ready ln advance for hlm, buL Lhe vlllagers refused Lo welcome hlm, because he was deLermlned Lo go Lo
!erusalem. now when hls dlsclples !ames and !ohn saw Lhls, Lhey sald, Lord, do you wanL us *, 7/00 '($#
*, 7,.# 5,1- '$,. 3#/"#- /-5 7,-)8.# *3#.?" 8uL !esus Lurned and rebuked Lhem, and Lhey wenL on
Lo anoLher vlllage.
As Lhey were walklng along Lhe road, someone sald Lo hlm, l wlll follow you wherever you go." !esus
sald Lo hlm, loxes have dens and Lhe blrds ln Lhe sky have nesLs, buL Lhe Son of Man has no place Lo lay
hls head." !esus sald Lo anoLher, lollow me." 8uL he replled, Lord, flrsL leL me go and bury my faLher."
8uL !esus sald Lo hlm, LeL Lhe dead bury Lhelr own dead, buL as for you, go and proclalm Lhe klngdom of
Cod." ?eL anoLher sald, l wlll follow you, Lord, buL flrsL leL me say goodbye Lo my famlly." !esus sald Lo
hlm, no one who puLs hls hand Lo Lhe plow and looks back ls flL for Lhe klngdom of Cod."
AfLer Lhls Lhe Lord appolnLed sevenLy-Lwo oLhers and senL Lhem on ahead of hlm Lwo by Lwo lnLo every
Lown and place where he hlmself was abouL Lo go. Pe sald Lo Lhem, 1he harvesL ls plenLlful, buL Lhe
workers are few. 1herefore ask Lhe Lord of Lhe harvesL Lo send ouL workers lnLo hls harvesL. Co! l am
sendlng you ouL llke lambs surrounded by wolves. uo noL carry a money bag, a Lraveler's bag, or sandals,
and greeL no one on Lhe road. Whenever you enLer a house, flrsL say, 'May peace be on Lhls house!' And
lf a peace-lovlng person ls Lhere, your peace wlll remaln on hlm, buL lf noL, lL wlll reLurn Lo you. SLay ln
LhaL same house, eaLlng and drlnklng whaL Lhey glve you, for Lhe worker deserves hls pay. uo noL move
around from house Lo house. Whenever you enLer a Lown and Lhe people welcome you, eaL whaL ls seL
before you. Peal Lhe slck ln LhaL Lown and say Lo Lhem, '1he klngdom of Cod has come upon you!' 8uL
whenever you enLer a Lown and Lhe people do noL welcome you, go lnLo lLs sLreeLs and say, 'Lven Lhe
dusL of your Lown LhaL cllngs Lo our feeL we wlpe off agalnsL you. neverLheless know Lhls: 1he klngdom
of Cod has come.' l Lell you, lL wlll be more bearable on LhaL day for Sodom Lhan for LhaL Lown!
Woe Lo you, Chorazln! Woe Lo you, 8eLhsalda! lor lf Lhe mlracles done ln you had been done ln 1yre
and Sldon, Lhey would have repenLed long ago, slLLlng ln sackcloLh and ashes. 8uL lL wlll be more
bearable for 1yre and Sldon ln Lhe [udgmenL Lhan for you! And you, Capernaum, wlll you be exalLed Lo
heaven? no, you wlll be Lhrown down Lo Pades!
1he one who llsLens Lo you llsLens Lo me, and Lhe one who re[ecLs you re[ecLs me, and Lhe one who
re[ecLs me re[ecLs Lhe one who senL me."
1hen Lhe sevenLy-Lwo reLurned wlLh [oy, saylng, Lord, even Lhe demons submlL Lo us ln your name!" So
he sald Lo Lhem, l saw SaLan fall llke llghLnlng from heaven. Look, l have glven you auLhorlLy Lo Lread on
snakes and scorplons and on Lhe full force of Lhe enemy, and noLhlng wlll hurL you. neverLheless, do noL
re[olce LhaL Lhe splrlLs submlL Lo you, buL re[olce LhaL your names sLand wrlLLen ln heaven."
Cn LhaL same occaslon !esus re[olced ln Lhe Poly SplrlL and sald, l pralse you, laLher, Lord of heaven and
earLh, because you have hldden Lhese Lhlngs from Lhe wlse and lnLelllgenL, and revealed Lhem Lo llLLle
chlldren. ?es, laLher, for Lhls was your graclous wlll. All Lhlngs have been glven Lo me by my laLher. no
one knows who Lhe Son ls excepL Lhe laLher, or who Lhe laLher ls excepL Lhe Son and anyone Lo whom
Lhe Son decldes Lo reveal hlm."
1hen !esus Lurned Lo hls dlsclples and sald prlvaLely, 8lessed are Lhe eyes LhaL see whaL you see! lor l
Lell you LhaL many propheLs and klngs longed Lo see whaL you see buL dld noL see lL, and Lo hear whaL
you hear buL dld noL hear lL."
now an experL ln rellglous law sLood up Lo LesL !esus, saylng, 1eacher, whaL musL l do Lo lnherlL eLernal
llfe?" Pe sald Lo hlm, WhaL ls wrlLLen ln Lhe law? Pow do you undersLand lL?" 1he experL answered,
:&)* ,4* :&%( .&/% @&( -$,4 !66 .&/% 4*!%,; -$,4 !66 .&/% +&/6; -$,4 !66 .&/% +,%*01,4; !0( -$,4 !66 .&/%
<$0(, and 6&)* .&/% 0*$14?&% !+ .&/%+*6'." !esus sald Lo hlm, ?ou have answered correcLly, do Lhls, and
you wlll llve."
8uL Lhe experL, wanLlng Lo [usLlfy hlmself, sald Lo !esus, And who ls my nelghbor?" !esus replled, A man
was golng down from !erusalem Lo !erlcho, and fell lnLo Lhe hands of robbers, who sLrlpped hlm, beaL
hlm up, and wenL off, leavlng hlm half dead. now by chance a prlesL was golng down LhaL road, buL when
he saw Lhe ln[ured man he passed by on Lhe oLher slde. So Loo a LevlLe, when he came up Lo Lhe place
and saw hlm, passed by on Lhe oLher slde. 8uL a SamarlLan who was Lravellng came Lo where Lhe ln[ured
man was, and when he saw hlm, he felL compasslon for hlm. Pe wenL up Lo hlm and bandaged hls
wounds, pourlng oll and wlne on Lhem. 1hen he puL hlm on hls own anlmal, broughL hlm Lo an lnn, and
Look care of hlm. 1he nexL day he Look ouL Lwo sllver colns and gave Lhem Lo Lhe lnnkeeper, saylng, '1ake
care of hlm, and whaLever else you spend, l wlll repay you when l come back Lhls way.' Whlch of Lhese
Lhree do you Lhlnk became a nelghbor Lo Lhe man who fell lnLo Lhe hands of Lhe robbers?" 1he experL ln
rellglous law sald, 1he one who showed mercy Lo hlm." So !esus sald Lo hlm, Co and do Lhe same."
now as Lhey wenL on Lhelr way, !esus enLered a cerLaln vlllage where a woman named MarLha welcomed
hlm as a guesL. She had a slsLer named Mary, who saL aL Lhe Lord's feeL and llsLened Lo whaL he sald. 8uL
MarLha was dlsLracLed wlLh all Lhe preparaLlons she had Lo make, so she came up Lo hlm and sald, Lord,
don'L you care LhaL my slsLer has lefL me Lo do all Lhe work alone? 1ell her Lo help me." 8uL Lhe Lord
answered her, MarLha, MarLha, you are worrled and Lroubled abouL many Lhlngs, buL one Lhlng ls
needed. Mary has chosen Lhe besL parL, lL wlll noL be Laken away from her."
now !esus was praylng ln a cerLaln place. When he sLopped, one of hls dlsclples sald Lo hlm, Lord, Leach
us Lo pray, [usL as !ohn LaughL hls dlsclples." So he sald Lo Lhem, When you pray, say:
laLher, may your name be honored,
may your klngdom come.
Clve us each day our dally bread,
and forglve us our slns,
for we also forglve everyone who slns agalnsL us.
And do noL lead us lnLo LempLaLlon."
1hen he sald Lo Lhem, Suppose one of you has a frlend, and you go Lo hlm aL mldnlghL and say Lo hlm,
'lrlend, lend me Lhree loaves of bread, because a frlend of mlne has sLopped here whlle on a [ourney,
and l have noLhlng Lo seL before hlm.' 1hen he wlll reply from lnslde, 'uo noL boLher me. 1he door ls
already shuL, and my chlldren and l are ln bed. l cannoL geL up and glve you anyLhlng.' l Lell you, even
Lhough Lhe man lnslde wlll noL geL up and glve hlm anyLhlng because he ls hls frlend, yeL because of Lhe
flrsL man's sheer perslsLence he wlll geL up and glve hlm whaLever he needs.
So l Lell you: Ask, and lL wlll be glven Lo you, seek, and you wlll flnd, knock, and Lhe door wlll be opened
for you. lor everyone who asks recelves, and Lhe one who seeks flnds, and Lo Lhe one who knocks, Lhe
door wlll be opened. WhaL faLher among you, lf your son asks for a flsh, wlll glve hlm a snake lnsLead of a
flsh? Cr lf he asks for an egg, wlll glve hlm a scorplon? lf you Lhen, alLhough you are evll, know how Lo
glve good glfLs Lo your chlldren, how much more wlll Lhe heavenly laLher glve Lhe Poly SplrlL Lo Lhose
who ask hlm!"
now he was casLlng ouL a demon LhaL was muLe. When Lhe demon had gone ouL, Lhe man who had been
muLe began Lo speak, and Lhe crowds were amazed. 8uL some of Lhem sald, 8y Lhe power of 8eelzebul,
Lhe ruler of demons, he casLs ouL demons." CLhers, Lo LesL hlm, began asklng for a slgn from heaven. 8uL
!esus, reallzlng Lhelr LhoughLs, sald Lo Lhem, Lvery klngdom dlvlded agalnsL lLself ls desLroyed, and a
dlvlded household falls. So lf SaLan Loo ls dlvlded agalnsL hlmself, how wlll hls klngdom sLand? l ask you
Lhls because you clalm LhaL l casL ouL demons by 8eelzebul. now lf l casL ouL demons by 8eelzebul, by
whom do your sons casL Lhem ouL? 1herefore Lhey wlll be your [udges. 8uL lf l casL ouL demons by Lhe
flnger of Cod, Lhen Lhe klngdom of Cod has already overLaken you. When a sLrong man, fully armed,
guards hls own palace, hls possesslons are safe. 8uL when a sLronger man aLLacks and conquers hlm, he
Lakes away Lhe flrsL man's armor on whlch Lhe man relled and dlvldes up hls plunder. Whoever ls noL
wlLh me ls agalnsL me, and whoever does noL gaLher wlLh me scaLLers.
When an unclean splrlL goes ouL of a person, lL passes Lhrough waLerless places looklng for resL buL noL
flndlng any. 1hen lL says, 'l wlll reLurn Lo Lhe home l lefL.' When lL reLurns, lL flnds Lhe house swepL clean
and puL ln order. 1hen lL goes and brlngs seven oLher splrlLs more evll Lhan lLself, and Lhey go ln and llve
Lhere, so Lhe lasL sLaLe of LhaL person ls worse Lhan Lhe flrsL."
As he sald Lhese Lhlngs, a woman ln Lhe crowd spoke ouL Lo hlm, 8lessed ls Lhe womb LhaL bore you and
Lhe breasLs aL whlch you nursed!" 8uL he replled, 8lessed raLher are Lhose who hear Lhe word of Cod
and obey lL!"
As Lhe crowds were lncreaslng, !esus began Lo say, 1hls generaLlon ls a wlcked generaLlon, lL looks for a
slgn, buL no slgn wlll be glven Lo lL excepL Lhe slgn of !onah. lor [usL as !onah became a slgn Lo Lhe people
of nlneveh, so Lhe Son of Man wlll be a slgn Lo Lhls generaLlon. 1he queen of Lhe SouLh wlll rlse up aL Lhe
[udgmenL wlLh Lhe people of Lhls generaLlon and condemn Lhem, because she came from Lhe ends of Lhe
earLh Lo hear Lhe wlsdom of Solomon-and now, someLhlng greaLer Lhan Solomon ls here! 1he people of
nlneveh wlll sLand up aL Lhe [udgmenL wlLh Lhls generaLlon and condemn lL, because Lhey repenLed
when !onah preached Lo Lhem-and now, someLhlng greaLer Lhan !onah ls here!
no one afLer llghLlng a lamp puLs lL ln a hldden place or under a baskeL, buL on a lampsLand, so LhaL
Lhose who come ln can see Lhe llghL. ?our eye ls Lhe lamp of your body. When your eye ls healLhy, your
whole body ls full of llghL, buL when lL ls dlseased, your body ls full of darkness. 1herefore see Lo lL LhaL
Lhe llghL ln you ls noL darkness. lf Lhen your whole body ls full of llghL, wlLh no parL ln Lhe dark, lL wlll be
as full of llghL as when Lhe llghL of a lamp shlnes on you."
As he spoke, a harlsee lnvlLed !esus Lo have a meal wlLh hlm, so he wenL ln and Look hls place aL Lhe
Lable. 1he harlsee was asLonlshed when he saw LhaL !esus dld noL flrsL wash hls hands before Lhe meal.
8uL Lhe Lord sald Lo hlm, now you harlsees clean Lhe ouLslde of Lhe cup and Lhe plaLe, buL lnslde you
are full of greed and wlckedness. ?ou fools! uldn'L Lhe one who made Lhe ouLslde make Lhe lnslde as
well? 8uL glve from your hearL Lo Lhose ln need, and Lhen everyLhlng wlll be clean for you.
8uL woe Lo you harlsees! ?ou glve a LenLh of your mlnL, rue, and every herb, yeL you neglecL [usLlce
and love for Cod! 8uL you should have done Lhese Lhlngs wlLhouL neglecLlng Lhe oLhers. Woe Lo you
harlsees! ?ou love Lhe besL seaLs ln Lhe synagogues and elaboraLe greeLlngs ln Lhe markeLplaces! Woe
Lo you! ?ou are llke unmarked graves, and people walk over Lhem wlLhouL reallzlng lL!"
Cne of Lhe experLs ln rellglous law answered hlm, 1eacher, when you say Lhese Lhlngs you lnsulL us
Loo." 8uL !esus replled, Woe Lo you experLs ln rellglous law as well! ?ou load people down wlLh burdens
dlfflculL Lo bear, yeL you yourselves refuse Lo Louch Lhe burdens wlLh even one of your flngers! Woe Lo
you! ?ou bulld Lhe Lombs of Lhe propheLs whom your ancesLors kllled. So you LesLlfy LhaL you approve of
Lhe deeds of your ancesLors, because Lhey kllled Lhe propheLs and you bulld Lhelr Lombs! lor Lhls reason
also Lhe wlsdom of Cod sald, 'l wlll send Lhem propheLs and aposLles, some of whom Lhey wlll klll and
persecuLe,' so LhaL Lhls generaLlon may be held accounLable for Lhe blood of all Lhe propheLs LhaL has
been shed slnce Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe world, from Lhe blood of Abel Lo Lhe blood of Zecharlah, who was
kllled beLween Lhe alLar and Lhe sancLuary. ?es, l Lell you, lL wlll be charged agalnsL Lhls generaLlon. Woe
Lo you experLs ln rellglous law! ?ou have Laken away Lhe key Lo knowledge! ?ou dld noL go ln yourselves,
and you hlndered Lhose who were golng ln."
When he wenL ouL from Lhere, Lhe experLs ln Lhe law and Lhe harlsees began Lo oppose hlm blLLerly,
and Lo ask hlm hosLlle quesLlons abouL many Lhlngs, ploLLlng agalnsL hlm, Lo caLch hlm ln someLhlng he
mlghL say.
Meanwhlle, when many Lhousands of Lhe crowd had gaLhered so LhaL Lhey were Lrampllng on one
anoLher, !esus began Lo speak flrsL Lo hls dlsclples, 8e on your guard agalnsL Lhe yeasL of Lhe harlsees,
whlch ls hypocrlsy. noLhlng ls hldden LhaL wlll noL be revealed, and noLhlng ls secreL LhaL wlll noL be
made known. So Lhen whaLever you have sald ln Lhe dark wlll be heard ln Lhe llghL, and whaL you have
whlspered ln prlvaLe rooms wlll be proclalmed from Lhe houseLops.
l Lell you, my frlends, do noL be afrald of Lhose who klll Lhe body, and afLer LhaL have noLhlng more Lhey
can do. 8uL l wlll warn you whom you should fear: lear Lhe one who, afLer Lhe kllllng, has auLhorlLy Lo
Lhrow you lnLo hell. ?es, l Lell you, fear hlm! Aren'L flve sparrows sold for Lwo pennles? ?eL noL one of
Lhem ls forgoLLen before Cod. ln facL, even Lhe halrs on your head are all numbered. uo noL be afrald,
you are more valuable Lhan many sparrows.
l Lell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, Lhe Son of Man wlll also acknowledge before Cod's
angels. 8uL Lhe one who denles me before men wlll be denled before Cod's angels. And everyone who
speaks a word agalnsL Lhe Son of Man wlll be forglven, buL Lhe person who blasphemes agalnsL Lhe Poly
SplrlL wlll noL be forglven. 8uL when Lhey brlng you before Lhe synagogues, Lhe rulers, and Lhe
auLhorlLles, do noL worry abouL how you should make your defense or whaL you should say, for Lhe Poly
SplrlL wlll Leach you aL LhaL momenL whaL you musL say."
1hen someone from Lhe crowd sald Lo hlm, 1eacher, Lell my broLher Lo dlvlde Lhe lnherlLance wlLh me."
8uL !esus sald Lo hlm, Man, who made me a [udge or arblLraLor beLween you Lwo?" 1hen he sald Lo
Lhem, WaLch ouL and guard yourself from all Lypes of greed, because one's llfe does noL conslsL ln Lhe
abundance of hls possesslons." Pe Lhen Lold Lhem a parable: 1he land of a cerLaln rlch man produced an
abundanL crop, so he LhoughL Lo hlmself, 'WhaL should l do, for l have nowhere Lo sLore my crops?' 1hen
he sald, 'l wlll do Lhls: l wlll Lear down my barns and bulld blgger ones, and Lhere l wlll sLore all my graln
and my goods. And l wlll say Lo myself, ?ou have plenLy of goods sLored up for many years, relax, eaL,
drlnk, celebraLe!"' 8uL Cod sald Lo hlm, '?ou fool! 1hls very nlghL your llfe wlll be demanded back from
you, buL who wlll geL whaL you have prepared for yourself?' So lL ls wlLh Lhe one who sLores up rlches for
hlmself, buL ls noL rlch Loward Cod."
1hen !esus sald Lo hls dlsclples, 1herefore l Lell you, do noL worry abouL your llfe, whaL you wlll eaL, or
abouL your body, whaL you wlll wear. lor Lhere ls more Lo llfe Lhan food, and more Lo Lhe body Lhan
cloLhlng. Conslder Lhe ravens: 1hey do noL sow or reap, Lhey have no sLoreroom or barn, yeL Cod feeds
Lhem. Pow much more valuable are you Lhan Lhe blrds! And whlch of you by worrylng can add an hour Lo
hls llfe? So lf you cannoL do such a very llLLle Lhlng as Lhls, why do you worry abouL Lhe resL? Conslder
how Lhe flowers grow, Lhey do noL work or spln. ?eL l Lell you, noL even Solomon ln all hls glory was
cloLhed llke one of Lhese! And lf Lhls ls how Cod cloLhes Lhe wlld grass, whlch ls here Loday and
Lomorrow ls Lossed lnLo Lhe flre Lo heaL Lhe oven, how much more wlll he cloLhe you, you people of llLLle
falLh! So do noL be overly concerned abouL whaL you wlll eaL and whaL you wlll drlnk, and do noL worry
abouL such Lhlngs. lor all Lhe naLlons of Lhe world pursue Lhese Lhlngs, and your laLher knows LhaL you
need Lhem. lnsLead, pursue hls klngdom, and Lhese Lhlngs wlll be glven Lo you as well.
uo noL be afrald, llLLle flock, for your laLher ls well pleased Lo glve you Lhe klngdom. Sell your
possesslons and glve Lo Lhe poor. rovlde yourselves purses LhaL do noL wear ouL-a Lreasure ln heaven
LhaL never decreases, where no Lhlef approaches and no moLh desLroys. lor where your Lreasure ls,
Lhere your hearL wlll be also.
CeL dressed for servlce and keep your lamps burnlng, be llke people walLlng for Lhelr masLer Lo come
back from Lhe weddlng celebraLlon, so LhaL when he comes and knocks Lhey can lmmedlaLely open Lhe
door for hlm. 8lessed are Lhose slaves whom Lhelr masLer flnds alerL when he reLurns! l Lell you Lhe
LruLh, he wlll dress hlmself Lo serve, have Lhem Lake Lhelr place aL Lhe Lable, and wlll come and walL on
Lhem! Lven lf he comes ln Lhe second or Lhlrd waLch of Lhe nlghL and flnds Lhem alerL, blessed are Lhose
slaves! 8uL undersLand Lhls: lf Lhe owner of Lhe house had known aL whaL hour Lhe Lhlef was comlng, he
would noL have leL hls house be broken lnLo. ?ou also musL be ready, because Lhe Son of Man wlll come
aL an hour when you do noL expecL hlm."
1hen eLer sald, Lord, are you Lelllng Lhls parable for us or for everyone?" 1he Lord replled, Who Lhen
ls Lhe falLhful and wlse manager, whom Lhe masLer puLs ln charge of hls household servanLs, Lo glve
Lhem Lhelr allowance of food aL Lhe proper Llme? 8lessed ls LhaL slave whom hls masLer flnds aL work
when he reLurns. l Lell you Lhe LruLh, Lhe masLer wlll puL hlm ln charge of all hls possesslons. 8uL lf LhaL
slave should say Lo hlmself, 'My masLer ls delayed ln reLurnlng,' and he beglns Lo beaL Lhe oLher slaves,
boLh men and women, and Lo eaL, drlnk, and geL drunk, Lhen Lhe masLer of LhaL slave wlll come on a day
when he does noL expecL hlm and aL an hour he does noL foresee, and wlll cuL hlm ln Lwo, and asslgn hlm
a place wlLh Lhe unfalLhful. 1haL servanL who knew hls masLer's wlll buL dld noL geL ready or do whaL hls
masLer asked wlll recelve a severe beaLlng. 8uL Lhe one who dld noL know hls masLer's wlll and dld Lhlngs
worLhy of punlshmenL wlll recelve a llghL beaLlng. lrom everyone who has been glven much, much wlll
be requlred, and from Lhe one who has been enLrusLed wlLh much, even more wlll be asked.
l have come Lo brlng flre on Lhe earLh-and how l wlsh lL were already klndled! l have a bapLlsm Lo
undergo, and how dlsLressed l am unLll lL ls flnlshed! uo you Lhlnk l have come Lo brlng peace on earLh?
no, l Lell you, buL raLher dlvlslon! lor from now on Lhere wlll be flve ln one household dlvlded, Lhree
agalnsL Lwo and Lwo agalnsL Lhree. 1hey wlll be dlvlded, faLher agalnsL son and son agalnsL faLher,
moLher agalnsL daughLer and daughLer agalnsL moLher, moLher-ln-law agalnsL her daughLer-ln-law and
daughLer-ln-law agalnsL moLher-ln-law."
!esus also sald Lo Lhe crowds, When you see a cloud rlslng ln Lhe wesL, you say aL once, 'A ralnsLorm ls
comlng,' and lL does. And when you see Lhe souLh wlnd blowlng, you say, '1here wlll be scorchlng heaL,'
and Lhere ls. ?ou hypocrlLes! ?ou know how Lo lnLerpreL Lhe appearance of Lhe earLh and Lhe sky, buL
how can you noL know how Lo lnLerpreL Lhe presenL Llme?
And why don'L you [udge for yourselves whaL ls rlghL? As you are golng wlLh your accuser before Lhe
maglsLraLe, make an efforL Lo seLLle wlLh hlm on Lhe way, so LhaL he wlll noL drag you before Lhe [udge,
and Lhe [udge hand you over Lo Lhe offlcer, and Lhe offlcer Lhrow you lnLo prlson. l Lell you, you wlll never
geL ouL of Lhere unLll you have pald Lhe very lasL cenL!"
now Lhere were some presenL on LhaL occaslon who Lold hlm abouL Lhe Callleans whose blood llaLe had
mlxed wlLh Lhelr sacrlflces. Pe answered Lhem, uo you Lhlnk Lhese Callleans were worse slnners Lhan all
Lhe oLher Callleans, because Lhey suffered Lhese Lhlngs? no, l Lell you! 8uL unless you repenL, you wlll all
perlsh as well! Cr Lhose elghLeen who were kllled when Lhe Lower ln Slloam fell on Lhem, do you Lhlnk
Lhey were worse offenders Lhan all Lhe oLhers who llve ln !erusalem? no, l Lell you! 8uL unless you repenL
you wlll all perlsh as well!"
1hen !esus Lold Lhls parable: A man had a flg Lree planLed ln hls vlneyard, and he came looklng for frulL
on lL and found none. So he sald Lo Lhe worker who Lended Lhe vlneyard, 'lor Lhree years now, l have
come looklng for frulL on Lhls flg Lree, and each Llme l lnspecL lL l flnd none. CuL lL down! Why should lL
conLlnue Lo depleLe Lhe soll?' 8uL Lhe worker answered hlm, 'Slr, leave lL alone Lhls year Loo, unLll l dlg
around lL and puL ferLlllzer on lL. 1hen lf lL bears frulL nexL year, very well, buL lf noL, you can cuL lL
down.'"
now he was Leachlng ln one of Lhe synagogues on Lhe SabbaLh, and a woman was Lhere who had been
dlsabled by a splrlL for elghLeen years. She was benL over and could noL sLralghLen herself up compleLely.
When !esus saw her, he called her Lo hlm and sald, Woman, you are freed from your lnflrmlLy." 1hen he
placed hls hands on her, and lmmedlaLely she sLralghLened up and pralsed Cod. 8uL Lhe presldenL of Lhe
synagogue, lndlgnanL because !esus had healed on Lhe SabbaLh, sald Lo Lhe crowd, 1here are slx days on
whlch work should be done! So come and be healed on Lhose days, and noL on Lhe SabbaLh day." 1hen
Lhe Lord answered hlm, ?ou hypocrlLes! uoes noL each of you on Lhe SabbaLh unLle hls ox or hls donkey
from lLs sLall, and lead lL Lo waLer? 1hen shouldn'L Lhls woman, a daughLer of Abraham whom SaLan
bound for elghLeen long years, be released from Lhls lmprlsonmenL on Lhe SabbaLh day?" When he sald
Lhls all hls adversarles were humlllaLed, buL Lhe enLlre crowd was re[olclng aL all Lhe wonderful Lhlngs he
was dolng.
1hus !esus asked, WhaL ls Lhe klngdom of Cod llke? 1o whaL should l compare lL? lL ls llke a musLard
seed LhaL a man Look and sowed ln hls garden. lL grew and became a Lree, and Lhe wlld blrds nesLed ln lLs
branches."
Agaln he sald, 1o whaL should l compare Lhe klngdom of Cod? lL ls llke yeasL LhaL a woman Look and
mlxed wlLh Lhree measures of flour unLll all Lhe dough had rlsen."
1hen !esus Lraveled LhroughouL Lowns and vlllages, Leachlng and maklng hls way Loward !erusalem.
Someone asked hlm, Lord, wlll only a few be saved?" So he sald Lo Lhem, LxerL every efforL Lo enLer
Lhrough Lhe narrow door, because many, l Lell you, wlll Lry Lo enLer and wlll noL be able Lo. Cnce Lhe
head of Lhe house geLs up and shuLs Lhe door, Lhen you wlll sLand ouLslde and sLarL Lo knock on Lhe door
and beg hlm, 'Lord, leL us ln!' 8uL he wlll answer you, 'l don'L know where you come from.' 1hen you wlll
begln Lo say, 'We aLe and drank ln your presence, and you LaughL ln our sLreeLs.' 8uL he wlll reply, 'l don'L
know where you come from! Co away from me, all you evlldoers!' 1here wlll be weeplng and gnashlng of
LeeLh when you see Abraham, lsaac, !acob, and all Lhe propheLs ln Lhe klngdom of Cod buL you
yourselves Lhrown ouL. 1hen people wlll come from easL and wesL, and from norLh and souLh, and Lake
Lhelr places aL Lhe banqueL Lable ln Lhe klngdom of Cod. 8uL lndeed, some are lasL who wlll be flrsL, and
some are flrsL who wlll be lasL."
AL LhaL Llme, some harlsees came up and sald Lo !esus, CeL away from here, because Perod wanLs Lo
klll you." 8uL he sald Lo Lhem, Co and Lell LhaL fox, 'Look, l am casLlng ouL demons and performlng
heallngs Loday and Lomorrow, and on Lhe Lhlrd day l wlll compleLe my work. neverLheless l musL go on
my way Loday and Lomorrow and Lhe nexL day, because lL ls lmposslble LhaL a propheL should be kllled
ouLslde !erusalem.' C !erusalem, !erusalem, you who klll Lhe propheLs and sLone Lhose who are senL Lo
you! Pow ofLen l have longed Lo gaLher your chlldren LogeLher as a hen gaLhers her chlcks under her
wlngs, buL you would have none of lL! Look, your house ls forsaken! And l Lell you, you wlll noL see me
unLll you say, 'I6*++*( $+ ,4* &0* -4& 5&<*+ $0 ,4* 0!<* &' ,4* :&%(J'"
now one SabbaLh when !esus wenL Lo dlne aL Lhe house of a leader of Lhe harlsees, Lhey were waLchlng
hlm closely. 1here rlghL ln fronL of hlm was a man sufferlng from dropsy. So !esus asked Lhe experLs ln
rellglous law and Lhe harlsees, ls lL lawful Lo heal on Lhe SabbaLh or noL?" 8uL Lhey remalned sllenL. So
!esus Look hold of Lhe man, healed hlm, and senL hlm away. 1hen he sald Lo Lhem, Whlch of you, lf you
have a son or an ox LhaL has fallen lnLo a well on a SabbaLh day, wlll noL lmmedlaLely pull hlm ouL?" 8uL
Lhey could noL reply Lo Lhls.
1hen when !esus noLlced how Lhe guesLs chose Lhe places of honor, he Lold Lhem a parable. Pe sald Lo
Lhem, When you are lnvlLed by someone Lo a weddlng feasL, do noL Lake Lhe place of honor, because a
person more dlsLlngulshed Lhan you may have been lnvlLed by your hosL. So Lhe hosL who lnvlLed boLh of
you wlll come and say Lo you, 'Clve Lhls man your place.' 1hen, ashamed, you wlll begln Lo move Lo Lhe
leasL lmporLanL place. 8uL when you are lnvlLed, go and Lake Lhe leasL lmporLanL place, so LhaL when
your hosL approaches he wlll say Lo you, 'lrlend, move up here Lo a beLLer place.' 1hen you wlll be
honored ln Lhe presence of all who share Lhe meal wlLh you. lor everyone who exalLs hlmself wlll be
humbled, buL Lhe one who humbles hlmself wlll be exalLed."
Pe sald also Lo Lhe man who had lnvlLed hlm, When you hosL a dlnner or a banqueL, don'L lnvlLe your
frlends or your broLhers or your relaLlves or rlch nelghbors so you can be lnvlLed by Lhem ln reLurn and
geL repald. 8uL when you hosL an elaboraLe meal, lnvlLe Lhe poor, Lhe crlppled, Lhe lame, and Lhe bllnd.
1hen you wlll be blessed, because Lhey cannoL repay you, for you wlll be repald aL Lhe resurrecLlon of Lhe
rlghLeous."
When one of Lhose aL Lhe meal wlLh !esus heard Lhls, he sald Lo hlm, 8lessed ls everyone who wlll feasL
ln Lhe klngdom of Cod!" 8uL !esus sald Lo hlm, A man once gave a greaL banqueL and lnvlLed many
guesLs. AL Lhe Llme for Lhe banqueL he senL hls slave Lo Lell Lhose who had been lnvlLed, 'Come, because
everyLhlng ls now ready.' 8uL one afLer anoLher Lhey all began Lo make excuses. 1he flrsL sald Lo hlm, 'l
have boughL a fleld, and l musL go ouL and see lL. lease excuse me.' AnoLher sald, 'l have boughL flve
yoke of oxen, and l am golng ouL Lo examlne Lhem. lease excuse me.' AnoLher sald, 'l [usL goL marrled,
and l cannoL come.' So Lhe slave came back and reporLed Lhls Lo hls masLer. 1hen Lhe masLer of Lhe
household was furlous and sald Lo hls slave, 'Co ouL qulckly Lo Lhe sLreeLs and alleys of Lhe clLy, and brlng
ln Lhe poor, Lhe crlppled, Lhe bllnd, and Lhe lame.' 1hen Lhe slave sald, 'Slr, whaL you lnsLrucLed has been
done, and Lhere ls sLlll room.' So Lhe masLer sald Lo hls slave, 'Co ouL Lo Lhe hlghways and counLry roads
and urge people Lo come ln, so LhaL my house wlll be fllled. lor l Lell you, noL one of Lhose lndlvlduals
who were lnvlLed wlll LasLe my banqueL!'"
now large crowds were accompanylng !esus, and Lurnlng Lo Lhem he sald, lf anyone comes Lo me and
does noL haLe hls own faLher and moLher, and wlfe and chlldren, and broLhers and slsLers, and even hls
own llfe, he cannoL be my dlsclple. Whoever does noL carry hls own cross and follow me cannoL be my
dlsclple. lor whlch of you, wanLlng Lo bulld a Lower, doesn'L slL down flrsL and compuLe Lhe cosL Lo see lf
he has enough money Lo compleLe lL? CLherwlse, when he has lald a foundaLlon and ls noL able Lo flnlsh
Lhe Lower, all who see lL wlll begln Lo make fun of hlm. 1hey wlll say, '1hls man began Lo bulld and was
noL able Lo flnlsh!' Cr whaL klng, golng ouL Lo confronL anoLher klng ln baLLle, wlll noL slL down flrsL and
deLermlne wheLher he ls able wlLh Len Lhousand Lo oppose Lhe one comlng agalnsL hlm wlLh LwenLy
Lhousand? lf he cannoL succeed, he wlll send a represenLaLlve whlle Lhe oLher ls sLlll a long way off and
ask for Lerms of peace. ln Lhe same way Lherefore noL one of you can be my dlsclple lf he does noL
renounce all hls own possesslons.
SalL ls good, buL lf salL loses lLs flavor, how can lLs flavor be resLored? lL ls of no value for Lhe soll or for
Lhe manure plle, lL ls Lo be Lhrown ouL. 1he one who has ears Lo hear had beLLer llsLen!"
now all Lhe Lax collecLors and slnners were comlng Lo hear hlm. 8uL Lhe harlsees and Lhe experLs ln Lhe
law were complalnlng, 1hls man welcomes slnners and eaLs wlLh Lhem."
So !esus Lold Lhem Lhls parable: Whlch one of you, lf he has a hundred sheep and loses one of Lhem,
would noL leave Lhe nlneLy-nlne ln Lhe open pasLure and go look for Lhe one LhaL ls losL unLll he flnds lL?
1hen when he has found lL, he places lL on hls shoulders, re[olclng. 8eLurnlng home, he calls LogeLher hls
frlends and nelghbors, Lelllng Lhem, '8e[olce wlLh me, because l have found my sheep LhaL was losL.' l Lell
you, ln Lhe same way Lhere wlll be more [oy ln heaven over one slnner who repenLs Lhan over nlneLy-
nlne rlghLeous people who have no need Lo repenL.
Cr whaL woman, lf she has Len sllver colns and loses one of Lhem, does noL llghL a lamp, sweep Lhe
house, and search Lhoroughly unLll she flnds lL? 1hen when she has found lL, she calls LogeLher her
frlends and nelghbors, saylng, '8e[olce wlLh me, for l have found Lhe coln LhaL l had losL.' ln Lhe same
way, l Lell you, Lhere ls [oy ln Lhe presence of Cod's angels over one slnner who repenLs."
1hen !esus sald, A man had Lwo sons. 1he younger of Lhem sald Lo hls faLher, 'laLher, glve me Lhe share
of Lhe esLaLe LhaL wlll belong Lo me.' So he dlvlded hls asseLs beLween Lhem. AfLer a few days, Lhe
younger son gaLhered LogeLher all he had and lefL on a [ourney Lo a dlsLanL counLry, and Lhere he
squandered hls wealLh wlLh a wlld llfesLyle. 1hen afLer he had spenL everyLhlng, a severe famlne Look
place ln LhaL counLry, and he began Lo be ln need. So he wenL and worked for one of Lhe clLlzens of LhaL
counLry, who senL hlm Lo hls flelds Lo feed plgs. Pe was longlng Lo eaL Lhe carob pods Lhe plgs were
eaLlng, buL no one gave hlm anyLhlng. 8uL when he came Lo hls senses he sald, 'Pow many of my faLher's
hlred workers have food enough Lo spare, buL here l am dylng from hunger! l wlll geL up and go Lo my
faLher and say Lo hlm, laLher, l have slnned agalnsL heaven and agalnsL you. l am no longer worLhy Lo be
called your son, LreaL me llke one of your hlred workers."' So he goL up and wenL Lo hls faLher. 8uL whlle
he was sLlll a long way from home hls faLher saw hlm, and hls hearL wenL ouL Lo hlm, he ran and hugged
hls son and klssed hlm. 1hen hls son sald Lo hlm, 'laLher, l have slnned agalnsL heaven and agalnsL you, l
am no longer worLhy Lo be called your son.' 8uL Lhe faLher sald Lo hls slaves, 'Purry! 8rlng Lhe besL robe,
and puL lL on hlm! uL a rlng on hls flnger and sandals on hls feeL! 8rlng Lhe faLLened calf and klll lL! LeL us
eaL and celebraLe, because Lhls son of mlne was dead, and ls allve agaln-he was losL and ls found!' So
Lhey began Lo celebraLe.
now hls older son was ln Lhe fleld. As he came and approached Lhe house, he heard muslc and danclng.
So he called one of Lhe slaves and asked whaL was happenlng. 1he slave replled, '?our broLher has
reLurned, and your faLher has kllled Lhe faLLened calf because he goL hls son back safe and sound.' 8uL
Lhe older son became angry and refused Lo go ln. Pls faLher came ouL and appealed Lo hlm, buL he
answered hls faLher, 'Look! 1hese many years l have worked llke a slave for you, and l never dlsobeyed
your commands. ?eL you never gave me even a goaL so LhaL l could celebraLe wlLh my frlends! 8uL when
Lhls son of yours came back, who has devoured your asseLs wlLh prosLlLuLes, you kllled Lhe faLLened calf
for hlm!' 1hen Lhe faLher sald Lo hlm, 'Son, you are always wlLh me, and everyLhlng LhaL belongs Lo me ls
yours. lL was approprlaLe Lo celebraLe and be glad, for your broLher was dead, and ls allve, he was losL
and ls found.'"
!esus also sald Lo Lhe dlsclples, 1here was a rlch man who was lnformed of accusaLlons LhaL hls manager
was wasLlng hls asseLs. So he called Lhe manager ln and sald Lo hlm, 'WhaL ls Lhls l hear abouL you? 1urn
ln Lhe accounL of your admlnlsLraLlon, because you can no longer be my manager.' 1hen Lhe manager
sald Lo hlmself, 'WhaL should l do, slnce my masLer ls Laklng my poslLlon away from me? l'm noL sLrong
enough Lo dlg, and l'm Loo ashamed Lo beg. l know whaL Lo do so LhaL when l am puL ouL of
managemenL, people wlll welcome me lnLo Lhelr homes.' So he conLacLed hls masLer's debLors one by
one. Pe asked Lhe flrsL, 'Pow much do you owe my masLer?' 1he man replled, 'A hundred measures of
ollve oll.' 1he manager sald Lo hlm, '1ake your blll, slL down qulckly, and wrlLe flfLy.' 1hen he sald Lo
anoLher, 'And how much do you owe?' 1he second man replled, 'A hundred measures of wheaL.' 1he
manager sald Lo hlm, '1ake your blll, and wrlLe elghLy.' 1he masLer commended Lhe dlshonesL manager
because he acLed shrewdly. lor Lhe people of Lhls world are more shrewd ln deallng wlLh Lhelr
conLemporarles Lhan Lhe people of llghL. And l Lell you, make frlends for yourselves by how you use
worldly wealLh, so LhaL when lL runs ouL you wlll be welcomed lnLo Lhe eLernal homes.
1he one who ls falLhful ln a very llLLle ls also falLhful ln much, and Lhe one who ls dlshonesL ln a very
llLLle ls also dlshonesL ln much. lf Lhen you haven'L been LrusLworLhy ln handllng worldly wealLh, who wlll
enLrusL you wlLh Lhe Lrue rlches? And lf you haven'L been LrusLworLhy wlLh someone else's properLy,
who wlll glve you your own? no servanL can serve Lwo masLers, for elLher he wlll haLe Lhe one and love
Lhe oLher, or he wlll be devoLed Lo Lhe one and desplse Lhe oLher. ?ou cannoL serve Cod and money."
1he harlsees (who loved money) heard all Lhls and rldlculed hlm. 8uL !esus sald Lo Lhem, ?ou are Lhe
ones who [usLlfy yourselves ln men's eyes, buL Cod knows your hearLs. lor whaL ls hlghly prlzed among
men ls uLLerly deLesLable ln Cod's slghL.
1he law and Lhe propheLs were ln force unLll !ohn, slnce Lhen, Lhe good news of Lhe klngdom of Cod has
been proclalmed, and everyone ls urged Lo enLer lL. 8uL lL ls easler for heaven and earLh Lo pass away
Lhan for one Llny sLroke of a leLLer ln Lhe law Lo become vold.
Lveryone who dlvorces hls wlfe and marrles someone else commlLs adulLery, and Lhe one who marrles a
woman dlvorced from her husband commlLs adulLery.
1here was a rlch man who dressed ln purple and flne llnen and who feasLed sumpLuously every day. 8uL
aL hls gaLe lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered wlLh sores, who longed Lo eaL whaL
fell from Lhe rlch man's Lable. ln addlLlon, Lhe dogs came and llcked hls sores.
now Lhe poor man dled and was carrled by Lhe angels Lo Abraham's slde. 1he rlch man also dled and
was burled. And ln hell, as he was ln LormenL, he looked up and saw Abraham far off wlLh Lazarus aL hls
slde. So he called ouL, 'laLher Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus Lo dlp Lhe Llp of hls flnger
ln waLer and cool my Longue, because l am ln angulsh ln Lhls flre.' 8uL Abraham sald, 'Chlld, remember
LhaL ln your llfeLlme you recelved your good Lhlngs and Lazarus llkewlse bad Lhlngs, buL now he ls
comforLed here and you are ln angulsh. 8esldes all Lhls, a greaL chasm has been flxed beLween us, so LhaL
Lhose who wanL Lo cross over from here Lo you cannoL do so, and no one can cross from Lhere Lo us.' So
Lhe rlch man sald, '1hen l beg you, faLher-send Lazarus Lo my faLher's house (for l have flve broLhers) Lo
warn Lhem so LhaL Lhey don'L come lnLo Lhls place of LormenL.' 8uL Abraham sald, '1hey have Moses and
Lhe propheLs, Lhey musL respond Lo Lhem.' 1hen Lhe rlch man sald, 'no, faLher Abraham, buL lf someone
from Lhe dead goes Lo Lhem, Lhey wlll repenL.' Pe replled Lo hlm, 'lf Lhey do noL respond Lo Moses and
Lhe propheLs, Lhey wlll noL be convlnced even lf someone rlses from Lhe dead.'"
!esus sald Lo hls dlsclples, SLumbllng blocks are sure Lo come, buL woe Lo Lhe one Lhrough whom Lhey
come! lL would be beLLer for hlm Lo have a mlllsLone Lled around hls neck and be Lhrown lnLo Lhe sea
Lhan for hlm Lo cause one of Lhese llLLle ones Lo sln. WaLch yourselves! lf your broLher slns, rebuke hlm. lf
he repenLs, forglve hlm. Lven lf he slns agalnsL you seven Llmes ln a day, and seven Llmes reLurns Lo you
saylng, 'l repenL,' you musL forglve hlm."
1he aposLles sald Lo Lhe Lord, lncrease our falLh!" So Lhe Lord replled, lf you had falLh Lhe slze of a
musLard seed, you could say Lo Lhls black mulberry Lree, '8e pulled ouL by Lhe rooLs and planLed ln Lhe
sea,' and lL would obey you.
Would any one of you say Lo your slave who comes ln from Lhe fleld afLer plowlng or shepherdlng
sheep, 'Come aL once and slL down for a meal'? Won'L Lhe masLer lnsLead say Lo hlm, 'CeL my dlnner
ready, and make yourself ready Lo serve me whlle l eaL and drlnk. 1hen you may eaL and drlnk'? Pe won'L
Lhank Lhe slave because he dld whaL he was Lold, wlll he? So you Loo, when you have done everyLhlng
you were commanded Lo do, should say, 'We are slaves undeservlng of speclal pralse, we have only done
whaL was our duLy.'"
now on Lhe way Lo !erusalem, !esus was passlng along beLween Samarla and Calllee. As he was enLerlng
a vlllage, Len men wlLh leprosy meL hlm. 1hey sLood aL a dlsLance, ralsed Lhelr volces and sald, !esus,
MasLer, have mercy on us." When he saw Lhem he sald, Co and show yourselves Lo Lhe prlesLs." And as
Lhey wenL along, Lhey were cleansed. 1hen one of Lhem, when he saw he was healed, Lurned back,
pralslng Cod wlLh a loud volce. Pe fell wlLh hls face Lo Lhe ground aL !esus' feeL and Lhanked hlm. (now
he was a SamarlLan.) 1hen !esus sald, Were noL Len cleansed? Where are Lhe oLher nlne? Was no one
found Lo Lurn back and glve pralse Lo Cod excepL Lhls forelgner?" 1hen he sald Lo Lhe man, CeL up and
go your way. ?our falLh has made you well."
now aL one polnL Lhe harlsees asked !esus when Lhe klngdom of Cod was comlng, so he answered, 1he
klngdom of Cod ls noL comlng wlLh slgns Lo be observed, nor wlll Lhey say, 'Look, here lL ls!' or '1here!'
lor lndeed, Lhe klngdom of Cod ls ln your mldsL."
1hen he sald Lo Lhe dlsclples, 1he days are comlng when you wlll deslre Lo see one of Lhe days of Lhe
Son of Man, and you wlll noL see lL. 1hen people wlll say Lo you, 'Look, Lhere he ls!' or 'Look, here he ls!'
uo noL go ouL or chase afLer Lhem. lor [usL llke Lhe llghLnlng flashes and llghLs up Lhe sky from one slde
Lo Lhe oLher, so wlll Lhe Son of Man be ln hls day. 8uL flrsL he musL suffer many Lhlngs and be re[ecLed by
Lhls generaLlon. !usL as lL was ln Lhe days of noah, so Loo lL wlll be ln Lhe days of Lhe Son of Man. eople
were eaLlng, Lhey were drlnklng, Lhey were marrylng, Lhey were belng glven ln marrlage-rlghL up Lo Lhe
day noah enLered Lhe ark. 1hen Lhe flood came and desLroyed Lhem all. Llkewlse, [usL as lL was ln Lhe
days of LoL, people were eaLlng, drlnklng, buylng, selllng, planLlng, bulldlng, buL on Lhe day LoL wenL ouL
from Sodom, flre and sulfur ralned down from heaven and desLroyed Lhem all. lL wlll be Lhe same on Lhe
day Lhe Son of Man ls revealed. Cn LhaL day, anyone who ls on Lhe roof, wlLh hls goods ln Lhe house,
musL noL come down Lo Lake Lhem away, and llkewlse Lhe person ln Lhe fleld musL noL Lurn back.
8emember LoL's wlfe! Whoever Lrles Lo keep hls llfe wlll lose lL, buL whoever loses hls llfe wlll preserve lL.
l Lell you, ln LhaL nlghL Lhere wlll be Lwo people ln one bed, one wlll be Laken and Lhe oLher lefL. 1here
wlll be Lwo women grlndlng graln LogeLher, one wlll be Laken and Lhe oLher lefL."
1hen Lhe dlsclples sald Lo hlm, Where, Lord?" Pe replled Lo Lhem, Where Lhe dead body ls, Lhere Lhe
vulLures wlll gaLher."
1hen !esus Lold Lhem a parable Lo show Lhem Lhey should always pray and noL lose hearL. Pe sald, ln a
cerLaln clLy Lhere was a [udge who nelLher feared Cod nor respecLed people. 1here was also a wldow ln
LhaL clLy who kepL comlng Lo hlm and saylng, 'Clve me [usLlce agalnsL my adversary.' lor a whlle he
refused, buL laLer on he sald Lo hlmself, '1hough l nelLher fear Cod nor have regard for people, yeL
because Lhls wldow keeps on boLherlng me, l wlll glve her [usLlce, or ln Lhe end she wlll wear me ouL by
her unendlng pleas.'" And Lhe Lord sald, LlsLen Lo whaL Lhe unrlghLeous [udge says! Won'L Cod glve
[usLlce Lo hls chosen ones, who cry ouL Lo hlm day and nlghL? Wlll he delay long Lo help Lhem? l Lell you,
he wlll glve Lhem [usLlce speedlly. neverLheless, when Lhe Son of Man comes, wlll he flnd falLh on earLh?"
!esus also Lold Lhls parable Lo some who were confldenL LhaL Lhey were rlghLeous and looked down on
everyone else. 1wo men wenL up Lo Lhe Lemple Lo pray, one a harlsee and Lhe oLher a Lax collecLor.
1he harlsee sLood and prayed abouL hlmself llke Lhls: 'Cod, l Lhank you LhaL l am noL llke oLher people:
exLorLlonlsLs, unrlghLeous people, adulLerers-or even llke Lhls Lax collecLor. l fasL Lwlce a week, l glve a
LenLh of everyLhlng l geL.' 1he Lax collecLor, however, sLood far off and would noL even look up Lo
heaven, buL beaL hls breasL and sald, 'Cod, be merclful Lo me, slnner LhaL l am!' l Lell you LhaL Lhls man
wenL down Lo hls home [usLlfled raLher Lhan Lhe harlsee. lor everyone who exalLs hlmself wlll be
humbled, buL he who humbles hlmself wlll be exalLed."
now people were even brlnglng Lhelr bables Lo hlm for hlm Lo Louch. 8uL when Lhe dlsclples saw lL, Lhey
began Lo scold Lhose who broughL Lhem. 8uL !esus called for Lhe chlldren, saylng, LeL Lhe llLLle chlldren
come Lo me and do noL Lry Lo sLop Lhem, for Lhe klngdom of Cod belongs Lo such as Lhese. l Lell you Lhe
LruLh, whoever does noL recelve Lhe klngdom of Cod llke a chlld wlll never enLer lL."
now a cerLaln ruler asked hlm, Cood Leacher, whaL musL l do Lo lnherlL eLernal llfe?" !esus sald Lo hlm,
Why do you call me good? no one ls good excepL Cod alone. ?ou know Lhe commandmenLs: 'K& 0&,
5&<<$, !(/6,*%.; (& 0&, </%(*%; (& 0&, +,*!6; (& 0&, 1$)* '!6+* ,*+,$<&0.; 4&0&% .&/% '!,4*% !0(
<&,4*%.'" 1he man replled, l have wholehearLedly obeyed all Lhese laws slnce my youLh." When !esus
heard Lhls, he sald Lo hlm, Cne Lhlng you sLlll lack. Sell all LhaL you have and glve Lhe money Lo Lhe poor,
and you wlll have Lreasure ln heaven. 1hen come, follow me." 8uL when Lhe man heard Lhls he became
very sad, for he was exLremely wealLhy. When !esus noLlced Lhls, he sald, Pow hard lL ls for Lhe rlch Lo
enLer Lhe klngdom of Cod! ln facL, lL ls easler for a camel Lo go Lhrough Lhe eye of a needle Lhan for a rlch
person Lo enLer Lhe klngdom of Cod." 1hose who heard Lhls sald, 1hen who can be saved?" Pe replled,
WhaL ls lmposslble for mere humans ls posslble for Cod." And eLer sald, Look, we have lefL everyLhlng
we own Lo follow you!" 1hen !esus sald Lo Lhem, l Lell you Lhe LruLh, Lhere ls no one who has lefL home
or wlfe or broLhers or parenLs or chlldren for Lhe sake of Cod's klngdom who wlll noL recelve many Llmes
more ln Lhls age-and ln Lhe age Lo come, eLernal llfe."
1hen !esus Look Lhe Lwelve aslde and sald Lo Lhem, Look, we are golng up Lo !erusalem, and everyLhlng
LhaL ls wrlLLen abouL Lhe Son of Man by Lhe propheLs wlll be accompllshed. lor he wlll be handed over Lo
Lhe CenLlles, he wlll be mocked, mlsLreaLed, and spaL on. 1hey wlll flog hlm severely and klll hlm. ?eL on
Lhe Lhlrd day he wlll rlse agaln." 8uL Lhe Lwelve undersLood none of Lhese Lhlngs. 1hls saylng was hldden
from Lhem, and Lhey dld noL grasp whaL !esus meanL.
As !esus approached !erlcho, a bllnd man was slLLlng by Lhe road begglng. When he heard a crowd golng
by, he asked whaL was golng on. 1hey Lold hlm, !esus Lhe nazarene ls passlng by." So he called ouL,
!esus, Son of uavld, have mercy on me!" And Lhose who were ln fronL scolded hlm Lo geL hlm Lo be
quleL, buL he shouLed even more, Son of uavld, have mercy on me!" So !esus sLopped and ordered Lhe
beggar Lo be broughL Lo hlm. When Lhe man came near, !esus asked hlm, WhaL do you wanL me Lo do
for you?" Pe replled, Lord, leL me see agaln." !esus sald Lo hlm, 8ecelve your slghL, your falLh has
healed you." And lmmedlaLely he regalned hls slghL and followed !esus, pralslng Cod. When all Lhe
people saw lL, Lhey Loo gave pralse Lo Cod.
!esus enLered !erlcho and was passlng Lhrough lL. now a man named Zacchaeus was Lhere, he was a chlef
Lax collecLor and was rlch. Pe was Lrylng Lo geL a look aL !esus, buL belng a shorL man he could noL see
over Lhe crowd. So he ran on ahead and cllmbed up lnLo a sycamore Lree Lo see hlm, because !esus was
golng Lo pass LhaL way. And when !esus came Lo LhaL place, he looked up and sald Lo hlm, Zacchaeus,
come down qulckly, because l musL sLay aL your house Loday." So he came down qulckly and welcomed
!esus [oyfully. And when Lhe people saw lL, Lhey all complalned, Pe has gone ln Lo be Lhe guesL of a man
who ls a slnner." 8uL Zacchaeus sLopped and sald Lo Lhe Lord, Look, Lord, half of my possesslons l now
glve Lo Lhe poor, and lf l have cheaLed anyone of anyLhlng, l am paylng back four Llmes as much!" 1hen
!esus sald Lo hlm, 1oday salvaLlon has come Lo Lhls household, because he Loo ls a son of Abraham! lor
Lhe Son of Man came Lo seek and Lo save Lhe losL."
Whlle Lhe people were llsLenlng Lo Lhese Lhlngs, !esus proceeded Lo Lell a parable, because he was near
Lo !erusalem, and because Lhey LhoughL LhaL Lhe klngdom of Cod was golng Lo appear lmmedlaLely.
1herefore he sald, A nobleman wenL Lo a dlsLanL counLry Lo recelve for hlmself a klngdom and Lhen
reLurn. And he summoned Len of hls slaves, gave Lhem Len mlnas, and sald Lo Lhem, 'uo buslness wlLh
Lhese unLll l come back.' 8uL hls clLlzens haLed hlm and senL a delegaLlon afLer hlm, saylng, 'We do noL
wanL Lhls man Lo be klng over us!' When he reLurned afLer recelvlng Lhe klngdom, he summoned Lhese
slaves Lo whom he had glven Lhe money. Pe wanLed Lo know how much Lhey had earned by Lradlng. So
Lhe flrsL one came before hlm and sald, 'Slr, your mlna has made Len mlnas more.' And Lhe klng sald Lo
hlm, 'Well done, good slave! 8ecause you have been falLhful ln a very small maLLer, you wlll have
auLhorlLy over Len clLles.' 1hen Lhe second one came and sald, 'Slr, your mlna has made flve mlnas.' So
Lhe klng sald Lo hlm, 'And you are Lo be over flve clLles.' 1hen anoLher slave came and sald, 'Slr, here ls
your mlna LhaL l puL away for safekeeplng ln a plece of cloLh. lor l was afrald of you, because you are a
severe man. ?ou wlLhdraw whaL you dld noL deposlL and reap whaL you dld noL sow.' 1he klng sald Lo
hlm, 'l wlll [udge you by your own words, you wlcked slave! So you knew, dld you, LhaL l was a severe
man, wlLhdrawlng whaL l dldn'L deposlL and reaplng whaL l dldn'L sow? Why Lhen dldn'L you puL my
money ln Lhe bank, so LhaL when l reLurned l could have collecLed lL wlLh lnLeresL?' And he sald Lo hls
aLLendanLs, '1ake Lhe mlna from hlm, and glve lL Lo Lhe one who has Len.' 8uL Lhey sald Lo hlm, 'Slr, he
has Len mlnas already!' 'l Lell you LhaL everyone who has wlll be glven more, buL from Lhe one who does
noL have, even whaL he has wlll be Laken away. 8uL as for Lhese enemles of mlne who dld noL wanL me Lo
be Lhelr klng, brlng Lhem here and slaughLer Lhem ln fronL of me!'"
AfLer !esus had sald Lhls, he conLlnued on ahead, golng up Lo !erusalem. now when he approached
8eLhphage and 8eLhany, aL Lhe place called Lhe MounL of Cllves, he senL Lwo of Lhe dlsclples, Lelllng
Lhem, Co Lo Lhe vlllage ahead of you. When you enLer lL, you wlll flnd a colL Lled Lhere LhaL has never
been rldden. unLle lL and brlng lL here. lf anyone asks you, 'Why are you unLylng lL?' [usL say, '1he Lord
needs lL.'" So Lhose who were senL ahead found lL exacLly as he had Lold Lhem. As Lhey were unLylng Lhe
colL, lLs owners asked Lhem, Why are you unLylng LhaL colL?" 1hey replled, 1he Lord needs lL." 1hen
Lhey broughL lL Lo !esus, Lhrew Lhelr cloaks on Lhe colL, and had !esus geL on lL. As he rode along, Lhey
spread Lhelr cloaks on Lhe road. As he approached Lhe road leadlng down from Lhe MounL of Cllves, Lhe
whole crowd of hls dlsclples began Lo re[olce and pralse Cod wlLh a loud volce for all Lhe mlghLy works
Lhey had seen: I6*++*( $+ ,4* =$01 -4& 5&<*+ $0 ,4* 0!<* &' ,4* :&%(J eace ln heaven and glory ln Lhe
hlghesL!" 8uL some of Lhe harlsees ln Lhe crowd sald Lo hlm, 1eacher, rebuke your dlsclples." Pe
answered, l Lell you, lf Lhey keep sllenL, Lhe very sLones wlll cry ouL!"
now when !esus approached and saw Lhe clLy, he wepL over lL, saylng, lf you had only known on Lhls
day, even you, Lhe Lhlngs LhaL make for peace! 8uL now Lhey are hldden from your eyes. lor Lhe days wlll
come upon you when your enemles wlll bulld an embankmenL agalnsL you and surround you and close ln
on you from every slde. 1hey wlll demollsh you-you and your chlldren wlLhln your walls-and Lhey wlll
noL leave wlLhln you one sLone on Lop of anoLher, because you dld noL recognlze Lhe Llme of your
vlslLaLlon from Cod."
1hen !esus enLered Lhe Lemple courLs and began Lo drlve ouL Lhose who were selllng Lhlngs Lhere, saylng
Lo Lhem, lL ls wrlLLen, 'D. 4&/+* -$66 ?* ! 4&/+* &' #%!.*%,' buL you have Lurned lL lnLo ! (*0 &'
%&??*%+!"
!esus was Leachlng dally ln Lhe Lemple courLs. 1he chlef prlesLs and Lhe experLs ln Lhe law and Lhe
promlnenL leaders among Lhe people were seeklng Lo assasslnaLe hlm, buL Lhey could noL flnd a way Lo
do lL, for all Lhe people hung on hls words.
now one day, as !esus was Leachlng Lhe people ln Lhe Lemple courLs and proclalmlng Lhe gospel, Lhe
chlef prlesLs and Lhe experLs ln Lhe law wlLh Lhe elders came up and sald Lo hlm, 1ell us: 8y whaL
auLhorlLy are you dolng Lhese Lhlngs? Cr who ls lL who gave you Lhls auLhorlLy?" Pe answered Lhem, l
wlll also ask you a quesLlon, and you Lell me: !ohn's bapLlsm-was lL from heaven or from people?" So
Lhey dlscussed lL wlLh one anoLher, saylng, lf we say, 'lrom heaven,' he wlll say, 'Why dld you noL
belleve hlm?' 8uL lf we say, 'lrom people,' all Lhe people wlll sLone us, because Lhey are convlnced LhaL
!ohn was a propheL." So Lhey replled LhaL Lhey dld noL know where lL came from. 1hen !esus sald Lo
Lhem, nelLher wlll l Lell you by whose auLhorlLy l do Lhese Lhlngs."
1hen he began Lo Lell Lhe people Lhls parable: A man planLed a vlneyard, leased lL Lo LenanL farmers,
and wenL on a [ourney for a long Llme. When harvesL Llme came, he senL a slave Lo Lhe LenanLs so LhaL
Lhey would glve hlm hls porLlon of Lhe crop. Powever, Lhe LenanLs beaL hls slave and senL hlm away
empLy-handed. So he senL anoLher slave. 1hey beaL Lhls one Loo, LreaLed hlm ouLrageously, and senL hlm
away empLy-handed. So he senL sLlll a Lhlrd. 1hey even wounded Lhls one, and Lhrew hlm ouL. 1hen Lhe
owner of Lhe vlneyard sald, 'WhaL should l do? l wlll send my one dear son, perhaps Lhey wlll respecL
hlm.' 8uL when Lhe LenanLs saw hlm, Lhey sald Lo one anoLher, '1hls ls Lhe helr, leL's klll hlm so Lhe
lnherlLance wlll be ours!' So Lhey Lhrew hlm ouL of Lhe vlneyard and kllled hlm. WhaL Lhen wlll Lhe owner
of Lhe vlneyard do Lo Lhem? Pe wlll come and desLroy Lhose LenanLs and glve Lhe vlneyard Lo oLhers."
When Lhe people heard Lhls, Lhey sald, May Lhls never happen!" 8uL !esus looked sLralghL aL Lhem and
sald, 1hen whaL ls Lhe meanlng of LhaL whlch ls wrlLLen: '34* +,&0* ,4* ?/$6(*%+ %*L*5,*( 4!+ ?*5&<*
,4* 5&%0*%+,&0*'? Lveryone who falls on Lhls sLone wlll be broken Lo pleces, and Lhe one on whom lL falls
wlll be crushed." 1hen Lhe experLs ln Lhe law and Lhe chlef prlesLs wanLed Lo arresL hlm LhaL very hour,
because Lhey reallzed he had Lold Lhls parable agalnsL Lhem. 8uL Lhey were afrald of Lhe people.
1hen Lhey waLched hlm carefully and senL sples who preLended Lo be slncere. 1hey wanLed Lo Lake
advanLage of whaL he mlghL say so LhaL Lhey could dellver hlm up Lo Lhe auLhorlLy and [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe
governor. 1hus Lhey asked hlm, 1eacher, we know LhaL you speak and Leach correcLly, and show no
parLlallLy, buL Leach Lhe way of Cod ln accordance wlLh Lhe LruLh. ls lL rlghL for us Lo pay Lhe LrlbuLe Lax Lo
Caesar or noL?" 8uL !esus percelved Lhelr decelL and sald Lo Lhem, Show me a denarlus. Whose lmage
and lnscrlpLlon are on lL?" 1hey sald, Caesar's." So he sald Lo Lhem, 1hen glve Lo Caesar Lhe Lhlngs LhaL
are Caesar's, and Lo Cod Lhe Lhlngs LhaL are Cod's." 1hus Lhey were unable ln Lhe presence of Lhe people
Lo Lrap hlm wlLh hls own words. And sLunned by hls answer, Lhey fell sllenL.
now some Sadducees (who conLend LhaL Lhere ls no resurrecLlon) came Lo hlm. 1hey asked hlm,
1eacher, Moses wroLe for us LhaL $' ! <!0B+ ?%&,4*% ($*+ 6*!)$01 a wlfe buL 0& 54$6(%*0; ,4!, <!0 </+,
<!%%. ,4* -$(&- !0( '!,4*% 54$6(%*0 '&% 4$+ ?%&,4*%. now Lhere were seven broLhers. 1he flrsL one
marrled a woman and dled wlLhouL chlldren. 1he second and Lhen Lhe Lhlrd marrled her, and ln Lhls same
way all seven dled, leavlng no chlldren. llnally Lhe woman dled Loo. ln Lhe resurrecLlon, Lherefore, whose
wlfe wlll Lhe woman be? lor all seven had marrled her."
So !esus sald Lo Lhem, 1he people of Lhls age marry and are glven ln marrlage. 8uL Lhose who are
regarded as worLhy Lo share ln LhaL age and ln Lhe resurrecLlon from Lhe dead nelLher marry nor are
glven ln marrlage. ln facL, Lhey can no longer dle, because Lhey are equal Lo angels and are sons of Cod,
slnce Lhey are sons of Lhe resurrecLlon. 8uL even Moses revealed LhaL Lhe dead are ralsed ln Lhe passage
abouL Lhe bush, where he calls Lhe Lord ,4* @&( &' M?%!4!< !0( ,4* @&( &' H+!!5 !0( ,4* @&( &' N!5&?.
now he ls noL Cod of Lhe dead, buL of Lhe llvlng, for all llve before hlm." 1hen some of Lhe experLs ln Lhe
law answered, 1eacher, you have spoken well!" lor Lhey dld noL dare any longer Lo ask hlm anyLhlng.
8uL he sald Lo Lhem, Pow ls lL LhaL Lhey say LhaL Lhe ChrlsL ls uavld's son? lor uavld hlmself says ln Lhe
book of salms,
'34* :&%( +!$( ,& <. 6&%(;
G$, !, <. %$14, 4!0(;
/0,$6 H <!=* .&/% *0*<$*+ ! '&&,+,&&6 '&% .&/% '**,."'
lf uavld Lhen calls hlm 'Lord,' how can he be hls son?"
As all Lhe people were llsLenlng, !esus sald Lo hls dlsclples, 8eware of Lhe experLs ln Lhe law. 1hey llke
walklng around ln long robes, and Lhey love elaboraLe greeLlngs ln Lhe markeLplaces and Lhe besL seaLs ln
Lhe synagogues and Lhe places of honor aL banqueLs. 1hey devour wldows' properLy, and as a show make
long prayers. 1hey wlll recelve a more severe punlshmenL."
!esus looked up and saw Lhe rlch puLLlng Lhelr glfLs lnLo Lhe offerlng box. Pe also saw a poor wldow puL ln
Lwo small copper colns. Pe sald, l Lell you Lhe LruLh, Lhls poor wldow has puL ln more Lhan all of Lhem.
lor Lhey all offered Lhelr glfLs ouL of Lhelr wealLh. 8uL she, ouL of her poverLy, puL ln everyLhlng she had
Lo llve on."
now whlle some were speaklng abouL Lhe Lemple, how lL was adorned wlLh beauLlful sLones and
offerlngs, !esus sald, As for Lhese Lhlngs LhaL you are gazlng aL, Lhe days wlll come when noL one sLone
wlll be lefL on anoLher. All wlll be Lorn down!" So Lhey asked hlm, 1eacher, when wlll Lhese Lhlngs
happen? And whaL wlll be Lhe slgn LhaL Lhese Lhlngs are abouL Lo Lake place?" Pe sald, WaLch ouL LhaL
you are noL mlsled. lor many wlll come ln my name, saylng, 'l am he,' and, '1he Llme ls near.' uo noL
follow Lhem! And when you hear of wars and rebelllons, do noL be afrald. lor Lhese Lhlngs musL happen
flrsL, buL Lhe end wlll noL come aL once."
1hen he sald Lo Lhem, naLlon wlll rlse up ln arms agalnsL naLlon, and klngdom agalnsL klngdom. 1here
wlll be greaL earLhquakes, and famlnes and plagues ln varlous places, and Lhere wlll be Lerrlfylng slghLs
and greaL slgns from heaven. 8uL before all Lhls, Lhey wlll selze you and persecuLe you, handlng you over
Lo Lhe synagogues and prlsons. ?ou wlll be broughL before klngs and governors because of my name. 1hls
wlll be a Llme for you Lo serve as wlLnesses. 1herefore be resolved noL Lo rehearse ahead of Llme how Lo
make your defense. lor l wlll glve you Lhe words along wlLh Lhe wlsdom LhaL none of your adversarles
wlll be able Lo wlLhsLand or conLradlcL. ?ou wlll be beLrayed even by parenLs, broLhers, relaLlves, and
frlends, and Lhey wlll have some of you puL Lo deaLh. ?ou wlll be haLed by everyone because of my name.
?eL noL a halr of your head wlll perlsh. 8y your endurance you wlll galn your llves.
8uL when you see !erusalem surrounded by armles, Lhen know LhaL lLs desolaLlon has come near. 1hen
Lhose who are ln !udea musL flee Lo Lhe mounLalns. 1hose who are lnslde Lhe clLy musL deparL. 1hose
who are ouL ln Lhe counLry musL noL enLer lL, because Lhese are days of vengeance, Lo fulflll all LhaL ls
wrlLLen. Woe Lo Lhose who are pregnanL and Lo Lhose who are nurslng Lhelr bables ln Lhose days! lor
Lhere wlll be greaL dlsLress on Lhe earLh and wraLh agalnsL Lhls people. 1hey wlll fall by Lhe edge of Lhe
sword and be led away as capLlves among all naLlons. !erusalem wlll be Lrampled down by Lhe CenLlles
unLll Lhe Llmes of Lhe CenLlles are fulfllled.
And Lhere wlll be slgns ln Lhe sun and moon and sLars, and on Lhe earLh naLlons wlll be ln dlsLress,
anxlous over Lhe roarlng of Lhe sea and Lhe surglng waves. eople wlll be falnLlng from fear and from Lhe
expecLaLlon of whaL ls comlng on Lhe world, for *3# 2,1#$) ,' *3# 3#/"#-) 1(00 +# )3/9#-. 1hen Lhey wlll
see *3# :,- ,' ;/- /$$("(-< (- / 70,85 wlLh power and greaL glory. 8uL when Lhese Lhlngs begln Lo
happen, sLand up and ralse your heads, because your redempLlon ls drawlng near."
1hen he Lold Lhem a parable: Look aL Lhe flg Lree and all Lhe oLher Lrees. When Lhey sprouL leaves, you
see for yourselves and know LhaL summer ls now near. So also you, when you see Lhese Lhlngs
happenlng, know LhaL Lhe klngdom of Cod ls near. l Lell you Lhe LruLh, Lhls generaLlon wlll noL pass away
unLll all Lhese Lhlngs Lake place. Peaven and earLh wlll pass away, buL my words wlll never pass away.
8uL be on your guard so LhaL your hearLs are noL welghed down wlLh dlsslpaLlon and drunkenness and
Lhe worrles of Lhls llfe, and LhaL day close down upon you suddenly llke a Lrap. lor lL wlll overLake all who
llve on Lhe face of Lhe whole earLh. 8uL sLay alerL aL all Llmes, praylng LhaL you may have sLrengLh Lo
escape all Lhese Lhlngs LhaL musL happen, and Lo sLand before Lhe Son of Man."
So every day !esus was Leachlng ln Lhe Lemple courLs, buL aL nlghL he wenL and sLayed on Lhe MounL of
Cllves. And all Lhe people came Lo hlm early ln Lhe mornlng Lo llsLen Lo hlm ln Lhe Lemple courLs.
now Lhe leasL of unleavened 8read, whlch ls called Lhe assover, was approachlng. 1he chlef prlesLs and
Lhe experLs ln Lhe law were Lrylng Lo flnd some way Lo execuLe !esus, for Lhey were afrald of Lhe people.
1hen SaLan enLered !udas, Lhe one called lscarloL, who was one of Lhe Lwelve. Pe wenL away and
dlscussed wlLh Lhe chlef prlesLs and offlcers of Lhe Lemple guard how he mlghL beLray !esus, handlng hlm
over Lo Lhem. 1hey were dellghLed and arranged Lo glve hlm money. So !udas agreed and began looklng
for an opporLunlLy Lo beLray !esus when no crowd was presenL.
1hen Lhe day for Lhe feasL of unleavened 8read came, on whlch Lhe assover lamb had Lo be sacrlflced.
!esus senL eLer and !ohn, saylng, Co and prepare Lhe assover for us Lo eaL." 1hey sald Lo hlm, Where
do you wanL us Lo prepare lL?" Pe sald Lo Lhem, LlsLen, when you have enLered Lhe clLy, a man carrylng
a [ar of waLer wlll meeL you. lollow hlm lnLo Lhe house LhaL he enLers, and Lell Lhe owner of Lhe house,
'1he 1eacher says Lo you, Where ls Lhe guesL room where l may eaL Lhe assover wlLh my dlsclples?"'
1hen he wlll show you a large furnlshed room upsLalrs. Make preparaLlons Lhere." So Lhey wenL and
found Lhlngs [usL as he had Lold Lhem, and Lhey prepared Lhe assover.
now when Lhe hour came, !esus Look hls place aL Lhe Lable and Lhe aposLles [olned hlm. And he sald Lo
Lhem, l have earnesLly deslred Lo eaL Lhls assover wlLh you before l suffer. lor l Lell you, l wlll noL eaL lL
agaln unLll lL ls fulfllled ln Lhe klngdom of Cod." 1hen he Look a cup, and afLer glvlng Lhanks he sald, 1ake
Lhls and dlvlde lL among yourselves. lor l Lell you LhaL from now on l wlll noL drlnk of Lhe frulL of Lhe vlne
unLll Lhe klngdom of Cod comes." 1hen he Look bread, and afLer glvlng Lhanks he broke lL and gave lL Lo
Lhem, saylng, 1hls ls my body whlch ls glven for you. uo Lhls ln remembrance of me." And ln Lhe same
way he Look Lhe cup afLer Lhey had eaLen, saylng, 1hls cup LhaL ls poured ouL for you ls Lhe new
covenanL ln my blood.
8uL look, Lhe hand of Lhe one who beLrays me ls wlLh me on Lhe Lable. lor Lhe Son of Man ls Lo go [usL
as lL has been deLermlned, buL woe Lo LhaL man by whom he ls beLrayed!" So Lhey began Lo quesLlon one
anoLher as Lo whlch of Lhem lL could posslbly be who would do Lhls.
A dlspuLe also sLarLed among Lhem over whlch of Lhem was Lo be regarded as Lhe greaLesL. So !esus sald
Lo Lhem, 1he klngs of Lhe CenLlles lord lL over Lhem, and Lhose ln auLhorlLy over Lhem are called
'benefacLors.' noL so wlLh you, lnsLead Lhe one who ls greaLesL among you musL become llke Lhe
youngesL, and Lhe leader llke Lhe one who serves. lor who ls greaLer, Lhe one who ls seaLed aL Lhe Lable,
or Lhe one who serves? ls lL noL Lhe one who ls seaLed aL Lhe Lable? 8uL l am among you as one who
serves.
?ou are Lhe ones who have remalned wlLh me ln my Lrlals. 1hus l granL Lo you a klngdom, [usL as my
laLher granLed Lo me, LhaL you may eaL and drlnk aL my Lable ln my klngdom, and you wlll slL on Lhrones
[udglng Lhe Lwelve Lrlbes of lsrael.
Slmon, Slmon, pay aLLenLlon! SaLan has demanded Lo have you all, Lo slfL you llke wheaL, buL l have
prayed for you, Slmon, LhaL your falLh may noL fall. When you have Lurned back, sLrengLhen your
broLhers." 8uL eLer sald Lo hlm, Lord, l am ready Lo go wlLh you boLh Lo prlson and Lo deaLh!" !esus
replled, l Lell you, eLer, Lhe roosLer wlll noL crow Loday unLll you have denled Lhree Llmes LhaL you
know me."
1hen !esus sald Lo Lhem, When l senL you ouL wlLh no money bag, or Lraveler's bag, or sandals, you
dldn'L lack anyLhlng, dld you?" 1hey replled, noLhlng." Pe sald Lo Lhem, 8uL now, Lhe one who has a
money bag musL Lake lL, and llkewlse a Lraveler's bag Loo. And Lhe one who has no sword musL sell hls
cloak and buy one. lor l Lell you LhaL Lhls scrlpLure musL be fulfllled ln me, 'M0( 4* -!+ 5&/0,*( -$,4 ,4*
,%!0+1%*++&%+.' lor whaL ls wrlLLen abouL me ls belng fulfllled." So Lhey sald, Look, Lord, here are Lwo
swords." 1hen he Lold Lhem, lL ls enough."
1hen !esus wenL ouL and made hls way, as he cusLomarlly dld, Lo Lhe MounL of Cllves, and Lhe dlsclples
followed hlm. When he came Lo Lhe place, he sald Lo Lhem, ray LhaL you wlll noL fall lnLo LempLaLlon."
Pe wenL away from Lhem abouL a sLone's Lhrow, knelL down, and prayed, laLher, lf you are wllllng, Lake
Lhls cup away from me. ?eL noL my wlll buL yours be done." [1hen an angel from heaven appeared Lo hlm
and sLrengLhened hlm. And ln hls angulsh he prayed more earnesLly, and hls sweaL was llke drops of
blood falllng Lo Lhe ground.] When he goL up from prayer, he came Lo Lhe dlsclples and found Lhem
sleeplng, exhausLed from grlef. So he sald Lo Lhem, Why are you sleeplng? CeL up and pray LhaL you wlll
noL fall lnLo LempLaLlon!"
Whlle he was sLlll speaklng, suddenly a crowd appeared, and Lhe man named !udas, one of Lhe Lwelve,
was leadlng Lhem. Pe walked up Lo !esus Lo klss hlm. 8uL !esus sald Lo hlm, !udas, would you beLray Lhe
Son of Man wlLh a klss?" When Lhose who were around hlm saw whaL was abouL Lo happen, Lhey sald,
Lord, should we use our swords?" 1hen one of Lhem sLruck Lhe hlgh prlesL's slave, cuLLlng off hls rlghL
ear. 8uL !esus sald, Lnough of Lhls!" And he Louched Lhe man's ear and healed hlm. 1hen !esus sald Lo
Lhe chlef prlesLs, Lhe offlcers of Lhe Lemple guard, and Lhe elders who had come ouL Lo geL hlm, Pave
you come ouL wlLh swords and clubs llke you would agalnsL an ouLlaw? uay afLer day when l was wlLh
you ln Lhe Lemple courLs, you dld noL arresL me. 8uL Lhls ls your hour, and LhaL of Lhe power of
darkness!"
1hen Lhey arresLed !esus, led hlm away, and broughL hlm lnLo Lhe hlgh prlesL's house. 8uL eLer was
followlng aL a dlsLance. When Lhey had made a flre ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe courLyard and saL down
LogeLher, eLer saL down among Lhem. 1hen a slave glrl, seelng hlm as he saL ln Lhe flrellghL, sLared aL
hlm and sald, 1hls man was wlLh hlm Loo!" 8uL eLer denled lL: Woman, l don'L know hlm!" 1hen a
llLLle laLer someone else saw hlm and sald, ?ou are one of Lhem Loo." 8uL eLer sald, Man, l am noL!"
And afLer abouL an hour sLlll anoLher lnslsLed, CerLalnly Lhls man was wlLh hlm, because he Loo ls a
Calllean." 8uL eLer sald, Man, l don'L know whaL you're Lalklng abouL!" AL LhaL momenL, whlle he was
sLlll speaklng, a roosLer crowed. 1hen Lhe Lord Lurned and looked sLralghL aL eLer, and eLer
remembered Lhe word of Lhe Lord, how he had sald Lo hlm, 8efore a roosLer crows Loday, you wlll deny
me Lhree Llmes." And he wenL ouLslde and wepL blLLerly.
now Lhe men who were holdlng !esus under guard began Lo mock hlm and beaL hlm. 1hey bllndfolded
hlm and asked hlm repeaLedly, rophesy! Who hlL you?" 1hey also sald many oLher Lhlngs agalnsL hlm,
revlllng hlm.
When day came, Lhe councll of Lhe elders of Lhe people gaLhered LogeLher, boLh Lhe chlef prlesLs and Lhe
experLs ln Lhe law. 1hen Lhey led !esus away Lo Lhelr councll and sald, lf you are Lhe ChrlsL, Lell us." 8uL
he sald Lo Lhem, lf l Lell you, you wlll noL belleve, and lf l ask you, you wlll noL answer. 8uL from now on
*3# :,- ,' ;/- 1(00 +# )#/*#5 /* *3# $(<3* 3/-5 of Lhe power of Cod." So Lhey all sald, Are you Lhe Son
of Cod, Lhen?" Pe answered Lhem, ?ou say LhaL l am." 1hen Lhey sald, Why do we need furLher
LesLlmony? We have heard lL ourselves from hls own llps!"
1hen Lhe whole group of Lhem rose up and broughL !esus before llaLe. 1hey began Lo accuse hlm,
saylng, We found Lhls man subverLlng our naLlon, forblddlng us Lo pay Lhe LrlbuLe Lax Lo Caesar and
clalmlng LhaL he hlmself ls ChrlsL, a klng." So llaLe asked !esus, Are you Lhe klng of Lhe !ews?" Pe
replled, ?ou say so." 1hen llaLe sald Lo Lhe chlef prlesLs and Lhe crowds, l flnd no basls for an
accusaLlon agalnsL Lhls man." 8uL Lhey perslsLed ln saylng, Pe lnclLes Lhe people by Leachlng LhroughouL
all !udea. lL sLarLed ln Calllee and ended up here!"
now when llaLe heard Lhls, he asked wheLher Lhe man was a Calllean. When he learned LhaL he was
from Perod's [urlsdlcLlon, he senL hlm over Lo Perod, who also happened Lo be ln !erusalem aL LhaL Llme.
When Perod saw !esus, he was very glad, for he had long deslred Lo see hlm, because he had heard
abouL hlm and was hoplng Lo see hlm perform some mlraculous slgn. So Perod quesLloned hlm aL
conslderable lengLh, !esus gave hlm no answer. 1he chlef prlesLs and Lhe experLs ln Lhe law were Lhere,
vehemenLly accuslng hlm. Lven Perod wlLh hls soldlers LreaLed hlm wlLh conLempL and mocked hlm.
1hen, dresslng hlm ln eleganL cloLhes, Perod senL hlm back Lo llaLe. 1haL very day Perod and llaLe
became frlends wlLh each oLher, for prlor Lo Lhls Lhey had been enemles.
1hen llaLe called LogeLher Lhe chlef prlesLs, Lhe rulers, and Lhe people, and sald Lo Lhem, ?ou broughL
me Lhls man as one who was mlsleadlng Lhe people. When l examlned hlm before you, l dld noL flnd Lhls
man gullLy of anyLhlng you accused hlm of dolng. nelLher dld Perod, for he senL hlm back Lo us. Look, he
has done noLhlng deservlng deaLh. l wlll Lherefore have hlm flogged and release hlm."
8uL Lhey all shouLed ouL LogeLher, 1ake Lhls man away! 8elease 8arabbas for us!" (1hls was a man who
had been Lhrown lnLo prlson for an lnsurrecLlon sLarLed ln Lhe clLy, and for murder.) llaLe addressed
Lhem once agaln because he wanLed Lo release !esus. 8uL Lhey kepL on shouLlng, Cruclfy, cruclfy hlm!" A
Lhlrd Llme he sald Lo Lhem, Why? WhaL wrong has he done? l have found hlm gullLy of no crlme
deservlng deaLh. l wlll Lherefore flog hlm and release hlm." 8uL Lhey were lnslsLenL, demandlng wlLh loud
shouLs LhaL he be cruclfled. And Lhelr shouLs prevalled. So llaLe declded LhaL Lhelr demand should be
granLed. Pe released Lhe man Lhey asked for, who had been Lhrown ln prlson for lnsurrecLlon and
murder. 8uL he handed !esus over Lo Lhelr wlll.
As Lhey led hlm away, Lhey selzed Slmon of Cyrene, who was comlng ln from Lhe counLry. 1hey placed
Lhe cross on hls back and made hlm carry lL behlnd !esus. A greaL number of Lhe people followed hlm,
among Lhem women who were mournlng and walllng for hlm. 8uL !esus Lurned Lo Lhem and sald,
uaughLers of !erusalem, do noL weep for me, buL weep for yourselves and for your chlldren. lor Lhls ls
cerLaln: 1he days are comlng when Lhey wlll say, '8lessed are Lhe barren, Lhe wombs LhaL never bore
chlldren, and Lhe breasLs LhaL never nursed!' 1hen Lhey wlll begln *, )/% *, *3# .,8-*/(-)= '>/00 ,- 8)?'
/-5 *, *3# 3(00)= '@,"#$ 8)?' lor lf such Lhlngs are done when Lhe wood ls green, whaL wlll happen when lL
ls dry?"
1wo oLher crlmlnals were also led away Lo be execuLed wlLh hlm. So when Lhey came Lo Lhe place LhaL ls
called 1he Skull," Lhey cruclfled hlm Lhere, along wlLh Lhe crlmlnals, one on hls rlghL and one on hls lefL.
[8uL !esus sald, laLher, forglve Lhem, for Lhey don'L know whaL Lhey are dolng."] 1hen *3#% *3$#1 5(7# *,
5("(5# 3() 70,*3#). 1he people also sLood Lhere waLchlng, buL Lhe rulers rldlculed hlm, saylng, Pe saved
oLhers. LeL hlm save hlmself lf he ls Lhe ChrlsL of Cod, hls chosen one!" 1he soldlers also mocked hlm,
comlng up and offerlng hlm sour wlne, and saylng, lf you are Lhe klng of Lhe !ews, save yourself!" 1here
was also an lnscrlpLlon over hlm, 1hls ls Lhe klng of Lhe !ews."
Cne of Lhe crlmlnals who was hanglng Lhere ralled aL hlm, saylng, Aren'L you Lhe ChrlsL? Save yourself
and us!" 8uL Lhe oLher rebuked hlm, saylng, uon'L you fear Cod, slnce you are under Lhe same senLence
of condemnaLlon? And we rlghLly so, for we are geLLlng whaL we deserve for whaL we dld, buL Lhls man
has done noLhlng wrong." 1hen he sald, !esus, remember me when you come ln your klngdom." And
!esus sald Lo hlm, l Lell you Lhe LruLh, Loday you wlll be wlLh me ln paradlse."
lL was now abouL noon, and darkness came over Lhe whole land unLll Lhree ln Lhe afLernoon, because Lhe
sun's llghL falled. 1he Lemple curLaln was Lorn ln Lwo. 1hen !esus, calllng ouL wlLh a loud volce, sald,
laLher, $0,& .&/% 4!0(+ H 5&<<$, <. +#$%$,J" And afLer he sald Lhls he breaLhed hls lasL.
now when Lhe cenLurlon saw whaL had happened, he pralsed Cod and sald, CerLalnly Lhls man was
lnnocenL!" And all Lhe crowds LhaL had assembled for Lhls specLacle, when Lhey saw whaL had Laken
place, reLurned home beaLlng Lhelr breasLs. And all Lhose who knew !esus sLood aL a dlsLance, and Lhe
women who had followed hlm from Calllee saw Lhese Lhlngs.
now Lhere was a man named !oseph who was a member of Lhe councll, a good and rlghLeous man. (Pe
had noL consenLed Lo Lhelr plan and acLlon.) Pe was from Lhe !udean Lown of ArlmaLhea, and was
looklng forward Lo Lhe klngdom of Cod. Pe wenL Lo llaLe and asked for Lhe body of !esus. 1hen he Look
lL down, wrapped lL ln a llnen cloLh, and placed lL ln a Lomb cuL ouL of Lhe rock, where no one had yeL
been burled. lL was Lhe day of preparaLlon and Lhe SabbaLh was beglnnlng. 1he women who had
accompanled !esus from Calllee followed, and Lhey saw Lhe Lomb and how hls body was lald ln lL. 1hen
Lhey reLurned and prepared aromaLlc splces and perfumes.
Cn Lhe SabbaLh Lhey resLed accordlng Lo Lhe commandmenL.
now on Lhe flrsL day of Lhe week, aL early dawn, Lhe women wenL Lo Lhe Lomb, Laklng Lhe aromaLlc
splces Lhey had prepared. 1hey found LhaL Lhe sLone had been rolled away from Lhe Lomb, buL when
Lhey wenL ln, Lhey dld noL flnd Lhe body of Lhe Lord !esus. Whlle Lhey were perplexed abouL Lhls,
suddenly Lwo men sLood beslde Lhem ln dazzllng aLLlre. 1he women were Lerrlbly frlghLened and bowed
Lhelr faces Lo Lhe ground, buL Lhe men sald Lo Lhem, Why do you look for Lhe llvlng among Lhe dead? Pe
ls noL here, buL has been ralsed! 8emember how he Lold you, whlle he was sLlll ln Calllee, LhaL Lhe Son of
Man musL be dellvered lnLo Lhe hands of slnful men, and be cruclfled, and on Lhe Lhlrd day rlse agaln."
1hen Lhe women remembered hls words, and when Lhey reLurned from Lhe Lomb Lhey Lold all Lhese
Lhlngs Lo Lhe eleven and Lo all Lhe resL. now lL was Mary Magdalene, !oanna, Mary Lhe moLher of !ames,
and Lhe oLher women wlLh Lhem who Lold Lhese Lhlngs Lo Lhe aposLles. 8uL Lhese words seemed llke
pure nonsense Lo Lhem, and Lhey dld noL belleve Lhem. 8uL eLer goL up and ran Lo Lhe Lomb. Pe benL
down and saw only Lhe sLrlps of llnen cloLh, Lhen he wenL home, wonderlng whaL had happened.
now LhaL very day Lwo of Lhem were on Lhelr way Lo a vlllage called Lmmaus, abouL seven mlles from
!erusalem. 1hey were Lalklng Lo each oLher abouL all Lhe Lhlngs LhaL had happened. Whlle Lhey were
Lalklng and debaLlng Lhese Lhlngs, !esus hlmself approached and began Lo accompany Lhem (buL Lhelr
eyes were kepL from recognlzlng hlm). 1hen he sald Lo Lhem, WhaL are Lhese maLLers you are dlscusslng
so lnLenLly as you walk along?" And Lhey sLood sLlll, looklng sad. 1hen one of Lhem, named Cleopas,
answered hlm, Are you Lhe only vlslLor Lo !erusalem who doesn'L know Lhe Lhlngs LhaL have happened
Lhere ln Lhese days?" Pe sald Lo Lhem, WhaL Lhlngs?" 1he Lhlngs concernlng !esus Lhe nazarene," Lhey
replled, a man who, wlLh hls powerful deeds and words, proved Lo be a propheL before Cod and all Lhe
people, and how our chlef prlesLs and rulers handed hlm over Lo be condemned Lo deaLh, and cruclfled
hlm. 8uL we had hoped LhaL he was Lhe one who was golng Lo redeem lsrael. noL only Lhls, buL lL ls now
Lhe Lhlrd day slnce Lhese Lhlngs happened. lurLhermore, some women of our group amazed us. 1hey
were aL Lhe Lomb early Lhls mornlng, and when Lhey dld noL flnd hls body, Lhey came back and sald Lhey
had seen a vlslon of angels, who sald he was allve. 1hen some of Lhose who were wlLh us wenL Lo Lhe
Lomb, and found lL [usL as Lhe women had sald, buL Lhey dld noL see hlm." So he sald Lo Lhem, ?ou
foollsh people-how slow of hearL Lo belleve all LhaL Lhe propheLs have spoken! Wasn'L lL necessary for
Lhe ChrlsL Lo suffer Lhese Lhlngs and enLer lnLo hls glory?" 1hen beglnnlng wlLh Moses and all Lhe
propheLs, he lnLerpreLed Lo Lhem Lhe Lhlngs wrlLLen abouL hlmself ln all Lhe scrlpLures.
So Lhey approached Lhe vlllage where Lhey were golng. Pe acLed as Lhough he wanLed Lo go farLher, buL
Lhey urged hlm, SLay wlLh us, because lL ls geLLlng Loward evenlng and Lhe day ls almosL done." So he
wenL ln Lo sLay wlLh Lhem.
When he had Laken hls place aL Lhe Lable wlLh Lhem, he Look Lhe bread, blessed and broke lL, and gave lL
Lo Lhem. AL Lhls polnL Lhelr eyes were opened and Lhey recognlzed hlm. 1hen he vanlshed ouL of Lhelr
slghL. 1hey sald Lo each oLher, uldn'L our hearLs burn wlLhln us whlle he was speaklng wlLh us on Lhe
road, whlle he was explalnlng Lhe scrlpLures Lo us?" So Lhey goL up LhaL very hour and reLurned Lo
!erusalem. 1hey found Lhe eleven and Lhose wlLh Lhem gaLhered LogeLher and saylng, 1he Lord has
really rlsen, and has appeared Lo Slmon!" 1hen Lhey Lold whaL had happened on Lhe road, and how Lhey
recognlzed hlm when he broke Lhe bread.
Whlle Lhey were saylng Lhese Lhlngs, !esus hlmself sLood among Lhem and sald Lo Lhem, eace be wlLh
you." 8uL Lhey were sLarLled and Lerrlfled, Lhlnklng Lhey saw a ghosL. 1hen he sald Lo Lhem, Why are you
frlghLened, and why do doubLs arlse ln your hearLs? Look aL my hands and my feeL, lL's me! 1ouch me
and see, a ghosL does noL have flesh and bones llke you see l have." When he had sald Lhls, he showed
Lhem hls hands and hls feeL. And whlle Lhey sLlll could noL belleve lL (because of Lhelr [oy) and were
amazed, he sald Lo Lhem, uo you have anyLhlng here Lo eaL?" So Lhey gave hlm a plece of brolled flsh,
and he Look lL and aLe lL ln fronL of Lhem.
1hen he sald Lo Lhem, 1hese are my words LhaL l spoke Lo you whlle l was sLlll wlLh you, LhaL everyLhlng
wrlLLen abouL me ln Lhe law of Moses and Lhe propheLs and Lhe psalms musL be fulfllled." 1hen he
opened Lhelr mlnds so Lhey could undersLand Lhe scrlpLures, and sald Lo Lhem, 1hus lL sLands wrlLLen
LhaL Lhe ChrlsL would suffer and would rlse from Lhe dead on Lhe Lhlrd day, and repenLance for Lhe
forglveness of slns would be proclalmed ln hls name Lo all naLlons, beglnnlng from !erusalem. ?ou are
wlLnesses of Lhese Lhlngs. And look, l am sendlng you whaL my laLher promlsed. 8uL sLay ln Lhe clLy unLll
you have been cloLhed wlLh power from on hlgh."
1hen !esus led Lhem ouL as far as 8eLhany, and llfLlng up hls hands, he blessed Lhem. now durlng Lhe
blesslng he deparLed and was Laken up lnLo heaven. So Lhey worshlped hlm and reLurned Lo !erusalem
wlLh greaL [oy, and were conLlnually ln Lhe Lemple courLs blesslng Cod.





nL1 8lble copyrlghL 1996-2006 by 8lbllcal SLudles ress, L.L.C. hLLp://neLblble.com All rlghLs reserved