SQLite format 3@ y/y- }D~~+}i%!indexverses_indexversesCREATE UNIQUE INDEX verses_index on "verses" (book_number, chapter, verse) tablebooks_allbooks_allCREATE TABLE "books_all" ("book_number" NUMERIC, "short_name" TEXT, "long_name" TEXT, "book_color" TEXT, "is_present" NUMERIC)wItableversesversesCREATE TABLE "verses" ("book_number" NUMERIC, "chapter" NUMERIC, "verse" NUMERIC, "text" TEXT){UtablebooksbooksCREATE TABLE "books" ("book_color" TEXT, "book_number" NUMERIC, "short_name" TEXT, "long_name" TEXT)=_tableinfoinfoCREATE TABLE info (name TEXT, value TEXT) ApXA'right_to_leftfalse)strong_numbersfalse/russian_numberingfalse1language_iso639-2beng languageen)chapter_stringChapter0#QdescriptionSpoken English New Testament, 2012 }oN-~~~~~s~V~9~!~}}}}}}k}R};}!#ff7c80RevRevelation#00ff00JudJude#00ff003Jn3 John#00ff002Jn2 John#00ff001Jn1 John#00ff002Pet2 Peter#00ff001Pet1 Peter#00ff00JamJames#ffff00HebHebrews#ffff00PhlmPhilemon#ffff00vTitTitus#ffff00l2Tim2 Timothy#ffff00b1Tim1 Timothy!+#ffff00X2Ths2 Thessalonians! +#ffff00N1Ths1 Thessalonians !#ffff00DColColossians ##ffff00:PhilPhilippians #ffff000EphEphesians #ffff00&GalGalatians'#ffff002Cor2 Corinthians'#ffff001Cor1 Corinthians#ffff00RomRomans#00ffffActsActs#ff6600JohnJohn#ff6600LukLuke#ff6600MarMark#ff6600MatMatthew$(+|vpjd^XRLF@:4.(* )X('N&y%+$P#u" !( \{)Ox)[4](6BWw*Yk  7 T u 2Y Bxy_E-~~~~~}~e~I~.~}}}}}}f}F}*}||||||y|`|D|&| {{{{{{o{V{<{zzzzzz\z8zyyyyyyvyZy@y&y xxB! RevRevelation#ff7c80A JudJude#00ff00@ 3Jn3 John#00ff00? 2Jn2 John#00ff00> 1Jn1 John#00ff00= 2Pet2 Peter#00ff00< 1Pet1 Peter#00ff00; JamJames#00ff00: HebHebrews#ffff009 PhlmPhilemon#ffff008 vTitTitus#ffff007 l2Tim2 Timothy#ffff006 b1Tim1 Timothy#ffff00"5+ X2Ths2 Thessalonians#ffff00"4+ N1Ths1 Thessalonians#ffff003! DColColossians#ffff002# :PhilPhilippians#ffff001 0EphEphesians#ffff000 &GalGalatians#ffff00 /' 2Cor2 Corinthians#ffff00 .' 1Cor1 Corinthians#ffff00- RomRomans#ffff00, ActsActs#00ffff+ JohnJohn#ff6600* LukLuke#ff6600) MarMark#ff6600( MatMatthew#ff6600'MalMalachi#ffff99&ZechZechariah#ffff99%HagHaggai#ffff99$ZephZephaniah#ffff99#HabHabakkuk#ffff99"NahNahum#ffff99!MicMicah#ffff99 JonaJonah#ffff99|ObaObadiah#ffff99rAmAmos#ffff99hJoelJoel#ffff99^HosHosea#ffff99TDanDaniel#ff9fb4JEzekEzekiel#ff9fb4%6LamLamentations#ff9fb4,JerJeremiah#ff9fb4"IsaIsaiah#ff9fb4"+SongSong of Solomon#66ff99%EcclEcclesiastes#66ff99ProvProverbs#66ff99PsPsalms#66ff99JobJob#66ff99EsthEsther#ffcc99NehNehemiah#ffcc99EzrEzra#ffcc99%2Chr2 Chronicles#ffcc99 %1Chr1 Chronicles#ffcc99 x2Kin2 Kings#ffcc99 n1Kin1 Kings#ffcc99 d2Sam2 Samuel#ffcc99 Z1Sam1 Samuel#ffcc99PRuthRuth#ffcc99FJudgJudges#ffcc99feeUddRc}bbjba~=x=<;;*:j988!77766=5544M33R32611(000/ ..+,,@++***Q))n)(''C&%%$$J##!! 6rROWi h'UFE i  u ,$OeMCY When it got to be evening, they brought him lots of people who were afflicted with demons. Jesus kickedi out the spirits with a single command,j and healed everyone who had an illness.ZX- Jesus touched her hand, and her fever went away, and she got up and served him. But a rotten tree bears bad fruit. It’s impossible for a good tree to bear bad fruit, and a rotten tree doesn’t bear good fruit.<=s In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit.<! You will recognize them by the fruit of their actions.l You don’t get grapes from thorn bushes, and you don’t get figs from thistles.H;  The Parable of the Tree and its Fruit (Mt. 12:33; Lk. 6:43-45) Watch out for the false prophets! They come to you dressed up as sheep, but under their costumes they’re wolves on the hunt.: The gate that leads to life is very narrow, and the path that leads to life is very tight, and only a few people find it.?9w The Parable of the Narrow Gate (Lk. 13:24) Goj through the narrow gate! Because there is a wide gate, and a broad path, that leads to ruin, and lots of people gok through that one.8 So however you want other people to treat you, that’s how you should treat them. That’s the Law and the Prophets, right there.i77 So if you, bad as you are, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?[6/ Or suppose the child asks for some fish. Will the person give the child a snake?s5_ Suppose there is one of you whose child will ask for some bread. Will the person give the child a rock?hu4c Because everyone who asks receives, Everyone who seeks finds, And everyone who knocks will be invited in.g83i Ask, Search, Knock—And Live by the Golden Rule (Lk. 11:9-13; 6:31) Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.2w …But Don’t be Foolish Either You shouldn’tc give something that is holyd to the dogs, And you shouldn’t throw your pearls to the pigs. Otherwise the pigse will just trample them underfoot, And the dogsf will turn on you and tear you up.15 You play-actor!b First get the board out of your own eye, and then you’ll see well enough to get the speck of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.0 Or how do you say to your friend, “Let me get that speck out of your eye” —yet if you’d just look, there is this board in yours!/ And how is it that you see the speck of sawdust that’s in your friend’sa eye, but you don’t notice the board in your own eye?!.; Because you are going to be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. You will be measured by the same yardstick you use to measure others.o-W Don’t Judge Other People (Lk.6:37-42)… Don’t judge, so that you don’t get judged yourselves.W,'" Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough headachesu of its own.+/! Before all else seek out God’s Reign and God’s justice,t and all these things will be given to you as well. So stop worrying about tomorrow.~*u Because these are all the things the Gentiles chase after. Ands your Father in heaven knows that you need them all.)  So stop worrying and saying, “How are we going to eat? How are we going to drink? What are we going to use for clothes?.”G( And if God gives clothes like that tor the grass out in the field—which is there today, and tomorrow is thrown in your oven—how much more will God clothe you? You have so little faith!j'M But I’m telling you, even Solomon, with all of his glory, wasn’t adorned like one of these.& And why do you worry about clothes? Study thesep wildflowers. See how they grow? They don’t work hard, and they don’t make cloth.qR% And can any one of you add a single hour to your lifespano by worrying?U$# Take a close look at the birds up in the sky.n They don’t plant or harvest, and they don’t store away grain in bins—and your Father in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you more important than they are?# Stop Worrying and Trust God to Provide for You (Lk. 12:22-31) So I’m telling you, don’t worry about what you’re going to eat, and what you’re going to clothe your bodies with. Isn’t your life more than food, and your body more than clothes?8"i No one can serve two masters. They’ll either hate the one and love the other, or be loyal to the one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and worldly wealth.m!  But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark inside. So if the light in you is darkness, that is some real darkness.r ] The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light inside.Q After all, wherever your wealth is, that’s where your heart will be.!; Instead, store up wealth for your­selves in heaven. Up there, moths and rust don’t eat things away, and burglars don’t break in and steal things.S Heavenly Wealth versus Greed and the Worship of Money (Lk. 12:33-34; 11:34-36) Don’t store up your wealth on earth. Down here, moths and rust eat things away, and burglars break in and steal things.0Y Don’t let it be ob­vious to people that you are fasting. Instead, let it be for your Father, in secret. And your Father, who sees what is secret, will reward you.L But you, when you are fasting, fixl your hair and wash your face.   How to Fast When you fast,k don’t be all mournful-looking like the play-actors. They make ugly faces so that it will be obvious to other people that they’re fasting. I’m telling you seriously, they’re getting all the reward they’re going to get!`9 But if you don’t forgive people,j your Father won’t forgive your offenses either.hI Remember,i if you forgive people their offenses, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.Y+ And please don’t make us face temptation,g But rescue us from the Evil One.h And forgive us the debts of our sins, Just as we ourselves have forgiven the debts of those who’ve sinned against us.f-U Give us the food we need for today,U# Let your Reign come! Let your will be done—both in heaven and on earth!e;q Our Father in heaven, Let your name be kept holy!  It shouldn’t be that way with you. After all, your Father knows the things you need before you even ask him. So pray like this:# And in your prayers, don’t go on and on like the Gentiles do. They’re thinking that to be really heard you have to use a lot of words."= But when you pray, go in your private room and lockd the door. Pray to your Father secretly. And your Father, who sees what is secret, will reward you.A{ Jesus teaches his Followers How to Pray (Lk. 11:2-4) Also, when you pray, don’t be like the play-actors. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street cor­ners, so that they can be visible to people. But I’m telling you seriously: they’re getting all the reward they’re going to get!kO That way, your giving will be secret. And your Father, who sees what is secret, will reward you.m S But when you give to the poor, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.# ? So when you give to the poor,b don’t blow the trumpet ahead of you. That’s what the play-actors do, in the syna­gogues and along the streets. They’re trying to get people to admire them. I’m telling you seriously: they’re getting all the reward they’re going to get.c2 ] Giving Secretly When you do a good deed,a make sure not to do it in front of people to be seen by them. Otherwise you won’t have a reward with your Father in heaven.? y0 So be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.oo / And if you’re only friendly towards your family mem­bers,nn are you doing any more than anyone else? Don’t the Gentiles do that?wg. After all, if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do that?G- That way you’ll be children of your Father in heaven. After all, God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on people of integrityll and people who lack integrity.mmN, But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors.+ Loving your Enemy (Lk. 6:27-28; 32-26) You’ve heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor,”kk and hate your enemy.q[* If a person asks you for something, give. And if a person wants to borrow from you, don’t turn away.]3) And if somebody forces you to carry something one mile, go with them another mile.dA( And if some­one is trying to sue you and take your shirt, let them have your coatjj too.+O' But I say to you, don’t stand up against the malicious person. Instead, if the person smacks you on the right cheek, turn and offer the other one to them too.wg& Fighting Back (Lk. 6:29-31) You’ve heard that it was said, “eye for eye,” and “tooth for tooth.”ii}s% Sohh let the word yes be yes with you, and let the word no be no. Anything more than that comes from the Evil One.y~k$ You shouldn’t even swear an oath by your own head. After all, you can’t even make one hair white or black.~}u# Not by earth, because it’s God’s footrest.ff And not by Jerusalem, because it’s the city of the Great King.ggh|I" But I say to you, don’t swear oaths at all. Not by heaven, because it’s God’s throne.eeE{! Swearing Oaths Once again, you’ve heard that it was said to people in the olden days,cc “Don’t break your vows—give the Sovereign One the things that you’ve vowed to give.”ddZz- But I say to you, every man who divorces his wife—unless it’s a matter of sexual immorality—forces her to break her marriage vows. And the person who marries a divorced person breaks marriage vows too.!y; Divorce (Mt. 19:9; Mk 10:11-12; Lk. 16:18) It was also said, “Whoever wants to divorce his wife must give her a written certificate of divorce.”bb=xs And if your right hand trips you up, cut it off and throw it away from yourself. Again,aa you are better off losing one body part, rather than your whole body going into Gehenna.Cw If your right eye trips you up, take it out and throw it away from yourself. After all, you are better off losing one body part—rather than your whole body being thrown into Gehenna.v3 But I say to you, every man that looks at a woman with a lustful attitude towards herz has already broken his marriage vows with her in his heart.vue Breaking your Marriage Vows with your Eyes You’ve heard it said, “Don’t break your marriage vows.”yntU I’m telling you seriously: you will notx get out of there until you’ve paid back the last cent!s Be quick, make amends with the person who has a complaint against you,v while you are both on the way to court. Otherwise the person will turn you over to the judge. The judge will then turn you over to the guard,w and you’ll be thrown in prison.ry Leave your gift there in front of the altar! Go, get reconciled with the person! Then, come back and offer your gift.q3 So suppose you are just bringing your offeringu to the altar, and right there you remember that your fellow human being has something against you.dpA But I say to you that anyone who’s furious at a fellow human being will face judgment. Also, anyone that says “Fool!” will face the High Court.s And anyone who says, “Stupid!” will face the fire of Gehenna.t+oO Anger and Judgment (Lk. 12:57-59) You’ve heard that it was said to people in olden times, “Don’t murder,”q and that whoever murders will facer judgment.n1 I’m saying that unless your integrityo surpasses that of the scripture experts and Pharisees, you have no chance of enteringp Heaven’s Reign.m- So whoever repeals even one of the least of the law’s commands,m and teaches the same to other people, they will be known as a totally insignificantn person in Heaven’s Reign. But whoever does them and teaches them will be known as a great person in Heaven’s Reign.Il  I’m telling you seriously: until heaven and earth have passed away, not so much as one small letter or pen stroke will pass away from the law—not until everything in them has come about!k) The Law and the Prophets Don’t think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.l I didn’t come to destroy them, but to fulfill them.j- In the same way, let your light shine in front of people, so that they see the good things that you do and give glory to your Father in heaven.,iQ For that matter, people don’tj light a lamp and put it under a container. No, they put it on its stand. That way,k it provides light for everyone in the house.mhS You’re the light of the world. It’s not possible for a city to be hidden if it sits on a hill.g You are Salt and Light (Mk 9:50; Lk. 14:34-35) You’re the salt of the earth. But if the salt itself has lost its flavor,h what’s it going to be salted with? It isn’t useful for anything anymore, except to be thrown out for people to walk on.if5 Be happy and celebrate, because there is a big reward for you in heaven.g After all, that’s how they persecuted the prophets who came before you. e  You are blessed, whenever people insult you, and persecute you, and say all sorts of horrible things about youf because of me.wdg Those who have been persecutede because they stood up for justice are blessed: Heaven’s Reign is for them.kcO Those who work for peace are blessed: they’re the ones who will be called the children of God.Xb) Those who have clean hearts are blessed: they’re the ones who will see God.naU Those who are merciful to others are blessed: they’re the ones who will have mercy shown to them.n`U Those who are hungry and thirsty for justice are blessed: they’re the ones who will be satisfied.[_/ Those who are gentle are blessed: they’re the ones who will inherit the earth.R^ Those who grieve are blessed: they’re the ones who will be comforted. ]  Who is Really Blessed? (Lk. 6:20-23) Those who are poor right down to their spirit are blessed:c Heaven’s Reign is for them.d\! He said:bB[} Jesus Teaches on the Mountainside (Lk. 6:17-49) When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up onto the mountainside. When he sat down there, his followersa came up to him, and he taught them.vZe And large crowds of people followed him—from Galilee, Decapolis,ff Jerusalem, Judea, and the Transjordan.Y  And the news about him spread through all of Syria. People brought him all the sick, whatever kind of illness they had. Whether they were suffering with terrible chronic pain, afflicted with demons,dd mentally un­stable,ee or paralyzed, he healed them. X Jesus Preaches and Heals All around Galilee (Mk 1:35-39; Lk. 4:44; 6:17-19) Jesus went around all of Galilee. He taught in their synagogues,aa preached the good news of God’s Reign,bb and healed all sorts of illnesses and disabilities among the people.ccQW and right away they left the boat withz their father and followed him.RV Going a little ways further, he saw two other brothers: James, Zebedee’s son, and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, working on their nets. Jesus called out to them,AU} And they left their nets right away, and went with him.ZT- Jesus said to them, “Come withx me, and I’ll train you to fish for people.yS Jesus Calls his First Followers (Mk 1:16-20; Lk. 5:1-11) As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is known as Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were throwing their casting nets in the lake, since they were fishermen.R} From then on, Jesus began to preach this message:u “Change your hearts, because Heaven’s Reignv is nearly here!”wQ% The people sitting in darkness saw a great light! To those who sat in a region of death and in death’s shadow, Light came like the dawn!tmPS Lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, On the way to the lake, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles!QO That was so that the saying of Isaiah could be fulfilled, which goes:s!N; And he moved away from Naz­areth and went to live in Capernaum.p Capernaum is on the shore of the lake, in the territories of Zebulunq and Naphtali.rM3 Jesus Begins his Ministry in Galilee (Mk 1:14-15; Lk. 4:14-15) Later,o when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he came back home to Galilee.WL' Then the devil finally left him. And sud­denly angels came and servedn him. K9 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! Because scripture says:l. You are to worship the Sovereign One, your God, And you are to serve God alone.mlJQ He said to him, “I‘ll give all of these to you if you bow downk to the ground and worship me.I Again the devil took him away, to a very high mountain. And he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.iHK Jesus said to him, “Once again, scripture says:i Don’t tempt the Sovereign One, your God.joGW He said to him, “If you’re the Son of God, jump down!f After all, scripture says:g. He’ll give his angels instructions about you, and they’ll lift you with their hands so that you never hit your foot against a stone.”huFc Then the devil took him away, into the holy city. And he stood him on the pinnacle of the Temple building.E- But Jesus answered, “Scripture says:b. A human being shouldn’tc just live on bread,d but on every word that comes out of God’s mouth.”eD And the tempter came up and said to him, “If you’re the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves of bread.”HC  After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.0BY Jesus is Tempted by the Devil (Mk 1:12-13; Lk. 4:1-13) At that time Jesus was led up into the high wildernessa by the Spirit. There he would be tempted by the devil.|Aq Then there was a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is my Son! I love him, and I’m pleased with him!”oB@} After he was baptized, Jesus came right up out of the water. And suddenly the heavens opened up, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down, as though a dove were coming to land on him.%?C But Jesus said back to him, “Allow it this time. We have to do it this way,l in order to fulfillm everything right.”n So John let him receive baptism.o>W But John tried to stop him. He said, “I need to be baptized by you, and you’re coming to me??”=7 Jesus is Baptized by John (Mk 1:9-11; Lk. 3:21-22; Jn 1:29-34) Then Jesus arrived at the Jordan from Galilee. He came to John to be baptized by him.G< His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he’ll clean his threshing floor well, and he’ll collect his wheat for stor­age.k But the chaff he’ll burn with fire that can’t be put out.”s;_ I’m baptizing you with water for a change of heart.j But the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to carry his sandals! He is the one who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.:1 The ax is already laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that doesn’t bear good fruit is going to be chopped out and thrown in the fire.29] And don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ Because I’m telling you: God can raise up children for Abraham out of these stones!28_ Bear fruit worthy of a change of heart.iO7 When John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of poison­ous snakes!h Who warned you to run from God’s anger that’s about to come?Z6- And they got baptized by him in the Jordan river, as they confessed their sins.y5k At that time, people of Jeru­salem began to go out to him, and so did the whole area around the Jordan river.4# As for John,g he had a garment made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.R3 John is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said, There is a sound of someone shouting in the wilderness: ”Get the Sovereign One’s path ready! Straighten up God’s pathways!”fH2  “Change your hearts!c Heaven’s Reignd is nearly here!”e61e John the Baptizer Preaches in the Wilderness (Mk 1:2-8; Lk. 3:1-20) Back in those days, John the Baptizera was beginning to preach in the Judeanb wilderness. He would say,0- Eventually he settled in a town called Nazareth. That’s how the prophets’ saying came to be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”sd/A But he heard that Archilaeus was reigning as king in Judea in place of his father Herod, and he was afraid to go back there. Having been cautioned in a dream, he came back not to Judea, but to the area around Galilee.c.? When Joseph awoke, he took the child and his mother and went back to the land of Israel.-# “Wake up! Take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”2,] Joseph and Mary Return from Egypt with Jesus When Herod eventually died, an angel of the Sovereign One suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. The angel said,9+k A sound was heard in Ramah: The sound of lots of crying and wailing. It was Rachel, crying for her children. She wouldn’t let anyone comfort her, Because they are no more.rS* Through these events the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled, which says,A){ Herod Kills All the Male Children Soon afterwards, Herod realized that he had been outsmarted by the mystics, and he was furious. He sent men to Bethle­hem and its surrounding regions, to kill all the male children two and under, based on the point in time that he had deter­mined by questioning the mystics.:(m He stayed there until Herod died. (That was so that the message of the Sovereign One through the prophet would be fulfilled, which says, “I called my son out of Egypt.”q.)p'Y When Joseph woke up, he took the child and his mother and left the country for Egypt that very night.M& Joseph and Mary Escape to Egypt with Jesus After they left the country, suddenly an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said, “Wake up! Take the child and his mother, and geto to Egypt as fast as you can! Stay there until I tell you! Herod is about to set up a search for the child, so that he can assassinate him!p %  Afterwardsn they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and they traveled back to their home country by another road.}$s They came into the house, and there the child was, with Mary, his mother.k They fell on their facesl and worshiped him. Then they unlocked strongboxes that they had brought with them,m and presented gifts to him: gold, frankincense and myrrh.M# As they looked at the star, they were completely filled with joy.jZ"- After their hearing with the King, they went on their way. Sure enough,h the star that they had seen in the East led them, continuing to movei until it finally stood still over the place where the child was.N! He then sent them to Bethlehem, with these instructions: “Go and find out everything you cang about the child. And when you find him, send word to me, so that I can come and worship him too.”n U Then Herod secretly sent for the mystics again, and determined exactly when the star had appeared.f=s Bethlehem in the land of Judah, You are in no way the least of the leaders of Judah. Because a leader is going to go out from you who’ll be a shepherd to Israel, my people.”eM They told him, “In Bethlehem, Judea, just as the prophet wrote: / Herod gathered all the chief priests and scripture experts in the country,d and questioned them about where the Messiah was supposed to be born.S This news caused a stir with King Herod and the whole city of Jerusalem.  \1 Mystics Travel from the East to See the Newborn King of the Jews Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is in Judea,a during the reign of Herod.b At that time, some mysticsc arrived in Jerusalem to worship him.”uc and he did not become intimate with her until she had given birth to her baby. And Joseph named him Jesus.q[ Joseph woke up and did as the angel of the Sovereign One had instructed him. He took Mary as his wife,7 Look! The virgin will conceive, and will give birth to a son. And they will call him by the name Emmanuel (which is translated, “God with us”).wwg All of this happened so that what had been said by the Sovereign One through the prophet would be fulfilled:   She’s going to give birth to a son, and you’re going to name him Jesus,t because he will save his peopleu from their sins.v{ But while he was thinking about these things, an angel of the Sovereign One appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, David’s son, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The child in her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.~u Joseph, her husband, was a man of integrity.s Not wanting her to be disgraced, he intended to divorce her secretly.oW The Birth of Jesus the Messiah (Lk. 2:1-7) This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. After his mother Mary had become formally engagedr to Joseph, but before their union, it was discovered that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.r] So in the total generations from Abraham to David there were fourteen genera­tions, from David to the forced move to Babylon there were fourteen generations, and from the forced move to the Messiah there were fourteen generations.ta Jacob had Joseph, the husband of Mary. It was from her that Jesus was born, who is called “Messiah.”qJ  Eliud had Eliezar,p Eliezar had Matthan, Matthan had Jacob, and@{ Azor had Zadok, Zadok had Achim, and Achim had Eliud.oJ   Zerubbabel had Abiud, and Abiud had Eliakim.n Eliakim had Azor,_ 7 After the forced move to Babylon, Jeconiah had Salathiel, Salathiel had Zerubbabel,m\ 1 Josiah had Jeconiahk and his brothers at the time of the forced move to Babylon.lJ   Hezekiah had Manasseh,j Manasseh had Amon, Amon had Josiah, andF  Uzziah had Jotham, Jotham had Ahaz, and Ahaz had Hezekiah.i1] Asaph had Joram, and Joram had Uzziah.hH  Solomon had Rehoboam, Rehoboam had Abijah, Abijah had Asaph.gnU Jesse had David (that is, King David). David had Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.foW Salmon had Boaz, whose mother was Rahab.d Boaz had Obed,e whose mother was Ruth, Obed had Jesse, andJ  Aram had Aminadab, Aminadab had Nashon, and Nashon had Salmon.cgG Judah hada Perez and Zerah—their mother was Tamar.b Zerah had Hezron, and Hezron had Aram.c? Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers.!; MATTHEW'S ACCOUNT The Family Line of Jesus the Messiah This is a record of the family line of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. q~~<}}4||d{{pzzTy+xxhww`vvMuu tst#ssrrNqXpoonn mLlkjjMiihhhRggJgf_eeOddcc.baa``J_0^^ ]]\\\[[CZZhYY=XWWVVVUTTmSSKRqQQ0PPOOzNN@MM=LLZKKoJJzI)H~HGGrFtF&EnDD3CCBBGAAA!@@=?j>=s<<;::A9i98t807066;544333)211P00R//_/.^.-y->,V++F*l))R((<''A&r%%?$$(##"6!e cX =1Br>); aJ4  Y 4C ':F2y ' The enemy that scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the wrapping up of the age, and the harvesters are angels.1/ & and the field is the world. The good-quality seed is those who belong to God’s Reign.u The darnel weeds are those who belong to the Evil One.vR0 % He answered: The one who plants the good-quality seed is the Human One,i/K $ Jesus Explains the Parable of the Darnel Weeds among the Wheat Then Jesus left the crowds and went back to the house. His followers came up to him and said, “Explain the parable of the darnel weeds in the field to us.”b.= # In that way what God had said through the prophet was fulfilled. He said: I’m going to open my mouth and tell parables—I’m going to come out with things that have been hidden since the creations of the world!t-w " Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. And he didn’t say anything to them without using a parable.0,Y ! He gave themp another parable: “Heaven’s Reign is like yeast that a woman took and kneadedq into three measures of flour, until the yeast was all through it.”r<+q It may be the smallest of all the seeds, but when it grows up it’s the biggest of the garden plants. It gets to be a tree, so that birdso come and build nests in its branches.Y*+  The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast (Mk 4:30-32; Lk. 13:18-21) Jesus gave themn another parable and said, “Heaven’s Reign is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in their field.^)5  Leave both to grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll say to the harvesters, “First gather up the darnel weeds and tie them in bundles to be burnt. Thenm gather up the wheat into my bins.’”o(W  But he said, ‘No, otherwise in gathering up the darnel weeds, you’ll uproot the wheat with them. '9  He said to them, ‘Some enemy of minel did this.’ And the servants said to him, ‘So, do you want us to go out and gather up the darnel weeds?’-&S  And the servants of the head of the house came up and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good-quality seed in your field? So how come it has darnel weeds?’S%  When the plants grew up and bore fruit, then the darnel weeds showed up.w$g  But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, scattered darnel weedsk in amongst the wheat, and went away.3#_  The Parable of the Darnel Weeds among the Wheat Jesus gave themj another parable and said, “Heaven’s Reign is like a man who planted good-quality seed in his field.v"e  But the seed scattered on the good soil, that’s the person who hears the message and understands it. Now, that kind of person will bear fruit! One will produce a hundred grains per plant,i an­other one sixty, and another one thirty.d!A  As for the seed scattered amongst the prickly weeds, that’s the person who is listening to the message, but the worry of this world, and the false lure of wealth, choke out the message. It ends up not bearing fruit.6 e  But the person doesn’t have any roots in themselves. They’re just temporary. When trouble or persecu­tion come because of the message, they get tripped up right away.  As for the seed scattered on the rocky part, that’s the person who hears the message and happily accepts it right away.W'  As for every person who hears the message of God’s Reignh but doesn’t understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what’s been planted in their heart. That’s the seed scattered on the path.!  Jesus Explains the Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed (Mk 4:13-20; Lk. 8:11-15) So hear the parable of the farmer seed­ing his field.lQ  I’m telling you seriously: lots of prophets and people of integrityg really wanted to see the things that you are seeing, and didn’t see them. They really wanted to hear the things you are hearing, but didn’t hear them.eC  But your eyes are blessed that they can see, and your ears are blessed that they can hear.  Because the heart of this people has gotten dull, and they can hardly hear with their ears, and they’ve closed their eyes. Otherwise they’d see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, and they’d turn, and I’d heal them.f'G  Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled by them—the one that says, They’ll listen and listen but never under­stand, and they’ll look and look but never see. Here’s why I talk to them in parables: because they look but don’t see, and they listen but don’t hear or understand.  The person who hase will have more given to them. But the person who doesn’t have will even have what they’ve got taken away. He answered: It’s been given to you to know the secrets of Heaven’s Reign. But it hasn’t been given to the others.&E Jesus Explains Why he Teaches in Parables (Mk 4:10-12; Lk. 8:9-10) Jesus’ followers came up and said to him, “Why do you talk to them in par­ables?”-U If anyone has ears, let ’em hear!zm  Other seeds fell on the good soil and bore fruit: some a hundred grains per plant, some sixty, and some thirty.nU  Still other seeds fell in amongst the prickly weeds. The prickly weeds came up and choked them out.oW  When the sun came up, they got scorched. They shriv­eled up, because they didn’t have good roots.7  Other seeds fell on the rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil. Those sprang up right away, because the soil they were in was so shallow.dfE  As he was scattering the seed, some fell on the path, and the birds came and gobbled it up.G  Jesus talked to them a lot in parables.a He would say: The Parable of the Farmer who Scatters Seed (Mk 4:1-9; Lk. 8:4-8, 11-15) Listenb. —a farmer went out to scatter seed in his field.c   Big crowds of people gathered around him. Finally he got in a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stayed standing on the shore.< s  That day Jesus left the house and sat by the lake.u c 2 Because if anybody does the will of my Father in heaven, they are my brother, my sister, and my mother.”t a 1 And he held out his hand towards his followers and said, “Look—my mother and my brothers and sisters! w 0 But Jesus said back to the person who said that to him: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers and sisters?” / And someone said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are standing outside hoping to talk with you.eeG . Jesus’ Real Family (Mk 3:31-35; Lk. 8:19-21, 27-28) While Jesus was talking with the crowds, suddenly his mother and his brothers and sisters showed updd outside, wanting to talk to him.}s - Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there. And it turns out that the person’s final condition is worse than when they started.cc It’ll be the same way with this evil generation.-S , Then it says, “I’m going to go back to my house, that I left. When it comes back, it finds that it’s still empty, and that it’s nicely swept and all neat.- + When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders around dry desert places looking for someplace to rest. But it doesn’t find anyplace. * The Queen of Shebaaa will be called to testifybb against this generation in the judgment, and she’ll condemn it. Because she came from the far corners of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And look, there’s something bigger than Solomon here.~u ) The men of Ninevehy are going to stand up and testify against this genera­tion in the judgment, and will condemn it. Because they changed their heartsz on the basis of Jonah’s preaching. And look, there’s something bigger than Jonah here.M ( Because just as Jonah was “in the belly of the sea monster for three days and three nights,”x in the same way the Human One will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.M ' But he said back to them: It’s an evil and unfaithful generation that is obsessed with getting a sign.w And it won’t be given one. The only sign it will get is the sign of Jonah the prophet.B} & The Sign of Jonah the Prophet (Lk. 11:29-32; Lk. 11:24-26) Then some scripture experts and Phari­sees responded to him. They said, “Teacher, we want to see a miracleu from you.”vX~) % You’ll be justified by your words, and you’ll be condemned by your words.}y $ I’m telling you, people will give an explanation for every unthinkingt word they’ve said, on the day of judgment.| # A good person puts out goodness from their inner wells of goodness. And the evil person puts out evil from their inner well of evil.U{# " You offspring of snakes, how can you say what is good,r when you are evil?Wz' ! God Will Judge People on the Basis of What they Say (Mt. 7:15-20) Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten. It’s from the fruit that the tree is known.Ky If someone says something against the Human One, they’ll be forgiven. But if someone says something against the Holy Spirit, they will not be forgiven—not in this age, nor in the next one.x  So I’m telling you, people will be forgiven for every sort of sin and blasphemy.q But blasphemy of the Spirit will not be for­given.bw=  Who­ever isn’t with me is against me, and whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters.#v?  And how can anyone come into a strong man’s house and steal his things unless he ties up the strong man first? Then he can clean outp the whole house.luQ  But if I kick demons out by the power of God’s Spirit, then God’s Reign has just come to you.'tG  And if it’s by the power of Beel­zebulo that I kick out demons, by whose power do your sons kick them out? So they’re the ones who’ll be your judges.lsQ  And if Satan kicks out Satan, he’s split against himself. So how is his kingdom going to stand?Vr%  But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to them, Every kingdom that is split into opposing factions will end up deserted, and no city or household that is split into opposing factions can stand.nq!  But when the Pharisees heard that, they began saying, “He only kicks out demons by the power of Beelzebul,m the ruler of the demons.”upc  All the crowds were totally amazed. They began to say, “He couldn’t be the Son of David, could he?”ldoA  Jesus Heals a Man and is Accused of Being with the Devil (Mk 3:19b-30; Lk. 11:14-23) Then a demon-afflicted man was brought to Jesus. He was blind and couldn’t speak. And he healed him so that he could talk and see.8nk  And his name will be the hope of the nations.km  He won’t break a bent straw, And he won’t put out a wick that’s smoking, Until he deals out justice victoriously.j[l/  He won’t argue or shout, And no one will hear him making noise in the streets..kU  Look! My servant, my chosen one, my loved one! My hearti is so pleased with him! I’m going to put my Spirit on him, And he’ll proclaim justice for the nations.Lj  This was so that what was said through Isaiah could be fulfilled:Ei  And he warned them strictly not to tell people about him.h'hG  Jesus is God’s Chosen Servant (Isa. 42:1-4) But Jesus knew about it, and went away from that place. Lots of people fol­lowed him, and he healed them all.ngU  And the Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus, to figure out how they could ruin him.g f  Then he said to the person, “Hold out your arm.” He held it out, and it became restored to normal just like the other one.e So, how much more important is a human being than a sheep! So it’s allowed to do an act of kindnessf on the Sabbath.”%dC But he said to them, “Is there any one of you who owns ae sheep, who wouldn’t grab that sheep and pull it out of a hole, if it fell in on the Sabbath?$cA And right there was a person whose arm was shriveled up. They asked Jesus, “Is it allowed to heal on the Sabbath?” That was so they could accuse him. b Jesus Heals a Man with a Shriveled-Up Arm (Mk 3:1-6; Lk. 6:6-11) Jesus went along from there and came into the local synagogue.d2a_  The Human One is lord of the Sabbath.”"`=  But if you’d known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’c then you wouldn’t have condemned people who were not guilty of anything.P_  I’m telling you, something bigger than the Temple is going on here.^%  And haven’t you read in the Law, that on Sabbath days the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath—and they’re not guilty of anything!7]g  Didn’t he go into the house of God and eatb the sacred bread of the presence? Weren’t he and his companions forbid­den, and only the priests allowed to eat that bread?m\S  But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he and his companions were hungry?[{  But the Pharisees saw it and said, “Look! Your followers are doing something that is not allowed on the Sabbath!”a|Zq  Picking Heads of Grain on the Sabbath Day (Mk 2:23-28; Lk. 6:1-5) On that occasion, which was a Sabbath, Jesus was walking through the grain fields with his followers. His followers were hungry, and began to pick heads of grain and eat them.AY}  Because my yoke is a good one, and my load is light.”X   Put on my yoke and learn from me, because I have a gentle and humble heart. You’re going to find relief for your spirits!eefWE  Come to me, all of you who are strug­glingcc under a heavy load,dd and I will relieve you!TV!  Every­thing has been given to me by my Father. And no one really knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone really know the Father except the Son—and the person the Son wants to reveal him to.>Uw  Yes, Father! That is just how you wanted it to be.bbT  Jesus Praises his Father (Lk. 10:21-22) On that occasion Jesus spoke outz and said, “I want to honor you,aa Father, Sovereign of heaven and earth. Because you’ve hidden these things from wise and understanding people, and have revealed them to little children.wSg  But I’m telling you, it will be easier to bear for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you. fRE  And you too, Capernaum!v. Are you going to be lifted up to heaven? No, you’re going to fall downw to Hades!x. Because if the displays of power had happened in Sodom that happened in you, it would still be here today.ysQ_  But I’m telling you, it will be easier to bear for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.P  It’s going to be horrible for you,q Chorazin!r It’s going to be horrible for you, Bethsaida!s Because if the displays of power had happened in them that happened in you, they would have changed their hearts,t sitting in sacking and ashesu a long time ago!aO;  Jesus Tells Off the Cities That Haven’t Changed their Hearts (Lk. 10:13-15) Then Jesus began telling off the cities where he had done his greatest displays of power, be­cause they hadn’t changed their hearts:pON  The Human One comes along, and is eating and drinking, and they say, “Look! This man eats too much, drinks, and likes tax collectors and sinners!” Well,o wisdom is proven right by its actions.nMU  After all, John comesn along, and isn’t eating or drink­ing, and they say, “He has a demon!”pLY  “We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance! We wailed for you, but you didn’t mourn!”K  But what can I compare this genera­tionm to? It’s like children sitting around in the marketplace. They shout over to each other,-JU  If anyone has ears, let ’em hear!`I9  And if you’re willing to accept it, he is none other than Elijah,k who is to come.l@H{ All the Prophets and the Law prophesied up until John.G From John the Baptizer’s time until now Heaven’s Reign has been getting hijacked, and violent people are grabbing it.7Fg I’m telling you seriously: of all the people ever born,j there has never been anyone greater than John. Yet even a minor person in Heaven’s Reign is greater than he is.cE? Look! I’m sending my messenger ahead of you. He’ll repair the roadi in front of you.D+ Come on, what did you go out there to see? A prophet? Yes! I’m telling you, even more than a prophet. It’s about him that scripture says:hC-  What did you go out there to see? A person dressed in fineg clothing? Look, the people dressed in fancy clothing are found in rulers’ houses.4Ba  When John’s followers had left, Jesus began to talk to the crowd about John: What did you go out in the wilderness to look at? A cattail blowing in the wind? Come on!fKA  And it’s a blessed person who doesn’t get offended by me.”z@m  Go tell John the things that you’re hearing and seeing: blind people are seeing again, and people who used to not be able to walk are walking. Lepers are getting cleansed, the dead are being raised, and poor folks are getting good news.e'?I  Jesus gave them this answer:de>C  “Are you the Onec who is coming, or are we supposed to be look­ing for someone else?”w=g  And John heard, from prison, about the things Jesus was doing. He sent this question through his followers:b'<G  Jesus and John the Baptizer (Lk. 7:18-35) When Jesus finished giving instructions to his twelve followers, he went offa to preach and teach in their cities.M; * And whoever accepts a person of integrity because they’re a person of integritybb will receive the reward of a person of integrity. The same goes for whoever offers a single cup of cold water to one lowly person here because they’re a follower of mine.cc I’m telling you seriously, they will never lose their reward!e:C ) Whoever accepts a prophet because they’re a prophetaa will receive a prophet’s reward. 9  ( Whoever Accepts you Accepts Me (Mk 9:41) Whoever accepts you, accepts me, and whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me.x8i ' The person who finds their life will lose it, and the person who loses their life because of me will find it.m7S & And the person who doesn’t take up their cross and follow in my footstepsz isn’t worthy of me.!6; % The person who loves father or mother more than me isn’t worthy of me, and the person who loves a son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.;5q $ People’s own housemates will be their enemies.y|4q # Because I came to set A man against his father, A daughter against her mother, A bride against her mother-in-law.3y " Don’t be thinking that I came to bring about peace on the earth. I didn’t come to bring about peace, but a sword.s2_ ! But the person who deniesx me in front of people, I will deny them too, in front of my Father in heaven.@1y Ultimate Cost and Ultimate Reward (Lk. 12:51-53; 14:26-27) Every person who stands up forw me in front of people, I myself will stand up for, in front of my Father who is in heaven.K0  So don’t be afraid. You count for more than a lot of sparrows.:/o  Every single hair on your head is accounted for..  Aren’t two spar­rows sold for a few cents? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing about it.-3  Don’t be afraid of people who kill the body, but can’t kill the soul. Be more afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna.,!  What I’ve said to all of you in the darkness, say in the daylight. And what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the rooftops.%+C  So don’t be afraid of them. Because there isn’t any­thing covered over that won’t be uncovered, and there’s nothing hidden that won’t be known.V*%  It’s enough for the student to become like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they call the head of a household the devil,v won’t the people in the household get called that all the more?Y)+  The student isn’t above the teacher, and the slave isn’t above the master.B(}  Sot when they go after youu in one city, run away to the next one. I’m telling you seriously, you won’t have gone through all the cities in Israel by the time the Human One comes.'   And you’ll be hated by everyone because of my name. But it’s the person who stays with mes to the end that will be saved.1&[  But brothers and sisters will turn each other in to be killed, parents will turn in their children, and children will turnr against their parents and get them killed.]%3  it won’t be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks through you.*$M  But when they hand you over to the authorities, don’t worry about what you’re going to say. Because what you’ll say will be given to you at that moment:q#%  They’ll also bring you up on charges in front of governors and rulers because of me. It’ll bep a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."  And beware of people. They’re going to turn you in to the courts, and they’ll have you whipped in their synagogues.oJ!   The Risks of Representing Jesus (Mk 13:9-13; Lk. 21:12-17; 12:2-7) Understand thatn I’m sending you out like sheep in the middle of wolves. So be as crafty as snakes and as simple as doves.   I’m telling you seriously: it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city!   And if anyone doesn’t accept you or listen to your message, leave that house or city behind, and shake the dust off your feet.) If that house is deserving, may your blessing of peace restm on it. But if it’s not deserving, may your blessing of peace come back to you.T! And as you go into someone’s house, greet it with a blessing of peace.ly Whatever city or village you go into, look for someone in that city who is deserving, and stay there until you leave.w or a bag of money for the road, or two shirts,j or sandals, or a walking stick. ‘A laborer deserves to be fed.’kF Don’t accept gold, silver or copper for your money belts,  Heal people with disabilities, raise the dead, make lepers clean, kick out demons. You re­ceived for free—give for free.>w  Go and preach that Heaven’s Reign is nearly here.iA}  Instead, go to the lost sheep of the family of Israel.h-  Jesus sent these twelve out after giving them these instructions: Don’t go off on any Gentile roads, and don’t go into any Samaritang city.O  Simon the Cananaeane and Judas Iscariot,f the one who turned him in.s_  Philip and Bartholo­mew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, Alphaeus’s son,c and Thaddeus;d)K  These are the names of these twelve that he sent out:b first Simon, known as Peter, and Andrew, his brother; and James, Zebedee’s son, and John his brother;%  Jesus Sends his Closest Twelve Followers on a Mission (Mk 3:13-19a; Lk. 6:12-16) Jesus called his closest twelve follow­ersa over to him. He gave them author­ity over unclean spirits, so that they could kick them out of people and heal every illness and disability.^5 & So really plead with the Owner of the harvest, to send workers out tow his harvest.eC % Then he said to his followers, “It is a large harvest, but there are only a few workers.% $ When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were harassed and anxious, just like sheep that didn’t have a shepherd.  # Teaching, Preaching, and Healing from City to City (Lk. 10:2-3) Jesus was going around all the cities and villages. He was teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of God’s Reign.v He was also heal­ing all their illnesses and disabilities.m S " But the Pharisees were saying, “He kicks out demons by the power of the ruler of the demons.”u* M ! When Jesus had kicked the demon out, the person talked. And the crowds were amazed. They were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel before!" = Jesus Heals a Person who Can’t Talk Right as they were leaving,t some people brought him a person who was afflicted with a demon and couldn’t talk.M   But they went out and talked about him all around that whole area.z m  And their eyes received sight.s Jesus was very stern with them, and said, “Be sure not to let anyone know!”\1  Then he touched their eyes and said, “May what you’ve believed come true.”r-S  And as Jesus went into the house, the blind men came up to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” And they said to him, “Yes, Sir!” 9  Jesus Heals Two Blind Men When Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They were shouting, “Please have mercy on us, Son of David!”D  And this story became known throughoutq that entire area.}s  And when the crowd had been kicked out of the house, Jesus went in and held her hand. And the little girl woke up!  He was saying, “Go away! The little girl hasn’t died—she’s only sleeping.” Butp they started making fun of him.wg  And Jesus came into the official’s house, and he saw the flute players and the crowd making a commo­tion.)  Jesus turned and saw her. He said, “Have courage, my daughter. Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment on.o[/  She was saying to herself, “If I only just touch his robe I’ll be healed.”  And suddenlym a woman, who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years,n came up behind him and touched the edge of his robe.J~   And Jesus got up and went with him, and his followers went too.&}E  Jesus Brings a Dead Girl to Life and Heals a Woman (Mk 5:21-43; Lk. 8:40-56) As he was saying these things to them, suddenly a Jewish official came up and bowed down in front of him. He said, “My daughter has just died! But just come and lay your hand on her, and she’ll live!”X|)  You also don’t put up new wine in old wine­skins. Becausel if you do, the skins burst, and out spills the wine. The skins are ruined too. But put up new wine in new skins, and both will be kept safe.”({I  “No one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old piece of clothing. Otherwise the full-size piece shrinks away from the garment,k and you get a worse tear.;zo  Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn while the groom is still with them? But the time will come when the groom will taken away from them. Then they’ll fast.”Py  An Argument about Fasting (Mk 2:18-22; Lk. 5:33-39) Then some of John’s followers came up to him. They said, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast a lot, but your followers don’t fast?”"x= Go learn what this means: It’s mercy that I want, not sacrifice.h. Because I haven’t come to reach out toi people of integrity,j but to sinners.”qw[ But he heard them, and said, “It’s not healthy people that need a doctor, but people who are sick!v1 When the Pharisees saw that, they started saying to Jesus’ follow­ers, “Why is it that your teacher eats with tax collectors and sinners?”;uo And it turned out that Jesus had dinnere with him at his house. Now,f quite a number of tax collectors and sinners also came, and they had dinnerg with Jesus and his followers.rt] Jesus Calls Matthew to be a Follower (Mk 2:13-17; Lk. 5:27-32) Jesus went on from there, and saw a man sitting at a tax collection desk. His name was Matthew. Jesus said to him, “Come with me.”d And he got up and went with him.s  When the crowds saw that, they were in awe. And they gave glory to God, that God would give such authority to human beings.&rG  And he got up and went home.-qS  But just so you know that the Human One has authority on earth to forgive sins” —then he said to the para­lyzed man, “Get up. Take your mat and go home.”npU  After all, which is easier? To say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?Mo  He said, “Why are you thinking such nasty things in your hearts?n%  But right thena some of the scripture experts said to one another, “This man is blasphem­ing!”b Butc Jesus saw how they were thinking.4ma  And they brought him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Have courage, son—your sins are forgiven.”l  Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man (Mk 2:1-2; Lk. 5:17-26) Jesus got into a boat and crossed the lake, and came to his own city.|kq" Suddenly the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they asked him to please leave their area.j! And those who had been herding them ran away to the city. They reported everything, including the part about the demon-afflicted men.i- He said, “Go on.” And they came out and went over into the pigs. Suddenly the entire herd rushed off the cliff into the lake, and drowned.qghG And the demons asked Jesus, “Please, if you kick us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”Mg Now, a long ways from them there was a large herd of pigs grazing.pfY They suddenly screamed: “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us?”%eC Jesus Heals Two Men from Demons (Mk 5:1-20; Lk. 8:26-39) And Jesus got to the other side, to the Gadarenes area. There he was met by two demon-afflicted men, who came out of a cemetery.p They were very hard to deal with—so much so that no one was strong enough to go by that road.sd_ The people were amazed. They said, “What kind of person is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"c= Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and told off the wind and the waves,o and it became really calm.cb? They came over to him and woke him up, and said, “Teacher, save us! We’re drowning!n a  Suddenly there was a big squallm on the lake, so that the boat started getting swamped under the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.r`] Jesus Calms the Storm (Mk 4:35-41; Lk. 8:22-25) Jesus got into a boat, and his followers went with him.X_) But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”g^G Another of his followers said to him, “Teacher, let me go off first and bury my father.”]- Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and the birds up in the skyl have nests. But the Human One doesn’t have anyplace to rest his head.”\  And one of the scripture experts came up to him and said, “Teacher, I’m going to follow you wherever you go from here.”%[C “I’m Going to Follow You!” (Lk. 9:57-62) When Jesus saw the size of the crowd around him, he gave the word to go over to the other side of the lake. Z In that way, what was said by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: He himself took our weaknesses, And he took away our illnesses.k ~~b}||j{{`zzyyFxww?vvwuutttDss+rr*qq7ppioonnm&llHlkjj3inihh(gg%ffHee@eddccbaax``B__c_ ^^#]\\[[[sZZrYYCXX W\VVV$UTT SRPPSOONNXMMLLNKJJ%IICHHGGFEE6DDDC_BB@@3?f>>=g<< ;7::]988x8766g65944A33B22 10q0e//).f-n,,+#**1))l(J'&%$$$#Y""!t pEeMv:2BFI4DPw+ r  Y 2 E7.!un U And they went off. He also went out again around noon, and three o’clock, and did the same thing.i K He said to those, “You go out to the vineyard too, and I’ll pay you whatever’s right.”  When he went out around nine o’clock that morning,b he saw some more men standing around downtownc with nothing to do.k O He agreed with the workers for a denariusa a day, then he sent them out to work in his vineyard.? w The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard For example, Heaven’s Reign is like this: a man, who owned property, went out first thing one day to hire labor­ers for his vineyard.xi But a lot of those who are first are going to be last, and a lot of those who are last are going to be first.q[ And as for everyone who has left a home, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or proper­ties, because of my name—they’ll receive back a hundred times what they gave up, and they’ll inherit eternal life.! Jesus said to them: I’m telling you seriously: there’s going to be a new creation, when the Human One sits on his glorious throne. At that time you who’ve followed me are going to sit on twelve thrones too.r You’ll be judges for the twelve tribes of Israel.{ Then Peter responded, and said to him, “Look, we’ve left everything and followed you. So how will it be for us?”y Jesus looked hard at them and said, “With human beings it’s impos­sible, but with God everything is possible.”nU When his followers heard that, they were totally astounded. They said, “Then who can be saved?”+ Once again, I’m telling you, it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s Reign.”iK Rich People are Going to Find it Painful to Enter Heaven’s Reign (Mk 10:23-31; Lk. 18:24-30) But Jesus said to his followers, “I’m telling you seriously: a rich person will find it painfulq to enter Heaven’s Reign!pY But when the young man heard that, he went away deeply depressed, because he had lots of possessions.0Y Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go sell your possessions and give to the poor. Theno you’ll have wealth storedp in heaven. And come follow me.”W~' The young man said, “I’ve kept all of these. What am I still missing?”Y}+ honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”n|3 “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t break your marriage vows, don’t steal, don’t give false testimony against anyone,>{u Jesus said to him, “How is it you’re asking me about what’s good? Only One is the Good One.l But if you want to make itm into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him,5zc A Rich Young Man Comes to Jesus (Mk 10:17-31; Lk. 18:18-30) Right thenk a man came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good work do I have to do to have eternal life?”Iy  And when he had laid his hands on them, he went on from there.x5 But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone! Don’t be stopping them from coming to me. After all, Heaven’s Reign belongs to ones like these.”Qw Jesus Blesses Some Little Children (Mk 10:13-16; Lk. 18:15-17) Then some children were brought to Jesus, so that he could lay hands on them and pray. And his followers were giving them a hard time.j^v5 After all, there are some who can’t have sex with women who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are some who can’t have sex with women because people made them that way; and there are some who made themselves not be able to have sex with women for the sake of Heaven’s Reign. If you can accept it, accept it.”iiuK But he said to them, “Not everybody accepts this—just those who have been given the gift.ht His followers said to him, “If that’s the way it is between a man and a woman, it isn’t worth it to get married.”"s= And I’m telling you, whoever divorces his wife for any other cause than sexual immorality, and marries another person, breaks his mar­riage vows.”!r; He said to them, “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because of the stubbornnessg of your hearts. But it wasn’t like that from the beginning.q They said to him, “How is it, then, that Moses gave the instruction, “Give her a note of divorce and send her away”?fp As a result, they aren’t two, but ‘one flesh.’ So, what God has joined together, human beingse shouldn’t separate.o and said, Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother behind and be joined to his wife. And the two will be one flesh.dsn_ But he answered, “Haven’t you read that the Creator, from the beginning, made them male and female,cm/ Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, and began testing him. They said, “Is it allowed for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?”bIl  Large crowds of people followed him, and he healed them there.-kS Jesus Teaches about Divorce (Mk 10:1-12) When Jesus finished all these teach­ings, he left Galilee, and he came into the area of Judea easta of the Jordan River. j # That’s just how my heavenly Father will treat you, if each of you doesn’t forgive your fellow human beingsu from the heart.kiO" His king was furious. He turned him over to the torturers until he paid back everything he owed.ghG! Shouldn’t you have been merciful to your fellow servant, just as I was merciful to you?”g} Then the king called him in and said to him, “You evil servant! I forgave you that entire debt when you begged me to.f So when his fellow servants saw the things that had happened, they felt terrible. They went to their king and laid outt all the facts.peY But he wouldn’t. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into jail until he paid back the debt.mdS So the fellow servant fell down and begged him: “Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back!”Hc  But when that servant left, and he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,s he grabbed him and started to choke him. “Pay back all of what you owe me!” he said.Vb% The king felt sorry for that servant, and let him off and forgave the loan.{ao So the servant falls down in front of him and says, “Be patient with me, and I’ll pay it all back to you!”%`C And since the man couldn’t pay, the king commanded for him to be sold—along with his wife and children and everything he owned—to pay back the debt.l_Q But at the beginning of the accounting one man was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.rn^U As a result, Heaven’s Reign is like a king who wanted to sort out the accounts with his servants.l]Q Jesus said to him: I’m not going to tell you up to seven times—no, up to seventy-times-seven.8\i The Parable of the Merciless Servant Then Peter came up and said to Jesus, “Teacher, how many times can my friendq sin against me and I forgive them? Up to seven times?”l[Q That’s because where two or three people get together in my name, there I am, right with them.p%ZC I’ll say it again to you: If two of you here on earth will agree about anything that they want to ask, my Father in heaven will make it happen for them."Y= I’m telling you seriously: whatever you bind here on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you unbind here on earth will be unbound in heaven!o1X[ If they don’t listen to them, take it tom the community. And if they don’t listen to the community, then regard them as you would a foreigner or a tax collector.nW/ If they don’t listen, take one or two others with you. That way, “everything will be established on the wordk of two or three witnesses.”lLV What to Do if Someone Sins Against You So if your friendi sins against you, go and make your complaintj to them, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, then you’ve won them over.sU_ It’s the same way with your Father in heaven, who doesn’t want any of these little ones to be lost.h#T? Also, if the person finds it, I’m telling you seriously: the person will be happier about that one than about the ninety-nine that haven’t run away.ZS- What do you think? Let’s say a person has a hundred sheep, and one of them runs away and gets lost.g Won’t the person leave the ninety-nine there on the hillside and go looking for the one that ran away? R  bQ= The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk. 15:1-7) Watch out that you don’t look down on these little ones! After all, I can tell you that their angels are in heaven, constantly looking at the face of my Father in heaven.EP And if your eye trips you up, take it out, and throw it away from you. It’s better for you to come into life one-eyed, rather than to get thrown with two eyes into the fire of Gehenna.pOY Sof if your hand or your foot trips you up, cut it off and throw it away from you. It’s better for you to come into life maimed or with a disability, rather than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the age-long fire.9Nk It’s going to be horrible for this worldd because of the things that trip people up. But it’s going to be really horrible for the person responsible for tripping others.eM5 The Grave Seriousness of Tripping People Up—Including Yourself (Mk 9:42-48; Lk. 17:1-2) But whoever trips up one of these little ones who have faith in me—it’s better for that person to have an upper millstone hung around their neck and be drowned way out in the ocean.ML And whoever takes in one child like this, in my name, takes me in.rK] So if anyone learns to be unassumingc like this child, that person is the greatest in Heaven’s Reign.J He said: I’m telling you seriously, if you don’t turn around, and become like children, you will neverb get into Heaven’s Reign!ZI- And Jesus called a child forward and stood the child in the middle of them all.[H/ You Have to Become Like Children to Get into Heaven’s Reign (Mk 9:33-37; Lk. 9:46-48) At that moment,a Jesus’ followers came up to him and said, “So, who is the great­est person in Heaven’s Reign?”kGO Still, let’s not offend them. Go to the lake and cast a hook in the water. Then take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you’ll find a stater coin.i Take that, and give it to them for you and me.”zFm And when he said, “From other people’s,” Jesus said to him, “So their own children are free from taxes!tEa He said, “Yes.” When they had gone in the house, Jesus was already ahead of Peter, and said, “What do you think, Simon? Kings here on earth—who do they collect tolls and taxes from? Their own children, or other people’s?”?Dw Jesus and the Temple Tax As they came into Capernaum,h the people who collect the two-drachma tax came up to Peter. They said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the two-drachma tax?”dCA who will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were heartbroken.gQB Jesus Tells his Followers Again That he is Going to be Killed (Mk 9:30-32; Lk. 9:43b-45) As they were returning to Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Human One is about to get handed over to people A @# Jesus said to them, “Because of your small amount of faith. Because I’m telling you seriously: if you even have a mustard seed worth of faith,f you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move! Nothing will be impossible for you.”~?u Then Jesus’ followers came up to him privately and were saying, “How come we couldn’t kick that demon out?”t>a Jesus spoke sternly to him, and the demon came out of him. And the child was healed from that moment on.e<=q But Jesus said, “What a faithless and perverse generation you are! How long am I going to be with you? How long am I going to have to put up with you? Bring him here to me.”S< I brought him to your followers, and they weren’t able to cure him.”%;C He said, “Teacher, please have mercy on my son! He’s mentally unstable, and has bad fits. For example, lots of times he falls into fire or into water.:- Jesus Heals a Boy who Has a Demon (Mk 9:14-29; Lk. 9:37-43a) As they came up to the crowd, a man came up to him and knelt down in front of him.W9' Then theyd under­stood that he was talking to them about John the Baptizer.W8' Yet, I’ll tell you that Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. Instead, they did to him whatever they liked. And that’s just how the Human One is about to be treated by them too.”P7 Jesus answered, “Well, Elijah does come, and puts everything right.z6m His followers asked him this question: “So why do the scripture experts say that Elijah has to come first?”E5 The Coming of Elijah (Mk 9:9-13) As they were going back down the mountain, Jesus instructed them not to tell anybody about the vision until the Human One was raised from among the dead.f4E And when they looked up, they didn’t see anyone else except for Jesus himself, all alone._37 Jesus went over and gently touched them. He said, “Stand up, don’t be afraid.”S2 When his followers heard that, they fell down on their faces in terror.cR1 Right while he was saying that, suddenly a bright cloud surroundeda them. Then a voice came from the cloud, which said: “This is my Son! I love him, and I am very happy withb him! Listen to him!”50c Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it’s a good thing we’re here! If you like, I’ll make three shelters right here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”I/  Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared, and were talking with him. .  And he was transformed in front of them: his face began to shine like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light itself.e-C Jesus is Transformed in Front of Peter, James, and John (Mk 9:2-13; Lk. 9:28-36; 2 Pet. 1:16-18) Six days later, Jesus took Peter and James and James’s brother John, and led them up a high mountain all by themselves.,+ I’m telling you seriously, there are some people standing right here that won’t dien until they see the Human One com­ing with his Reign!&+E Because the Human One is going to come with the glory of his Father, along with his angels. And then he will reward each person in line with their actions..*U After all, what good is it for a person if they gain the whole world, but their life is a loss?m In other words, what can a person give in exchange for their life?z)m Because whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life because of me will find it.L( Then Jesus said to his follow­ers, Pick up your Cross and Follow Me! (Mk 8:34­-9:1; Lk. 9:23-27) If anyone wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, and pick up their cross and follow me.I'  But Jesus turned around and said to Peter, “Get on behind me, Satan! You’re a tripping stone to me, because you’re not thinking God’s thoughts—you’re thinking human thoughts!”l&1 But Peter took him aside and began to tell him off. He said, “God have mercy on you for saying that, Teacher! That will never happen to you!”D% Jesus Tells his Followers that He is Going to be Killed (Mk 8:31-33; Lk. 9:21-22) From then on Jesus began to show his followers that he had to go away to Jerusalem, where he would be treated very badly byk the elders, chief priests, and scripture experts. And he had to be killed, and be raised on the third day.j$M Then he laid it out to his followers that they were not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.S# I am going to give you the keys of Heaven’s Reign. If you bind something here on earth, it will stay bound in heaven. And if you release something here on earth, it will stay released in heaven.”j."U And I’m going to say this to you: You are Peter, the Rock. I’m going to build my communityi on this rock, and the gates of Hades are not going to overpower it.! Jesus answered him, “Simon Bar­jona,h you are blessed! Flesh and blood didn’t reveal that to you—it was my Father in heaven.N  Peter said, “You’re the Messiah,g the Son of the Living God!”?y He said to them, “And you—who do you say I am?” They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, others say Elijah. And still others say Jeremiah, or one of the proph­ets.”Q Peter Tells Jesus, “You’re the Messiah!” (Mk 8:27-30; Lk. 9:18-20) When he arrived at the area around Caesarea Philippi,f Jesus asked his follow­ers, “Who do people say the Human One is?” Then they understood that he hadn’t been talking about yeast, but about the teach­ing of the Pharisees and Sadducees. How could you not understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? So, beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”b= Or the seven loaves of bread and the four thousand, and how many baskets you collected? Don’t you get it yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves of bread and the five thousand people, and how many baskets you collected?+ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why are you discussing the fact that you don’t have any bread? You have so little faith!xi And they were discussing what that meant with each other. They were saying, “We didn’t take any bread.”dA Jesus said to them, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”<q Jesus Warns about the “Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mk 8:14-21) When his followers crossed over to the other side of the lake, they forgot to take bread with them."= An evil and unfaith­fuld generation asks for a sign.e A sign won’t be given to it—except for the sign of Jonah.” And he left them and went away.?w And at sunup, ‘It’ll be stormy today—the sky’s red and gloomy.’ You may know how to readc the appearance of the sky, but you aren’t able to read the signs of the times.pY He said back to them, “At sunset, you say, ‘It’ll be nice weather tomorrow—the sky is red.’G People Demand That Jesus Show them a Miracle (Mk 8:11-13; Lk. 12:54-56) The Pharisees and Sadducees came up and were testing Jesus out.a They asked him to show them a miracleb from heaven.jM' When Jesus had sent the crowd off home, he got into a boat and went to the area around Magadan.\1& Those who had eaten numbered four thousand men—not counting women and children.% And everybody ate and got a good meal.q When they picked up the leftovers of what had been distributed,r it came to seven full baskets." =$ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and gave thanks. He then broke them up and gave them to his followers, and they gave them out to the crowd.A }# And he was telling the crowd to sit down on the ground.x i" Jesus said to them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ! And his followers said, “In this deserted place, how are we going to come by enough food to feed such a large crowd?”@ y Jesus Feeds More than 4,000 People (Mk 8:1-10) Jesus called his followers over and said to them, “I feel for this crowd. They’ve already stayed three days with me, and they don’t have anything to eat. Still, I don’t want to send them away hungry—otherwise they’ll get exhausted out on the road.”pY As a result the crowd was amazed. They were seeing deaf people speaking again, people with disabilities back to normal, people who couldn’t walk walking around, and blind people seeing. And they gave glory to the God of Israel.r] Big crowds began to gathero in front of him. They brought with them people who couldn’t walk, blind people, people with disabilities, deaf people, and lots of others. They put them down right in front of him,p and he healed them.^5 Jesus Heals People with All Kinds of Diseases, Disabilities and Sicknesses (Mk 7:31-37) Jesus went across from there, and came to the shore of Lake Galilee. And he went up on the mountainside and sat down there.&E Then Jesus answered her, “Ma’am,m your faith is huge! Let it come out for you just as you want it to.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.n  And she said, “Yes, Lord. But then again, the pet dogs do get to eat from the scraps that fall from their masters’ table.”hI Jesus said, “It isn’t good to take the children’s food and throw it to the pet dogs.”dA And she came and bowed down on the ground in front of him, and said, “Lord, help me!”c? Jesus said, “I wasn’t sent to anyone except the lost sheep of the family of Israel.l)K But he didn’t respond to her at all.j And his followers came up to him and asked him, “Won’t you tell her to go away? She keeps shouting back there!”k'G Suddenly a Canaaniteh woman from around there came out and shouted, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horriblyi afflicted by demon!” ~ Jesus Heals a Non-Jewish Woman’s Daughter (Mk 7:24-30) Then Jesus left that place and went off to the area of Tyre and Sidon.g|}q Those are the things that make a person unholy. But eating with unwashed hands doesn’t make a person unholy.”,|Q That’s because the heart is where evil thoughts, murders, unfaithful­ness to spouses, sexual immorality, thefts, false accusations, and blasphemies come from.s{_ But things that come out of a person’s mouth come out of their heart, and they make the person unholy.z Don’t you know that everything that goes into your mouth goes into your insides and finally gets expelled into the toilet?8yk Jesus said, Don’t you understand yet either?>xw Peter said to him, “Explain that parable to us.”w Let them be offended. They’re blind guides. And if a blind person guides another blind person, they’ll both fall in a ditch.”{vo Jesus answered, “Every plant that hasn’t been planted by my heavenly Father will be pulled out by the roots.u{ Then his followers came up and said to him, “Did you know that the Pharisees were offendedf when they heard that?”t/ It isn’t what goes into a person’s mouth that makes them unholy.e No, it’s what comes out of a person’s mouth that makes them unholy.”s What Really Makes you Holy or Unholy (Mk 7:14-23) Jesus called the crowd over and said to them, “Listen and understand.\r1 Their reverence for me is empty. They teach rules that are just human teachings.dVq% This people honors me with their lips, But their heart is far away from me.Lp Play-actors! Isaiah gave a good prophecy about you, when he said, o Then they won’t have to honor their father or mother at all. So you cancel outc the word of God for the sake of your tradition!n- Yet you say, “Suppose a person says to their father or mother, ‘What belongs to me that could have benefited you, has been given to God.”m! After all, God said, “Honor your father and mother,”a and “The person who insults their father or mother is to be put to death.”brl] Jesus answered them, “And why do you break the command­ment of God for the sake of your tradi­tion?k# They were saying, “How come your followers break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands when they eat their food.” j  Jesus Criticizes Unjust Religious Traditions (Mk 7:1-13) Then Pharisees and scripture experts came out to Jesus from Jerusalem.zim$ They would ask him if they could just touch the edge of his robe, and whoever touched it was completely healed.hy# And the men there recognized him. They sent word out to that whole area, and people brought him everyone who was ill.g{" Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret (Mk 6:53-56) When they got all the way across the lake, they landed at Gennesaret.kefC! And everyone in the boat bowed down to him and said, “You’re really the Son of God!”;eq When they got in the boat, the wind quieted down. d Jesus quickly reached out his hand and caught him. Jesus said to him, “You have so little faith! Why did you let doubts in?”jucc But when Peter saw the wind, he got frightened, and started to sink. He cried out, “Teacher, save me!”sb_ Jesus said, “Come on!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.daA Peter said to him, “Teacher, if it’s you, tell me to come to you out on the water!”l`Q But Jesus immediately spoke to them, and said, “Have courage—it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”_ When his followers saw him walking on the lake, they were frightened. They said, “It’s a ghost!,” and they cried out in terror.W^' Sometime after 3:00 in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the lake. ] Meanwhile,i the boat was already a long way out from land, and was getting tossed around by the waves. The wind was against them.Y\+ After he sent the crowd away, he went up on the moun­tain to pray by himself.A[{ Jesus Walks on the Water (Mk 6:45-52; Jn 6:15-21) Jesus quickly made his followers get in a boat and go ahead of him to the other side. In the meantime, he would send the crowd away.wZg And the number of people eating, just counting the men, not the women and children, was about five thousand.hYI They all ate and got a good meal.g And they picked up twelve baskets full of left over food.hvXe Then he told the crowd to lie on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish and looked up to heaven. Then he blessed them and dividedf them up, and gave them to his followers, and his followers gave them to the crowd.3Wa But he said, “Bring them here to me.”oVW They said to him, “We don’t have anything here, except for five loaves of bread and two fish.”iUK But Jesus said to them, “They don’t need to go away—you give them some­thing to eat.”eTC Around sunset, his followers came up to him and said, “This place is deserted, and it’s already past dinnertime. Send the crowd away so that they can go off to the villages and buy themselves some things to eat.”wSg When Jesus went out and saw the big crowd, he felt com­passion for them, and he healed those who were sick.xRi Jesus Feeds More Than 5,000 People (Mk 6:30-44; Lk. 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-13) When Jesus heard about John, he went away from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. When the crowds found out,e they followed him on foot from the cities.uQc John’s followers went up and took the body and buried it. Then they came to Jesus and told him about it.iPK And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.6Og He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.N The king was unhappy because he had sworn those things and everybody around the table had heard it. So he was bound to give it to her.M But she had been primed beforehand by her mother. She said, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on a platter!”gLG so much so that he prom­ised her, and swore to it, that he’d give her whatever she asked.Ky When Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced in front of everyone. And Herod was pleased—zJm And although Herod wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the public,c because they believed John was a prophet.dnIU Because John had been saying to him, “It’s against the law for you to have her as your wife.”$HA The reason he said that is, Herod had arrested John and shackled him and put him in prison. It started because of Herodias,b his brother Philip’s wife.(GI And he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer himself, raised from among the dead. That’s why those displays of power are being done by him.”Fy Herod Executes John the Baptizer (Mk 6:14-29; Lk. 9:7-9) At that time Heroda the Tetrarch heard the news about Jesus.[E/ : And he didn’t do many displays of power there, because of their lack of faith.!D; 9 And they started getting offended at him.cc But Jesus said to them, “A prophet isn’t dishonored except in his own hometown and in his own home.”9Cm 8 Aren’t all his sisters right here with us?”B  7 Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary, and his brothers named James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?4Aa 6 and came to his hometown. He taught them in their synagogue, andbb they were astounded. They said, “Where did this person get this wisdom, and these displays of power? @ 5 Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth (Mk 6:1-6; Lk. 4:16-30) Whenaa Jesus had finished all these parables, he went away from that place,;?o 4 Jesus said to them, “So, every scripture expert that has be­come a student of Heaven’s Reign is like the head of a household, who brings things new and old out of storage.I>  3 Have you understood all of this?z They said to him, “Yes.”|=q 2 They’ll throw them in a burning furnace. In there there’s going to be people crying and grinding their teeth.$<A 1 That’s what it will be like at the wrapping up of the age. The angels will go out and separate out the evil people from among the people of integrity.y#;? 0 When it’s ready, it’s dragged up on the beach, and they sit down and collect the good ones and put them in baskets. And they throw out the bad ones.:! / The Parable of the Fishing Net Again, Heaven’s Reign is like a fishing net that’s thrown in the lake. It scoops up all kinds of fish.o9W . When the person found one of great value, they went off and sold everything they had, and bought it.S8 - Again, Heaven’s Reign is like a trader on the lookout for fine pearls. 7 , The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Value Heaven’s Reign is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a person found it, they hid it again, and in their excite­mentx they went off and sold every­thing they had and bought that field.6 + Then the people of integrityw are going to shine like the sun in the king­dom of their Father. If anyone has ears, let ’em hear!|5q * They’ll throw them in a burning furnace. In there there’s going to be people crying and grinding their teeth.%4C ) The Human One will send out his angels, and they’ll separate out of his Realm all the people who trip people up, and those who go around acting lawless.s3_ ( So, just as darnel weeds are gathered up and burned, the same will happen at the wrapping up of the age. M~~}}N}|K{{UzzyxxSwvv>g==y<<_;;U::Y999O87765544}4+33j23100//.G--L-,+**U)*((X'i&%%b$$#E# " !!3 K4 WIJrD^ ;  A  ` Y$1lfuE The master says, “Well done! You’re a good and trustworthy slave. You’ve been trustworthy in charge of a few things; I’m going to put you in charge of a lot of things! Come in and celebrate with your master!”d%tC The person with five talents comes up to him and presents five more, and says, “Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve made five more talents.”Ps After a long time their masterc comes and settles accounts with them.grG But the per­son with one talent takes it and goes off and hides it in the master’s field.>qw In the same way, the person with two makes two more.lpQ Right away, the person with five talents goes and does business with them and makes another five.:om He gives five talents to one, he gives two talents to another, and he gives one talent to another.b Each one gets an amount in line with their own ability. And he leaves town.0nY The Parable of the Talents (Lk. 19:11-27) It’s just like a man who is going out of town. He calls his slaves over and gives them responsibility for his properties.Gm So keep watch! Because you don’t know the day or the time.Vl% But he said to them, “I’m telling you seriously: I don’t know you!”Wk' Later, the rest of the young women came and said, “Sir! Sir! Let us in!”j# But when they went off to buy more fuel, the groom came. The ones who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was locked.6ie But the smart ones said back to them, “There’s probably not going to be enough for us and for you. So you should go over to the vendors and buy some for yourselves.”xhi And the stupid ones said to the smart ones, “Give us some of your fuel, because our lamps are going out!”Gg Then all the young women got up and each got her lamp ready.cf? In the middle of the night the call came: “Look! The groom! Go out and welcome him!”Te! When the groom took a long time, they got drowsy and were falling asleep.Fd The smart ones took fuel containers along with their lamps.[c/ Because the stupid ones took their lamps, but they didn’t take fuel with them.7bi Five of them were stupid and five were smart.Oa The Parable of the Ten Young Women At that time Heaven’s Reign will be like this: Ten young women each took their own lamps, and were going off to the ceremony of welcoming the groom and bride.a3`_3 He’ll cut that slave in two with the whip, and he’ll put the person over with the play-actors. Over there, people are going to be crying and grind­ing their teeth.m_S2 That slave’s master will come on a day they don’t predict, and at a time they don’t expect.yY^+1 And the person begins to beat the other slaves, and eat and drink with drunks.c]?0 But suppose the slave is bad, and says inwardly,x “My master is taking a long time.”^\5/ I’m telling you seriously: he’ll put that one in charge of all his possessions.Q[. The blessed slave is the one the owner finds doing that when he comes.oZW- The Parable of the Reliable Slave and the Abusive Slave (Lk. 12:41-48) So who is the reliable slave, the smart one? Suppose the owner has put the slave in charge of his household, to give out food to everyone at the right times.mYS, So you get ready too! Because the Human One is coming at a moment that you don’t expect him to.w"X=+ And know this: if the owner of a house knows what time of night the burglar is coming, they’ll keep watch and won’t let their house be broken into.PW* So keep watch! Because you don’t know what day your Lord will come.nVU) Two people will be grind­ing flour at the mill, and one will be taken and one will be left behind.oUW( At that time two people will be out in the field, and one will be taken and one will be left behind.T)' They didn’t recognize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away.v It’ll be the same at the coming of the Human One.3S_& Because in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, getting married and making marriage arrangements—right up to the day that Noah went into the ark.HR % So it will be like in Noah’s days when the Human One comes._Q7$ Nobody Knows the Exact Day and Hour! (Mk 13:23-37; Lk. 17:26-27, 34-35; 21:34-36) But as for the exact day and hour, no one knows that—not even the angels in heaven, and not even the Son. Only the Father knows.ZP-# Heaven and earth are going to go away, but my words are never going to go away.xOi" I’m telling you seriously: this generation will not go away until every single one of these things happens!lNQ! In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that he’su nearly at your door­steps.[M/ The Parable of the Fig Tree (Mk 13:28-31; Lk. 21:29-33) However, you should all learn the parable of the fig tree. After its branches get tender shoots, and it puts out leaves, you know summer is nearly here.-LS And he’ll send out his angels with a huge trumpet blast. They’ll gather together his chosen ones from the four winds—from one end of the skies to the other.KK Then the sign of the Human One will appear in heaven. All the families on earth will be crying, when they sees the Human One coming on the clouds, up in the sky,t with power and intense glory.dJA The Coming of the Human One (Mk 13:24-27; Lk. 21:25-28) Right after that time of trouble, The sun will go dark, And the moon won’t shine,q. The stars will fall out of heaven, And the heavenly powers will be shaken.rTI! Wherever there’s a dead body, that’s where the vultures will show up.-HS After all, you know how lightning goes across the sky and shines all the way from the east to the west. That’s just how the appearance of the Human One will be.#G? So if they say to you, “Look! He’s out in the desert!” don’t go out there. Or if they say, “Look! He’s in the banks!”p don’t believe it.-FU Look, I’ve told you before­hand.$EA Because false messiahs and false prophets are going to get up and show huge miracleso and won­ders. If possible, they’d even fool God’s chosen ones.Dw At that time, if anyone says to you, “Look! The Messiah is here!” or “No, over here!” —don’t believe it.C' If that time weren’t cut short, not one living soul would be saved.n But for the sake of God’s chosen ones, that time will be cut short. B Because at that time there will be terrible trouble—unlike anything that has ever happened before, or could ever happen again!mZA- But pray that your escape won’t have to be in the wintertime or on a Sabbath.^@5 It’s going to be horrible for preg­nant women and nursing mothers in those days.V?% Whoever is out in the field shouldn’t even turn around to get their coat.Z>- Whoever is up on the roof shouldn’t go down to get things out of their house.G= then the people in Judea should run away into the mountains.~<u The “Horror That Causes Abandonment” (Mk 13:14-23; Lk. 17:23-24, 27; 21:20-24) So when you see “the horror that causes abandonment”k that Daniel the prophet talked about, set up “in the holy place” (the reader should understand!),l;1 And this good news of the God’s Reignj is going to be preached throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.@:{ But the person who holds out to the end will be saved.Y9+ And because of the increase in lawlessness, most people’s love will go cold.L8 Lots of false prophets are going to get up and fool most people.i7 At that time lots of people are going to get tripped up, and they’re going to betray one another and hate one another.}6s Persecution is Coming for Followers of Jesus (Mk 13:9-13; Lk. 21:12-19) At that time people are going to betray you, and you’ll be persecuted. People are going to kill you, and you’re going to be hated inh every nation because of my name.85k All of these are the start of the labor pains.I4  For example, one nation is going to get up and make war against another nation,g and one kingdom against another kingdom. And there are going to be famines and earthquakes in various places.(3I And you’re going to be hearing of wars and rumors about wars. Make sure you don’t panic. Because it has to happen, but it’s definitely not the end yet. 29 Because lots of people are going to come using my name. They’re going to be saying, “I’m the Messiah!” Lots of people will be fooled by them.;1q Jesus answered them: Make sure nobody fools you.f)0K Signs of the Wrapping Up of the Age (Mk 13:3-8; Lk. 21:7-11) Later,c when Jesus sat down at the Mount of Olives, his followers came up to him privately. They said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? Also, what’s the signd of your coming,e and of the wrapping up of the age?”/) “Do you see all this? I’m telling you seriously: there won’t be one stone left on top of another here—they’ll all be torn down!”bk.O Jesus Prophesies the Destruction of the Temple (Mk 13:1-2; Lk. 21:5-6) Jesus left the Temple,a and his followers came up to him as he was walking along. They were pointing to the buildings of the Temple. But he said to them,-'' Because I’m telling you: you’ll never see me from now on until you say, “Bless the one who comes in the name of the Sovereign One!”t4,c& Look, your house is left to you deserted!s'+G% Jesus Cries Out in Grief over Jerusalem (Lk. 13:34-35) Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the proph­ets and stone the people who are sent to you! How many times have I wanted to gather your children together—just like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings? And you didn’t want it.P*$ I’m telling you seriously: all these will land onr this generation!()I# In that way all the blood of people of integrityp. —that keeps getting poured out on the earth—will come back on you: from the blood of Abel, who was a person of integrity, to the blood of Zechariah, Berechiah’s son.q He’s the one you murdered between the Temple and the altar.U(#" Because of all this, I’m sending you prophets, wise people and scripture experts. Some of them you will kill and hang on crosses, and some you will whip in your synagogues and chase from city to city.e'C! Snakes! Offspring of poisonous snakes! How will you get away from the judgment of Gehenna?4&c So finish up what your ancestors started!or%] That way you testify against yourselves—that you’re the offspring of those who killed the prophets.$} and you say, “If we had lived in our ancestors’ time, we wouldn’t have been involved in killing the prophets.”n=#s It’s going to be horrible for you, scripture experts and Pharisees—you play-actors! Because you build tombs for the prophets, and decorate the tombs of people of integritym.-" In the same way, you appear externally to othersj as people of integrity,k but inside you’re full of hypocrisyl and lawless­ness.t!a It’s going to be horrible for you, scripture experts and Pharisees—you play-actors! Because you are like white-painted tombs. They look beautiful outside, but inside they’re full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of filth.f E Listen, blind Pharisee: Clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside will be clean too.]3 It’s going to be horrible for you, scripture experts and Pharisees—you play-actors! Because you clean the outside of your bowls and cups, but inside they’re full of violent thievery and lack of restraint.S Blind guides, you strain out the gnat, but swallow the camel right down!3_ It’s going to be horrible for you, scripture experts and Pharisees—you play-actors! Because you tithe your mint and dill and cumin, but you’ve ignored the impor­tant things in the Law: justice, mercy and faith. These are the necessary things (not to say that you should ignore the others).c? And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God, and by the One who sits on it.X) And whoever swears by the Temple swears by it and by the One who lives in it.O So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.lQ You’re so blind!i After all, what’s greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy? You also say, “If somebody swears by the altar, it doesn’t count. But if they swear by the offering on the altar, it’s binding.”eC Stupid, blind people! Which is greater—the gold, or the Temple that makes the gold holy?C It’s going to be horrible for you, you blind guides! You say, “If somebody swears by the Temple, it doesn’t count. But if they swear by the gold in the Temple, it’s binding.” It’s going to be horrible for you, scripture experts and Pharisees—you play-actors! Because you travel all the way around the sea and the desert to make one convert, and when the person converts, you make them twice as much a child of Gehenna as yourselves.  zm So it’s going to be horrible for you, scripture experts and Pharisees—you play-actors! Be­cause you lock the gates of Heaven’s Reign in people’s faces!g Not only do you not go in yourselves, but you also won’t let others go in.h|q Those who lift themselves up are going to be humbled, and those who humble themselves are going to be lifted up.f9m But your greatest leadere will be your servant.[/ And don’t call yourselves “leaders,” because you have one Leader: Messiah.mS And don’t call anyone “Father” here on earth. After all, you have One, your heavenly Father. But you all should not be called “Teacher.” After all, you have One as teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.q [ They also love to be greeted with respect in public placesd and for people to call them “Teacher.”b = They love to have the place of honorc at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues.! ; All the things they do—they do them to be seen by other people. For example, they widen their prayer head­bandsb., and they lengthen their tassels. y They tie up heavy loads on people’s shoulders, but they themselves don’t want to move them with even one finger.a  So whatever they say to you, do it and obey it. But don’t follow their practices—because they say things, but they don’t do them.Q He said, The Pharisees and the scripture experts sit in Moses’ seat.% Jesus Preaches against the Scripture Experts and Pharisees (Mk 12:38-40; Lk. 20:45-47) Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his followers.wg. And no one had a single word to say back to him. And nobody dared to ask him anything else from that day on.G- “So, if David calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?”rs_, The Sovereign One said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side until I put your enemies under your feet.’qjM+ He said to them, “So how does David, when he’s in the Spirit, call him ‘Lord’? He says,pY* He said, “What’s your opinion about the Messiah?p Whose son is he?” They said, “David’s.” ) Jesus Asks a Question of his Own (Mk 12:35-37; Lk. 41-44) When the Pharisees had gathered together, Jesus asked them a question.O( All of the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”K' The second is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.o<~s& That is the greatest and number one command­ment.}% And Jesus said, Love the Sovereign One your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your understanding.nG|$ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?”?{y# One of their law experts put a test to him. He asked,az;" And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they got together.y7! Jesus Answers a Question about the Greatest Commandment (Mk 12:28-34; Lk. 10:25-28) When the crowds heard that, they were astounded at his teaching.x I’m the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob!m. God isn’t the God of the dead, but of the living!”cw? But as for the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was said to you by God:v Because in the resurrec­tion, people aren’t married, and they don’t get married. No, they’re like angels in heaven.u{ But Jesus answered them: “You’re way off—you don’t know the scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.itK So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be?l After all, they’d all had her as a wife.”-sU Last of all the woman herself died.\r1 The same thing happened to the second and the third, and eventually to all seven.q So, there were these seven brothers. The first one married and then died. Since he had no offspring, he left his wife to his brother.p% They asked him, “Teacher, Moses said, If a man dies without children, his brother should marry his widow and raise up offspring for him.k;oo Jesus Answers a Trick Question about the Resurrection (Mk 12:18-27; Lk. 20:27-40) On that same day, some Sadducees came up to him. (The Sadducees say there is no resurrection.)Qn They were amazed when they heard that, and they gave up and went away. m  They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “So give Caesar’s things to Caesar, and God’s things to God.”Il  Jesus said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”Lk Show me the coin for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius.jejC But Jesus knew their evil intention, and said, “Why are you testing me, you play-actors?Zi- So tell us your opinion.h Is it all righti to pay the tax to Caesar, or not?” h And they sent their followers to him, along with the Herodians.e They said, “Teacher, we know that you are sin­cere,f and that you teach God’s way truthfully. You don’t pay attention to who anybody is, because you don’t go by outward appearances.g:gm Jesus Answers a Trick Question about Paying Taxes to Caesar (Mk 12:13-17; Lk. 20:20-26) Then the Pharisees went and plannedd how they were going to trap Jesus in what he said.Af} Because lots of people are invited, but few are chosen.Su) They said to Jesus, “He’ll bring those evil people to an evil end, and he’ll rent out the vineyard to other farmers—ones that will give him its fruits in their seasons.”`R9( So, now. When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with those farmers?”NQ' And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.P1& But when the farmers saw the son, they said to one another, ‘Here’s the heir! Come on, let’s kill him, and we’ll have his inheritance.’VO%% Later he sent his son to them. He thought,o ‘They will respect my son.’jNM$ Again he sent other servants—more than the first time.n But they did the same things to them.eMC# But the farmers took the man’s servants and beat some, murdered some, and stoned others.yLk" When the first harvest time was near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to get his portion of the harvest.m*KM! The Parable of the Evil Tenant Farmers (Mk 12:1-12; Lk. 20:9-19) “Listen to another parable. There was a man who was a landowner. He planted a vineyard, and he put fence around it. And he dug a wine press in it and built a watchtower.l Then he leased it out to farmers, and moved away.gJG After all, John came to you on a path of justice, and you didn’t believe him—yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him. And when you saw that, you didn’t even change your mind later and believe him.”VI% Which one of the two did what the father wanted? They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, I’m telling you seriously: the tax collectors and prostitutes are going into God’s Reign ahead of you!}Hs The man went up to the other child and said the same thing. That one said, ‘Right away, sir,’ but didn’t go.hGI And that one said, ‘I don’t want to.’ But later the child had second thoughts and went."F= The Parable of the Two Sons “So, what do you think? A man had two children. He said to the first, ‘Child, go out today and work in the vineyard.’!E; And they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said to them, “Then I’m not going to tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”D} But if we say it was just from human beings, we’re afraid of the crowd, because they all regard John as a prophet.”C Where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven, or did it just come from human beings?” And they started discussing it among themselves. They were saying, “If we say it was from heaven, he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’B Jesus replied, “I’m going to ask you one thing. If you tell me that, I’ll also tell you by what authority I do things.$AA The Religious Leaders Question Jesus’ Authority (Mk 11:27-33; Lk. 20:1-8) When Jesus went into the Temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him while he was teaching. They said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you that authority?”O@ Everything that you ask in prayer, with faith,k you will receive.”p?Y But Jesus said to them, “I’m telling you seriously: if you just have faith and don’t doubt, you won’t just do the fig tree thing. You’ll even say to this moun­tain, ‘Get up and jump in the sea,’ and it will happen!> When the followers saw that, they were amazed, and were saying, “How is it that the fig tree shriveled up right away?”h=I He saw a lone fig tree by the road, and went to it. And he didn’t find anything on it, but just leaves. He said to it, “Fruit won’t come from you anymore forever!” And the fig tree shriveled up right after­wards.< Jesus Curses a Fig Tree (Mk 11:12-14, 20-25) Early the next morning, as Jesus was going back into the city, he was hungry.];3 Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and he spent the night there.G: “Do you hear what these children are saying?” But Jesus said, “Yes. Haven’t you ever read that ‘From the mouths of children and nursing infants I will re-establish praise’”?jY9+ But the chief priests and scripture experts saw the amazing things he was doing, and they saw children calling out in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They were offended, and they said to him,o8W Blind people and people with disabilities were coming up to Jesus in the Temple, and he healed them.7+ He said to them, “scripture says:g ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’h But you’re making it a hideout for armed robbers!”i-6S Jesus Goes to the Temple—And Knocks Over Some Tables (Mk 11:15-19; Lk. 19:45; Jn 2:12-25) Jesus went into the Temple. He kicked out all the people who were buy­ing and selling in the Temple. And he turned over the tables of the money-changers, and the chairs of the people selling doves.]53 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee!”k4O When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken up. They were saying, “Who is this?”R3 And the crowds that went in front of him and behind him were calling out, Hosanna to the Son of David! Bless the onee who comes in the name of the Sovereign One!f Hosanna in the heights of heaven!”2 Most of the crowd spread their robes on the road, and others cut leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.x1i They brought the donkey and the foal, and they laid their robes over them, and Jesus sat on top of the robes.T0! The two followers went and did just what Jesus had instructed them to do.1/[ Say to the daughter of Zion, Look! Your king is coming to you! He’s gentle, and he’s riding on a donkey. He’s even riding on a colt, The foal of a work animal.dW.' This happened so that what God saidc through the prophet could be fulfilled:v-e And if anyone says anything to you, say that the Teacher needs them, and he will send them right along.”b),K telling them: “Go in the village across from you. Right away you’ll find a donkey tied up, and her foal will be with her. Untie them and bring them to me.a+; The Crowds Celebrate as Jesus Enters Jerusalem (Mk 11:1-10; Lk. 19:28-40; Jn 12:12-19) When they got close to Jerusalem, they were going through Bethphagea to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two followers off,z*m" Jesus felt compassion for them, and touched their eyes. Right away they could see again! And they followed him.?)y! They told him, “Lord, for our eyes to be opened!”c(? Jesus stopped and called back to them. He said, “What do you want me to do for you?”' But the crowd gave them a hard time,l saying to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Lord! Have mercy on us! Son of David!”@&y And two blind people were sitting there by the road, and heard that Jesus was walking by. They started shouting to him. They said, “Lord! Please have mercy on us! Son of David!”% Jesus Heals Two Blind Men at Jericho (Mk 10:46-52; Lk. 18:35-43) As they were coming out of Jericho, a big crowd was following him.$- In the same way, the Human One didn’t come to be served. No, he came to serve, and to give his life, to buy many people out of captivity.”kU## and if one of you hopes to be first, they’ll be a servant to all of you." But it’s not going to be like that with you. No, if one of you hopes to become great,j they’ll be a servant to you all;r!] But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles wield power over them.M  When the ten heard that, they were offended with the two brothers.?w He said to them, “Well, you will drink my cup. But to sit on my right and my left—that’s not for me to grant. No, it’s for whoever it has been prepared for by my Father.” 9 Jesus answered her, “You two don’t know what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m about to drink?” They said to him, “We can.”5 He said, “What do you want to ask?”i She said to him, “Say that my two sons here will sit on your right and on your left, in your kingdom.”M James and John’s Mother Asks Jesus for a Favor (Mk 10:35-45) Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down and asked if she could have a favor from him. They will hand him over to the Gentiles, to be made fun of, whipped, and hung on a cross. And on the third day he will be raised.”C He said to them, “Look, we’re going up to Jerusalem, and the Human One is going to be betrayedh to the chief priests and scripture experts. They’re going to condemn him to death.\1 Jesus Says for the Third Time That he is Going to be Killed (Mk 10:32-34; Lk. 18:31-34) As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took his twelve closest followers aside. He talked to them in private, on the way.J  That’s how the last will be first and the first will be last.xi Is it not allowed for me to do what I want with my own money? Or are you enviousg because I am being kind?”ta Take what’s yours and move along. I also want to give this person who came last the same amount as you.|q But he answered one of them: “Friend, I’m not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius?2] They said, “The last ones only put in one hour, and he has made them equal to us—we’re the ones who bore the weight of the work today, and the scorching heat!”J  As they got paid, they were grumbling about the property owner.{o And when the first ones hired came, they expected they’d get more. Butf they each were getting a denarius too.J  When the five o’clock people came, they each got a denarius.eB} When it started to get dark, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call in the workers. Pay them their wages, starting from the last ones hired, and ending with the first.kO They said, “Because no one hired us.” He said to them, “You go out to the vineyard too.”/W Around five, when he went out, he still found people standing around.d He said to them, “How is it you’ve been standing here all day long with nothing to do?”  s~}}8|y{{zzGyxxww&vvuu`ttswrrqVpp1oonnYmmlwlk|kjj iihggff ee?dcc*b,aa`M_^^^]]\([[FZYYNXX-WVVUUTTSSRwRQPOhNMMJLL6KJJ5IIISH]GGbGF_EE@DaCCBcAAE@@Q??6>Y==v= and saying, “The time has come! The Reign of God is nearly here!l Change your heartsm and believe in the good news!”>=u Jesus Begins his Ministry and Calls his First Followers (Mt. 4:12-22; Lk. 4:14-15; 5:1-11) After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee. He was preaching the good news of God, <  He was in the wilderness forty days, being tested by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.w;g Jesus is Tested by Satan (Mt. 4:1-11; Lk. 4:1-13) Right away, the Spirit sent Jesus out into the wilderness.p:Y And there was a voice out of the heavens: “You’re my son! I love you! I’m pleased with you!”k 9  And right away, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the skyj split apart, and the Holy Spirit was coming down to him.$8A John Baptizes Jesus (Mt. 3:13-17; Lk. 3:21-22; Jn 1:29-34) In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he got baptized in the Jordan by John._77 I’ve baptized you in water, but he’s going to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”"6= He preached this message:i “The one who’s stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not worthy to stoop down and untie the laces of his sandals. 5 John’s clothing was made of camel hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. And he used to eat locusts and wild honey.>4u Everyone in the region of Judeah was going out to him, and so were all the people of Jerusalem. They were getting baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.3 John was out baptizingf in the wilderness. He was preaching a baptism for a change of heart g for the forgiveness of sins.2  The voice of someone shouting in the wilderness, ”Get the Sovereign One’s path ready! Straighten up God’s pathways!”e1 Just as scripture says in Isaiah the prophet:c. Look! I’m sending my messenger ahead of you. He’ll prepare your way.d40a MARK'S ACCOUNT John the Baptizer Preaches in the Wilderness (Mt. 3:1-2; Lk. 3:1-20; Jn 1:19-28) The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,a the Son of God.b/1 and teach them to obey all the things that I’ve commanded you. And look! I’m with you all the time,p right up to the wrapping up of the age." . So go and teach all the nations to follow me!o Baptize them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,~-u Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, “I’ve been given com­plete authority:n both in heaven, and on earth.G, When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.G+ Jesus Sends his Followers to the Whole World (Mk 16:14-18; Lk. 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-23; Acts 1:6-8) But the eleven followers went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.*' And they took the money and did what they had been coachedm to do. And that explan­ation has been spread around among the Jews to this day.) If the story gets around to the governor, we’ll win him over and make sure you don’t have anything to worry about.”le(C They said, “Say: ‘His followers came at night and stole him while we were sleeping.’{'o When the chief priests had met and discussed it with the elders, they gave the soldiers a fair amount of money.kF& The Guards Get a Big Bribe to Say That Jesus’ Followers Stole his Body Meanwhile,j some people from the guard unit went into the city and reported all these events to the chief priests..%U Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid—go and tell my brothers and sisters to go up to Galilee, and they’ll see me there.” And they went on their way.y$k Suddenly, Jesus met them! He said, “Blessings!h And they bowed down and hugged him tight around his ankles.ij#M They quickly took off from the tomb—afraid, but overjoyedg. —and ran to tell his followers.?"w Now,f quickly—go tell his followers that he’s been raised from among the dead. And look! He’s going ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there—see, I’ve told you.”{!o He isn’t here, because he was raised, just like he said. Come here!e You can see the place where he was lying.  But the angel said to the women, “Don’t you be afraid. I know that you’re looking for Jesus, who was hung on a cross._7 The guards were so afraid of him that they started to shake, and fainted dead away.dT! His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.)K Suddenly there was a big earthquake. An angel of the Sovereign One had come down from heaven andc rolled away the stone door! And he was sitting on top of it.H  The Resurrection of Jesus (Mk 16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn 20:1-10) Aftera the Sabbath, at sunup on the first day of the week, Mary Magdaleneb and the other Mary came to have a look at the tomb.a;B And they went and secured the tomb. They worked with the guard unit to seal the stone.fEA Pilate said to them, “You can have a guard unit. Go secure it as well as you know how.”s_@ So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. That way, his followers won’t come and steal him, and say to the people, ‘He’s been raised from the dead.’ Otherwise, the last deception will be worse than the first.”? They said, “Sir, we remem­ber how that deceiver, when he was still alive, said, ‘After three days I’ll rise up.’4a> Guards are Posted at the Tomb The next morning, that is, the morn­ing after the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees got together in front of Pilate.^5= And Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayedii there, sitting in front of the tomb.$A< He laid it in his own newly-constructed tomb, that he had cut into a rock face. When he had rolled a large stone door across the opening,hh he went away.F; Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.ta: This man came up to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate then gave the order to hand the body over.O9 Jesus is Buried in a Tomb (Mk 15:42-47; Lk. 23:50-56; Jn 19:38-42) When it got to be evening, a wealthy man from Arimatheagg came, whose name was Joseph. He himself had become a follower of Jesus.8 Mary Magdaleneee was one of them; so was Mary, James and Joseph’s mother, as well as the mother of the Zebedee brothers.ff7 There were a lot of women there, watching from a distance. These women had followed Jesus from Galilee and had been ministering to him.O6 The Roman officer,cc and the men guard­ing Jesus with him, saw the earthquake and the other things that happened. They were terrified,dd and were saying, “This man really was the Son of God!”zm5 They went out of the tombs after Jesus was raised, and went into the holy city and appeared to a lot of people.[ /4 Tombs were being opened up, and the bodies of many dead holy ones were raised.bb  3 Suddenly the great veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The ground shook, and rocks were being split apart.W '2 But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave out his last breath.aae C1 All the others were saying, “Hold off—let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.”{ o0 One of them quickly ran and got a sponge filled with vinegar. He stuck it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.nU/ And some of the people standing there heard it. They were saying, “He’s shouting for Elijah.”)K. Around three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice. He said, Eli, Eli! Lema sabachthani?y Which means, “My God, My God! Why have you abandoned me?”z1- Jesus Dies on the Cross (Mk 15:33-41; Lk. 23:44-49; Jn 19:28-30) From noon on, it got dark across the whole country, until about three o’clock.gG, And the armed robbers hanging on crosses next to Jesus were throwing the same taunts at him.wg+ “He believes in God, so let God save him, if God wants him—after all, he said he was the Son of God!”x3_* “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself!” “He’s ‘The King of Israel’w. —so now let him come down off the cross, and we’ll believe in him!”}) The chief priests said the same sort of thing, and were joking with the scripture experts and elders. They were saying,F( and saying, “Here’s the one who’s going to tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days!” “He should save himself, if he’s the Son of God, and come down off the cross!”lQ' The people going by were saying abusive things towards him. They were shaking their heads at himvkO& Then they hung two armed robbers on crosses next to him—one on his right, and one on his left.o~W% And they put up, over his head, the charge against him. It read,u THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS-}U$ and sat down there and guarded him.T|!# They hung Jesus on a cross. They divided up his clothes by drawing lots,ty{k" They gave Jesus a drink of wine mixed with bitter stuff.s But when he tasted it, he didn’t wouldn’t drink.Wz'! And they came to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Skull Place.”Sy Jesus is Hung on a Cross (Mk 15:21-32; Lk. 23:26-43; Jn 19:16b-27) As they were going out, they found a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene.q They grabbedr this man and made him carry Jesus’ cross.x When they’d had their fun with him, they off took the robe and put on his own clothes. And they led him off to be hung on a cross.Mw And they spat on him, and took the reed and hit him over the head.\v1 And they wove a crown out of thorn bush branches, and put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand, and they knelt in front of him and made fun of him. They were saying, “Hello, King of the Jews!”>uw They stripped him, and put a bright red robe on him.ytk Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into his official residence.o The whole cohortp gathered around him.0sY Pilate’s Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus (Mk 15:16-20) At that point Pilate released Barabbas for them. He had Jesus whipped, and handed him over to be hung on a cross.[r/ And the entire assemblyn said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”dqA Pilate Washes his Hands—And Gives the Crowd What it Wants (Mk 15:15; Lk. 23:25; Jn 19:16) Pilate saw that he wasn’t accom­plishing anything—in fact, it was getting more and more like a riot.l So he took some water, and washed his hands in front of the crowd. He said, “I’m innocent of this person’s death!m Look after yourselves!”zpm And he said, “But whatk has he done wrong?” But they started shouting even more, “Hang him on a cross!” o Pilate said to them, “So what should I do with Jesus, who’s being called Messiah?” They all said, “Hang him on a cross!”n{ The gov­ernor said back to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” They said, “Barabbas.”cm? But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and ruin Jesus.Nl And as Pilate was sitting there on the judgment bench, his wife sent him a message that said, “That good man is no business of yours! I had a lot of distress in a dream today because of him.”Gk (He actually knew that they had betrayed Jesus out of envy.)j3 So when they got all together, Pilate said to them, “Who do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who’s being called Messiah?”Ii  And at that time he had a well-known prisoner named Barabbas.jBh} The Crowd Shouts for Jesus to be Hung on a Cross (Mk 15:6-14; Lk. 23:13-24; Jn 18:39-40) At each feast, the governor had a custom of releasing one prisoner—whoever the crowd wanted.lgQ Jesus didn’t give him an answer for even one thing. The gov­ernor just couldn’t believe it.ihfI Pilate finally said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they’re accusing you of?”uec And when accusations were made against him by the chief priests and elders, he didn’t say anything back.Yd+ Pilate Questions Jesus (Mk 15:2-5; Lk. 23:2-5; Jn 18:29-38a) Jesus stood in front of the governor. The governor asked him, “You—you’re the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “It’s you saying it.”h\c1 And gave them for the potter’s field, Just like the Sovereign One had told me.g8bi At that moment, Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled—the one that says,e. If took the thirty silver coins, The price set on the One prized more than the children of Israel,\a1 Because of that, that field has been called “Blood Field,” right up to today.` When they’d talked it over, they bought a place called Potter’s Field with the money. They made it into a cemetery for foreigners.5_c When the chief priests got the silver coins, they said, “It’s against the rules to put them in the Temple treasury, because it’s the price of somebody’s blood.”b^= Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left, and went off and hanged himself. ]9 He said, “I’ve sinned! I’ve betrayed an innocent man to death!”d But they said, “What’s that got to do with us? Look after your­self.”l\Q Judas Commits Suicide (Acts 1:18-19) Then Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been con­demned, and he felt bad about what he had done.c He returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders.g[G When they had tied him up, they led him away and handeda him over to Pilateb the gover­nor.[Z/ Jesus is Handed Over to the Roman Governor, Pilate (Mk 15:1; Lk. 23:1; Jn 18:28) When it got to be early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the nation plotted against Jesus, to put him to death.(YIK And Peter remembered the words Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you’re going to disown me three times.” He went outside and cried in anguish.pXYJ Then he started to curse and swear: “I don’t know that person!” Right away, the rooster crowed..WUI A little while later, the people standing there came up and said to Peter, “You’re definitelyll one of them too! After all, even your accent gives you away!”NVH He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know that person!”UG Another servant girl came in the gate and saw him. She said to the people there, “That man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”mTSF But he denied it in front of everybody. He said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”rS]E Peter Denies That he Knows Jesus (Mk 14:66-72; Lk. 22:54-62; Jn 18:15-18, 25-27) Meanwhile,kk Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the servant girls came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too!”BRD said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who just hit you?”jjOQC Then they spat in his face and slapped him. The ones who slapped himHP B What do you think?” They all said, “He deserves death!”"O=A Then the High Priest tore his robes. He said, “He just blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, you’ve heard the blasphemy yourselves, now. N9@ Jesus said to him, “From now on, you will see …The Human One, sitting on the right of the Powerful One, and coming on the clouds in the sky!”ii3M_? But Jesus just kept quiet.gg The High Priest said to him, “I command you to tell us the truthhh in the name of the Living God! Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”L> And the High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Don’t you have any response to that? What are these people saying against you?”|Kq= and said, “That man said, ‘I have the power to destroy the Temple of God, and rebuild it in three days.’”J< And they couldn’t come up with any, despite lots of people coming up and lying under oath. But finally two people came upGI; The chief priests were there, along with the whole High Council. They were trying to come up with a certain kind of false testimony against Jesus that would allow them to put him to death.EH: Now, Peter was following Jesus at a distance, right up to the wall of the High Priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat down with the attendants, to see what the outcome was going to be.G9 Jesus is Brought before Caiaphas the High Priest (Mk 14:53-65; Lk. 22:66-71; Jn 18:12-14, 19-24) The people who were holding Jesus led him off to Caiaphasff the High Priest. The scripture experts and the elders of the nation had already come together at his house.F8 But this whole thing has happened so that the prophetic scriptures will be fulfilled.” Then all his followers left him and ran away.pEY7 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out to arrestdd me with swords and clubs, as though you were after an armed robber? I was sitting there every day in the Temple, teaching. And you never laid a hand on me.eelDQ6 Anyway, how else are the scriptures going to be fulfilled, that say it has to happen this way?”C 5 Or do you think I couldn’t call for help from my Father, and he’d send me more than twelve legionscc of angels right now?B4 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back where it belongs! People who take up the sword will get killed by the sword! A3 Suddenly one of the people with Jesus reached down and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s slave, and cut his ear off.~@u2 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, what are you doing here?”bb Then people came up and grabbed Jesus and held him.b?=1 He quickly came up to Jesus and said, “Hello, Teacher!” And he gave him a big kiss.z>m0 The one who betrayed Jesus had given them a signal. He said, “The person that I kiss is the one. Grab him.”=/ Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested (Mk 14:43-52; Lk. 22:47-53; Jn 18:1-11) While Jesus was still talking, suddenly Judas, one of the twelve, came. A big crowd was with him, carrying swords and clubs—they were from the chief priests and the elders of the nation.Y<+. Get up, let’s go. Look, the person who’s betraying me is nearly here.”aaY;+- Then he came to his followers and said to them, “So, are you going to keep on sleeping and taking it easy? Look! The time has almost come.y The Human One has just been betrayedz into the hands of sinners.`:9, He let them alone, and went off and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again.`99+ Jesus came back and found them sleeping again. Their eyelids had gotten really heavy.:8m* He went off again a second time and prayed. He said, “My Father, if it isn’t possible for this cup to go by me without me drinking it, then whatever you want, so be it.”7) Keep watch! And, all of you, pray that you don’t have to face the test!w Your spirit’s willing enough,x but your flesh is weak.”65( He came over to his followers and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, you weren’t strong enough to keep watch for one hour with me?=5s' Jesus went on a little further and fell on his face, and was praying, “My Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass me by! But still, not what I want, but what you want.”f4E& Then he said to them, “I’m nearly dying of grief!v Stay here and keep watch with me!”v3e% And he took Peter, and the two Zebedee brothers with him. Jesus started to get really upset and distressed.U2#$ Jesus Prays in Gethsemane (Mk 14:32-42; Lk. 22:39-46) Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane.u He said to his followers, “Have a seat right here, while I go off over there and pray.”1{# Peter said to him, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never disown you!” And all his followers said the same. 0" Jesus said to him, “I’m telling you seriously: tonight the rooster’s not going to crow before you disown me three times!”v/e! Peter said back to him, “Even if everyone else gets offended at you, I’ll never get offended at you!”P. But after I’m raised, I’m going to go to Galilee ahead of you.”F- Then Jesus said to them, “You’re all going to be offended at mer tonight. Because scripture says:s. I’m going to strike down the shepherd, And his flock of sheep will be scattered.t,3 Jesus Prophesies That Peter Will Disown him (Mk 14:27-31; Lk. 22:31-34; Jn 13:36-38) After they sang a hymn, they went off to the Mount of Olives.F+ I’m telling you—from now on, I’m never going to drink from the fruits of the grape vine again, until that special day when I drink it new with you all, in the Reign of my Father.”* Be­cause it’s my blood, that seals the covenant. It’s going to be poured out for lots of people, for forgiveness of their sins.q~)u Then he took a cup of wine, said a prayer of thanks, and gave it to them. He said, “Everybody drink some of this.z(m The Lord’s Supper (Mk 14:22-26; Lk. 22:14-23; 1 Cor. 11:23-26) As they were eating dinner, Jesus took a loaf of bread, said a blessing over it, and broke it, and gave it to his follow­ers. He said, “Here, eat this.p It’s my body.” '  And Judas, the one who betrayed him, said, “I’m not the one, am I, Teacher?” Jesus said to him, “You just said it.”ol&Q It’s true that the Human One is going to go like scripture says he will; n but it’s going to be horrible for the person responsible for his betrayal! It would have been better for that person if he’d never been born!”%! Jesus said, “The person who’s been dipping his hand in the dipp­ing bowl with me is the very same person who’s going to betray me.n$U They were very upset, and each of them began to say to him, “I’m not the one, am I, Teacher?”m#S As they were eating, he said, “I’m telling you seriously: one of you is going to betray me!”"% “One of you is Going to Betray me!” (Mk 14:18-19; Lk. 22:21-23; Jn 13:21-30) When the sun went down, Jesus ate dinnerm with the twelve.U!# And his followers did what he told them to do, and got the Passover ready.E  Jesus said, “Go into the city to such and such a man. Say to him, ‘The teacher says, “My time has almost come.l I’m keeping the Passover at your house with my followers.”’”q[ Jesus Has a Passover Meal with his Closest Followers (Mk 14:12-21; Lk. 22:7-13) On the first day of Unleavened Bread,j Jesus’ followers came up to him and said, “Where do you want us to get the Passoverk meal ready for you?”A} From then on he looked for a good moment to betray him.zm He said, “What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus for you?” And they put up thirty silver coins.i  Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus (Mk 14:10-11; Lk. 22:3-6) Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot,h went to the chief priests.7 I’m telling you seriously: wherever the good news is preached throughout the world, the thing she just did will also be told, as her memorial.”gU# When she put this scented oil on my body, she was preparing me for burial.^5 After all, you’ll always have the poor with you—but you won’t always have me.- But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to them, “Why are you making trouble for this woman? She’s just done something kind for me.Z- After all, it could’ve been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor!”   But when his followers saw that, they were offended. They were thinking, “What’s the point of throwing it away like that?f6e While he was there, a woman came up to him. She had an alabaster bottle of scented oil, super-expensive stuff. She poured it over his head as he was lying there at dinner.' A Woman Anoints Jesus’ Head with Scented Oil (Mk 14:1-2; Jn 12:1-8) Meanwhile,e Jesus was staying in Bethany at Simon the Leper’s house.lQ They were saying, “It shouldn’t be during the festival—other­wise the people will riot.”R They planned how to kidnapd and kill Jesus by laying some kind of trap. At that time the chief priests and the elders of the nation met together in the courtyard of the High Priest (his name was Caiaphasc.).{o “You know, the Passovera is two days away. The Human One is going to be betrayed and then hung on a cross.”b#? The Chief Priests and Elders Meet to Plan a Trap (Mk 14:1-2; Lk. 22:1-2; Jn 11:45-53) When Jesus had finished saying all this, he said to his followers,{o. And that group will go off into age-long punishment. But the people of integrity will go off into age-long life.B }- Then he will say to them, “I’m telling you seriously: whatever you didn’t do for the most insignificant one of my brothers and sisters here, you didn’t do it for me either.” , “Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or as a foreigner, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and not serve you?”N + I was a foreigner, and you didn’t welcome me in; I was naked, and you didn’t clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t look after me.” Then those ones will also say back to him, * Because I was hungry, and you didn’t give me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me anything to drink;( I) Then he will say to the ones on his left, “Get away from me, all of you cursed ones! Go away into the age-longn fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.0Y( And the King will answer them, “I’m telling you seriously: whatever you did for the most insignificant one of my brothers and sisters here, you did it for me.”P' And when did we see you sick or in prison, and come and visit you?”Z-& When did we see you as a foreigner and welcome you in, or naked and clothe you?% Then the people of integritym will say back to him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?~u$ I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you looked after me; I was in prison, and you came to visit me.”%# Because I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink; I was a foreigner,l and you welcomed me in;M" Then the King will say to the ones on his right, “Come, all of you who have my Father’s blessing! Come inherit the Reign that has been prepared for you ever since the creationk of the world!H ! He’ll put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left..U All the nations are going to be assem­bled there in front of him. He’ll sort them out from one another, just like a shepherd sorts the sheep out from the goats.5c When the Human One Comes to Judge All Nations When the Human One comes in his glory, all his angels will be with him too. Then he’s going to sit on his glorious throne.~ Nowj throw that useless slave out there in the darkness! There are going to be people crying and grinding their teeth out there.”=}s As the saying goes,h ‘Everyone who has will get more,i and they’ll have more than enough. But the one who doesn’t have will even get what they have taken away from them.’Z|- So take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has ten tal­ents.{w So you should have put my money in the bank. That way,g when I came I would have gotten my money back with interest.;zo But the master says back to him, “You bad, cow­ardly slave! You already knew that I harvest where I haven’t planted, and gather in places where I haven’t scattered seed!lyQ I was afraid, so I went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have your money back.”f^x5 Finally the slave that received one talent comes up and says, “Master, I know you—you’re a tough businessman. You harvest where you didn’t plant, and you gather in places where you didn’t scatter seed.fwE The master says, “Well done! You’re a good and trustworthy slave. You’ve been trustworthy in charge of a few things; I’m going to put you in charge of a lot of things! Come in and celebrate with your master!”e v  Then the one with the two talents comes up and says, “Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve made two more talents.” g~~}}M}|*{+zzyxxpx wvviuuttsYrqpooPnn,mtllkjj?ji^hhggf}ee d~cc`cb3aaea``5__K^]]~]/\\w[[==|= # Jesus Calms the Storm (Mt. 8:23-37; Lk. 8:22-25) Jesus said to them on that day at sunset, “Let’s go across to the other side.”=-" He wasn’t saying anything to them without using some kind of parable. But in private he was explaining everything to his closest followers.ccs<_! Jesus was telling them his messageaa with lots of parables like this-depending on their understanding.bb2;] Yet, when it is planted, it comes up and gets bigger than all the other vegetables. And it produces big branches-so big that the birdsz can make nests in its shade.”r:] It’s like a mustard seed-when it’s planted in the soil, it’s smaller than all the seeds on earth.E9 The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mt. 13:31-32; Lk. 13:18-19) And Jesus was saying, “How shall we describe what the Reign of God is like? What parable shall we use to put it into words?r8] And when the grain is ripe, right away the person puts inx the sickle, because it‘s harvest time.”yu7c The earth bears fruit all by itself. First comes the blade,w then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 6 They sleep, and they get up, night after night, and day after day. And the seed sprouts and grows-how, the person doesn’t know.#5? The Parable of the Seed That Grows by Itself And Jesus was saying, “This is how the Reign of God is. It’s like a person who casts seed on the soil.4w Because whoever has will get morev.-and whoever doesn’t have will even get what they have taken away from them.”43a And Jesus was saying to them, “Be careful what you listen to.t The measure you measure out is going to be used to measured back to you, and more is going to be added.u82k If anyone has ears to hear, let ’em hear.”,1Q Because there’s nothing hidden that won’t be brought out into the open, and something doesn’t get hidden away unless it’s supposed to come into the open.=0s The Parable of the Lamp (Lk. 8:16-18) And Jesus was saying to them, “Does a lamp get lit to gos under a basket or under the bed? Isn’t it so that it can go on the lamp stand?W/' Butq there are those where the seed is scattered on the good soil. They’re the ones who hear the message and really take it in.r They bear fruit-one bears thirty grains, one sixty, and one a hundred.”3._ butp the worries of this world, and the false lure of wealth, and desires for all the other things, come in and choke out the message, and it ends up not bearing fruit.l-Q Other people are the ones where it‘s planted in among the prickly weeds. They hear the message,I,  Buto they don’t have any root in themselves-they’re just following the whim of the moment. Then trouble comes, or persecution, because of the message, and right away they get tripped up.+! Other peoplen are the rocky ground that the seed is scattered on. These people, when they hear the message, accept it happily right away.-*S Somel people arem the path where the message is spread. When they hear it, right away Satan comes, and he snatches away the message that just got planted in them.F) The person who scatters the seed is spreading the message.kv(e And Jesus said to them, “Don’t you geth this parable? Theni how are you going to getj all the parables?') That way, They’ll look hard, and not see; And they’ll listen hard, and not understand; Otherwise they would turn around and be forgiven.g&% And Jesus was saying to them, “You’ve been given the secret of the Reign of God. But for peoplef out there, everything’s in parables.E% Jesus Explains the Parable of the Farmer who Scatters Seed (Mt. 13:10-17; Lk. 8:9-10) When they had some privacy, those around him, along with the twelve, were asking about the parables.R$ And Jesus was saying, “If anyone has ears to hear, let ’em hear!”'#G Other seeds fell on the good soil, and bore fruit. They came up, and grew tall. One bore thirty grains per plant, one bore sixty, and one bore a hundred.”" Other seed fell in among the prickly weeds, and the prickly weeds came up and choked it out, and it didn’t bear fruit.c!? Bute when the sun came up it got scorched, and because it had no roots, it shriveled up.  Other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it didn’t have much soil. It sprang up right away, because the soil was so shallow.dr] In scattering the seed, it turned out that some fell on the path, and the birds came and gobbled it up.F “Listen. A farmer went out to scatter seed in his field.cta And Jesus taught them lots of things using parables. He was saying to them at one pointb in his teaching, The Parable of the Farmer who Scatters Seed (Mt. 13:1-23; Lk. 8:4-15) Jesus started to teach again by the lake, and a really huge crowd came to him. Finally he got into a boat, so he could sit out on the lake. The whole crowd was on the beach facing the water.akO# Because it‘s the person that does what God wants that’s my brother and sister and mother.” " And he looked around at all the people sitting in a circle around him, and said, “Look-my mother, and my brothers and sisters.[/! Jesus said to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers and sisters?”) The crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, wanting to seehh you.*M Jesus’ Real Family (Mt. 12:46-50; Lk. 8:19-21) Jesus’ mother and brothers came. And they stood outside and sent a message to him, asking him to come out.ggZ- (Jesus said this because they had been saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”)xi But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness. No, they’re guilty of an eternal sin.! I’m telling you seriously: all sins are going to be forgiven to human beings-includingdd whatever blasphemiesee they say against God.ff7 Surelybb no one can go into a strong man’s house and ransack his things, unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he’ll ransack his house.ccjM If Satan goes to waraa against himself and is split, he can’t stand. No, he’s met his end. H  If a house is split against itself, that house can’t stand.L If a kingdom is split against itself, that kingdom can’t stand.eC Jesus called them over, and was talking to them in parables: How can Satan kick out Satan?H  And the scripture experts from Jerusalem came, and were saying, “He’s possessed by the devil,”z and “It’s by the power of the leader of the demons that he kicks out the demons.” # And Jesus’ relatives heard what was going on. They went out to take charge of him, x because they were thinkingy that he’d gone crazy.0 Y Jesus is Accused of Being with the Devil (Mt. 12:22-32; Lk. 11:14-23) Jesus went home.v A crowd came together again, so that they couldn’t even get a bite to eat.w3 a and Judas Iscariot,t who betrayed Jesus.ui K Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James Alphaeus,q Thaddeus;r Simon the Cananaeansj M James, Zebedee’s son, and his brother John (he gave them the nickname “Sons of Thunder”),T! He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom he gave the nickname “Peter”),?y and they would have authority to kick out the demons.  And he appointed twelve people, which he named “apostles.”p They would be with him, and he would send them out to preach,O Jesus Names his Closest Twelve Followers “Apostles"—That is, “Sent Ones” (Mt. 10:1-4; Lk. 6:12-16) Jesus went up on the mountainside, and called over the particular people that he wanted.oW' And again and again,n Jesus would strictly forbid them to reveal who he was. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down in front of him and shout, “You’re the Son of God!” Because he healed lots of people, andk the people who were having really bad painsl would throw themselves at himm to try to touch him.   And he told his followers that a boat should always be readyi for him, because of the crowd-so that they wouldn’t crush him.j?w from Jerusalem, from Idumaeag and the far side of the Jordan, and from Tyre and Sidon.h It was a huge crowd. When people were hearing all the things he was doing, they came to him.*M Huge Crowds Follow Jesus (Mt. 12:15-21) Jesus went back to the lakeshore with his followers, and a huge crowd of people followedf him-from Galilee, from Judea, ~ And the Pharisees went out right away and began to plot with the Herodiansd against Jesus, to figure out how they could ruin him.eO} And he looked around at them with anger. He was grieving over the stubbornness of their hearts. He said to the man, “Hold out your arm.” And he held it out, and his arm was restored to normal.$|A And he said to them, “Is it allowed on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? Can you save a life, or kill someone?” But they didn’t say anything.cN{ He said to the man with the shriveled up arm, “Come up front.”bzy And they were watching Jesus closely, to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him.a"y= Jesus Heals a Man with a Shriveled-Up Arm (Mt. 12:9-14; Lk. 6:6-11) Jesus went into the synagogue again. There was a man there with a shriveled up arm.8xk So the Human One is lord of the Sabbath, too.wsw_ And Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for human beingsv.-and not human beings for the Sabbath.Qv He went into the house of God during Abiathar’st high priesthood,u and ate the Loaves of the Presence, that nobody is allowed to eat except the priests. And he also gave them to his companions.” u And he was saying to them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did, when he needed to, when he and his companions were hungry?xti And the Pharisees started saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what’s not allowed on the Sabbath?”s\s1 Picking Heads of Grain on the Sabbath Day (Mt. 12:1-8; Lk. 6:1-5) Oncer Jesus was walking along through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and his followers started picking the heads of grain as they went along.4ra And no one puts up new wine in old wine­skins. Otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine and the skins will both be ruined. No-new wine goes into new skins.0qY No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old piece of clothing. Otherwise, the new, full-size piece shrinks away from the old material,q and you get a worse tear.mpS The timeo will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they’ll fast at that time.p*oM Jesus said to them, “Can the members of the wedding party fast while the groom is with them? For as long as they have the groom with them, they can’t fast.knO An Argument about Fasting (Mt. 9:14-17; Lk. 5:33-39) John’s followers and the Pharisees were fasting. They came and said to Jesus, “Why is it that John’s followers and the Pharisees fast, but your followers don’t?”Dm When Jesus heard that, he said to them, “It’s not healthy people that need a doctor, but people who are sick! I haven’t come to reach out tom people of integrity,n but to sinners.Hl  And the scripture experts of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors.l They were saying to his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”Tk! And Jesus ended up having dinnerj at Levi’s house. Lots of tax collectors and sinners were there having dinner with Jesus and his followers, because there were a lot of them that used to follow him.k1j[ As he was going along, he saw Levi Alphaeus’sg son. He was sitting at the tax collection desk. He said to him, “Come with me.”h And he goti up and followed him.-iS Jesus Calls Levi to be a Follower (Mt. 9:9-13; Lk. 5:27-32) Jesus went out again along the shore of the lake. And the whole crowd came to him, and he taught them.Hh  And he got up and quickly picked up the mat and went out in front of everyone. Everyone was totally amazed, and glorified God. They were saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”Wg' “I have something to say to you: get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”fy But so that you’ll know that the Human One hasf authority to forgive sins on earth"—he said to the paralyzed man, e Which is easier-to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’?%dC And Jesus knew right away in his spirit that they were arguing like that ine themselves. He said to them, “Why are you arguing like that in your hearts?fcE “How can hed talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but the One God?”cb? Now, there were some scripture experts sitting there. They were arguing in their hearts,gaG When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”H`  They couldn’t get him to Jesus because of the crowd. So they dug through the roof where Jesus was. And when they had made a hole, they lowered the mat that the paralyzed man was lying on.^_5 And they came to him bringing a paralyzed man. He was being carried by four people.^ Lots of people came together-to the point that there wasn’t even room outside the door anymore. And he was teaching them.c]# Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man (Mt. 9:2-8; Lk. 5:17-26) Jesus came to Capernauma again. After a few days, the word got outb that he was home.{\o- But the man went out and started announcing it all over the place. He spread the word so much that Jesus couldn’t enter a city openly any more. Instead, he was staying out in deserted places, and people were coming to him from everywhere.X[), with these words: “Make sure you don’t say anything to anybody! Just go show yourself to the priest, and give the offerings that Moses prescribed for your cleansing.z It’ll be a testimony to them.”DZ+ And Jesus was stern with him, and sent him off right awayBY* Right away his leprosy went away, and he was made clean.X) And Jesus felt compassion for him,y and reached out his hand and touched him. He said to him, “I do want to. Be clean.”RW( Jesus Makes a Leper Clean (Mt. 8:1-4; Lk. 5:12-16) A leper came to Jesus. He began pleading with him, falling on his knees.x He said to him, “If you want to, you have the power to make me clean!”rV]' And he went and preached in their synagogues throughout all of Galilee, and was kicking out the demons.U#& He said to them, “Let’s go somewhere else-to the other towns around here. I want to preach there too. After all, that’s why I came.w ~~@}}%||p{}zz}yyhyxwwlvv`uuttssrtrqHppyp*oonEmmll5k`kj`iihh?gg,fee\ddcpc b9a=``8__]]X\\[[\ZZcYY=XWW%V^UUUT^SSRQQQ9POOOhNNMLLKK`JJ'IHGGGEE6E*DDyCCsC4BAAIA@@&??s? >>e==}<<;;>:N99877Y6m55D44L332O10r//.&--V,++w+*O))x(''@&&%%$$#""K!!c! 77-^@l$x4{r [ Wx f   P 1sY6U#  God isn’t the God of the dead, but of the living. You’re very far off.gG  But as for the fact that the dead rise,u haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him and said: I’m the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob!v'  Because when they rise from among the dead, people aren’t married, and they don’t get married. No, they’re like angels in the heavens.  Jesus was saying to them, Isn’t this why you’re way off? You don’t know the scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.w  At the resurrection, when they rise,s which one’s wife will she be? Because all seven had been married to her.”t6g  And the seven didn’t leave any offspring.reC  And the second brother married her without leaving any offspring. The same with the third.l Q  Once there were seven brothers. The first married a wifeq and died without leaving any offspring.] 3  “Teacher, Moses wrote us this command: Suppose somebody’s brother dies, and he leaves a wife behind, butn doesn’t leave a child. His brother should marryo the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.pF   Jesus Answers a Trick Question about the Resurrection (Mt. 22:23-33; Lk. 20:27-40) Some Sadducees came up to him-the ones who say there’s no resurrection. They asked him this question:m   Jesus said to them, “Give Caesar’s things to Caesar, and God’s things to God.” And they were totally amazed by him.   And they brought him one. He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”(I  Should we give it to them or not?” But Jesus knew they were just acting,k and said, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denariusl so I can look at it.”/  They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sin­cere,i and that you don’t pay attention to who anybody is, because you don’t go by outward appearances.j None of that—you teach God’s way truthfully. Is it all right to pay the tax to Caesar, or not?9k Jesus Answers a Trick Question about Paying Taxes to Caesar (Mt. 22:15-22; Lk. 20:20-26) They sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus, to trap him in what he said.h8i They were looking for a way to arrestf Jesus, butg they were afraid of the crowd. Because they knew he’d told that parable against them. They left him alone and went away.H  The Sovereign One has done this,d. And it’s amazing to us!ewg Haven’t you even read this scripture- This stone, Which the builders rejected, Has become the cornerstone!} So what will the owner of that vineyard do? He’ll come and kill those farmers and give the vineyard to somebody else.O  And they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.  But those farmers said to one another, “This is the heir! Come on, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!”  He still had one person left: a son that he loved. He sent him to them last. He thought,c “They’ll respect my son.”v~e  And he sent another, and they killed that one. He sent lots more-some they beat up, and others they killed.c}?  Again, he sent another servant to them. That one they bashed on the head and humiliated.M|  And they took him and beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.b{=  When the time came,b he sent a servant to get a portion of the harvest of the vineyard. z  The Parable of the Evil Tenant Farmers (Mt. 21:33-46; Lk. 20:9-19) Jesus started to talk to them in parables: A man planted a vineyard and put up a fence. He dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower.a Then he leased it out to farmers, and moved away.y/ ! And they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said to them, Then I’m not going to tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.x3 But should we say it was just from human beings?” (They were afraid of the crowd, because everybody regarded John as really being a prophet.aa.),wQ  And they started discussing it amongst themselves. They were saying, “If we say it was from heaven, he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’dvA  John’s baptism-was it from heaven, or did it just come from human beings? Answer me.”u  Jesus said to them, “I’ll ask you one thing, and you answer me. Thenz I’ll tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.t  They were saying to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you the authority to do all this?”yjsM  The Religious Leaders Question Jesus’ Authority (Mt. 21:23-27; Lk. 20:1-8) They came to Jerusalem again, and Jesus was walking around in the Temple. The chief priests, the scripture experts, and the elders came up to him. r  )qK  And whenever you’re standing there praying,w forgive whatever you are holding against somebody. That way, your Father in heaven will forgive your offenses.x p  So I’m telling you: all the things you pray for and ask for-believe that you’ve received them and it will be that way for you.co?  I’m telling you seriously: whoever says to this mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourselfv in the ocean,’ and doesn’t doubt in their heart, but believes that what they say is happening, it will happen for them.”Jn   Jesus answered, and said to all of them, “Have faith in God!u|mq  And Peter remembered it. He said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! The fig tree that you cursed-it’s all dried up.”(lI  A Lesson about Faith from the Fig Tree (Mt. 21:20-22) As they were walking by early the next day, they saw the fig tree had dried up right from the roots up.Ek  And when it got to be evening, theyt went out of the city.Pj  The chief priests and the scripture experts heard that, and they were looking for a way to kill him,r because they were afraid of him. Because the whole crowd kepts being astounded by his teaching.Pi  He was teaching, and was saying to them, “Doesn’t scripture sayo that ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?p But you’ve made it a hideout for armed robbers!”qGh  He wasn’t letting anybody carry goodsn through the Temple.Lg  Jesus Goes to the Temple-And Knocks Over Some Tables (Mt. 21:12-17; Lk. 19:45; Jn 2:12-25) They came to Jerusalem. When they went into the Temple, he started kicking out the people who were buy­ing and selling in the Temple. Jesus turned over the tables of the money-changers, and the chairs of the people selling doves.|fq  Jesus said to it, “From now on, may nobody ever eat from your fruit again!” And his followers were listening.ae; He saw a fig tree a long ways away, with leaves on it. He went to it, in case he might findl some figs on it.m When he came, he didn’t find anything on it but leaves-because it wasn’t the right season for figs.pdY Jesus Curses a Fig Tree (Mt. 21:18-19) The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus felt hungry..cU They came into Jerusalem, and went into the Temple. Jesus looked around at everything, but it was already about sundown, so he went out to Bethany with the twelve.[b/ Blessk the coming reign of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the heights of heaven!a5 And the people walking ahead, and the people following behind, were shouting, Hosanna!h Bless the onei who comes in the name of the Sovereign One!js`_  Lots of people threw their robes in the street,g and others threw branches they had cut from the fields.g_G  And they brought the colt to Jesus. And they put their robes over him, and Jesus sat on him.I^   They told them just what Jesus said, and they left them alone.n]U  Some of the people standing there were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”t\a  And they went off. They found the colt tied up out in the street in front of a door, and they untied him.[  If anyone asks you ‘Why are you doing that?’ say, ‘The Teacher needs him,d and he’s sendinge him back here right away.’”fAZ{  He said to them, “Go into the village across from you. Right as you’re going into it, you’ll find a colt tied up. It will never have been ridden before.c Untie it and bring it.kYO  The Crowds Celebrate as Jesus Enters Jerusalem (Mt. 21:1-11; Lk. 19:28-40; Jn 12:12-19) When they got close to Jerusalem, at Bethphagea and Bethany,b next to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his followers on a mission. X 4 And Jesus said to him, “Go—your faith has healed you.” Right away he could see again, and began following Jesus on the road. W  3 Jesus said to him,y “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “Teacher, I’d like to see again!”OV 2 And he threw off his outer robe and jumped up, and came up to Jesus.U! 1 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called out to him. They were saying to him, “Cheer up!x Get up, he’s calling you!” T9 0 And although lots of people were telling him off, and saying to be quiet, he was shouting all the more, “Son of David, please have mercy on me!!”S} / When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he started to shout, “Jesus, Son of David,w please have mercy on me!”R3 . Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Jericho (Mt. 20:29-34; Lk. 18:35-43) They came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho-along with his followers and a good-sized crowd-there was a blind man: Timaeus’s son, known as Bartimaeus.u He was sitting by the side of the road, begging.v Q - After all, even the Human One didn’t come to be served, but to serve-and to give his life to buy many people out of bondage.”tWP' , and the person who hopes to be first among you will be a servant to you all.zOm + But it’s not like that with you. No-the person who hopess to be great among you will be a servant to you all;GN * And Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who supposedlyr rule the Gentiles wield power over them, and that the great people among them wield authority over them.ZM- ) When the ten heard about it, they started getting offended with James and John.Lw ( But to sit on my right and my left-that’s not for me to grant. No, it’s for whoever it has been prepared for.”*KM ' They said to him, “We can.” And Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup that I’m drinking, and you will go through the baptism I’m going through.+JO & Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m drinking, or go through the baptism that I’m going through?”qI} % They said to him, “Give us this favor: that one of us will sit on your right, and one on your left, in your glory.”GH $ Jesus said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”[G/ # James and John Ask Jesus for a Favor (Mt. 20:20-28) James and John, the sons of Zebedee, walked up to Jesus. They said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do something for us, that we’re going to ask you.” F " They are going to make fun of him, and spit on him, and whip him, and kill him. And after three days he’s going to rise up.”ZE- ! “Look, we’re going up to Jerusalem, and the Human One is going to be handed over to the chief priests and the scripture experts. They’re going to condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles.[D/ Jesus Says for the Third Time That he is Going to be Killed (Mt. 20:17-19; Lk. 18:31-34) They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading them. They were amazed, but the people following behind were feeling scared. Jesus took the twelve aside again and started telling them the things that were about to happen to him.{Co  But a lot of those who are first are going to be last, and a lot of those who are last are going to be first.”DB  who won’t receive a hundred times as much now in this age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and properties-with persecutions. And in the age that’s coming, eternal life.CA  Jesus was saying, “I’m telling you seriously: there’s no one who has left a home, or brothers or sisters, or mother or father, or a child, or properties for me and the good news,k@O  Peter started to say to him, “Look, we’ve left everything and have become your followers.”?  Jesus looked at them and said, “It’s impossible for human beings, but not for God. Everything’s possible for God.”l>Q  And they were completely astounded. They were saying to each other, “Thenp who can be saved?”}=s  It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Reign of God.”%<C  And his followers were just astonished by the things he was saying.n But Jesus said to them again, “Children, it’s so painfulo to enter God’s Reign!h;I  Rich People are Going to Find it Painful to Enter Heaven’s Reign (Mt. 19:23-30; Lk. 18:24-30) Jesus looked around and said to his followers, “It will be so painful for people who have wealth to enter God’s Reign!”s:_  But he was shocked by that statement. He went away deeply depressed, because he had lots of possessions.Z9-  And as Jesus looked at him, he loved him. He said to him, “You’re missing one thing. Go and sell everythingl you have, and give to the poor. Thenm you’ll have treasure in heaven. And come follow me.”c8?  And he was saying to Jesus, “Teacher, I’ve kept all of these since I was a child.”I7   You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t break your marriage vows,j don’t steal, don’t give false testimony against anyone, don’t cheat people, honor your father and mother.kk6O  But Jesus said to him, “Why are you saying I’m good? Nobody’s good except for the One God.l5Q  A Rich Man Comes to Jesus (Mt. 19:16-30; Lk. 18:18-30) As Jesus was walking along from there, a man ran up to him and knelt in front of him. He started to ask him, “Good teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”L4  And he hugged them, then laid his hands on them and blessed them.x3i  I’m telling you seriously: whoever doesn’t accept the Reign of God like a child will never go into it.”42a  But when Jesus saw that, he was angry. He said to them, “Let the children come to me! Don’t be stopping them! After all, the Reign of God belongs to ones like these.91k Jesus Blesses Some Little Children (Mt. 19:13-15; Lk. 18:15-17) People started bringingh children up to Jesus, for him to touch them-but his followers gave them a hard time.im0S And if she divorces her husband, and marries someone else, she’s breaking her marriage vows.”gu/c Jesus said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife, and marries someone else, is breaking his marriage vows.O. When they were inside again, his followers were asking him about it.S- So: what God has joined together, human beingsf shouldn’t separate.”c,?  And the two will be one flesh.e. “As a result, they aren’t two, but ‘one flesh.’]+3  Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.P*  But from the beginning of creation, God created them male and female.){  And Jesus was saying to them, “It was because of the stubbornnessd of your hearts that Moses wrote you that command.Z(-  They said, “Moses let us ‘write a note of divorce and send her away.’”c>'w  Jesus answered, “What did Moses tell you to do?”x&i  And some people were asking himb whether it was allowed for a man to divorce his wife. They were testing him.I%   Jesus Teaches about Divorce (Mt. 19:1-9) Jesus got up from there, and came into the area of Judea east of the Jordan River.a And crowds gathered to him again. As usual, he was teaching them.$7 2 Salt is good. But if salt ever loses its saltiness, what are you going to season it with? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.<#s 1 Because everybody is going to be salted with fire.V"% 0 where “their worm doesn’t die, and the fire doesn’t get put out.”gg)!K / And if your eye trips you up, tear it out. It’s better for you to go into the Reign of God with one eye, than to have two eyes, and get thrown into Gehenna-   .!; - And if your foot trips you up, cut it off. It’s better for you to go into life with a disability than to have two feet, and get thrown into Gehenna.   ,D + And if your hand trips you up, cut it off. It’s better for you to go into life with a disabilityee than to have two hands, and go into Gehenna-into the fire that can’t be put out.ff1 * The Grave Seriousness of Tripping People Up-Including Yourself (Mt. 18:6-9; Lk. 17:1-2) And suppose someone trips up one of these little ones who believe in me.cc It’s better for them to have had a millstonedd put around their neck and to have been thrown into the ocean.5 ) In fact,aa whoever gives you a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah,bb I’m telling you seriously, they will never lose their reward.”7i ( Because whoever isn’t against us is for us.&E ' Jesus said, “Don’t stop him. After all, no one who does a display of power in my name is also going to be able to say nasty things about me right away.gG & Whoever isn’t against us is for us (Mt. 10:40-42; Lk. 9:49-50) John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone kicking out demons in your name, and we were trying to stop him, because he wasn’t one of our followers.”z! % “Whoever accepts one child like thisy in my name, accepts me. And whoever accepts me, isn’t accepting me, but the one who sent me.”{ $ And he took a child, and had the child stand right there in the middle of them. He hugged the child, and said to them,0Y # Jesus sat down and called the twelve over. He said to them, “If somebody wants to be first, they’re going to be last of everybody, and a servant to everybody.”nU " But they didn’t say anything.x Because on the way, they’d been discussing who was the greatest.:m ! Who is the Greatest Follower of Jesus? (Mt. 18:1-5; Lk. 9:46-48) They went into Capernaum.w When they got indoors, Jesus asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”V% They couldn’t understand that,v but they were afraid to ask him about it.jM  because he was teaching his closest followers. He was saying to them, “The Human One is going to be betrayed to the authorities,u and they’re going to kill him. After he has died, he’ll rise again after three days.”F  Jesus Tells his Followers Again That he is Going to be Killed (Mt. 17:22-23; Lk. 9:43b-45) They left there and were traveling through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know about it,T!  He said to them, “This kind can’t come out by anything but prayer.”nU  When Jesus went indoors, his followers asked him, “How come we couldn’t kick that demon out?”F   But Jesus took his hand and raised him up, and he stood up. -  After screaming and shaking him very violently,s the spirit came out. He lay there as though he were dead-and most people thought he’d died.tf E  Jesus saw that a crowd was running up and gathering around. He told off the unclean spirit, and was saying to it, “You spirit that can’t talk or hear, I command you to come out of him and never go into him again!”S   The boy’s father cried out, “I believe! Help me with my unbelief!”j M  Jesus said to him, “’If you can’? Everything’s possible for the person who believes.”$A  Lots of times it has thrown him into fire and into water, trying to killr him. But if you can do something, please have compassion for us and help us!”r]  Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He said, “Since he was little. 9  And they brought him to Jesus. When the spirit saw him, it shook the boy violently. He fell down, and he was rolling around and foaming at the mouth.3  Jesus said to them,q “You faithless generation, how long am I going to be with you? How long will I have to put up with you? Bring him to me.”5c  Whenever it grabs him, it throws him down. And he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes all stiff.p I told your followers to kick it out, and they couldn’t.”y  And one of the people in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you-he has a spirit that can’t speak.oI   Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about with them?”ta  Right away the whole crowd saw Jesus, and they were totally amazed. They ran over, and were greeting him.C  Jesus Heals a Boy who Has a Demon (Mt. 17:14-21; Lk. 9:37-43a) When they came to Jesus’ followers, they saw a big crowd around them. And the scripture experts were arguing with them.   Yes, I’m telling you, Elijah has already come. And they did whatever they wanted to him-just as scripture saysn about him.”m~S Jesus said to them, “Well, Elijah does come first, and puts everything back right.j Yetk how does scripture sayl about the Human One, that lots of bad things are going to happen to him, and that he’s going to be despised?m}# The Coming of Elijah (Mt. 17:9-13) And they asked him this question: “Why do the scripture experts say that Elijah has to come first?”||q And they kept it to themselves.g They were trying to figure outh what “rising from among the dead” could be.i#{? As they were going back down the mountain, Jesus ordered them not to tell anybody what they’d seen-until the Human One rose again from among the dead.dzA  Suddenly, as they looked all around, they couldn’t see anybody with them except Jesus.fy  And a cloud came and cast its shadow over them-and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my Son! I love him!e Listen to him!”fxE  Actually,b he didn’t know what he was saying,c because he and the othersd were terrified.7wg  Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Teacher, it’s a good thing we’re here! If you like, we’ll make three shelters-one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”\v1  And Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking together with Jesus.vue  His clothes turned totally bright white-a kind of white that no professional cleaner on earth could create.t)  After six days, Jesus took along Peter and James and John, and he led them up a high mountain all alone. And he was changed in front of them. s   Jesus is Transformed in Front of Peter, James, and John (Mt. 17:1-8; Lk. 9:28-36; 2 Pet. 1:16-18) Jesus was saying to them, “I’m telling you seriously, some of you standing right here won’t diea until they’ve seen the Reign of God come with power!br=& Because if someone is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and sinful generation, then the Human One will also be ashamed of them, when he comes with the glory of his Father, along with the holy angels.”uMq% In other words, what can a person give in exchange for their life?fpE$ After all, what good is it for a person to gain the whole world, and their life is a loss?to)# Because whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever is going to lose their life-because of me ands the good news-will find it.xni" Pick up your Cross and Follow Me! (Mt. 16:24b-28; Lk. 9:23-27) And he called the crowd to come over with his followers. Jesus said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, and pick up their cross and follow me.Nm! But he turned and looked at his followers, and told Peter off. He said to Peter, “Get on behind me, Satan! Because you’re not thinking God’s thoughts—you’re thinking human thoughts!”rbl= Jesus was talking openly about it.q And Peter took him aside and began to tell him off.4ka Jesus Tells his Followers that He is Going to be Killed (Mt. 16:21-24a; Lk. 9:21-22) And Jesus started to teach them that the Human One had to be treated very badly byp the elders, chief priests, and scripture experts, and be rejected by them. He had to be killed, and rise again on the third day.Aj} And Jesus warned them not to talk to anybody about him.miS Jesus asked them, “And you? Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You’re the Messiah!”ouhc They said to him, “Some say John the Baptizer, others say Elijah, and others say one of the prophets.”~gu Peter Tells Jesus, “You’re the Messiah!” (Mt. 16:18-20; Lk. 9:18-20) Jesus and his followers left for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.n On the way, he asked his followers a question. He was saying to them, “Who do people say I am?”Sf Jesus sent him off home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”e  Then Jesus put his hands on his eyes again, and he looked hard, and he was back to normal, and was seeing everything clearly.d And he could see again.m He was saying, “I’m seeing people-because it’s like I’m seeing trees walking around!”,cQ Jesus took the blind man’s hand and brought him out of the village. And he spat on his eyes, and put his hands on him. He asked him, “Do you see anything?”b' Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida They went into Bethsaida.l And some people brought Jesus a blind man and pleaded with him to touch him.Ba And he was saying to them, “Don’t you understand?” ` “And when the seven loaves went for the four thousand? How many bags of extra pieces did you pick up?” They said, “Seven.”_1 When I broke the five loaves for those five thousand people, how many baskets of extra pieces did you pick up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”]^3 Do you ‘have eyes and not see, and ears, and not hear’?k Don’t you remember?Q] Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why are you talking about the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you get it yet? Don’t you understand? Do you have such stubborn hearts?j_\7 And they were talking among themselves, and saying, “We don’t have any bread.”t[a Jesus was telling them, “Be careful-watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”eZC Jesus Warns about the “Yeast of the Pharisees and the Yeast of Herod” (Mt. 16:5-12) And they’d forgotten to take some loaves of bread along. Aside from one loaf, they didn’t have anything with them in the boat.KY And he left them, and went over to the other side by boat again.:Xm Jesus groaned deep in his spirit, and said, “How can this generation ask for a miracle?h I’m telling you seriously: no miraclei is going to be given to this generation.”>Wu People Demand That Jesus Show them a Miracle (Mt. 16:1-4) The Pharisees came out and started to argue with Jesus. They were trying to get him to give themf a miracleg from heaven.bV= Right away he got into the boat with his followers and went to the area of Dalmanutha.eLU There were about four thousand people. And Jesus sent them home.ddTA People were eating, and they had a good meal. And they picked up seven bags of leftovers.eSC They also had a few small fish. When Jesus had blessed them, he said to hand them out too.ER And Jesus told the crowd to liec down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his followers to hand out. And they handed them out to the crowd.`Q9 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” They said, “Seven.”P His followers said back to him, “Where can anybody get enough loaves of bread to feed these people out hereb in the wilderness?”vOe If I send them home hungry, they’ll collapse on the way. Some of them have come from a long ways away.”N “I feel compassion for the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me for three days, and they don’t have anything to eat.HM  Jesus Feeds More than 4,000 People (Mt. 15:32-39) Around that time,a there was another large crowd, and they didn’t have anything to eat. Jesus called his followers over and said to them,"L=% Peopledd were absolutely, totally astounded. They were saying, “He’s done everything well! He even makes deaf people hear and mute people speak!”tKa$ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone. But as much as he warned them, they spread the news that much more.bJ=# And his ears cleared,bb and his tongue was freed up, and he started talking normally.ccI" And he looked up to heaven and let out a groaning sigh. Jesus said to him, “Ephphatha!”aa which means, “Open up!”Hy! And Jesus took him out of the crowd by himself. Then he put his fingers in his ears, and spat and touched his tongue.xGi And they brought him a man who was deaf and could barely speak. They pleaded with him to put his hand on him.:Fm Jesus Heals a Deaf Man (Mt. 15:29-31) Jesus came back from the area around Tyre. He went by way of Sidony to the Lake of Galilee, and on through middle of the Decapolisz area.`E9 And when she went off home, she found her child lying in bed, and the demon was gone.]D3 And Jesus said to her, “For saying that, go-the demon has left your daughter.”nCU But she said back to him, “Sir, even the pet dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” B9 And he was saying to her, “First let the children be fed. After all, it’s not good to take the children’s food and throw it to the pet dogs.”kAO The woman was a non-Jew, a Syrophoenician.x She asked him to kick the demon out of her daughter.@ In fact, one woman heard about him right away, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit. She came and threw herself at his feet.o?W Jesus Heals a Non-Jewish Woman’s Daughter (Mt. 15:21-28) Jesus got up and went off to the area around Tyre. He went into a house, and he didn’t want anyone to know he was there. Yetw he couldn’t keep from being recognized.L> all these evils come out from inside and make a person unholy.”c=? greediness, hate, dishonesty, promiscuity,u envy,v blasphemy, arrogance, or foolishness,1<[ After all, it’s from the inside-from people’s hearts-that bad thoughts come. Whether it’s acts of sexual immorality,s stealing, murder, marital unfaithfulness,tc;? And Jesus was saying, “It’s what comes out of a person that makes the person unholy.):K After all, it doesn’t go into the person’s heart, but into the digestive system, and then goes out into the sewer.” (He’s declaring all foods clean.)r$9A Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand either?q Don’t you know that everything outside that goes inside a person can’t make the person unholy?h8I When he went inside a house, away from the crowd, his followers asked him about that parable. ~~d}}>|{{Dztyy4xBwwJvnvu[tssNrr$qqp{onTnm+lvkjj}jiijhh gffeee>dcc?bbxaaD`___J^*]\q\[n[ZlZYvXX0VVZUU-TTeSsSRQPPSOO*NMMM(LvKK"JJVII1HGGGFJEDD3CCC&BBAASA@??>>E> =E=-,,,C+**))g(((Q''&&%%$e##F"n" !!> -Vm.`~ 4l I[{A 0 7 @ QfPe&kE When he came out, he couldn’t speak to them. And they realized that he had seen a vision in the Temple. And he was making signs to them but keeping mute.pjY Meanwhile,y the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were amazed at how long he was in the Temple.Wi' Now, look: you’re going to be silent, and you won’t be able to talk until the day when all this happens. Because you didn’t believe the things I said.w All of themx will come true in their own time.h+ And the angel said back to him, “I’m Gabriel, who stands in God’s presence. God has sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news.g+ Zechariah said to the angel, “How am I going to know this is true? After all, I’m an old man, and my wife is getting well on in years.”v$fA And he’ll be a forerunner in God’s presence,r in the spirit and power of Elijah. He’ll turn the hearts of parentss back to their children,t and he’ll turn disobedient people back to right thinking.u In that way, he’ll prepare for the Sovereign One a people made ready.”heI And he’s going to turn many of the children of Israelq back to the Sovereign One their God.bd= Because he’s going to be great in the presence of the Sovereign One. He’s never going to drink wine or anything with alcohol in it.p He’s going to be filled with the Holy Spirit right from his mother’s womb.lcQ He’s going to be your pride and joy,o and lots of people are going to celebrate over his birth.'bG “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! Your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth is going to give you a son. You’re going to call his name “John.”ba= Zechariah was startled by the sight, and he was frightened.n But the angel said to him,i`K And an angel of the Sovereign One appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.\_1 And the whole crowd of people was outside praying at the hour of incense burning. ^ In line with the usual priestly procedure, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Temple of the Sovereign One and offer incense.l]Q Once,m Zechariah was doing his priestly service-it was his division’s turn to serve before God.\ But they didn’t have a child, because Elizabeth was unable to have children.k They were both getting well on in years.l [ Both of them were people of integrityi before God. They followedj all the commands and judgments of the Sovereign One faultlessly.Z An Angel Foretells the Birth of John the Baptizer During the reignd of Herode as king of Judea,f there lived a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was from the priestly division of Abijah.g His wife was a descendent of Aaron too;h her name was Elizabeth.ZY- That way, you’ll know the solid truth about the things you’ve been taught.c%XC And it seemed like a good idea to me too. I’ve followed everything from the beginning, and I’ve written things in an accurate and orderly way for you.eWC just as the original eyewitnesses and caretakers of the message have handed it down to us..VU LUKE'S ACCOUNT Introduction Most honored Theophilus:a Lots of people have already worked at putting together an account of the events that have happenedb among us-U And they went out and preached everywhere. The Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the miraclesm that followed.]] The Shorter Ending (takes up after v. 8) They gave a quick report of all the instructions to the people who were with Peter. Later Jesus himself sent them out from the east to the west, withn the holy and incorruptible message of eternal salvation.T5 Jesus Goes up to Heaven (Lk. 24:50-53) After the Lord Jesusl had spoken with them, he was received up into heaven and sat at the right side of God.%SC they’ll hold snakes,k and if they drink some deadly poison, it won’t harm them. And they’ll lay their hands on sick people and they’ll get better.R These miraclesi are going to go along with those who believe: They’ll kick out demons in my name, they’ll speak in new languages,j{Qo The person who believes and gets baptized will be saved; but the person who doesn’t believe will be condemned.mPS Jesus said to them, “Go out into the whole world and preach the good news to the whole creation.]O3 Jesus Sends his Followers to the Whole World (Mt. 28:16-20; Lk. 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-23; Acts 1:6-8) Last of all he appeared to the eleven, while they were eating dinner.f He told them off for their lack of faith and for the stubbornnessg of their hearts, because they hadn’t believed the people who had seen him when he’d been raised.hZN- Those two came back and told the others. But they didn’t believe them either.M3 Jesus Appears to Two Followers (Lk. 24:13-43; Jn 20:19-23) But later he appeared to two of them as they were walking along out in the countryside.bL= Butd when they heard he was alive and that she had seen him,e they didn’t believe it.\K1 She went and told the people who had been with him, who were grieving and crying.DJ Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:11-18) [[After Jesus had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. (He’d kicked out seven demons from her.)TI! When they went outside, they ran away from the tomb, because they were shaking all over with amazement. And they didn’t say anything to anyone, because they were afraid.c The Longer Ending (vv. 9-19)$HA Now, go! Tell his followers and Peter that he says, ‘I’m going ahead of you to Galilee.’ You’re going to see him there, just like he told you.”NG The angel said to them, “Don’t be shocked. You’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was hung on a cross. He’s been raised. He’s not here. Look, here’s the place where they laid him. F  When they went into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting to the right. He had a white robe on. They were completely shocked.hEI When they looked up, they saw that the stone was already rolled away. And it was very large!bxDi They were saying to one another, “Who’s going to roll the stone door away from the entrancea of the tomb?dCA Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. The sun had just come up.JB  The Resurrection of Jesus (Mt. 28:1-10; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn 20:1-10) When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary James’s mother, and Salome bought spices, so they could come and anoint him._A7/ And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses had been watching where he was laid.Y@+. Now,mm Joseph had bought some linen cloth, and he took him down and wrapped him the linen. And he laid him in a tomb that was cut into a rock face, and he rolled a stone door across the opening of the tomb.\?1- When Pilate got the factsjj from the officer,kk he releasedll the body to Joseph.>, But Pilate was amazed that he had already died. He called over the officerii and asked him if Jesus had been dead for long.S=+ Joseph from Arimatheahh went to Pilate. Joseph was a respectable member of the High Council, and was himself looking forward in hope to the Reign of God. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.5<c* Jesus is Buried in a Tomb (Mt. 27:57-61; Lk. 23:50-56; Jn 19:38-42) It had already gotten to be evening. Since it was the Day of Preparation (the day before the Sabbath),';G) These women had followed Jesus when he was in Galilee, and had been ministering to him. These women, and many others, had come downgg with him to Jerusalem.):K( There were some women watching from a distance: Mary Magdaleneee was one of them; so was Mary, the mother of the younger James and Joses; and so was Salome.ff 9' When the Roman officercc standing across from Jesus saw the way he had died, he said, “This man really was thedd Son of God!”O8& And the great veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom.K7% But Jesus gave out a loud cry, and breathed for the last time.bbT6!$ And somebody quickly ran and got a sponge soaked in vinegar. He stuck it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. He said, “Hold off-let’s see if Elijah will come and take him down from the cross.”t5a# Some of the people standing there heard it. They were saying, “Listen!aa He’s shouting for Elijah.”$4A" At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice. He said, Eloi, Eloi! Lema sabachthani?y Which means, “My God, My God! Why did you abandon me?”z'3G! Jesus Dies on the Cross (Mt. 27:45-56; Lk. 23:44-49; Jn 19:28-30) When it got to be noon, it got dark across the whole country, until about three o’clock.L2 “Let ‘the Messiah,’ ‘the king of Israel,’x come down off the cross right now, so we can see it and believe in him!” And the men hanging on crosses next to him were taunting him too.K1 The chief priests said the same sort of thing. They were joking amongst themselves along with the scripture experts. They were saying, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself!”E0 “He should save himself, and come down off the cross!”b/= And the people going by were saying abusive things towards him. They were shaking their heads at him and saying, “How horrible for you! Weren’t you going to tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days?”w . e-C They hung two armed robbers on crosses next to him-one on his right, and one on his left.vK, The sign with the charge against him read,u THE KING OF THE JEWSG+ It was nine in the morning whent they hung him on the cross.{*o Then they hung Jesus on a cross. And they divided up his clothes by drawing lots for them,s to see who got what.L) And they were offering him drugged wine, but he didn’t take it.[(/ They brought him to a place called Golgotha,r which means “The Skull Place.”Q' As they were going out, they grabbedn a man who was walking by as he came in from the countryside. It was Simon of Cyrene,o Alexander and Rufus’s father.p They made Simon carry the cross for him.q_&7 When they’d had their fun with him, they off took the purple robe and put on his own clothes. Jesus is Hung on a Cross (Mt. 27:32-44; Lk. 23:26-43; Jn 19:16b-27) Thenm they led Jesus out to hang him on a cross.t%a And they were hitting him over the head with a reed and spitting on him,l and kneeling and bowing to him.O$ And they started shouting out to him, “Hello, King of the Jews!”Y#+ They put a purple robe on him, and they wove a thorny crown and put it on him.:"m Pilate’s Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus (Mt. 27:27-31) The soldiers began leading Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s residence.j And they called out the whole cohort.k ! Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, so he released Barabbas to them, and he handed Jesus over to be whipped and hung on a cross.  And Pilate was saying to them, “Buti what has he done wrong?” But they shouted even more, “Hang him on a cross!”<s But they shouted again, “Hang him on a cross!” Again Pilate began saying back to them, “So what do you want me to do with the one you call ‘the king of the Jews’?”eC But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas to them instead.\1 Because he knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him out of envy.hgG Pilate said back to them, “Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’ to you?”Z- The crowd went up and started to ask Pilate to do what he usually did for them. And there was a man named Barabbas,f who was imprisoned with the insurgentsg who had committed murder in the insurgency.K The Crowd Shouts for Jesus to be Hung on a Cross (Mt. 27:15-26; Lk. 23:18-25; Jn 18:38b-19:16) Now, at every festival Pilate used to set one prisoner free for them, whoever they would ask for.L But Jesus no longer said anything at all, ande Pilate was amazed. Pilate asked him again, “Aren’t you going to say anything back to them? Look how many accusations they’re making against you.”K And the chief priests were accusing him of all kinds of things.dta Pilate asked him, “You—you’re the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “It’s you saying it.”c3 Jesus is Handed Over to the Roman Governor, Pilate (Mt. 27:1-2, 11-14; Lk. 23:1-5; Jn 18:28-38a) First thing in the morning, the chief priests held a council with the elders, the scripture experts and the whole High Council.a They bound Jesus and handed him over to Pilate.bT!H Right then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter rememberedss how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you’re going to disown me three times. And he hid his facett and cried.eCG But he started cursing and swearing that he didn’t know the man they were talking about.%CF But he denied it again. After a little while, the people there began saying to Peter, “You really are one of them-after all, you’re a Galilean too.”ykE And the young servant woman saw him. She started talking to the people there again: “This is one of them.”yD But he denied it. He said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”qq Peter went out into the outer court.rry kC and saw Peter keeping warm. She looked hard at him and said, “You were with the Nazarene, Jesus, as well.”B }B Peter Denies That he Knows Jesus (Mt. 26:69-75; Lk. 22:54-62; Jn 18:15-18, 25-27) Meanwhile, Peter was downstairs in the courtyard. A young woman, one of the priest’s servants, cameS A Then some of them started spitting on him. They covered his face and were hitting him, and they were saying to him, “Prophesy!”oo And the attendants were hitting him as they took custody of him.ppj M@ You heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned Jesus as deserving death.] 3? Then the High Priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?#> Jesus said, “I am! And you will see …The Human One, sitting on the right of the Powerful One, and coming with the clouds in the sky!nn.U= But he just kept quietmm and didn’t respond at all. The High Priest questioned him again, and said to him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”%C< And the High Priest stood up in front of everyone.ll He asked Jesus, “Don’t you have any response at all? What are these people saying against you?”B; But even their testimony about thatkk wasn’t the same.C: “We heard him say, ‘I am going to destroy this Temple that was made by human hands, and within three days I’m going to build another one, that’s not built by human hands.’”6g9 Some people came up and falsely accused him:s_8 because lots of people had been giving false testimony against him, but their accounts didn’t agree.jjP7 The chief priests were there, along with the whole high court. They were trying to come up with false testimony against Jesus, in order to condemnii him to death. They weren’t coming up with any,,Q6 And Peter was following him at a distance, until he got inside the High Priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the attendants and warming himself by the fire.N5 Jesus is Brought before the High Court (Mt. 26:57-68; Lk. 22:66-71; Jn 18:12-14, 19-24) They led Jesus off to the High Priest. All the chief priests, elders and scripture experts were assembling.?~y4 but he left the linen robe behind and ran away naked.}}s3 And a certain young man had been following him, wearing a linen robe with nothing on under it.hh They grabbed him,:|o2 Then all of his followers left him and ran away. {1 I’ve been there every day in the Temple, teaching, and you never laid a hand on me.ff But the scriptures have to be fulfilled.ggz{0 Jesus said to them, “Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs, as though you were after an armed robber?sy_/ But one of the people there drew his sword, and he struck the high priest’s slave and cut his ear off.5xe. Then they grabbed Jesus and held him tight.\w1- Judas came right up to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” And he gave him a big kiss."v=, And the one who betrayed Jesus had given them a signal. He’d said, “The person that I kiss is the one. Grab him and take him away under guard.”eeu+ Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested (Mt. 26:47-56; Lk. 22:47-53; Jn 18:1-11) Right while he was still talking, Judas, one of the twelve, showed up. A crowd was with him, carrying swords and clubs-they were from the chief priests, the scripture experts and the elders.Yt+* Get up, let’s go. Look, the person who’s betraying me is nearly here.”ddPs) Jesus came back the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking it easy? Enough. The time has come. Look, the Human One has just been betrayedcc into the hands of the sinners.r( Jesus came back again and found them sleeping, because their eyelids had gotten really heavy. They didn’t know what to saybb to him.Eq' And he went off again and prayed the same thing as before.p+& Keep watch, and pray, all of you-pray that you don’t have to face the test!”z Your spirit’s willing enough,aa but your flesh is weak.”o#% And he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Weren’t you strong enough to keep watch for one hour?n+$ He was saying, “Abba, Father, everything’s possible for you. Take this cup away from me! But still, not what I want, but what you want.”m# Jesus went on a little further and fell on the ground. He was praying, if it was possible, for the moment to pass him by.^l5" Then he said to them, “I’m nearly dying of grief!y Stay here and keep watch!”hkI! He took Peter, James and John with him. Jesus started to get completely upset and distressed.-jS Jesus Prays in Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36-46; Lk. 22:39-46) They came to a place called Gethsemane.x Jesus said to his followers, “Have a seat here, while I pray.”i7 But he started saying all the more, “Even if I have to die alongside you, I’ll never disown you!” And they all were saying that sort of thing..hU Jesus said to him, “I’m telling you seriously: right today, in fact tonight, Peter, before the rooster crows twice, you’re going to disown me three times!”Yg+ Peter said to him, “Maybe everybody else will get tripped up, but not me!”Pf But after I’m raised, I’m going to go to Galilee ahead of you.”-eS Jesus said to them, “You’re all aboutu to get tripped up. Because scripture says:v. I’m going to strike down the shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.wd5 Jesus Prophesies That Peter Will Disown him (Mt. 26:30-35; Lk. 22:31-34; Jn 13:36-38) When they’d sung a hymn, they left for the Mount of Olives..cU I’m telling you seriously, I’m never going to drink from the fruits of the grape vine again, until that special day when I drink it new in the Reign of God.”tba He said, “This is my blood, that seals the covenant. It’s going to be poured out for lots of people.toaW Then he took a cup of wine, said a prayer of thanks, and gave it to them, and they all took a drink.f`E The Lord’s Supper (Mt. 26:26-29; Lk. 22:14-23; 1 Cor. 11:23-26) As they were eating dinner, Jesus took a loaf of bread, said a blessing over it, and broke it. He gave it to them and said, “Here, this is my body.”sf_E Because the Human One is going to go like the scriptures say he will;r but it’s going to be horrible for the person responsible for his betrayal! It would have been better for that person if he’d never been born!”h^I But he said to them, “It’s one of you twelve. He’s dipping in the dipping bowl with me.l]Q And they started getting upset.q One by one, they were saying to him, “It isn’t me, is it?”n\U “One of you is Going to Betray me!” (Mt. 26:21-25; Lk. 22:21-23; Jn 13:21-30) As they were relaxingo and eating, Jesus said, “I’m telling you seriously, one of you is going to betray me-somebodyp eating here with me.”/[Y At sunset Jesus came with the twelve.Z And the two followers left. They went into the city and found things exactly as he’d told them, and they got the Passover meal ready.oYW He’ll show you a big room upstairs that’s furnished and ready. Get things ready for us there.”7Xg Wherevern he goes indoors, say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher says, “Where is the guest room for me, where I can eat the Passover meal with my followers?”’ W And Jesus sent two of his followers. He told them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a water jar. Follow him.BV} Jesus Has a Passover Meal with his Closest Followers (Mt. 26:17-25; Lk. 22:7-13; Jn 13:21-30) On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread,l when the Passoverm lamb was offered, Jesus’ followers said to him, “Where do you want us to go and get things ready, so that you can eat the Passover meal?”!U; They were very happy when they heard what he had to say, and they promised to give him money. And Judas began looking for a good moment to betray him.T3 Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus (Mt. 26:14-16; Lk. 22:3-6) Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve,k went off to the chief priests to betray Jesus.S) I’m telling you seriously, wherever the good news is preached throughout the whole world, what she did will also be told, as her memorial.jWR' She did what she could.h She anointedi my body ahead of time, for my burial.Q After all, you’ll always have the poor with you. You can do something good for them whenever you like. But you don’t always have me.hPI But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She did something nice for me.O5 After all, the perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii,g and the money given to the poor.” And they were angry with her.^N5 Some were grumbling to one another, “What’s the point of this waste of perfume?AM{ A Woman Anoints Jesus’ Head with Scented Oil (Mt. 26:6-13; Jn 12:1-8) Jesus was staying in Bethany, at Simon the Leper’s house. While he was having dinner,d a woman came. She had an alabastere jar of scented pistachiof oil-very expensive stuff. She broke the alabaster jar open and poured it over his head.qL[ Because they’d been saying, “Not during the festival, so there won’t be a riot by the people.”K1 Religious Leaders Look for a Way to Kill Jesus (Mt. 26:1-5; Lk. 22:1-2; Jn 11:45-53) Now, the Passovera and the Festival of Unleavened Breadb was coming up in two days. And the chief priests and the scripture experts were looking for a sneaky way to kidnapc and kill Jesus.KJ % Sobb what I’m telling you, I’m telling everyone: keep watch!SI $ Whichever it is, he shouldn’t suddenly come and find you all sleeping.-HS # So you should keep watch, because the master of the house is coming. Maybe it’ll be in the evening, maybe at midnight, maybe at first light,aa or maybe at dawn.!G; " It’s like a man who has gone away from home, who has given each of his slaves authority to do their jobs. And he tells the doorkeeper to keep watch.UF# ! Watch out; stay awake. Because you don’t know when that time will come.zXE) Nobody Knows the Exact Day and Hour, so Stay Awake! (Mt. 24:36; Lk. 21:34-36) But as for the exact day or hour, no one knows that-not even the angels in heaven, and not even the Son. Only the Father knows.ZD-  Heaven and earth are going to go away, but my words are never going to go away.gCG  I’m telling you seriously, this generation will not go away until all these things happen!rB]  In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he’sy nearly at your door­steps.\A1  The Parable of the Fig Tree (Mt. 24:32-35; Lk. 21:29-33) However, you should all learn the parable of the fig tree. After its branches get tender shoots, and it puts out leaves, you know summer is nearly here.&@E  Then he’ll send out his angels, and he’ll gather together his chosen ones from the four winds-from the far end of the earth to the far end of the sky.x^?5  Then they’ll see the Human One coming in the clouds,w with great power and glory.\>1  The stars will be falling out of heaven, And the heavenly powers will be shaken.v=1  The Coming of the Human One (Mt. 24:29-31; Lk. 21:25-28) But at that time, after that trouble, The sun will go dark, And the moon won’t shine,uA<}  Sot watch out. I’ve told you everything before­hand.;7  Because false messiahs and false prophets are going to get up and do miracless and won­ders. They’ll try to mislead the chosen ones, if possible.:  During that time, if anyone says to you, “Look! The Messiah is here!” or “Look, there he is!"—don’t believe it.79g  If the Sovereign One didn’t cut that time short, not one living soul would be saved.q But for the sake of the Sovereign One‘s chosen ones,r that time will be cut short.85  It’ll be a time ofp trouble unlike anything that’s ever happened-from the original creation that God made up to now-or could ever happen again!J7   But pray that your escape won’t have to be in the wintertime!^65  It’s going to be horrible for preg­nant women and nursing mothers in those days.b5=  The person out at the field shouldn’t even turn around behind them to get their coat.\41  Whoever is up on the roof shouldn’t go down to get anything out of their house. 3   The “Horror That Causes Abandonment” (Mt. 24:15-28; Lk. 21:20-24) So when you see “the horror that causes abandonment”n set up where it doesn’t belong (the reader should understand!),o then the people in Judea should run away into the mountains.2  And you’ll be hated by everyone because of my name. But it’s the person who stays with mem to the end that will be saved.11[ But brothers and sisters will turn each other in to be killed, and parents will turn in their children. Children will turnl against their parents and get them killed.V0% And whenever they put you under arrest, don’t memorize what you’re going to say ahead of time. Just say whatever is given to you at the time.k Because it won’t be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.L/ (Butj first the good news has to be preached to all the nations.)).K Persecution is Coming for Followers of Jesus (Mt. 24:9-14; Lk. 21:12-19) And watch out for yourselves. They’re going to hand you over to the courts,g and you’ll be beaten in synagogues. You’ll stand in front ofh governors and rulers because of me. It’ll bei a testimony to them.v-e  For example, one nation is going to get up and make war againstf another nation, and one kingdom against another kingdom. And are going to be earthquakes in various places. There’ll be famines. These are the start of the labor pains.,  And when you hear of wars, and rumors about wars, don’t panic. It has to happen, but it’s definitely not the end yet.+!  Lots of people are going to come using my name. They’re going to be saying, “I’m him!” And lots of people will be fooled by them.*  And Jesus began saying to them: Signs of the Wrapping Up of the Age (Mt. 24:3-8; Lk. 21:7-11) Make sure nobody fools you.e)  “Tell us, when will these things happen? Also, what’s the signc to look for, when all these things are about to come about?”d(!  Later,b Jesus sat down at the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him about it privately.''  Jesus said to him, “Do you see these big buildings? There won’t be one stone left on top of another here-they’ll all be torn down!”aN&  Jesus Prophesies the Destruction of the Temple (Mt. 24:1-8; Lk. 21:5-6) As Jesus walked out of the Temple, one of his followers said to him, “Teacher, look what amazing stones and buildings!”%1 , Because they all put in out of what they had left overjj.-but she, out of her shortage of money, put in everything she had-all of her savings!”/$W + Jesus called his followers over. He said to them, “I’m telling you seriously, that poor widow put in more than all the people putting money in the offering box.]#3 * And one poor widow came along and put in two half pennies-in other words, a penny.X") ) Jesus Praises a Poor Widow’s Offering (Lk. 21:1-4) As Jesus sat across from the offering box, he was watching how the crowd was putting coins in the box. And a lot of rich people threw in a lot of coins.! ( These people gobble up widows’ houses-while making a show of praying long prayers! They’re going to faceii all the more judgment!”^ 5 ' They want to have the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at banquets.nU & Jesus Criticizes the Scripture Experts (Mt. 23:1-7; Lk. 20:45-47) In his teaching, Jesus was saying: “Watch out for the scripture experts. They want to walk around in long robes and be greeted with respect in public places.hh3 % David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ soee where does it come from that he’s David’s son?”ff And a large crowd was eagerly listening to him.gg/ $ David himself said in the Holy Spirit, The Sovereign One said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side until I put your enemies under your feet.’ddL # Jesus Asks a Question of his Own (Mt. 22:41-46; Lk. 41-44) Jesus went on to do more teaching in the Temple.bb “How is it that the scripture experts say that the Messiah is the son of David?cc(I " When Jesus saw that he’d answered wisely, he said to him, “You’re not far from the Reign of God.” After that, nobody dared to question him anymore.aa-S ! And loving God with your whole heart and understanding and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”+ And the scripture expert said to Jesus, “Well said, Teacher! You’ve rightly said that God is One, and that there’s no other god but God.  Number two is this: Love your neighbor, just as you love yourself.z. There is no other commandment greater than these.”-  and, Love the Sovereign One your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your understanding, and with all your strength.y  Jesus answered, “The number one commandment is this: Hear, Israel! The Sovereign One your God, the Sovereign One is One!x  Jesus Answers a Question about the First Commandment (Mt. 22:34-40; Lk. 10:25-28) One of the scripture experts came up and listened to them arguing. When he saw how well Jesus had answered them, he asked him, “What’s the number one commandment of all?”w -~~}}||;{{#zz?yrxxwwfw vvuuIttYtss,rrZrqqlqpp>v==<< ;`;::S999H888C777266w665544!3322"1q1000//.--d,e,++1*w))@(]''X&&R&%f%$##9"x"(!B S3n&cOM+>&VT ~ ^  G ~ SSrcY7 The law experts and the Pharisees were watching him closely, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a way of accusing him.eCX Jesus Heals a Man with a Shriveled-Up Arm (Mk 3:1-6) On another Sabbath Jesus happened to go into a synagogue and preach. And there was a person there whose right arm was shriveled up.QW And he was saying to them, “the Human One is lord of the Sabbath.”7Vg How he went into the house of God, and got the Loaves of the Presence d and ate them, and gave them to his companions? No one is allowed to eat those except the priests!”wUg Jesus said back to them, “Haven’t you read about what David did when he and his companions were hungry?cdTA Some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what’s not allowed on the Sabbath?”b|Sq Picking Heads of Grain on the Sabbath Day (Mt. 12:1-8; Mk 2:23-28) One Sabbath day, Jesus happened to be walking through some fields. And his followers were picking the heads of grain and eating them, after rubbing them between their hands.asR_' Buts no one who’s drinking the old stuff wants the new: they’ll say, ‘The old stuff is good.’”2Q_& No, new wine should be put in new skins.P)% And nobody puts up new wine in old wine­skins. Otherwise the new wine will burst the skins. It’ll spill out, and the skins will be ruined.rO]$ Jesus started telling them a parable. “Nobody tears a patch from a new piece of clothing and puts it on an old one. Otherwise, not only do you tear the new one, but the patch from the new piece isn’t going to match the old one.pNY# The timeq will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they’ll fast at that time.”rxMi" Jesus said to them, “Can you make the members of the wedding celebration fast while the groom is with them?EL! An Argument about Fasting (Mt. 9:14-17; Mk 2:18-22) And they said to him, “John’ followers often fast and pray, just like the followers of the Pharisees.p But yours eat and drink.”cK? I haven’t come to call people of integrity, but to call sinners to a change of heart.ocJ? Jesus said back to them, “People who are well don’t need a doctor-sick people do.”.IU The Pharisees and their law experts started to grumble. They said to Jesus’ followers, “Why are you eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners?”H# Levi arranged a big reception at his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others, who were there at dinner with them.nFG And he got up and left everything behind, and followed him.SF Jesus Calls Levi to be a Follower (Mt. 9:9-13; Mk 2:13-17) Afterwards, Jesus left, and he noticed a tax collector named Levil sitting in the tax collection office. He said to him, “Come with me.”mE' Everyone was totally amazed, and was glorifying God. They were filled with awe, and were saying, “We’ve seen incredible things today!” D  And he quickly got up in front of them, picked up the sleeping mat that he’d been lying on, and went off home glorifying God.UC# But so that you’ll know that the Human Being hask authority to forgive sins on earth"—he said to the paralyzed man, “I have something to say to you: get up, pick your sleeping mat, and go home.”bB= Which is easier-to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?lAQ But Jesus knew what they were thinking.j He answered them, “Why are you arguing in your hearts?%@C The scripture experts and Pharisees started arguing, “Who is this person who says such blasphemous things? Who can forgive sins except for God alone?”V?% When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend,i your sins are forgiven.”L> But they couldn’t find any way to bring him in because of the crowd. So they got up on the roof and let him down through the tiles-sleeping mat and all, right in the middle in front of Jesus.$=A And there were some men carrying a person on a sleeping mat. He was paralyzed, and they were looking for a way to bring him in lay him in front of Jesus.)<K Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk 2:1-2) One day,h when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there. They’d come from all the villages of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the Sovereign One’s power was there for him to heal people.@;{ But he would go off into the deserted places and pray. :  But the word about him went around all the more. And big crowds came together to hear him and get healed from their illnesses.H9  And Jesus told him not to tell anyone. “Just go off and present yourself to the priest. Then offer a gift for your cleansing, just as Moses prescribed.g It’ll be a testimony to them.”8 Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. He said, “I do want to. Be clean.” And right away, his leprosy went away.7  Jesus Makes a Leper Clean (Mt. 8:1-4; Mk 1:40-45) Once, when Jesus was in one of the towns, there was a man covered with leprosy.f When he saw Jesus, he fell face-down on the ground and pleaded with him: “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.”g6G And when they’d dragged their boats onto the beach, they left everything and followed him.45a So were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid-from now on, you’re going to be catching people.”q4[ Because he and all his companions were completely amazed about the catch of fish that they’d taken.e 3  When Simon Peter saw that, he threw himself down at Jesus’ feetd and said, “Go away from me-I’m a sinful man, Teacher!”*2M And they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled up both boats to the point that they were nearly sinking.c1? When they did, they netted a huge catch of fish. Their nets were even starting to tear.c0 Simon said back to him, “Teacher, we worked hard all night and didn’t get anything. But if you say so,b I’ll let down the nets.”/} When he’d finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”".= Jesus got into one of them, which was Simon’s. He asked him to put out a little way from the shore, and sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.w-g And he saw two boats sitting on the lake. The fishermen had gotten out of them, and were washing their nets.J,  Jesus Calls his First Followers (Mt. 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20) One time, Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret,a with the crowd pressing in on him and listening to the message of God.:+o, And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.*+ But Jesus said to them, “I have to preach the good news of God’s Reign to the other towns too-that’s why I came.”)1* Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues (Mt. 4:23-25; Mk 1:35-39) At dawn the next day Jesus went out and walked to a deserted place. The crowds were searching for him. And they finally reached him, and were trying to hold onto him. They were trying to keep him from leaving them.B(}) Demons were coming out of lots of people too. They would cry out and say, “You are the son of God!” And he’d strictly forbid them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.&'E( At sunset, everyone began bringing him loved ones suffering from various kinds of illnesses.ll And Jesus was laying his hands on each one and healing them.|&q' And he stood over her and told off the fever, and it went away.kk Right away she got up and started serving them.b%=& Jesus Heals Many People at Simon’s House (Mt. 8:14-17; Mk 1:29-34) Jesus leftii the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him to help her.jjM$% And the story about him spread everywhere in the surrounding area.=#s$ Everybody there was completely amazed. They started saying to each other: “What a teaching!hh He tells unclean spirits what to do with authority and power-and they come out!”:"m# Jesus spoke sharply to him, and said, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And the demon threw him down in front of everybody,gg and came out of him without hurting him at all.!)" “Go away! What do we have to do with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!”q [! And there was a man in the synagogue who had a demonic unclean spirit. He cried out with a loud voice,\1 They were just astounded by his teaching, because his words had such authority.ff+ Jesus Kicks Out an Unclean Spirit (Mk 1:21-28) Jesus went down to the Galileandd town of Capernaum.ee And he was teaching them on the Sabbath.L But he went right through the middle of the crowd and walked off.$A They got up and threw him out of their town. They took him to the edge of the cliffcc that their town was built on, and were just about to throw him off.[/ And all the people in the synagogue were furiousbb when they heard those things. And there were lots of lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha’sy time-and none of them was cleansed except for Naamanz the Syrian.aamS And Elijah wasn’t sent to any of them-but only to a widow in Zarephathw in the region of Sidon.x_7 And I’ll tell you something true: there were lots of widows in Israel in Elijah’s time,v when the sky was shut up for three years and six months-to the point that there was a major famine over the whole land.pY And he said, “I’m telling you seriously: no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s own home town.@y And he said to them, “No doubt you’re going to quote me this proverb: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ ‘What we heard happened in Capernaum,u do here in your home town, too.’”6e Everybody was saying good things about him, and they were amazed by the grace of the words coming out of his mouth. They started saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”dA And he began saying to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your ears.”t} Jesus closed the book and gave it to the attendant, and sat down. All the peoples in the synagogue were staring at him.D And to announce the year of the Sovereign One’s favor.r{o The Spirit of the Sovereign One is on me, Because God has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. God has sent me to announce release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind. God has sent me to let the oppressed go free,q~u And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He openedp the book and found the place where it was written:O Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth (Mt. 13:54-58; Mk 6:1-6) And he went to Nazareth, where he’d grown up. As usual,o on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue and stood up to read the scriptures.U# He was teaching in their synagogues,m and was being praisedn by everybody.: m Jesus Begins his Ministry in Galilee (Mt. 4:17; Mk 1:14-15) Jesus came back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Word about him spread through the whole region around there._ 7 When the devil had finished all these tests, he left Jesus alone until another time.] 3 Jesus said back to him, “It’s said, Don’t tempt the Sovereign One your God.lq [ And it says that They’ll lift you with their hands so that you never hit your foot against a stone.kj M After all, scripture says:h. God will give the angelsi instructions about you, to protect you.j-S And the devil led him to Jerusalem, and stood him on the pinnacle of the Temple building. And he said to him, “If you’re the Son of God, jump down from here!g Jesus said back to him, “Scripture says:e. You are to worship the Sovereign One your God, And you are to serve God alone.fU# So if you bow down to the groundd in front of me, it’ll all be yours.”4a The devil said to him, “I’m going to give you this total authority, and the glory of these kingdoms-because it’s been given to me, and I give it to whoever I want.a; And the devil led Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant.dA Jesus said back to him, “Scripture says:b. A human being is not only to live on bread.czm And the devil said to him, “If you’re the Son of God, tell this stone here to turn into a loaf of bread.”:m And he was being led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tested by the devil. He didn’t eat anything during that time, and at the end of it he was hungry.apY Jesus is Tested by Satan (Mt. 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13) Jesus came back from the Jordan full of the Spirit.>w& son of Enos,pp son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.]~3% son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,ooX})$ son of Cainan, son of Arphaxadmm., son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,nnP|# son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah,llT{!" son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,kkdzA! son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni,jj son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,Py son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nashon,iiVx% son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha,hh son of Nathan, son of David,Vw% son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim,ggVv% son of Joshua, son of Eliezer,ff son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi,Qu son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam,ee son of Er,[t/ son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri,ddXs) son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda,ccVr% son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai,bbVq% son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi,aa son of Jannai, son of Joseph,%pC The Family Line of Jesus the Messiah And so Jesus himself got started at about thirty years old too.y He was the son of Joseph (supposedly), son of Heli,z1o[ and the Holy Spirit came down on him, in the physical shape of a dove.w And there was a voice from heaven: “You’re my son! I love you! I’m pleased with you!”xKn Jesus is Baptized by John (Mt. 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Jn 1:29-34) Now it came about, as all the people were getting baptized, that Jesus got baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven opened up,Gm And he added this to the list:v he locked John up in prison.l/ Now, Herods the tetrarch had been confronted by John about Herodias,t his brother’s wife,u and about all the other evil things that Herod did.ekC And he said a lot of other challenging things as he preached the good news to the people.rJj  His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he’ll clean his threshing floor well, so that he can collect his wheat for stor­age.q But he’ll burn the chaff with fire that can’t be put out.”i{ John answered by telling all of them, “I’m baptizing you with water, but somebody more powerful than me is coming. I’m not even worthy to untie the laces of his sandals. He is the one who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.h} And the people were expectant-and everybody was wondering in their hearts about John: could he possibly be the Messiah?8gi And soldiers would ask him, “And what should we do?” He told them, “Don’t extort money from people, don’t accuse people falsely, and be satisfied with your pay.”Vf% He said to them, “Don’t be charging more than you’re supposedp to.”feE Some tax collectors came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”&dE And he would give them this answer: “If you have two shirts, share with the person who doesn’t have one. And if you have things to eat, do the same.”;cq The crowds asked him, “So what should we do?”|bq Because I’m telling you: God can to raise up children for Abraham out of these stones! And the ax is already laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that doesn’t bear good fruit is going to be chopped out and thrown in the fire.”ay Bear fruit worthy of a change of heart.o And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’=`s Now, John used to say to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of poison­ous snakes,n who warned you to run from God’s anger that’s about to come?@_{ Every human beingl is going to see God’s salvation.m=^s Every valley is going to be filled in, Every mountain and hill is going to be leveled, What’s crooked is going to get straight, And the rough roads are going to be made smooth-K] As it saysj in the book of the words of Isaiah the Prophet, There is a sound of someone calling out in the wilderness: ”Prepare the Sovereign One’s way! Straighten up God’s pathways!”k\ He went into the whole area around the Jordan river, preaching a baptism for a change of hearti for the forgiveness of sins.[{ during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,h God’s message came to John, Zechariah’s son, in the wilderness.LZ John the Baptizer Preaches in the Wilderness (Mt. 3:1-12; Mk 1:2-8) In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,a when Pontius Pilateb was governor of Judea and Herodc was tetrarch of the region of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of Ituread and Trachonitis,e and Lysaniasf was tetrarch of Abilene,gZY-4 And Jesus grew in wisdom, in maturity, and in favor with God and with people.ppX'3 He went back with them and came home to Nazareth, and was always obedientoo to them. And his mother kept all these things safe in her heart.@W{2 And they didn’t understand what he’d said to them. V1 He said to them, “So why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that my Father’s house was the only place I could be?”nn Now,v there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.w He was a man of integrity and spiritual devotion.x He was hoping that Israel would be saved.y And the Holy Spirit was on him. = And they had to give an offering, in line with what it says in the Sovereign One’s Law: A pair of doves or two young pigeons.uy<k just as it’s written in the Sovereign One’s Law, Every first-born son is to be holy to the Sovereign One.tY;+ Simeon Prophesies over Jesus and his Mother in the Temple When their purification days were doner according to the Law of Moses,s they took him up to Jerusalem. They had to present him to the Sovereign One,0:Y Jesus is Named When eight days had gone by, it was time to circumcise him. He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given himq before he was conceived in the womb.89i And the shepherds went back to the fields, and were glorifying and praising God for all the things they’d heard and seen. It had turned out exactly as they’d been told.p\81 But Mary held onto all these things, and kept wondering about them in her heart.oc7? And all the people who heard it were amazed by the things that the shepherds told them.nX6) When they saw it, they explained what had been said to them about this child.l5Q And they hurried over there, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the feeding trough.e4C Thenm the angels went away from them into heaven. And the shepherds started saying to each other, “Come on! Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that’s happened, that the Sovereign One has told us about.Y3+ Glory to God in the heights of heaven! Peace on earth to people of good will!lh2I Suddenly, there with the angel, was a huge heavenly army. They were praising God, and saying:y1k And this’ll be the sign for you: you’ll find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.]03 A savior for you all was born today in the city of David-it’s the Lord Messiah!k/} The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I havei good news for you, that’ll be a great joy to the whole nation.j.5 And an angel of the Sovereign One came and stood in front of them, and the Sovereign One’s glory shone all around them. And they were terrified.hC- Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth to Some Shepherds There were shepherds in that area who were sleeping out in the fields. They were taking turns that night guarding their flock of sheep.<,q And she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him up in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough-because there hadn’t been room for them in the local inn.gK+ and while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.f_*7 He went to get registered with Mary, his formally engaged spouse.e She was pregnant,=)s Joseph went too-he went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea-to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. That’s because he was from the family lined of David.U(# Everybody was going to get registered: each person went to their own city.L' This was the first census, when Quiriniusc was governor of Syria.)&K The Birth of Jesus (Mt. 1:18-25) Now, as it happened, a decree went out at that timea from Caesar Augustus:b the whole world was to be registered in a census. %P And the little boy grew, and got strong in spirit. He was in the wilderness until the day of his presentation in front of Israel. $O It will shine on the people who are in darkness, who sit in death’s shadow;vvv. It will guide our feet onto the path of peace.j#MN Because of our God’s mercy and compassion,ttt the sunrise is going to visit us from above.uuuj"MM You’ll bring knowledge of salvation to God’s people, through the forgiveness of their sins.,!QL And little child, you’re going to be called a prophet of the Most High! Because you’re going to go ahead of the Sovereign One, to prepare the way for God.sss@ {K in holiness and integrity before God all our lives.rrrJ That we’d be rescued from the powerooo of our enemies,ppp and God would give us the gift of serving God without fear,qqq;qI The promisennn God swore to our ancestor Abraham:s_H That God will keep the promise of mercy made to our ancestors,lll and remember God’s holy covenant,mmmfEG That we’ll be safejjj from our enemies, and from the powerkkk of everybody that hates us-_7F Just as God promised,iii from long ago, through the mouths of God’s holy prophets:`9E God has raised up a powerful Savior for us from the line of God’s servant David,hhhmSD Blessfff the Sovereign God of Israel,ggg Because God has visited God’s people and set them free!wC Zechariah’s Prophecy about John And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied. He said,/WB And everyone who heard it kepteee it in their hearts. They were saying, “So, what is this child going to be? Because the hand of the Sovereign One is with him.”{A And all their neighbors were in awe.ccc All these things were being discussed all around the hill-countryddd of Judah.c?@ Right then Zechariah’s mouth and tongue were released,bbb and he started praising God.fE? He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote: “His name is John!” And they were all amazed.dA> And they started making signs to his father, to see what he wanted the baby to be called.O= And they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.”aaaQ< But his mother said to them, “No! He’s going to be called John.”; Then, on the eighth day, it came time to circumciseyy the child. And they started calling him Zechariah, after his father.zzw: Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Sovereign One had shown great mercy to her, and they celebrated with her.iK9 The Birth of John the Baptizer When it came time for Elizabeth to give birth,xx she had a son.] 38 And Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then went back to her home.a ;7 God promised our ancestorsww.-the mercy promised to Abraham and his offspring forever.A }6 God helps God’s servant Israel, remembering the mercyU #5 God fills the hungry with good food, and sends the rich away empty-handed.O 4 God pulls down rulers from thrones, and raises up those who are low;wg3 God’s arm displays God’s power!vv. God scatters people who are arrogant in the thoughts of their hearts;U#2 From generation to generation, God shows mercy to people who revere God.uuV%1 Because the Mighty One has done great things for me-God’s name is holy!tt#0 Because I’m God’s servant, and God has looked kindly on my low position.ss. Because from now on, all generations will call me blessed.8k/ And my spirit is overjoyed with God my Savior.uc. Mary said,rr. Mary’s Song of Praise (the Magnificat) My soul praises the greatness of the Sovereign One,uc- And bless you for believing that there will be a fulfillment of the Sovereign One’s message to you!”qqgG, Because the moment my ears got the sound of your voice,pp the baby leapt for joy in my womb!M+ What a privilege this is for me! The mother of my Lord has come!ooyk* and she shouted out loud: “Blessings on you, above all women! And blessings on the offspring of your womb!nn~) When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby actually jumped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,Y}+( And she went to Zechariah’s house, and called out a greeting tomm Elizabeth.|' Mary Visits Elizabeth Not long afterwards, Mary set outll and quickly made her way up into the hill country, to a village in Judah. { &,zQ% Nothing will be impossible for God!jj. Mary said, “Look, I’m the Sovereign One’s servant. Let it happen just as you’ve said.”kk And the angel left her.:ym$ Now listen—your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son herself, in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her, a woman who’d been called ‘infertile’-becauseIx # And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit is going to come upon you: the power of the Most High is going to cover you. And so the holy child that is born will be called the Son of God.iilwQ" Mary said to the angel, “How is this going to happen? Because I’m not intimate with a man.”rv]! He’ll be king over the descendentshh of Jacob for all ages, and there’ll be no end to his reign.”u1 This child will be great, and he’ll be called “Son of the Most High.” And the Sovereign God will give him the throne of his fathergg David.utc Now listenff.—you’re going to conceive a child, and you’ll have a son. You’ll call his name Jesus.\s1 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary: you’ve found favor with God.xri But she was startled by that statement. And she was considering what sort of greeting that could possibly be.rq] The angel came in the house to her and said, “Hello, favoredee one! The Sovereign One is with you.”p He came to a girlcc who was formally engaged to a man named Joseph, who was a descendent of David.dd The name of the girl was Mary. o An Angel Foretells the Birth of Jesus In her sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth.nw “The Sovereign One has done this for me. This timebb God has seen fit to take away my shame in front of people.”ymk After that timeaa his wife Elizabeth conceived a child. And she stayed in seclusion for five months. She said,Tl! Finally, when Zechariah’s days of service were finished, he went home.z \~~$}||Y{{{Az9yy.xwwEvv1u\tt)ssQrrrqppoon7mmJlkjj2iJhh$g[flee\ddd1cCbaa`__P^^<]]8\\C[ZZGY=XX>=O<<-;::/9b87665544A33211Y009/..&-~,,k++W*g* )`((O'''=&&b%%O$$Z##G"-!! (u+=BsTj1='c i # Ty * = Somebody else said, “I’m going to follow you, Teacher. But first let me give some instructions to the people on my estate.”m)S < And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. You go announce God’s Reign.”|(q ; He said to another person, “Come with me!” But the person said, “Let me go off and bury my father first.” '  : Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birdshh have nests. But the Human One doesn’t have anyplace to rest his head.”%&C 9 “I’m Going to Follow You!” (Mt. 8:18-22) As they were going along the road, somebody said to Jesus, “I’m going to follow you wherever you go.”+%Q 8 And they went to another village.1$] 7 But he turned around and told them off.#3 6 When his followers James and John saw that, they said, “Teacher, do you want us to say for fire to come down from heaven and wipe them out?”ggP" 5 Butff they didn’t accept him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.! 4 And he sent messengers ahead of him. They walked along and came into a Samaritanee village, to get things ready for him.D  3 James and John Suggest the Elijah Approach (see 2 Kgs 1:10, 12)-And Get Told Off As the time got near for Jesus to be taken up into heaven, he became determined to head for Jerusalem.ddhI 2 But Jesus said to him, “Don’t stop them. Because whoever isn’t against us is for us.”jM 1 Whoever isn’t against us is for us (Mk 9:38-41) John said back to him, “Teacher, we saw somebody kicking out demons in your name. And we were trying to get them to stop, because they aren’t following along with us.”X) 0 And he said to them, “Whoever accepts this child in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me. Because the least assuming one of all of you-that’s the one who’s great.”lQ / But Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts. He took a child and stood it next to him.  . Who is the Greatest Follower of Jesus? (Mt. 18:1-5; Mk 9:33-37) An argument came up between them: which of them was the greatest.' - But they didn’t understand that-it had been hidden from them, so they wouldn’t get it. And they kept being afraid to ask him about it.cc) , Then he said to his followers, “You should tuck these words into your ears: the Human One is about to get betrayed to the authorities.”bbmS + And everyone was astounded at the greatness of God. Jesus Tells his Followers Again That he is Going to be Killed (Mt. 17:22-23; Mk 9:30-32) They were all saying how amazed they wereaa over all the things Jesus had been doing.5c * As he was coming up, the demon tore into the boy, and violently shook him. But Jesus told off the unclean spirit and healed the child, and he gave him back to his father.%C ) Jesus answered, “What a faithless and perverse generation you are! How long am I going to be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here to me.”N ( And I begged your followers to kick it out, but they couldn’t.” 9 ' And a spirit takes him over, and suddenly it screams, and makes him shakez violently with foaming at the mouth. It bruises him, and barely goes away.}s & Suddenly a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please, I’m begging you: look at my son-he’s my only child!1 % Jesus Heals a Boy who Has a Demon (Mt. 17:14-21; Mk 9:14-29) Now, on the sixth day, when they came down from the mountain, a big crowd met Jesus. 9 $ As the voice spoke, Jesus appeared all by himself.x And they kept quiet, and at that timey they didn’t tell anybody anything of what they’d seen.oW # A voice came out of the cloud that said, “This is my Son, the one I’ve chosen! Listen to him!”yk " But as he was saying that, a cloud came and covered them, and they got frightened as they went into the cloud.eC ! As they were about to leave him, Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it’s good that we’re here-we can even make three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He didn’t know what he was saying.)  But Peter and his companions had fallen asleep.w When they woke up, they saw his glory, and the two men standing there with him.u c  They appeared in glory, and were talking about his departure,v which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.R   And suddenly two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah.i K  As he was praying, his face suddenly looked different,u and his clothes became flashing white.f E  Jesus is Transformed in Front of Peter, James, and John (Mt. 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; 2 Pet. 1:16-18) About a week after Jesus had said these things, he took Peter and James and John with him, and went up the mountain to pray.    I’m telling you the truth: there are some of you standing right here who won’t diet until they’ve seen God’s Reign.”8i  Because if someone is ashamed of me and my words, then the Human One will also be ashamed of them, when he comes in his and his Father’s glory, along with the holy angels.s_  After all, what good is it if a person has gained the whole world, but has destroyed or lost themselves?zm  Because whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life because of me will find it._7  Pick up your Cross Every Day and Follow Me! (Mt. 16:24-28; Mk 8:34­-9:1) Jesus was saying to everyone, “If anyone wants to come after me, let them deny themselves, pick up their cross every day, and follow me.K  He was saying that the Human One had to be treated very badly bys the elders, chief priests, and scripture experts, and be rejected by them. And he had to be killed, and rise on the third day.   Jesus Tells his Followers that He is Going to be Killed (Mt. 16:24-28; Mk 8:31-9:1) But he warned them not to say that to anybody.gG  And he said to them, “And you? Who do you say I am?” Peter said, “God’s Messiah.”r  They said to him, “John the Baptizer. But others say Elijah, and others say that one of the old prophets has risen from the grave.”Z-  Peter Calls Jesus “God’s Messiah” (Mt. 16:13-21; Mk 8:27-30) Later, when Jesus was praying by himself,q his followers joined him. And he asked them something. He said, “Who do the crowds say I am?”b~=  And they all ate and got a good meal.o And twelve baskets of leftovers were collected.pM}  And he took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, and looked up to heaven, and blessed them. And he broke up the loaves, and was giving them to his followers, so they could serve the crowd.A|}  And they did just what he said, and sat everybody down.{  (Because there were about five thousand men.m.) He said to his followers, “Sit them downn in groups of about fifty.”az; But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “There are no more than five loaves of bread and two fish herel.-unless we’re supposed to go buy food for this whole crowd of people.”Zy- And it started to get late.k The twelve came up and said to Jesus, “Send the crowd off, so they can go to the villages and farms around here. That way they can rest and find themselves something to eat.”/xW But the crowds found out about it, and followed him. And he welcomed them. He started talking to them about God’s Reign, and he was healing those that needed it.jmwS Jesus Feeds More Than 5,000 People (Mt. 14:13-21; Mk 6:30-44; Jn 6:1-13) When the apostlesh came back, they told Jesus all the things they’d done. And he took them with him and went off privately to a town called Bethsaida.i v But Herod said, “I cut off John’s head-so who’s this that I’m hearing all this about?”f And he kept trying to see him.guy  And some were saying, “Elijah has appeared!” Others said, “One of the old prophets has risen from the grave!”t%  Herod Wonders if Jesus is John the Baptizer Back from the Dead (Mt. 14:1-12; Mk 6:14-29) Now, when Herodd the tetrarch heard all the things that were going on, he didn’t know what to think. Because some people were saying,e “John has risen from among the dead!”s}  And they went out, and began to go through the villages. They were telling the good news and healing people everywhere. r   And wherever they don’tc accept you, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that city, as your testimony against them.”Lq  And whatever house you go into, stay there and leave from there.b"p=  He said to them, “Don’t take anything for the journey. Don’t even take a walking stick, or a bag, or food, or money-don’t even have two shirts.Po  And he sent them out to announce God’s Reign and to heal the sick.a