# verses

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His cloud-brightness like dawn, exploding, spreading,<br/>forked-lightning shooting from his hand—<br/>what power hidden in that fist!


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He stops. He shakes Earth.<br/>He looks around. Nations tremble.<br/>The age-old mountains fall to pieces;<br/>ancient hills collapse like a spent balloon.<br/>The paths God takes are older<br/>than the oldest mountains and hills.


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I saw everyone worried, in a panic:<br/>Old wilderness adversaries,<br/>Cushan and Midian, were terrified,<br/>hoping he wouldn't notice them.


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God, is it River you're mad at?<br/>Angry at old River?<br/>Were you raging at Sea when you rode<br/>horse and chariot through to salvation?


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Mountains saw what was coming.<br/>They twisted in pain.<br/>Flood Waters poured in.<br/>Ocean roared and reared huge waves.


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Sun and Moon stopped in their tracks.<br/>Your flashing arrows stopped them,<br/>your lightning-strike spears impaled them.


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You were out to save your people,<br/>to save your specially chosen people.<br/>You beat the stuffing<br/>out of King Wicked,<br/>Stripped him naked<br/>from head to toe,


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Set his severed head on his own spear<br/>and blew away his army.<br/>Scattered they were to the four winds—<br/>and ended up food for the sharks!


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When I heard it, my stomach did flips.<br/>I stammered and stuttered.<br/>My bones turned to water.<br/>I staggered and stumbled.<br/>I sit back and wait for Doomsday<br/>to descend on our attackers.


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Though the cherry trees don't blossom<br/>and the strawberries don't ripen,<br/>Though the apples are worm-eaten<br/>and the wheat fields stunted,<br/>Though the sheep pens are sheepless<br/>and the cattle barns empty,


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Counting on God's Rule to prevail,<br/>I take heart and gain strength.<br/>I run like a deer.<br/>I feel like I'm king of the mountain!<br/>(For congregational use, with a full orchestra.)


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God's Message to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. It came during the reign of Josiah son of Amon, who was king of Judah:


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"Men and women and animals,<br/>including birds and fish—<br/>Anything and everything that causes sin—will go,<br/>but especially people.


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"I'll start with Judah<br/>and everybody who lives in Jerusalem.<br/>I'll sweep the place clean of every trace<br/>of the sex-and-religion Baal shrines and their priests.


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I'll get rid of the people who sneak up to their rooftops at night<br/>to worship the star gods and goddesses;<br/>Also those who continue to worship God<br/>but cover their bases by worshiping other king-gods as well;


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Not to mention those who've dumped God altogether,<br/>no longer giving him a thought or offering a prayer.


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"Quiet now!<br/>Reverent silence before me, God, the Master!<br/>Time's up. My Judgment Day is near:<br/>The Holy Day is all set, the invited guests made holy.


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On the Holy Day, God's Judgment Day,<br/>I will punish the leaders and the royal sons;<br/>I will punish those who dress up like foreign priests and priestesses,


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Who introduce pagan prayers and practices;<br/>And I'll punish all who import pagan superstitions<br/>that turn holy places into hellholes.


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Judgment Day!" God's Decree!<br/>"Cries of panic from the city's Fish Gate,<br/>Cries of terror from the city's Second Quarter,<br/>sounds of great crashing from the hills!


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On Judgment Day,<br/>I'll search through every closet and alley in Jerusalem.<br/>I'll find and punish those who are sitting it out, fat and lazy,<br/>amusing themselves and taking it easy,<br/>Who think, 'God doesn't do anything, good or bad.<br/>He isn't involved, so neither are we.'


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But just wait. They'll lose everything they have,<br/>money and house and land.<br/>They'll build a house and never move in.<br/>They'll plant vineyards and never taste the wine.


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"The Great Judgment Day of God is almost here.<br/>It's countdown time:... seven, six, five, four...<br/>Bitter and noisy cries on my Judgment Day,<br/>even strong men screaming for help.


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Judgment Day is payday—my anger paid out:<br/>a day of distress and anguish,<br/>a day of catastrophic doom,<br/>a day of darkness at noon,<br/>a day of black storm clouds,


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I'll make things so bad they won't know what hit them.<br/>They'll walk around groping like the blind.<br/>They've sinned against God!<br/>Their blood will be poured out like old dishwater,<br/>their guts shoveled into slop buckets.


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Don't plan on buying your way out.<br/>Your money is worthless for this.<br/>This is the Day of God's Judgment—my wrath!<br/>I care about sin with fiery passion—<br/>A fire to burn up the corrupted world,<br/>a wildfire finish to the corrupting people."


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Do it before you're blown away<br/>like leaves in a windstorm,<br/>Before God's Judgment-anger<br/>sweeps down on you,<br/>Before God's Judgment Day wrath<br/>descends with full force.


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Seek God, all you quietly disciplined people<br/>who live by God's justice.<br/>Seek God's right ways. Seek a quiet and disciplined life.<br/>Perhaps you'll be hidden on the Day of God's anger.


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Gaza is scheduled for demolition,<br/>Ashdod will be cleaned out by high noon,<br/>Ekron pulled out by the roots.


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Doom to the seaside people,<br/>the seafaring people from Crete!<br/>The Word of God is bad news for you<br/>who settled Canaan, the Philistine country:<br/>"You're slated for destruction—<br/>no survivors!"


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What's left of the family of Judah will get it.<br/>Day after day they'll pasture by the sea,<br/>and go home in the evening to Ashkelon to sleep.<br/>Their very own God will look out for them.<br/>He'll make things as good as before.


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"I've heard the crude taunts of Moab,<br/>the mockeries flung by Ammon,<br/>The cruel talk they've used to put down my people,<br/>their self-important strutting along Israel's borders.


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Therefore, as sure as I am the living God," says<br/>God-of-the-Angel-Armies,<br/>Israel's personal God,<br/>"Moab will become a ruin like Sodom,<br/>Ammon a ghost town like Gomorrah,<br/>One a field of rocks, the other a sterile salt flat,<br/>a moonscape forever.<br/>What's left of my people will finish them off,<br/>will pick them clean and take over.


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This is what they get for their bloated pride,<br/>their taunts and mockeries of the people<br/>of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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God will be seen as truly terrible—a Holy Terror.<br/>All earth-made gods will shrivel up and blow away;<br/>And everyone, wherever they are, far or near,<br/>will fall to the ground and worship him.


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Then God will reach into the north<br/>and destroy Assyria.<br/>He will waste Nineveh,<br/>leave her dry and treeless as a desert.


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The ghost town of a city,<br/>the haunt of wild animals,<br/>Nineveh will be home to raccoons and coyotes—<br/>they'll bed down in its ruins.<br/>Owls will hoot in the windows, ravens will croak in the doorways—<br/>all that fancy woodwork now a perch for birds.


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Can this be the famous Fun City<br/>that had it made,<br/>That boasted, "I'm the Number-One City!<br/>I'm King of the Mountain!"<br/>So why is the place deserted,<br/>a lair for wild animals?<br/>Passersby hardly give it a look;<br/>they dismiss it with a gesture.


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The city that wouldn't take advice,<br/>wouldn't accept correction,<br/>Wouldn't trust God,<br/>wouldn't even get close to her own god!


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Her very own leaders<br/>are rapacious lions,<br/>Her judges are rapacious timber wolves<br/>out every morning prowling for a fresh kill.


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Her prophets are out for what they can get.<br/>They're opportunists—you can't trust them.<br/>Her priests desecrate the Sanctuary.<br/>They use God's law as a weapon to maim and kill souls.


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Yet God remains righteous in her midst,<br/>untouched by the evil.<br/>He stays at it, day after day, meting out justice.<br/>At evening he's still at it, strong as ever.<br/>But evil men and women, without conscience<br/>and without shame, persist in evil.


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"So I cut off the godless nations.<br/>I knocked down their defense posts,<br/>Filled her roads with rubble<br/>so no one could get through.<br/>Her cities were bombed-out ruins,<br/>unlivable and unlived in.


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"I thought, 'Surely she'll honor me now,<br/>accept my discipline and correction,<br/>Find a way of escape from the trouble she's in,<br/>find relief from the punishment I'm bringing.'<br/>But it didn't faze her. Bright and early<br/>she was up at it again, doing the same old things.


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"Well, if that's what you want, stick around."<br/>God's Decree.<br/>"Your day in court is coming,<br/>but remember I'll be there to bring evidence.<br/>I'll bring all the nations to the courtroom,<br/>round up all the kingdoms,<br/>And let them feel the brunt of my anger,<br/>my raging wrath.<br/>My zeal is a fire<br/>that will purge and purify the earth.


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"In the end I will turn things around for the people.<br/>I'll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted,<br/>Words to address God in worship<br/>and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel.


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They'll come from beyond the Ethiopian rivers,<br/>they'll come praying—<br/>All my scattered, exiled people<br/>will come home with offerings for worship.


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You'll no longer have to be ashamed<br/>of all those acts of rebellion.<br/>I'll have gotten rid of your arrogant leaders.<br/>No more pious strutting on my holy hill!


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I'll leave a core of people among you<br/>who are poor in spirit—<br/>What's left of Israel that's really Israel.<br/>They'll make their home in God.


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This core holy people<br/>will not do wrong.<br/>They won't lie,<br/>won't use words to flatter or seduce.<br/>Content with who they are and where they are,<br/>unanxious, they'll live at peace."


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So sing, Daughter Zion!<br/>Raise the rafters, Israel!<br/>Daughter Jerusalem,<br/>be happy! celebrate!


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God has reversed his judgments against you<br/>and sent your enemies off chasing their tails.<br/>From now on, God is Israel's king,<br/>in charge at the center.<br/>There's nothing to fear from evil<br/>ever again!


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Your God is present among you,<br/>a strong Warrior there to save you.<br/>Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love<br/>and delight you with his songs.


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"The accumulated sorrows of your exile<br/>will dissipate.<br/>I, your God, will get rid of them for you.<br/>You've carried those burdens long enough.


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At the same time, I'll get rid of all those<br/>who've made your life miserable.<br/>I'll heal the maimed;<br/>I'll bring home the homeless.<br/>In the very countries where they were hated<br/>they will be venerated.


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On Judgment Day<br/>I'll bring you back home—a great family gathering!<br/>You'll be famous and honored<br/>all over the world.<br/>You'll see it with your own eyes—<br/>all those painful partings turned into reunions!"<br/>God's Promise.


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On the first day of the sixth month of the second year in the reign of King Darius of Persia, God's Message was delivered by the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak:


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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: "The people procrastinate. They say this isn't the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God."


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"How is it that it's the 'right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God's Temple, is in ruins?"


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And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again:<br/>"Take a good, hard look at your life.<br/>Think it over.


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You have spent a lot of money,<br/>but you haven't much to show for it.<br/>You keep filling your plates,<br/>but you never get filled up.<br/>You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,<br/>but you're always thirsty.<br/>You put on layer after layer of clothes,<br/>but you can't get warm.<br/>And the people who work for you,<br/>what are they getting out of it?<br/>Not much—<br/>a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that's what.


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That's why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:<br/>"Take a good, hard look at your life.<br/>Think it over."


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Then God said:<br/>"Here's what I want you to do:<br/>Climb into the hills and cut some timber.<br/>Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.<br/>Do it just for me. Honor me.


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You've had great ambitions for yourselves,<br/>but nothing has come of it.<br/>The little you have brought to my Temple<br/>I've blown away—there was nothing to it.<br/>"And why?" (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) "Because while you've run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins.


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I've matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive."


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Then the governor, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak, and all the people with them listened, really listened, to the voice of their God. When God sent the prophet Haggai to them, they paid attention to him. In listening to Haggai, they honored God.


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This is how God got Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people moving—got them working on the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of God came through the prophet Haggai: "Tell Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak


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'Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right?


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" 'So get to work, Zerubbabel!'—God is speaking.<br/>" 'Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!'<br/>" 'Get to work, all you people!'—God is speaking.<br/>" 'Yes, get to work! For I am with you.' The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking!


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'Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I'm living and breathing among you right now. Don't be timid. Don't hold back.'


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"This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: 'Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields.


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And I'll shake down all the godless nations. They'll bring bushels of wealth and I will fill this Temple with splendor.' God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.


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" 'This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.' Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies."


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On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (again, this was in the second year of Darius), God's Message came to Haggai:


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If someone carries a piece of sacred meat in his pocket, meat that is set apart for sacrifice on the altar, and the pocket touches a loaf of bread, a dish of stew, a bottle of wine or oil, or any other food, will these foods be made holy by such contact?"<br/>The priests said, "No."


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Then Haggai said, "How about someone who is contaminated by touching a corpse—if that person touches one of these foods, will it be contaminated?"<br/>The priests said, "Yes, it will be contaminated."


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Then Haggai said, " 'So, this people is contaminated. Their nation is contaminated. Everything they do is contaminated. Whatever they do for me is contaminated.' God says so.


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" 'Think back. Before you set out to lay the first foundation stones for the rebuilding of my Temple,


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how did it go with you? Isn't it true that your foot-dragging, halfhearted efforts at rebuilding the Temple of God were reflected in a sluggish, halfway return on your crops—half the grain you were used to getting, half the wine?


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I hit you with drought and blight and hail. Everything you were doing got hit. But it didn't seem to faze you. You continued to ignore me.' God's Decree.


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" 'Now think ahead from this same date—this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Think ahead from when the Temple rebuilding was launched.


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Has anything in your fields—vine, fig tree, pomegranate, olive tree—failed to flourish? From now on you can count on a blessing.' "


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<br/>God's Message came a second time to Haggai on that most memorable day, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month:


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"Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah:<br/>" 'I am about to shake up everything, to turn everything upside down and start over from top to bottom—


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overthrow governments, destroy foreign powers, dismantle the world of weapons and armaments, throw armies into confusion, so that they end up killing one another.


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And on that day' "—this is God's Message—" 'I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my personal servant and I will set you as a signet ring, the sign of my sovereign presence and authority. I've looked over the field and chosen you for this work.' " The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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In the eighth month of the second year in the reign of Darius, God's Message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:


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So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: 'Come back to me and I'll come back to you.


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Don't be like your parents. The old-time prophets called out to them, "A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: Leave your evil life. Quit your evil practices." But they ignored everything I said to them, stubbornly refused to listen.'


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"And where are your ancestors now? Dead and buried. And the prophets who preached to them? Also dead and buried. But the Message that my servants the prophets spoke, that isn't dead and buried.


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That Message did its work on your ancestors, did it not? It woke them up and they came back, saying, 'He did what he said he would do, sure enough. We didn't get by with a thing.' "


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On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the second year of the reign of Darius, the Message of God was given to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:


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One night I looked out and saw a man astride a red horse. He was in the shadows in a grove of birches. Behind him were more horses—a red, a chestnut, and a white.


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I said, "Sir, what are these horses doing here? What's the meaning of this?"<br/>The Angel-Messenger said, "Let me show you."


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Then the rider in the birch grove spoke up, "These are the riders that God sent to check things out on earth."


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They reported their findings to the Angel of God in the birch grove: "We have looked over the whole earth and all is well. Everything's under control."


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The Angel of God reported back, "O God-of-the-Angel-Armies, how long are you going to stay angry with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? When are you going to let up? Isn't seventy years long enough?"


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who then addressed me: "Tell them this. Tell them that God-of-the-Angel-Armies has spoken. This is God's Message: 'I care deeply for Jerusalem and Zion. I feel very possessive of them.


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But I'm thoroughly angry with the godless nations that act as if they own the whole world. I was only moderately angry earlier, but now they've gone too far. I'm going into action.


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" 'I've come back to Jerusalem, but with compassion this time.'<br/>This is God speaking.<br/>'I'll see to it that my Temple is rebuilt.'<br/>A Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies!<br/>'The rebuilding operation is already staked out.'


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Say it again—a Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>'My cities will prosper again,<br/>God will comfort Zion again,<br/>Jerusalem will be back in my favor again.' "


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I asked the Messenger-Angel, "And what's the meaning of this?"<br/>He said, "These are the powers that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem abroad."


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I asked, "And what are these all about?"<br/>He said, "Since the 'horns' scattered Judah so badly that no one had any hope left, these blacksmiths have arrived to combat the horns. They'll dehorn the godless nations who used their horns to scatter Judah to the four winds."


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I said, "What are you up to?"<br/>"I'm on my way," he said, "to survey Jerusalem,<br/>to measure its width and length."


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and said,<br/>"Run! Tell the Surveyor, 'Jerusalem will burst its walls—<br/>bursting with people, bursting with animals.


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And I'll be right there with her'—God's Decree—'a wall of fire<br/>around unwalled Jerusalem and a radiant presence within.' "


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"Up on your feet! Get out of there—and now!" God says so.<br/>"Return from your far exile.<br/>I scattered you to the four winds." God's Decree.


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God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the One of Glory who sent me on my mission, commenting on the godless nations who stripped you and left you homeless, said, "Anyone who hits you, hits me—bloodies my nose, blackens my eye.


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Yes, and at the right time I'll give the signal and they'll be stripped and thrown out by their own servants." Then you'll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission.


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"Shout and celebrate, Daughter of Zion!<br/>I'm on my way. I'm moving into your neighborhood!"<br/>God's Decree.


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Many godless nations will be linked up with God at that time. ("They will become my family! I'll live in their homes!") And then you'll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission.


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God will reclaim his Judah inheritance in the Holy Land. He'll again make clear that Jerusalem is his choice.


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Next the Messenger-Angel showed me the high priest Joshua. He was standing before God's Angel where the Accuser showed up to accuse him.


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Then God said to the Accuser, "I, God, rebuke you, Accuser! I rebuke you and choose Jerusalem. Surprise! Everything is going up in flames, but I reach in and pull out Jerusalem!"


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The angel spoke to his attendants, "Get him out of those filthy clothes," and then said to Joshua, "Look, I've stripped you of your sin and dressed you up in clean clothes."


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I spoke up and said, "How about a clean new turban for his head also?" And they did it—put a clean new turban on his head. Then they finished dressing him, with God's Angel looking on.


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"Orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: 'If you live the way I tell you and remain obedient in my service, then you'll make the decisions around here and oversee my affairs. And all my attendants standing here will be at your service.


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" 'Careful, High Priest Joshua—both you and your friends sitting here with you, for your friends are in on this, too! Here's what I'm doing next: I'm introducing my servant Branch.


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And note this: This stone that I'm placing before Joshua, a single stone with seven eyes'—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—'I'll engrave with these words: "I'll strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day."


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" 'At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another's porches.' "


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He said, "What do you see?"<br/>I answered, "I see a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top. Seven lamps, each with seven spouts, are set on the bowl.


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"This is God's Message to Zerubbabel: 'You can't force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,' says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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'So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you're nothing but a molehill. He'll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!' "


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"Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you.


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Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!"<br/>Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, "The seven lamps are the eyes of God probing the dark corners of the world like searchlights."


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And while you're at it, the two branches of the olive trees that feed oil to the lamps—what do they mean?"


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He said, "These are the two who stand beside the Master of the whole earth and supply golden lamp oil worldwide."


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The Messenger-Angel said to me, "What do you see now?"<br/>I said, "I see a book flying, a huge book—thirty feet long and fifteen wide!"


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He told me, "This book is the verdict going out worldwide against thieves and liars. The first half of the book disposes of everyone who steals; the second half takes care of everyone who lies.


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I launched it"—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—"and so it will fly into the house of every thief and every liar. It will land in each house and tear it down, timbers and stones."


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I said, "What in the world is that?"<br/>He said, "This is a bushel basket on a journey. It holds the sin of everyone, everywhere."


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He said, "This is Miss Wicked." He pushed her back down into the basket and clamped the lead lid over her.


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Then I looked up and to my surprise saw two women flying. On outstretched wings they airlifted the bushel basket into the sky.


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He said, "East to the land of Shinar. They will build a garage to house it. When it's finished, the basket will be stored there."


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Once again I looked up—another strange sight! Four chariots charging out from between two mountains. The mountains were bronze.


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the third chariot by white horses, and the fourth chariot by dappled horses. All the horses were powerful.


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The angel answered, "These are the four winds of heaven, which originate with the Master of the whole earth.


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The black horses are headed north with the white ones right after them. The dappled horses are headed south."


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The powerful horses galloped out, bursting with energy, eager to patrol through the earth. The Messenger-Angel commanded: "On your way! Survey the earth!" and they were off in every direction.


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Then he called to me and said, "Look at them go! The ones going north are conveying a sense of my Spirit, serene and secure. No more trouble from that direction."


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"Take up a collection from the exiles. Target Heldai, Tobiah, and Jedaiah. They've just arrived from Babylon. You'll find them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah.


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Collect silver and gold from them and fashion crowns. Place one on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest,


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and give him this message:<br/>" 'A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies. Be alert. We have a man here whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of God.


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Yes, he's the one. He'll build the Temple of God. Then he'll assume the role of royalty, take his place on the throne and rule—a priest sitting on the throne!—showing that king and priest can coexist in harmony.'


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"The other crown will be in the Temple of God as a symbol of royalty, under the custodial care of Helem, Tobiah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah.


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"People will come from faraway places to pitch in and rebuild the Temple of God. This will confirm that God-of-the-Angel-Armies did, in fact, send me to you. All this follows as you put your minds to a life of responsive obedience to the voice of your God."


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On the fourth day of the ninth month, in the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, God's Message again came to Zechariah.


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The town of Bethel had sent a delegation headed by Sarezer and Regem-Melech to pray for God's blessing


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and to confer with the priests of the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and also with the prophets. They posed this question: "Should we plan for a day of mourning and abstinence next August, the seventieth anniversary of Jerusalem's fall, as we have been doing all these years?"


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for all the people and for the priests: "When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me?


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And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You're interested in religion, I'm interested in people.


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"There's nothing new to say on the subject. Don't you still have the message of the earlier prophets from the time when Jerusalem was still a thriving, bustling city and the outlying countryside, the Negev and Shephelah, was populated?


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Well, the message hasn't changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:<br/>" 'Treat one another justly.<br/>Love your neighbors.<br/>Be compassionate with each other.


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Don't take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.<br/>Don't plot and scheme against one another—that's evil.'


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They steeled themselves against God's revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. And God became angry, really angry,


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because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn't listen to a word he said.<br/>"So <br/>this is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said]if they won't listen to me, I won't listen to them.


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I scattered them to the four winds. They ended up strangers wherever they were. Their 'promised land' became a vacant lot—weeds and tin cans and thistles. Not a sign of life. They turned a dreamland into a wasteland."


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"I've come back to Zion,<br/>I've moved back to Jerusalem.<br/>Jerusalem's new names will be Truth City,<br/>and Mountain of God-of-the-Angel-Armies,<br/>and Mount Holiness."


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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>"Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in.


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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>"Do the problems of returning and rebuilding by just a few survivors seem too much? But is anything too much for me? Not if I have my say."


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A Message from God-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>"I'll collect my people from countries to the east and countries to the west.


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I'll bring them back and move them into Jerusalem. They'll be my people and I'll be their God. I'll stick with them and do right by them."<br/>A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:


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"Get a grip on things. Hold tight, you who are listening to what I say through the preaching of the prophets. The Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies has been reestablished. The Temple is being rebuilt.


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We've come through a hard time: You worked for a pittance and were lucky to get that; the streets were dangerous; you could never let down your guard; I had turned the world into an armed camp.


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Sowing and harvesting will resume,<br/>Vines will grow grapes,<br/>Gardens will flourish,<br/>Dew and rain will make everything green.<br/>"My core survivors will get everything they need—and more.


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You've gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, you people of Judah and Israel, but I'm coming to save you. From now on, you're the good-news people. Don't be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I'm doing."


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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>"In the same way that I decided to punish you when your ancestors made me angry, and didn't pull my punches,


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And now here's what I want you to do: Tell the truth, the whole truth, when you speak. Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in your courts.


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Don't cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others. Don't do or say what isn't so. I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest." Decree of God.


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"The days of mourning set for the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be turned into days of feasting for Judah—celebration and holiday. Embrace truth! Love peace!"


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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>"People and their leaders will come from all over to see what's going on.


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The leaders will confer with one another: 'Shouldn't we try to get in on this? Get in on God's blessings? Pray to God-of-the-Angel-Armies? What's keeping us? Let's go!'


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"Lots of people, powerful nations—they'll come to Jerusalem looking for what they can get from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, looking to get a blessing from God."


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A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:<br/>"At that time, ten men speaking a variety of languages will grab the sleeve of one Jew, hold tight, and say, 'Let us go with you. We've heard that God is with you.' "


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War Bulletin:<br/>God's Message challenges the country of Hadrach.<br/>It will settle on Damascus.<br/>The whole world has its eyes on God.<br/>Israel isn't the only one.


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Tyre has put together quite a kingdom for herself;<br/>she has stacked up silver like cordwood,<br/>piled gold high as haystacks.


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But God will certainly bankrupt her;<br/>he will dump all that wealth into the ocean<br/>and burn up what's left in a big fire.


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Ashkelon will see it and panic,<br/>Gaza will wring its hands,<br/>Ekron will face a dead end.<br/>Gaza's king will die.<br/>Ashkelon will be emptied out,


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I'll make him spit out his bloody booty<br/>and abandon his vile ways."<br/>What's left will be all God's—a core of survivors,<br/>a family brought together in Judah—<br/>But enemies like Ekron will go the way of the Jebusites,<br/>into the dustbin of history.


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"I will set up camp in my home country<br/>and defend it against invaders.<br/>Nobody is going to hurt my people ever again.<br/>I'm keeping my eye on them.


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"Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!<br/>Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem!<br/>Your king is coming!<br/>a good king who makes all things right,<br/>a humble king riding a donkey,<br/>a mere colt of a donkey.


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I've had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim,<br/>no more war horses in Jerusalem,<br/>no more swords and spears, bows and arrows.<br/>He will offer peace to the nations,<br/>a peaceful rule worldwide,<br/>from the four winds to the seven seas.


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"And you, because of my blood covenant with you,<br/>I'll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells.


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Come home, hope-filled prisoners!<br/>This very day I'm declaring a double bonus—<br/>everything you lost returned twice-over!


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Judah is now my weapon, the bow I'll pull,<br/>setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string.<br/>I'll wake up your sons, O Zion,<br/>to counter your sons, O Greece.<br/>From now on<br/>people are my swords."


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Then God will come into view,<br/>his arrows flashing like lightning!<br/>Master God will blast his trumpet<br/>and set out in a whirlwind.


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God-of-the-Angel-Armies will protect them—<br/>all-out war,<br/>The war to end all wars,<br/>no holds barred.


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Their God will save the day. He'll rescue them.<br/>They'll become like sheep, gentle and soft,<br/>Or like gemstones in a crown,<br/>catching all the colors of the sun.


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Pray to Godr rain—it's time for the spring rain—<br/>to God, the rainmaker,<br/>Spring thunderstorm maker,<br/>maker of grain and barley.


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"Store-bought gods babble gibberish.<br/>Religious experts spout rubbish.<br/>They pontificate hot air.<br/>Their prescriptions are nothing but smoke.<br/>And so the people wander like lost sheep,<br/>poor lost sheep without a shepherd.


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I'm furious with the so-called shepherds.<br/>They're worse than billy goats, and I'll treat them like goats."<br/>God-of-the-Angel-Armies will step in<br/>and take care of his flock, the people of Judah.<br/>He'll revive their spirits,<br/>make them proud to be on God's side.


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God will use them in his work of rebuilding,<br/>use them as foundations and pillars,<br/>Use them as tools and instruments,<br/>use them to oversee his work.


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They'll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one,<br/>their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud,<br/>Courageous and vigorous because God is with them,<br/>undeterred by the world's thugs.


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"I'll put muscle in the people of Judah;<br/>I'll save the people of Joseph.<br/>I know their pain and will make them good as new.<br/>They'll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened.<br/>And why? Because I am their very own God,<br/>I'll do what needs to be done for them.


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The people of Ephraim will be famous,<br/>their lives brimming with joy.<br/>Their children will get in on it, too—<br/>oh, let them feel blessed by God!


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Even though I scattered them to the far corners of earth,<br/>they'll remember me in the faraway places.<br/>They'll keep the story alive in their children,<br/>and they will come back.


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I'll bring them back from the Egyptian west<br/>and round them up from the Assyrian east.<br/>I'll bring them back to sweet Gilead,<br/>back to leafy Lebanon.<br/>Every square foot of land<br/>will be marked by homecoming.


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They'll sail through troubled seas, brush aside brash ocean waves.<br/>Roaring rivers will turn to a trickle.<br/>Gaudy Assyria will be stripped bare,<br/>bully Egypt exposed as a fraud.


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Weep, great pine trees! Mourn, you sister cedars!<br/>Your towering trees are cordwood.<br/>Weep Bashan oak trees!<br/>Your thick forest is now a field of stumps.


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Do you hear the wailing of shepherds?<br/>They've lost everything they once owned.<br/>Do you hear the outrage of the lions?<br/>The mighty jungle of the Jordan is wasted.


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Make room for the returning exiles!<br/>God commanded me, "Shepherd the sheep that are soon to be slaughtered.


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The people who buy them will butcher them for quick and easy money. What's worse, they'll get away with it. The people who sell them will say, 'Lucky me! God's on my side; I've got it made!' They have shepherds who couldn't care less about them."


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God's Decree: "I'm washing my hands of the people of this land. From now on they're all on their own. It's dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest, and the devil take the hindmost. Don't look for help from me."


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So I took over from the crass, money-grubbing owners, and shepherded the sheep marked for slaughter. I got myself two shepherd staffs. I named one Lovely and the other Harmony. Then I went to work shepherding the sheep.


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Within a month I got rid of the corrupt shepherds. I got tired of putting up with them—and they couldn't stand me.


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And then I got tired of the sheep and said, "I've had it with you—no more shepherding from me. If you die, you die; if you're attacked, you're attacked. Whoever survives can eat what's left."


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Then I took the staff named Lovely and broke it across my knee, breaking the beautiful covenant I had made with all the peoples.


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In one stroke, both staff and covenant were broken. The money-hungry owners saw me do it and knew God was behind it.


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Then I addressed them: "Pay me what you think I'm worth." They paid me an insulting sum, counting out thirty silver coins.


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God told me, "Throw it in the poor box." This stingy wage was all they thought of me and my work! So I took the thirty silver coins and threw them into the poor box in God's Temple.


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Then I broke the other staff, Harmony, across my knee, breaking the concord between Judah and Israel.


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I'm going to install just such a shepherd in this land—a shepherd indifferent to victims, who ignores the lost, abandons the injured, and disdains decent citizens. He'll only be in it for what he can get out of it, using and abusing any and all.


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"Doom to you, useless shepherd,<br/>walking off and leaving the sheep!<br/>A curse on your arm!<br/>A curse on your right eye!<br/>Your arm will hang limp and useless.<br/>Your right eye will go stone blind."


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War Bulletin:<br/>God's Message concerning Israel, God's Decree—the very God who threw the skies into space, set earth on a firm foundation, and breathed his own life into men and women:


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"Watch for this: I'm about to turn Jerusalem into a cup of strong drink that will have the people who have set siege to Judah and Jerusalem staggering in a drunken stupor.


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"On the Big Day, I'll turn Jerusalem into a huge stone blocking the way for everyone. All who try to lift it will rupture themselves. All the pagan nations will come together and try to get rid of it.


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"On the Big Day"—this is God speaking—"I'll throw all the war horses into a crazed panic, and their riders along with them. But I'll keep my eye on Judah, watching out for her at the same time that I make the enemy horses go blind.


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The families of Judah will then realize, 'Why, our leaders are strong and able through God-of-the-Angel-Armies, their personal God.'


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"On the Big Day, I'll turn the families of Judah into something like a burning match in a tinder-dry forest, like a fiercely flaming torch in a barn full of hay. They'll burn up everything and everyone in sight—people to the right, people to the left—while Jerusalem fills up with people moving in and making themselves at home—home again in Jerusalem.


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"I, God, will begin by restoring the common households of Judah so that the glory of David's family and the leaders in Jerusalem won't overshadow the ordinary people in Judah.


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On the Big Day, I'll look after everyone who lives in Jerusalem so that the lowliest, weakest person will be as glorious as David and the family of David itself will be godlike, like the Angel of God leading the people.


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"Next I'll deal with the family of David and those who live in Jerusalem. I'll pour a spirit of grace and prayer over them. They'll then be able to recognize me as the One they so grievously wounded—that piercing spear-thrust! And they'll weep—oh, how they'll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child.


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The lamentation in Jerusalem that day will be massive, as famous as the lamentation over Hadad-Rimmon on the fields of Megiddo:


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Everyone will weep and grieve,<br/>the land and everyone in it:<br/>The family of David off by itself<br/>and their women off by themselves;<br/>The family of Nathan off by itself<br/>and their women off by themselves;


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The family of Levi off by itself<br/>and their women off by themselves;<br/>The family of Shimei off by itself<br/>and their women off by themselves;


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"On the Big Day, a fountain will be opened for the family of David and all the leaders of Jerusalem for washing away their sins, for scrubbing their stained and soiled lives clean.


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"On the Big Day"—this is God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking—"I will wipe out the store-bought gods, erase their names from memory. People will forget they ever heard of them. And I'll get rid of the prophets who polluted the air with their diseased words.


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If anyone dares persist in spreading diseased, polluting words, his very own parents will step in and say, 'That's it! You're finished! Your lies about God put everyone in danger,' and then they'll stab him to death in the very act of prophesying lies about God—his own parents, mind you!


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"On the Big Day, the lying prophets will be publicly exposed and humiliated. Then they'll wish they'd never swindled people with their 'visions.' No more masquerading in prophet clothes.


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But they'll deny they've even heard of such things: 'Me, a prophet? Not me. I'm a farmer—grew up on the farm.'


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And if someone says, 'And so where did you get that black eye?' they'll say, 'I ran into a door at a friend's house.'


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<br/>"Sword, get moving against my shepherd,<br/>against my close associate!"<br/>Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.<br/>"Kill the shepherd! Scatter the sheep!<br/>The back of my hand against even the lambs!


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I'll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires.<br/>I'll refine them as silver is refined,<br/>test them for purity as gold is tested.<br/>Then they'll pray to me by name<br/>and I'll answer them personally.<br/>I'll say, 'That's my people.'<br/>They'll say, 'God—my God!' "


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I'm bringing all the godless nations<br/>to war against Jerusalem—<br/>Houses plundered,<br/>women raped,<br/>Half the city taken into exile,<br/>the other half left behind."


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That's the Day he'll take his stand on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split right down the middle, from east to west, leaving a wide valley. Half the mountain will shift north, the other half south.


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Then you will run for your lives down the valley, your escape route that will take you all the way to Azal. You'll run for your lives, just as you ran on the day of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then my God will arrive and all the holy angels with him.


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The Day is coming—the timing is God's—when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning.


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What a Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter!


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The land will stretch out spaciously around Jerusalem—to Geba in the north and Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering at the center, and the commanding city gates—Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery—ringing the city


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full of people. Never again will Jerusalem be totally destroyed. From now on it will be a safe city.


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But this is what will happen to all who fought against Jerusalem: God will visit them with a terrible plague. People's flesh will rot off their bones while they are walking around; their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues in their mouths; people will be dying on their feet!


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Mass hysteria when that happens—total panic! Fellow soldiers fighting and killing each other—holy terror!


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And then Judah will jump into the fray!<br/>Treasures from all the nations will be piled high—gold, silver, the latest fashions.


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The plague will also hit the animals—horses, mules, camels, donkeys. Everything alive in the military camps will be hit by the plague.


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All the survivors from the godless nations that fought against Jerusalem will travel to Jerusalem every year to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and celebrate the Feast of Booths.


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If any of these survivors fail to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, there will be no rain.


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If the Egyptians don't make the pilgrimage and worship, there will be no rain for them. Every nation that does not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths will be hit with the plague.


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Egypt and any other nation that does not make pilgrimage to celebrate the Feast of Booths gets punished.


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On that Day, the Big Day, all the horses' harness bells will be inscribed "Holy to God." The cooking pots in the Temple of God will be as sacred as chalices and plates on the altar.


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In fact, all the pots and pans in all the kitchens of Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. People who come to worship, preparing meals and sacrifices, will use them. On that Big Day there will be no buying or selling in the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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God said, "I love you."<br/>You replied, "Really? How have you loved us?"<br/>"Look at history" (this is God's answer). "Look at how differently I've treated you, Jacob, from Esau: I loved Jacob


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and hated Esau. I reduced pretentious Esau to a molehill, turned his whole country into a ghost town."


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When Edom (Esau) said, "We've been knocked down, but we'll get up and start over, good as new," God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "Just try it and see how far you get. When I knock you down, you stay down. People will take one look at you and say, 'Land of Evil!' and 'the God-cursed tribe!'


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"Yes, take a good look. Then you'll see how faithfully I've loved you and you'll want even more, saying, 'May God be even greater, beyond the borders of Israel!'


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"Isn't it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I'm your Father, where's the honor? If I'm your Master, where's the respect?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: "You priests despise me!<br/>"You say, 'Not so! How do we despise you?'<br/>"By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship.<br/>"You ask, 'What do you mean, "defiling"? What's defiling about it?'


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"When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling.


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And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.


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"Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.


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"Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship!


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"I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: 'God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.'


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"All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, 'Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,'


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and when you say, 'I'm bored—this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!


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"A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!


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If you refuse to obediently listen, and if you refuse to honor me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, in worship, then I'll put you under a curse. I'll exchange all your blessings for curses. In fact, the curses are already at work because you're not serious about honoring me.


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Yes, and the curse will extend to your children. I'm going to plaster your faces with rotting garbage, garbage thrown out from your feasts. That's what you have to look forward to!


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"Maybe that will wake you up. Maybe then you'll realize that I'm indicting you in order to put new life into my covenant with the priests of Levi, the covenant of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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My covenant with Levi was to give life and peace. I kept my covenant with him, and he honored me. He stood in reverent awe before me.


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He taught the truth and did not lie. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. He kept many out of the ditch, kept them on the road.


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"It's the job of priests to teach the truth. People are supposed to look to them for guidance. The priest is the messenger of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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But you priests have abandoned the way of priests. Your teaching has messed up many lives. You have corrupted the covenant of priest Levi. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.


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And so I am showing you up for who you are. Everyone will be disgusted with you and avoid you because you don't live the way I told you to live, and you don't teach my revelation truly and impartially."


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Don't we all come from one Father? Aren't we all created by the same God? So why can't we get along? Why do we desecrate the covenant of our ancestors that binds us together?


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Judah has cheated on God—a sickening violation of trust in Israel and Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the holiness of God by falling in love and running off with foreign women, women who worship alien gods.


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God's curse on those who do this! Drive them out of house and home! They're no longer fit to be part of the community no matter how many offerings they bring to God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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And here's a second offense: You fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don't get what you want from God.


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Do you know why? Simple. Because God was there as a witness when you spoke your marriage vows to your young bride, and now you've broken those vows, broken the faith-bond with your vowed companion, your covenant wife.


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God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that's what. So guard the spirit of marriage within you. Don't cheat on your spouse.


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"I hate divorce," says the God of Israel. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, "I hate the violent dismembering of the 'one flesh' of marriage." So watch yourselves. Don't let your guard down. Don't cheat.


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You make God tired with all your talk.<br/>"How do we tire him out?" you ask.<br/>By saying, "God loves sinners and sin alike. God loves all." And also by saying, "Judgment? God's too nice to judge."


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"Look! I'm sending my messenger on ahead to clear the way for me. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Leader you've been looking for will enter his Temple—yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you've been waiting for. Look! He's on his way!" A Message from the mouth of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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But who will be able to stand up to that coming? Who can survive his appearance?<br/>He'll be like white-hot fire from the smelter's furnace. He'll be like the strongest lye soap at the laundry.


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He'll take his place as a refiner of silver, as a cleanser of dirty clothes. He'll scrub the Levite priests clean, refine them like gold and silver, until they're fit for God, fit to present offerings of righteousness.


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Then, and only then, will Judah and Jerusalem be fit and pleasing to God, as they used to be in the years long ago.


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"Yes, I'm on my way to visit you with Judgment. I'll present compelling evidence against sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who exploit workers, those who take advantage of widows and orphans, those who are inhospitable to the homeless—anyone and everyone who doesn't honor me." A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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"I am God—yes, I Am. I haven't changed. And because I haven't changed, you, the descendants of Jacob, haven't been destroyed.


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You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven't done a thing I've told you. Return to me so I can return to you," says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.<br/>"You ask, 'But how do we return?'


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"Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day.<br/>"You ask, 'How have we robbed you?'<br/>"The tithe and the offering—that's how!


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Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.


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For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers." The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


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"You'll be voted 'Happiest Nation.' You'll experience what it's like to be a country of grace." God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.


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"When you said, 'It doesn't pay to serve God. What do we ever get out of it? When we did what he said and went around with long faces, serious about God-of-the-Angel-Armies, what difference did it make?


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Those who take life into their own hands are the lucky ones. They break all the rules and get ahead anyway. They push God to the limit and get by with it.' "


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Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God's presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God's name.


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God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "They're mine, all mine. They'll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them.


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Once more you'll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn't, between serving God and not serving him.


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"Count on it: The day is coming, raging like a forest fire. All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash—a black day.


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But for you, sunrise! The sun of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking.


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And you'll tromp on the wicked. They'll be nothing but ashes under your feet on that Day." God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.


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"Remember and keep the revelation I gave through my servant Moses, the revelation I commanded at Horeb for all Israel, all the rules and procedures for right living.


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"But also look ahead: I'm sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of God—the decisive Judgment Day!


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He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I'll come and put the land under a curse."


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Jacob had Joseph, Mary's husband, the Mary who gave birth to Jesus, the Jesus who was called Christ.


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There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, another fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and yet another fourteen from the Babylonian exile to Christ.


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The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.)


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Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.


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While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant.


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She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins."


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Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Emmanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").


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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod's kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East.


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They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him."


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When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well.


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Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"


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It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel."


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Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared.


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Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I'll join you at once in your worship."


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Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child.


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They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!


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They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.


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In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.


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After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him."


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Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight.


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They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt."


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Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.)


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A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried.


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"Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead."


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When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee.


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On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."


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While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called "the Baptizer," was preaching in the desert country of Judea.


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His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."


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John and his message were authorized by Isaiah's prophecy: Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!


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John dressed in a camel-hair habit tied at the waist by a leather strap. He lived on a diet of locusts and wild field honey.


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When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference?


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And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen.


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What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire.


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"I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I'm a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.


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He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned."


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But Jesus insisted. <J>"Do it. God's work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism."</J> So John did it.


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The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him.


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And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life."


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Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger,


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which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."


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Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: <J>"It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."</J>


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Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: <J>"Don't you dare test the Lord your God."</J>


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For the third test, the Devil took him on the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were.


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Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."


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Jesus' refusal was curt: <J>"Beat it, Satan!"</J> He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: <J>"Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."</J>


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The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.


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He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills.


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Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations.


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People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come up.


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This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: <J>"Change your life. God's kingdom is here."</J>


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Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work.


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Jesus said to them, <J>"Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass."</J>


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A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them,


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From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives.


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Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all.


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More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the "Ten Towns" across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.


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When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down


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<J>"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.</J>


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<J>"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.</J>


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<J>"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.</J>


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<J>You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.</J>


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<J>"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.</J>


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<J>"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.</J>


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<J>If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.</J>


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<J>Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.</J>


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<J>"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama.</J>


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<J>God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.</J>


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<J>"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.</J>


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<J>Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.</J>


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<J>I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.</J>


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<J>"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you,</J>


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<J>abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.</J>


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<J>"Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail.</J>


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<J>But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.</J>


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<J>"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile.</J>


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<J>And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.</J>


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<J>"Remember the Scripture that says, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'?</J>


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<J>Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are 'legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.</J>


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<J>You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true.</J>


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<J>Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it.</J>


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<J>If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.</J>


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<J>"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'</J>


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<J>I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer,</J>


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<J>for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.</J>


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<J>If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.</J>


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<J>"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.</J>


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<J>"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.</J>


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<J>"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get.</J>


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<J>Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.</J>


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<J>"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?</J>


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<J>"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.</J>


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<J>"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.</J>


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<J>Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.</J>


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<J>With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are.</J>


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<J>Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.</J>


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<J>"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others.</J>


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<J>"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint.</J>


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<J>If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face.</J>


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<J>God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well.</J>


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<J>"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars.</J>


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<J>It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.</J>


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<J>"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.</J>


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<J>If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!</J>


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<J>"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.</J>


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<J>"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.</J>


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<J>Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.</J>


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<J>All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop,</J>


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<J>but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.</J>


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<J>"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?</J>


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<J>What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.</J>


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<J>People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.</J>


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<J>Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.</J>


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<J>"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.</J>


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<J>"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment.</J>


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<J>It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.</J>


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<J>Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt?</J>


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<J>It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.</J>


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<J>"Don't be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege.</J>


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<J>As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?</J>


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<J>"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get.</J>


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<J>"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.</J>


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<J>"Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character.</J>


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<J>Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.</J>


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<J>"Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance—isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills.</J>


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<J>I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.'</J>


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<J>And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'</J>


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<J>"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock.</J>


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<J>Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.</J>


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<J>"But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach.</J>


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When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this.


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It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.


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Then a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, "Master, if you want to, you can heal my body."


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Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, <J>"I want to. Be clean."</J> Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone.


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Jesus said, <J>"Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done."</J>


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"Oh, no," said the captain. "I don't want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine.


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I'm a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; to another, 'Come,' and he comes; to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."


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Taken aback, Jesus said, <J>"I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works.</J>


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<J>This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions—streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God's kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.</J>


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<J>Then those who grew up 'in the faith' but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened."</J>


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Then Jesus turned to the captain and said, <J>"Go. What you believed could happen has happened."</J> At that moment his servant became well.


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By this time they were in front of Peter's house. On entering, Jesus found Peter's mother-in-law sick in bed, burning up with fever.


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He touched her hand and the fever was gone. No sooner was she up on her feet than she was fixing dinner for him.


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That evening a lot of demon-afflicted people were brought to him. He relieved the inwardly tormented. He cured the bodily ill.


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When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake.


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Another follower said, "Master, excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have my father's funeral to take care of."


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Jesus refused. <J>"First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life."</J>


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The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm. Waves were crashing into the boat—and he was sound asleep!


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Jesus reprimanded them. <J>"Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?"</J> Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass.


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The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. "What's going on here? Wind and sea come to heel at his command!"


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They landed in the country of the Gadarenes and were met by two madmen, victims of demons, coming out of the cemetery. The men had terrorized the region for so long that no one considered it safe to walk down that stretch of road anymore.


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Seeing Jesus, the madmen screamed out, "What business do you have giving us a hard time? You're the Son of God! You weren't supposed to show up here yet!"


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Jesus said, <J>"Go ahead, but get out of here!"</J> Crazed, the pigs stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.


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Scared to death, the swineherds bolted. They told everyone back in town what had happened to the madmen and the pigs.


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Those who heard about it were angry about the drowned pigs. A mob formed and demanded that Jesus get out and not come back.


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They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, <J>"Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins."</J>


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<J>Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both... ."</J> At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, <J>"Get up. Take your bed and go home."</J>


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The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.


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Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, <J>"Come along with me."</J> Matthew stood up and followed him.


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Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them.


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When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?"


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<J>Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."</J>


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A little later John's followers approached, asking, "Why is it that we and the Pharisees rigorously discipline body and spirit by fasting, but your followers don't?"


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Jesus told them, <J>"When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but not now. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!"</J>


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He went on, <J>"No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match.</J>


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As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, "My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live."


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Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe.


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She was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I'll get well." Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: <J>"Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well."</J>


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By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles.


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Jesus was abrupt: <J>"Clear out! This girl isn't dead. She's sleeping."</J> They told him he didn't know what he was talking about.


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But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive.


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As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, "Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!"


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When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, <J>"Do you really believe I can do this?"</J> They said, "Why, yes, Master!"


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It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. <J>"Don't let a soul know how this happened."</J>


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Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus.


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As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he'd been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: "There's never been anything like this in Israel!"


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The Pharisees were left sputtering, "Hocus pocus. It's nothing but hocus pocus. He's probably made a pact with the Devil."


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Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives.


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When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.


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The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives.


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This is the list of the twelve he sent: Simon (they called him Peter, or "Rock"), Andrew, his brother, James, Zebedee's son, John, his brother,


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Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge: <J>"Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy.</J>


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<J>Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.</J>


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<J>You don't need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.</J>


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<J>"When you enter a town or village, don't insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.</J>


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<J>If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.</J>


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<J>You can be sure that on Judgment Day they'll be mighty sorry—but it's no concern of yours now.</J>


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<J>"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.</J>


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<J>"Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me.</J>


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<J>Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news!</J>


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<J>"When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family.</J>


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<J>There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end.</J>


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<J>It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.</J>


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<J>"A student doesn't get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn't make more money than his boss.</J>


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<J>Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, 'Dungface,' what can the workers expect?</J>


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<J>"Don't be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are.</J>


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<J>"Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.</J>


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<J>"What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do.</J>


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<J>He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head!</J>


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<J>make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God.</J>


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<J>If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me.</J>


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<J>If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.</J>


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<J>"We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me.</J>


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<J>Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small.</J>


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<J>Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing."</J>


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When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.


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John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples


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<J>The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.</J>


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When John's disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. <J>"What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper?</J>


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<J>He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, 'I'm sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.'</J>


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<J>"Let me tell you what's going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.</J>


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<J>But if you read the books of the Prophets and God's Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom.</J>


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<J>Looked at in this way, John is the 'Elijah' you've all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.</J>


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<J>"How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents,</J>


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<J>'We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.'</J>


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<J>I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riff-raff. Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating."</J>


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Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.


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<J>"Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute.</J>


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<J>And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around.</J>


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Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: <J>"Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.</J>


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<J>Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.</J>


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<J>"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.</J>


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<J>Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.</J>


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One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them.


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Jesus said, <J>"Really? Didn't you ever read what David and his companions did when they were hungry,</J>


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<J>how they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat?</J>


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<J>And didn't you ever read in God's Law that priests carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules all the time and it's not held against them?</J>


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<J>If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this.</J>


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There was a man there with a crippled hand. They said to Jesus, "Is it legal to heal on the Sabbath?" They were baiting him.


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He replied, <J>"Is there a person here who, finding one of your lambs fallen into a ravine, wouldn't, even though it was a Sabbath, pull it out?</J>


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Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all


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Look well at my handpicked servant; I love him so much, take such delight in him. I've placed my Spirit on him; he'll decree justice to the nations.


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He won't walk over anyone's feelings, won't push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph;


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Next a poor demon-afflicted wretch, both blind and deaf, was set down before him. Jesus healed him, gave him his sight and hearing.


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But the Pharisees, when they heard the report, were cynical. "Black magic," they said. "Some devil trick he's pulled from his sleeve."


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Jesus confronted their slander. <J>"A judge who gives opposite verdicts on the same person cancels himself out; a family that's in a constant squabble disintegrates;</J>


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<J>If you're slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil kicking out devils, doesn't the same mud stick to your own exorcists?</J>


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<J>"But if it's by God's power that I am sending the evil spirits packing, then God's kingdom is here for sure.</J>


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<J>How in the world do you think it's possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.</J>


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<J>"This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse.</J>


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<J>"There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. But if you deliberately persist in your slanders against God's Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives.</J>


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<J>If you reject the Son of Man out of some misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit can forgive you, but when you reject the Holy Spirit, you're sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.</J>


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<J>"If you grow a healthy tree, you'll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you'll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.</J>


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<J>"You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.</J>


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<J>A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard.</J>


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<J>Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously.</J>


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Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. "Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?"


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Jesus said, <J>"You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. The only proof you're going to get is what looks like the absence of proof: Jonah-evidence.</J>


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<J>Like Jonah, three days and nights in the fish's belly, the Son of Man will be gone three days and nights in a deep grave.</J>


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<J>"On Judgment Day, the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about 'proofs.'</J>


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<J>On Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that will condemn this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon's is right in front of you, and you quibble over 'evidence.'</J>


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<J>"When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone,</J>


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<J>it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.' On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant.</J>


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<J>It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place. "That's what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren't hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in."</J>


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While he was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers showed up. They were outside trying to get a message to him.


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He then stretched out his hand toward his disciples. <J>"Look closely. These are my mother and brothers.</J>


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<J>Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly Father's will is my brother and sister and mother."</J>


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Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories. <J>"What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed.</J>


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He replied, <J>"You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them.</J>


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<J>Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears.</J>


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<J>That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it.</J>


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<J>I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing.</J>


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<J>The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.</J>


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<J>A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.</J>


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<J>When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.</J>


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<J>"The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm.</J>


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<J>But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.</J>


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<J>"The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.</J>


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<J>"The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams."</J>


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<J>That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn.</J>


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<J>When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.</J>


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<J>"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'</J>


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<J>"He answered, 'Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, 'Should we weed out the thistles?'</J>


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<J>Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.' "</J>


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<J>It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it."</J>


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Another story. <J>"God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises."</J>


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His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy: I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open things hidden since the world's first day.


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Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field."


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<J>The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil,</J>


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<J>and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels.</J>


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<J>pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen.</J>


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<J>"God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidently found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.</J>


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<J>When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away.</J>


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<J>That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish</J>


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<J>and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good."</J>


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He said, <J>"Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it."</J>


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returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise, get such ability?"


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But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas.


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But Jesus said, <J>"A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family."</J> He didn't do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.


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He said to his servants, "This has to be John the Baptizer come back from the dead. That's why he's able to work miracles!"


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Herod had arrested John, put him in chains, and sent him to prison to placate Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.


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Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid because so many people revered John as a prophet of God.


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But at his birthday celebration, he got his chance. Herodias's daughter provided the entertainment, dancing for the guests. She swept Herod away.


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Already coached by her mother, she was ready: "Give me, served up on a platter, the head of John the Baptizer."


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When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was.


text:
Toward evening the disciples approached him. "We're out in the country and it's getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper."


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Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation.


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As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people.


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With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.


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Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves.


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But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"


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Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, <J>"Faint-heart, what got into you?"</J>


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The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!"


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When the people got wind that he was back, they sent out word through the neighborhood and rounded up all the sick,


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But Jesus put it right back on them. <J>"Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's commands?</J>


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<J>God clearly says, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.'</J>


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<J>But you weasel around that by saying, 'Whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, What I owed to you I've given to God.'</J>


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<J>They act like they're worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy."</J>


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Later his disciples came and told him, "Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?"


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Jesus shrugged it off. "<J>Every tree that wasn't planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots.</J>


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<J>Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch."</J>


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<J>Don't you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated?</J>


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<J>It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing.</J>


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<J>That's what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands—that's neither here nor there."</J>


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They had hardly arrived when a Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, "Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit."


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Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, "Now she's bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She's driving us crazy."


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Jesus gave in. <J>"Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!"</J> Right then her daughter became well.


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After Jesus returned, he walked along Lake Galilee and then climbed a mountain and took his place, ready to receive visitors.


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They came, tons of them, bringing along the paraplegic, the blind, the maimed, the mute—all sorts of people in need—and more or less threw them down at Jesus' feet to see what he would do with them. He healed them.


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When the people saw the mutes speaking, the maimed healthy, the paraplegics walking around, the blind looking around, they were astonished and let everyone know that God was blazingly alive among them.


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But Jesus wasn't finished with them. He called his disciples and said, <J>"I hurt for these people. For three days now they've been with me, and now they have nothing to eat. I can't send them away without a meal—they'd probably collapse on the road."</J>


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His disciples said, "But where in this deserted place are you going to dig up enough food for a meal?"


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He took the seven loaves and the fish. After giving thanks, he divided it up and gave it to the people.


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<J>red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather—why can't you read the signs of the times?</J>


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<J>An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you'll get is the Jonah sign."</J> Then he turned on his heel and walked away.


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On their way to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring along bread.


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Jesus knew what they were doing and said, <J>"Why all these worried whispers about forgetting the bread? Runt believers!</J>


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<J>Haven't you caught on yet? Don't you remember the five loaves of bread and the five thousand people, and how many baskets of fragments you picked up?</J>


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<J>Haven't you realized yet that bread isn't the problem? The problem is yeast, Pharisee-Sadducee yeast."</J>


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Then they got it: that he wasn't concerned about eating, but teaching—the Pharisee-Sadducee kind of teaching.


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When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, <J>"What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?"</J>


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They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."


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Jesus came back, <J>"God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.</J>


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<J>And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.</J>


text:
"<J>And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven."</J>


text:
He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.


text:
Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive.


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But Jesus didn't swerve. <J>"Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works."</J>


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Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. <J>"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.</J>


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<J>Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.</J>


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<J>What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?</J>


text:
"<J>Don't be in such a hurry to go into business for yourself. Before you know it the Son of Man will arrive with all the splendor of his Father, accompanied by an army of angels. You'll get everything you have coming to you, a personal gift.</J>


text:
<J>This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you standing here are going to see it take place, see the Son of Man in kingdom glory."</J>


text:
Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain.


text:
His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light.


text:
Peter broke in, "Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?"


text:
While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him."


text:
Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. <J>"Don't breathe a word of what you've seen. After the Son of Man is raised from the dead, you are free to talk."</J>


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The disciples, meanwhile, were asking questions. "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?"


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<J>I'm telling you, Elijah has already come but they didn't know him when they saw him. They treated him like dirt, the same way they are about to treat the Son of Man."</J>


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At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging,


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"Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river.


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Jesus said, <J>"What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here."</J>


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"Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. <J>"The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle."</J>


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As they were regrouping in Galilee, Jesus told them, <J>"The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God.</J>


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<J>They will murder him—and three days later he will be raised alive."</J> The disciples felt terrible.


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Peter said, "Of course." But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. <J>"Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?"</J>


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<J>But so we don't upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you'll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us."</J>


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At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?"


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and said, <J>"I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.</J>


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<J>Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom.</J>


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<J>"But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.</J>


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<J>Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don't have to make it worse—and it's doomsday to you if you do.</J>


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<J>"If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire.</J>


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<J>And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You're better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.</J>


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<J>"Watch that you don't treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don't you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?</J>


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<J>"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one?</J>


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<J>Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.</J>


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<J>"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend.</J>


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<J>If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again.</J>


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<J>If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.</J>


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<J>"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this.</J>


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<J>When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action.</J>


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<J>And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."</J>


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At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"


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<J>As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars.</J>


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<J>He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.</J>


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<J>"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.'</J>


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<J>"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'</J>


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<J>When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.</J>


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<J>"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy.</J>


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<J>And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."</J>


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When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan.


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One day the Pharisees were badgering him: "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"


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He answered, <J>"Haven't you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female?</J>


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<J>And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one.</J>


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<J>Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart."</J>


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They shot back in rebuttal, "If that's so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?"


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Jesus said, <J>"Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hardheartedness, but it is not part of God's original plan.</J>


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<J>I'm holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery."</J>


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But Jesus said, <J>"Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn't for everyone.</J>


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<J>Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you're capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it."</J>


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One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off.


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But Jesus intervened: <J>"Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these."</J>


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Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"


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Jesus said, <J>"Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."</J>


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The man asked, "What in particular?" Jesus said, <J>"Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie,</J>


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"<J>If you want to give it all you've got,"</J> Jesus replied, <J>"go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."</J>


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That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.


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As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, <J>"Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom?</J>


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<J>Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye than for the rich to enter God's kingdom."</J>


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Jesus looked hard at them and said, <J>"No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."</J>


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Jesus replied, <J>"Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel.</J>


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<J>And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life.</J>


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<J>"God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.</J>


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<J>"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed.</J>


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<J>At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?</J>


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<J>"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'</J>


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<J>When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar.</J>


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<J>'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'</J>


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<J>"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we?</J>


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<J>Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'</J>


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<J>"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."</J>


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<J>"Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death.</J>


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<J>They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive."</J>


text:
It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.


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<J>"What do you want?"</J> Jesus asked. She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand."


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Jesus responded, <J>"You have no idea what you're asking."</J> And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?" They said, "Sure, why not?"


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Jesus said, <J>"Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."</J>


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When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers.


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So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, <J>"You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads.</J>


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<J>That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."</J>


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Suddenly they came upon two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard it was Jesus passing, they cried out, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!"


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The crowd tried to hush them up, but they got all the louder, crying, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!"


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Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession.


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with these instructions: <J>"Go over to the village across from you. You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me.</J>


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Tell Zion's daughter, "Look, your king's on his way, poised and ready, mounted On a donkey, on a colt, foal of a pack animal."


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Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat.


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Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, "Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in highest heaven!"


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As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, "What's going on here? Who is this?"


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Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants.


text:
He quoted this text: <J>My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.</J>


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When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task.


text:
"Do you hear what these children are saying?" Jesus said, <J>"Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?"</J>


text:
Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, <J>"No more figs from this tree—ever!"</J> The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick.


text:
The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, "Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?"


text:
But Jesus was matter-of-fact: <J>"Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump.</J>


text:
<J>Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God."</J>


text:
Then he was back in the Temple, teaching. The high priests and leaders of the people came up and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to teach here?"


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Jesus responded, <J>"First let me ask you a question. You answer my question and I'll answer yours.</J>


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<J>About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans?"</J> They were on the spot and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say 'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him;


text:
if we say 'humans,' we're up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet."


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They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't know," they answered. Jesus said, <J>"Then neither will I answer your question.</J>


text:
<J>"Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, 'Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.'</J>


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<J>"The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, 'Sure, glad to.' But he never went.</J>


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<J>"Which of the two sons did what the father asked?"</J> They said, "The first." Jesus said, <J>"Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom.</J>


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<J>John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him.</J>


text:
<J>"Here's another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip.</J>


text:
<J>"The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away.</J>


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<J>The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. 'Surely,' he thought, 'they will respect my son.'</J>


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<J>"But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.'</J>


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<J>"Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?"</J>


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"He'll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance," they answered. "Then he'll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it's time."


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Jesus said, <J>"Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles: The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone. This is God's work; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!</J>


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<J>"This is the way it is with you. God's kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life.</J>


text:
They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people held him to be a prophet of God.


text:
<J>"He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, 'Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!'</J>


text:
<J>"They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop.</J>


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<J>"Then he told his servants, 'We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it.</J>


text:
<J>The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.</J>


text:
<J>"When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed.</J>


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<J>He said to him, 'Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!' The man was speechless.</J>


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<J>Then the king told his servants, 'Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn't get back in.'</J>


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They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don't pander to your students.


text:
Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, <J>"Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me?</J>


text:
That same day, Sadducees approached him. This is the party that denies any possibility of resurrection.


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They asked, "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow and get her with child.


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Here's a case where there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no child, and his wife passed to his brother.


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Jesus answered, <J>"You're off base on two counts: You don't know your Bibles, and you don't know how God works.</J>


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<J>At the resurrection we're beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.</J>


text:
<J>And regarding your speculation on whether the dead are raised or not, don't you read your Bibles? The grammar is clear: God says</J>,


text:
<J>'I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.' The living God defines himself not as the God of dead men, but of the living."</J>


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When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault.


text:
Jesus replied, <J>"Well, if the Christ is David's son, how do you explain that David, under inspiration, named Christ his 'Master'?</J>


text:
That stumped them, literalists that they were. Unwilling to risk losing face again in one of these public verbal exchanges, they quit asking questions for good.


text:
<J>You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.</J>


text:
<J>"Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help.</J>


text:
<J>Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next.</J>


text:
<J>They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions,</J>


text:
<J>preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.'</J>


text:
<J>"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates.</J>


text:
<J>Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven.</J>


text:
<J>And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.</J>


text:
<J>If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.</J>


text:
<J>"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either.</J>


text:
<J>"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned.</J>


text:
<J>"You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, 'If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious.'</J>


text:
<J>And what about this piece of trivia: 'If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious'?</J>


text:
<J>What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands?</J>


text:
<J>A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless.</J>


text:
<J>"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.</J>


text:
<J>Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?</J>


text:
<J>"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony.</J>


text:
<J>"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh.</J>


text:
<J>"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints.</J>


text:
<J>And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands.</J>


text:
<J>"Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper?</J>


text:
<J>It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.</J>


text:
<J>"You can't squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head.</J>


text:
<J>"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God's news! How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me.</J>


text:
<J>What is there left to say? Only this: I'm out of here soon. The next time you see me you'll say, 'Oh, God has blessed him! He's come, bringing God's rule!' "</J>


text:
Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was.


text:
Jesus said, <J>"You're not impressed by all this sheer size, are you? The truth of the matter is that there's not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble."</J>


text:
Later as he was sitting on Mount Olives, his disciples approached and asked him, "Tell us, when are these things going to happen? What will be the sign of your coming, that the time's up?"


text:
<J>Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, 'I am Christ, the Messiah.' They will deceive a lot of people.</J>


text:
<J>When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end.</J>


text:
<J>Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places.</J>


text:
<J>"They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name.</J>


text:
<J>And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other's throat, everyone hating each other.</J>


text:
<J>For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.</J>


text:
<J>"Staying with it—that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, and you'll be saved.</J>


text:
<J>All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.</J>


text:
<J>"But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up in the Temple sanctuary. The prophet Daniel described this. If you've read Daniel, you'll know what I'm talking about.</J>


text:
<J>"This is going to be trouble on a scale beyond what the world has ever seen, or will see again.</J>


text:
<J>If these days of trouble were left to run their course, nobody would make it. But on account of God's chosen people, the trouble will be cut short.</J>


text:
<J>"If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, 'Here's the Messiah!' or points, 'There he is!' don't fall for it.</J>


text:
<J>Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better.</J>


text:
<J>"So if they say, 'Run to the country and see him arrive!' or, 'Quick, get downtown, see him come!' don't give them the time of day.</J>


text:
<J>The Arrival of the Son of Man isn't something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you!</J>


text:
<J>Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it's not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.</J>


text:
<J>"Following those hard times, Sun will fade out, moon cloud over, Stars fall out of the sky, cosmic powers tremble.</J>


text:
<J>"Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven.</J>


text:
<J>At that same moment, he'll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God's chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.</J>


text:
<J>"Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner.</J>


text:
<J>Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place.</J>


text:
<J>"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.</J>


text:
<J>Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark.</J>


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<J>They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away. "The Son of Man's Arrival will be like that:</J>


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<J>But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in.</J>


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<J>"Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day.</J>


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<J>Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you.</J>


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<J>"But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—</J>


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<J>and make hash of him. He'll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering.</J>


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<J>"God's kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom.</J>


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<J>"In the middle of the night someone yelled out, 'He's here! The bridegroom's here! Go out and greet him!'</J>


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<J>The silly virgins said to the smart ones, 'Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.'</J>


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<J>"They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.</J>


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<J>"Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, 'Master, we're here. Let us in.'</J>


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<J>"It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities.</J>


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<J>To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left.</J>


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<J>"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them.</J>


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<J>"The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.</J>


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<J>I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'</J>


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<J>"The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?</J>


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<J>The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.</J>


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<J>" 'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb.</J>


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<J>"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne.</J>


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<J>Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats,</J>


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<J>"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation.</J>


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<J>And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room,</J>


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<J>I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'</J>


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<J>"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink?</J>


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<J>Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'</J>


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<J>"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell.</J>


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<J>And why? Because— I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,</J>


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<J>I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'</J>


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<J>"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'</J>


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<J>"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'</J>


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<J>"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."</J>


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"<J>You know that Passover comes in two days. That's when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion."</J>


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At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas,


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They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. "We don't want a riot on our hands," they said.


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a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume.


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When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. <J>"Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me.</J>


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<J>You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired."</J>


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On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare your Passover meal?"


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He said, <J>"Enter the city. Go up to a certain man and say, 'The Teacher says, My time is near. I and my disciples plan to celebrate the Passover meal at your house.'"</J>


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During the meal, he said, <J>"I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators."</J>


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Jesus answered, <J>"The one who hands me over is someone I eat with daily, one who passes me food at the table.</J>


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<J>In one sense the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense that man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!"</J>


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Then Judas, already turned traitor, said, "It isn't me, is it, Rabbi?" Jesus said, <J>"Don't play games with me, Judas."</J>


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During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples: <J>Take, eat. This is my body.</J>


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"<J>I'll not be drinking wine from this cup again until that new day when I'll drink with you in the kingdom of my Father."</J>


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Then Jesus told them, <J>"Before the night's over, you're going to fall to pieces because of what happens to me. There is a Scripture that says, I'll strike the shepherd; helter-skelter the sheep will be scattered.</J>


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<J>But after I am raised up, I, your Shepherd, will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee."</J>


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"<J>Don't be so sure,"</J> Jesus said. <J>"This very night, before the rooster crows up the dawn, you will deny me three times."</J>


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Peter protested, "Even if I had to die with you, I would never deny you." All the others said the same thing.


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Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, <J>"Stay here while I go over there and pray."</J>


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Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, <J>"My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?"</J>


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When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, <J>"Can't you stick it out with me a single hour?</J>


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<J>Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."</J>


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He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, <J>"My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I'm ready. Do it your way."</J>


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This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.


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When he came back the next time, he said, <J>"Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners.</J>


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The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs.


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Jesus said, <J>"Friend, why this charade?"</J> Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up.


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One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest's servant, cut off his ear.


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<J>Don't you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready?</J>


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<J>But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?"</J>


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Then Jesus addressed the mob: <J>"What is this—coming out after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I have been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me.</J>


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You've done it this way to confirm and fulfill the prophetic writings." Then all the disciples cut and ran.


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The gang that had seized Jesus led him before Caiaphas the Chief Priest, where the religion scholars and leaders had assembled.


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Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest's courtyard. Then he slipped in and mingled with the servants, watching to see how things would turn out.


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The high priests, conspiring with the Jewish Council, tried to cook up charges against Jesus in order to sentence him to death.


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But even though many stepped up, making up one false accusation after another, nothing was believable. Finally two men came forward


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Jesus kept silent. Then the Chief Priest said, "I command you by the authority of the living God to say if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."


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Jesus was curt: <J>"You yourself said it. And that's not all. Soon you'll see it for yourself: The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One, Arriving on the clouds of heaven."</J>


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At that, the Chief Priest lost his temper, ripping his robes, yelling, "He blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses to accuse him? You all heard him blaspheme!


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All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean."


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As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."


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Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. "You've got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away."


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Peter remembered what Jesus had said: <J>"Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."</J> He went out and cried and cried and cried.


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In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus.


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Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests,


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saying, "I've sinned. I've betrayed an innocent man." They said, "What do we care? That's your problem!"


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The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn't know what to do with them. "It wouldn't be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple."


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They decided to get rid of it by buying the "Potter's Field" and use it as a burial place for the homeless.


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Then Jeremiah's words became history: They took the thirty silver pieces, The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel,


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And they purchased the potter's field. And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.


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Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" Jesus said, <J>"If you say so."</J>


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But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing.


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It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd.


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With the crowd before him, Pilate said, "Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?"


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While court was still in session, Pilate's wife sent him a message: "Don't get mixed up in judging this noble man. I've just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him."


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Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.


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When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, "I'm washing my hands of responsibility for this man's death. From now on, it's in your hands. You're judge and jury."


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The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor's palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun.


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They plaited a crown from branches of a thorn bush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: "Bravo, King of the Jews!" they said. "Bravo!"


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When they had had their fun, they took off the toga and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.


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they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn't drink it.


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After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes.


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Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.


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"You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!"


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The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him:


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"He saved others—he can't save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We'll all become believers then!


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He was so sure of God—well, let him rescue his 'Son' now—if he wants him! He did claim to be God's Son, didn't he?"


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Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, <J>"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"</J> which means, <J>"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"</J>


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At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces.


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The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, "This has to be the Son of God!"


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There were also quite a few women watching from a distance, women who had followed Jesus from Galilee in order to serve him.


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Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the Zebedee brothers.


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Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph.


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put it in his own tomb, a new tomb only recently cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Then he went off.


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They said, "Sir, we just remembered that that liar announced while he was still alive, <J>'After three days I will be raised.'</J>


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We've got to get that tomb sealed until the third day. There's a good chance his disciples will come and steal the corpse and then go around saying, 'He's risen from the dead.' Then we'll be worse off than before, the final deceit surpassing the first."


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After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb.


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Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it.


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The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross.


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"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."


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The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples.


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Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. <J>"Good morning!"</J> he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him.


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Jesus said, <J>"You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."</J>


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Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened.


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They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers,


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They assured them, "If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don't get blamed."


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The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around.


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Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion.


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The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.


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Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: <J>"God authorized and commanded me to commission you:</J>


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<J>Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.</J>


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<J>Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."</J>


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following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you.


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John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins.


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People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life.


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John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.


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As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life.


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I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out."


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The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him.


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For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him.


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Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work.


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A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee's sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets.


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Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed.


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Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching.


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They were surprised at his teaching—so forthright, so confident—not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars.


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Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out,


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"What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to! You're the Holy One of God, and you've come to destroy us!"


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Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. "What's going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!"


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Directly on leaving the meeting place, they came to Simon and Andrew's house, accompanied by James and John.


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He went to her, took her hand, and raised her up. No sooner had the fever left than she was up fixing dinner for them.


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He cured their sick bodies and tormented spirits. Because the demons knew his true identity, he didn't let them say a word.


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Jesus said, <J>"Let's go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is why I've come."</J>


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"<J>Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people."</J>


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But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over.


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When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher.


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<J>Which is simpler: to say to the paraplegic, 'I forgive your sins,' or say, 'Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking'?</J>


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<J>Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both..."</J> (he looked now at the paraplegic),


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And the man did it—got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then praised God, saying, "We've never seen anything like this!"


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Strolling along, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, <J>"Come along with me."</J> He came.


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Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers.


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The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: "What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riff-raff?"


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Jesus, overhearing, shot back, <J>"Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."</J>


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The disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees made a practice of fasting. Some people confronted Jesus: "Why do the followers of John and the Pharisees take on the discipline of fasting, but your followers don't?"


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Jesus said, <J>"When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but not now. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!"</J>


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<J>He went on, "No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match.</J>


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As his disciples made a path, they pulled off heads of grain. The Pharisees told on them to Jesus: "Look, your disciples are breaking Sabbath rules!"


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Jesus said, <J>"Really? Haven't you ever read what David did when he was hungry, along with those who were with him?</J>


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<J>How he entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, with the Chief Priest Abiathar right there watching—holy bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat—and handed it out to his companions?"</J>


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The Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath infraction.


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Then he spoke to the people: <J>"What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?"</J> No one said a word.


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He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, <J>"Hold out your hand."</J> He held it out—it was as good as new!


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The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod's followers and ruin him.


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Jesus went off with his disciples to the sea to get away. But a huge crowd from Galilee trailed after them—


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also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, across the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon—swarms of people who had heard the reports and had come to see for themselves.


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He had healed many people, and now everyone who had something wrong was pushing and shoving to get near and touch him.


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He settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word


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James, son of Zebedee, John, brother of James (Jesus nicknamed the Zebedee brothers Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder"),


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Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite,


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Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn't even time to eat.


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His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting carried away with himself.


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The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power.


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Jesus confronted their slander with a story: <J>"Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan?</J>


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<J>A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn't be any Satan left.</J>


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<J>Do you think it's possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.</J>


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"<J>Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven.</J>


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<J>But if you persist in your slanders against God's Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives."</J>


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Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him.


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He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you."


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Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, <J>"Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers.</J>


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<J>Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."</J>


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He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water's edge.


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<J>Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it.</J>


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<J>Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.</J>


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When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories.


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He told them, <J>"You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.</J>


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<J>These are people— Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."</J>


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<J>Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.</J>


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<J>"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm.</J>


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<J>But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.</J>


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<J>but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.</J>


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<J>"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."</J>


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Jesus went on: <J>"Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel?</J>


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<J>We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open.</J>


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<J>"Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way.</J>


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<J>who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens.</J>


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<J>The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain.</J>


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<J>yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it."</J>


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With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity.


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He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.


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And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, "Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?"


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Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, <J>"Quiet! Settle down!"</J> The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.


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Jesus reprimanded the disciples: <J>"Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?"</J>


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They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and call!"


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He lived there among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him—he couldn't be chained, couldn't be tied down.


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He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough to tame him.


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Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills, screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones.


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then bellowed in protest, "What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don't give me a hard time!"


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Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.


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Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened.


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They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man.


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At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.


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but he wouldn't let him. Jesus said, <J>"Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you."</J>


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The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.


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beside himself as he begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live."


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a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—


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The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.


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At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, <J>"Who touched my robe?"</J>


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His disciples said, "What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you're asking, <J>'Who touched me?'</J> Dozens have touched you!"


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The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story.


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Jesus said to her, <J>"Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague."</J>


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While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?"


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Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, <J>"Don't listen to them; just trust me."</J>


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They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles.


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Jesus was abrupt: <J>"Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping."</J>


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Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about. But when he had sent them all out, he took the child's father and mother, along with his companions, and entered the child's room.


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He clasped the girl's hand and said, <J>"Talitha koum,"</J> which means, <J>"Little girl, get up."</J>


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At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy.


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He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat."


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On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?"


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But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "He's just a carpenter—Mary's boy. We've known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?" They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.


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Jesus told them, <J>"A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child."</J>


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Jesus wasn't able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that's all.


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He couldn't get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.


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Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition.


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He sent them off with these instructions: <J>"Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple.</J>


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"<J>If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."</J>


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right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.


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King Herod heard of all this, for by this time the name of Jesus was on everyone's lips. He said, "This has to be John the Baptizer come back from the dead—that's why he's able to work miracles!"


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Others said, "No, it's Elijah." Others said, "He's a prophet, just like one of the old-time prophets."


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Herod was the one who had ordered the arrest of John, put him in chains, and sent him to prison at the nagging of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.


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because Herod was in awe of John. Convinced that he was a holy man, he gave him special treatment. Whenever he listened to him he was miserable with guilt—and yet he couldn't stay away. Something in John kept pulling him back.


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But a portentous day arrived when Herod threw a birthday party, inviting all the brass and bluebloods in Galilee.


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Herodias's daughter entered the banquet hall and danced for the guests. She dazzled Herod and the guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me anything. I'll give you anything you want."


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She went back to her mother and said, "What should I ask for?" "Ask for the head of John the Baptizer."


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Excited, she ran back to the king and said, "I want the head of John the Baptizer served up on a platter. And I want it now!"


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That sobered the king up fast. But unwilling to lose face with his guests, he caved in and let her have her wish.


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The king sent the executioner off to the prison with orders to bring back John's head. He went, cut off John's head,


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Jesus said, <J>"Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest."</J> For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat.


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Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them.


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When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.


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When his disciples thought this had gone on long enough—it was now quite late in the day—they interrupted: "We are a long way out in the country, and it's very late.


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Jesus said, <J>"You do it. Fix supper for them."</J> They replied, "Are you serious? You want us to go spend a fortune on food for their supper?"


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But he was quite serious. <J>"How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory."</J> That didn't take long. "Five," they said, "plus two fish."


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Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred—they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass!


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He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish.


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As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation.


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He could see his men struggling with the oars, the wind having come up against them. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. He intended to go right by them.


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But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and screamed, scared out of their wits.


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As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on.


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They didn't understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.


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Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat—that's all. And whoever touched him became well.


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The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing,


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with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they'd give jugs and pots and pans).


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The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, "Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?"


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Jesus answered, <J>"Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull's-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it.</J>


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<J>They act like they are worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy,</J>


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He went on, <J>"Well, good for you. You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions!</J>


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<J>Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.'</J>


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<J>But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,'</J>


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<J>You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this."</J>


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<J>It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it's what you vomit—that's the real pollution."</J>


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When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, "We don't get it. Put it in plain language."


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Jesus said, <J>"Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you see that what you swallow can't contaminate you?</J>


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<J>It doesn't enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed."</J> (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)


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<J>greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—</J>


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From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn't think he would be found, but he couldn't escape notice.


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He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet,


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begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter.


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He said, <J>"Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there's any left over, the dogs get it."</J>


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Jesus was impressed. <J>"You're right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone."</J>


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Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns.


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Some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him.


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He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man's ears and some spit on the man's tongue.


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beside themselves with excitement. "He's done it all and done it well. He gives hearing to the deaf, speech to the speechless."


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At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said,


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"<J>This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat.</J>


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<J>If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way—some of them have come a long distance."</J>


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So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd.


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They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well.


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When they arrived, the Pharisees came out and started in on him, badgering him to prove himself, pushing him up against the wall.


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Provoked, he said, <J>"Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you'll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee."</J>


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But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn't a crumb in the boat.


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Jesus warned, <J>"Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod."</J>


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Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread.


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Jesus overheard and said, <J>"Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don't you see the point of all this? Don't you get it at all?</J>


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<J>Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?"</J> They said, "Twelve."


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"<J>And the seven loaves for the four thousand—how many bags full of leftovers did you get?"</J> "Seven."


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They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch.


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Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man's eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, <J>"Do you see anything?"</J>


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So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus.


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Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, <J>"Who do the people say I am?"</J>


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"Some say 'John the Baptizer,' " they said. "Others say 'Elijah.' Still others say 'one of the prophets.'"


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He then asked, <J>"And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?"</J> Peter gave the answer: "You are the Christ, the Messiah."


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He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive."


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Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. <J>"Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."</J>


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Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, <J>"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.</J>


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<J>Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.</J>


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"<J>If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."</J>


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Then he drove it home by saying, <J>"This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force."</J>


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Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes.


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Peter interrupted, "Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah."


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Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him."


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The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.


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Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you're free to talk."


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Jesus replied, <J>"Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly and be kicked around contemptibly."</J>


text:
When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them.


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As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him.


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A man out of the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you.


text:
Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn't."


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Jesus said, <J>"What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here."</J>


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They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.


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He asked the boy's father, <J>"How long has this been going on?"</J> "Ever since he was a little boy.


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Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!"


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No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"


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Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: <J>"Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!"</J>


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Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, "He's dead."


text:
After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, "Why couldn't we throw the demon out?"


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for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, <J>"The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive."</J>


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They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, <J>"What were you discussing on the road?"</J>


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He sat down and summoned the Twelve. <J>"So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all."</J>


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"<J>Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me."</J>


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John spoke up, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't in our group."


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Jesus wasn't pleased. <J>"Don't stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down.</J>


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<J>Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.</J>


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<J>"On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.</J>


text:
<J>"If your hand or your foot gets in God's way, chop it off and throw it away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire.</J>


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<J>You're better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.</J>


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<J>but you'll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace."</J>


text:
From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them.


text:
Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, <J>"Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?"</J>


text:
Jesus gave it to them straight: <J>"A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her.</J>


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The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: <J>"Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom.</J>


text:
<J>Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."</J>


text:
As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"


text:
<J>You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honor your father and mother."</J>


text:
Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, <J>"There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me."</J>


text:
The man's face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.


text:
Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, <J>"Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who 'have it all' to enter God's kingdom?"</J>


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The disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: <J>"You can't imagine how difficult.</J>


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<J>I'd say it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for the rich to get into God's kingdom."</J>


text:
Jesus was blunt: <J>"No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it."</J>


text:
Jesus said, <J>"Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message</J>


text:
<J>will lose out. They'll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life!</J>


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<J>This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first."</J>


text:
Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next.


text:
"<J>Listen to me carefully. We're on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans,</J>


text:
<J>who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive."</J>


text:
James and John, Zebedee's sons, came up to him. "Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us."


text:
"Arrange it," they said, "so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left."


text:
Jesus said, <J>"You have no idea what you're asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I'm about to be plunged into?"</J>


text:
"Sure," they said. "Why not?" Jesus said, <J>"Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism.</J>


text:
<J>But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. There are other arrangements for that."</J>


text:
Jesus got them together to settle things down. <J>"You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,"</J> he said, <J>"and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads.</J>


text:
<J>That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage."</J>


text:
They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road.


text:
When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!"


text:
Jesus stopped in his tracks. <J>"Call him over."</J> They called him. "It's your lucky day! Get up! He's calling you to come!"


text:
"<J>On your way,"</J> said Jesus. <J>"Your faith has saved and healed you."</J> In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.


text:
When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany on Mount Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions:


text:
"<J>Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never yet been ridden. Untie it and bring it.</J>


text:
<J>If anyone asks, 'What are you doing?' say, 'The Master needs him, and will return him right away.'"</J>


text:
The people gave him a wonderful welcome, some throwing their coats on the street, others spreading out rushes they had cut in the fields.


text:
Running ahead and following after, they were calling out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God's name!


text:
He entered Jerusalem, then entered the Temple. He looked around, taking it all in. But by now it was late, so he went back to Bethany with the Twelve.


text:
Off in the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn't yet the season for figs.)


text:
He addressed the tree: <J>"No one is going to eat fruit from you again—ever!"</J> And his disciples overheard him.


text:
They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants.


text:
<J>And then he taught them, quoting this text: My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations; You've turned it into a hangout for thieves.</J>


text:
The high priests and religion scholars heard what was going on and plotted how they might get rid of him. They panicked, for the entire crowd was carried away by his teaching.


text:
Peter, remembering what had happened the previous day, said to him, "Rabbi, look—the fig tree you cursed is shriveled up!"


text:
<J>and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done.</J>


text:
<J>That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything.</J>


text:
<J>And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins."</J>


text:
Then when they were back in Jerusalem once again, as they were walking through the Temple, the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders came up


text:
Jesus responded, <J>"First let me ask you a question. Answer my question and then I'll present my credentials.</J>


text:
They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say 'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe John;


text:
if we say 'humans,' we'll be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet."


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They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't know," they said. Jesus replied, <J>"Then I won't answer your question either."</J>


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Then Jesus started telling them stories. <J>"A man planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, erected a watchtower, turned it over to the farmhands, and went off on a trip.</J>


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<J>He sent another and that one they killed. And on and on, many others. Some they beat up, some they killed.</J>


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<J>"Finally there was only one left: a beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, he sent him, thinking, 'Surely they will respect my son.'</J>


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<J>"But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.'</J>


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<J>"What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He'll come and clean house. Then he'll assign the care of the vineyard to others.</J>


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They wanted to lynch him then and there but, intimidated by public opinion, held back. They knew the story was about them. They got away from there as fast as they could.


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They sent some Pharisees and followers of Herod to bait him, hoping to catch him saying something incriminating.


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They came up and said, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don't pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately. Tell us: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"


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He knew it was a trick question, and said, <J>"Why are you playing these games with me? Bring me a coin and let me look at it."</J>


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They handed him one. <J>"This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"</J> "Caesar," they said.


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Jesus said, <J>"Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his."</J> Their mouths hung open, speechless.


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"Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children.


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Jesus said, <J>"You're way off base, and here's why: One, you don't know your Bibles; two, you don't know how God works.</J>


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<J>After the dead are raised up, we're past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.</J>


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<J>And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don't you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, 'I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?</J>


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One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: "Which is most important of all the commandments?"


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<J>And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."</J>


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The religion scholar said, "A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other.


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And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!"


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When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, <J>"You're almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom."</J> After that, no one else dared ask a question.


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While he was teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, <J>"How is it that the religion scholars say that the Messiah is David's 'son,'</J>


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<J>when we all know that David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, God said to my Master, "Sit here at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."</J>


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"<J>David here designates the Messiah 'my Master' — so how can the Messiah also be his 'son'?"</J> The large crowd was delighted with what they heard.


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He continued teaching. <J>"Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery,</J>


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<J>And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they'll pay for it in the end."</J>


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Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions.


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Jesus called his disciples over and said, <J>"The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.</J>


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<J>All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."</J>


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As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!"


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Jesus said, <J>"You're impressed by this grandiose architecture? There's not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble."</J>


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Later, as he was sitting on Mount Olives in full view of the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got him off by himself and asked,


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<J>Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One.' They will deceive a lot of people.</J>


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<J>When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end.</J>


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<J>Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what's coming.</J>


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<J>"And watch out! They're going to drag you into court. And then it will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You're placed there as sentinels to truth.</J>


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<J>"When they bring you, betrayed, into court, don't worry about what you'll say. When the time comes, say what's on your heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.</J>


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<J>There's no telling who will hate you because of me. "Stay with it—that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.</J>


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<J>"But be ready to run for it when you see the monster of desecration set up where it should never be. You who can read, make sure you understand what I'm talking about. If you're living in Judea at the time, run for the hills;</J>


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<J>"These are going to be hard days—nothing like it from the time God made the world right up to the present. And there'll be nothing like it again.</J>


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<J>If he let the days of trouble run their course, nobody would make it. But because of God's chosen people, those he personally chose, he has already intervened.</J>


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<J>"And then they'll see the Son of Man enter in grand style, his Arrival filling the sky—no one will miss it!</J>


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<J>He'll dispatch the angels; they will pull in the chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.</J>


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<J>Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen.</J>


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<J>"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father.</J>


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<J>It's like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch.</J>


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<J>So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning.</J>


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In only two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way they could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.


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They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. "We don't want the crowds up in arms," they said.


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Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head.


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This perfume could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor." They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her.


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But Jesus said, <J>"Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me.</J>


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<J>You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me.</J>


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<J>And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly."</J>


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They couldn't believe their ears, and promised to pay him well. He started looking for just the right moment to hand him over.


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On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the day they prepare the Passover sacrifice, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations so you can eat the Passover meal?"


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He directed two of his disciples, <J>"Go into the city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him.</J>


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<J>Ask the owner of whichever house he enters, 'The Teacher wants to know, Where is my guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'</J>


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The disciples left, came to the city, found everything just as he had told them, and prepared the Passover meal.


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As they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, <J>"I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with me."</J>


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<J>In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense, the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!"</J>


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In the course of their meal, having taken and blessed the bread, he broke it and gave it to them. Then he said, <J>Take, this is my body.</J>


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Jesus told them, <J>"You're all going to feel that your world is falling apart and that it's my fault. There's a Scripture that says, I will strike the shepherd; The sheep will go helter-skelter.</J>


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Peter blurted out, "Even if everyone else is ashamed of you when things fall to pieces, I won't be."


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Jesus said, <J>"Don't be so sure. Today, this very night in fact, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times."</J>


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He blustered in protest, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you." All the others said the same thing.


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"<J>Papa, Father, you can—can't you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?"</J>


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He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, <J>"Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can't you stick it out with me a single hour?</J>


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<J>Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."</J>


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Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open, and they didn't have a plausible excuse.


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He came back a third time and said, <J>"Are you going to sleep all night? No—you've slept long enough. Time's up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.</J>


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No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Judas, the one out of the Twelve, showed up, and with him a gang of ruffians, sent by the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders, brandishing swords and clubs.


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The betrayer had worked out a signal with them: "The one I kiss, that's the one—seize him. Make sure he doesn't get away."


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One of the men standing there unsheathed his sword, swung, and came down on the Chief Priest's servant, lopping off the man's ear.


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Jesus said to them, <J>"What is this, coming after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal?</J>


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<J>Day after day I've been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. What you in fact have done is confirm the prophetic writings."</J>


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They led Jesus to the Chief Priest, where the high priests, religious leaders, and scholars had gathered together.


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Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest's courtyard, where he mingled with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.


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The high priests conspiring with the Jewish Council looked high and low for evidence against Jesus by which they could sentence him to death. They found nothing.


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Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges, but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out.


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"We heard him say, <J>'I am going to tear down this Temple, built by hard labor, and in three days build another without lifting a hand.'"</J>


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In the middle of this, the Chief Priest stood up and asked Jesus, "What do you have to say to the accusation?"


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Jesus was silent. He said nothing. The Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?"


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Jesus said, <J>"Yes, I am, and you'll see it yourself: The Son of Man seated At the right hand of the Mighty One, Arriving on the clouds of heaven."</J>


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The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his clothes, he yelled, "Did you hear that? After that do we need witnesses?


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You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?" They condemned him, one and all. The sentence: death.


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Some of them started spitting at him. They blindfolded his eyes, then hit him, saying, "Who hit you? Prophesy!" The guards, punching and slapping, took him away.


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While all this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest's servant girls came in


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and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him and said, "You were with the Nazarene, Jesus."


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He denied it again. After a little while, the bystanders brought it up again. "You've got to be one of them. You've got 'Galilean' written all over you."


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Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, <J>"Before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times."</J> He collapsed in tears.


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At dawn's first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.


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There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome.


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Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him.


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Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.


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After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.


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There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus' cross.


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And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.


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People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: "You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—


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The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: "He saved others—but he can't save himself!


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Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We'll all become believers then!" Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.


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The darkness lasted three hours. At three o'clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, <J>"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"</J> which means, <J>"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"</J>


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Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down."


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When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, "This has to be the Son of God!"


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There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome.


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When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem.


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Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.


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Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead.


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Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening.


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When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him.


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They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.


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He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty.


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Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."


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They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.


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After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons.


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Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up.


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Then he said, <J>"Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.</J>


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"<J>These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues,</J>


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<J>they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well."</J>


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Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor.


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And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]


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So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us,


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Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story's beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus,


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During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.


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Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God.


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It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment,


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But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John.


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He'll achieve great stature with God. "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb.


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He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God."


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Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."


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But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news.


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But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time."


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Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary.


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When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.


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It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy.


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In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth


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to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary.


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Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.


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He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David;


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The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.


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"And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months' pregnant!


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And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.


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When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit,


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The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.


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God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten,


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On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father.


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Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!


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A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else.


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Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this."


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He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant,


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Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.


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The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.


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So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there.


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She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.


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The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide:


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As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us."


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The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!


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When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.


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Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God


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In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him.


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Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law,


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Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted—


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the pain of a sword-thrust through you— But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.


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Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years


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and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers.


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At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.


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When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth.


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When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn't know it.


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Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbors.


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The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.


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But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt. His mother said, "Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you."


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He said, <J>"Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?"</J>


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So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself.


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In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius—it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias, ruler of Abilene;


text:
during the Chief-Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—John, Zachariah's son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God.


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He went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of life-change leading to forgiveness of sins,


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as described in the words of Isaiah the prophet: Thunder in the desert! "Prepare God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!


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Every ditch will be filled in, Every bump smoothed out, The detours straightened out, All the ruts paved over.


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When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God's judgment?


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It's your life that must change, not your skin. And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as 'father.' Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants.


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What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire."


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Soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He told them, "No shakedowns, no blackmail—and be content with your rations."


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The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, "Could this John be the Messiah?"


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But John intervened: "I'm baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.


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There was a lot more of this—words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message!


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and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."


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When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old, the son (in public perception) of Joseph, who was— son of Heli,


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For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.


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The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: "Since you're God's Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread."


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Then the Devil said, "They're yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I'm in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish.


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Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: <J>"Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."</J>


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For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, "If you are God's Son, jump.


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Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that he was back spread through the countryside.


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He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read,


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he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,


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<J>God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free,</J>


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He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent.


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Then he started in, <J>"You've just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place."</J>


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All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, "Isn't this Joseph's son, the one we've known since he was a youngster?"


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He answered, <J>"I suppose you're going to quote the proverb, 'Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.'</J>


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<J>Isn't it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during that three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land,</J>


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<J>And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of the prophet Elisha but the only one cleansed was Naaman the Syrian."</J>


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They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom,


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They were surprised and impressed—his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.


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"Ho! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to. You're the Holy One of God and you've come to destroy us!"


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Jesus shut him up: <J>"Quiet! Get out of him!"</J> The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn't hurt him.


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That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, "What's going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?"


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He left the meeting place and went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked him to do something for her.


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He stood over her, told the fever to leave—and it left. Before they knew it, she was up getting dinner for them.


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When the sun went down, everyone who had anyone sick with some ailment or other brought them to him. One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them.


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Demons left in droves, screaming, "Son of God! You're the Son of God!" But he shut them up, refusing to let them speak because they knew too much, knew him to be the Messiah.


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He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn't go on.


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He told them, <J>"Don't you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God's kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do?"</J>


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Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God.


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He climbed into the boat that was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.


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When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, <J>"Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch."</J>


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Simon said, "Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets."


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They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.


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Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. "Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself."


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It was the same with James and John, Zebedee's sons, coworkers with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, <J>"There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women."</J>


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One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, "If you want to, you can cleanse me."


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Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, <J>"I want to. Be clean."</J> Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.


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Jesus instructed him, <J>"Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done."</J>


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But the man couldn't keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments.


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One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.


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Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus.


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When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus.


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That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins."


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<J>Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both... ."</J> He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: <J>"Get up. Take your bedroll and go home."</J>


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Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way.


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The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"


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After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, <J>"Come along with me."</J>


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Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner.


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The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. "What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and 'sinners'?"


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<J>I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out."</J>


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They asked him, "John's disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?"


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Jesus said, <J>"When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn't the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time.</J>


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<J>When the groom is gone, the fasting can begin. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!</J>


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On a certain Sabbath Jesus was walking through a field of ripe grain. His disciples were pulling off heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands to get rid of the chaff, and eating them.


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But Jesus stood up for them. <J>"Have you never read what David and those with him did when they were hungry?</J>


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<J>How he entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? He also handed it out to his companions."</J>


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On another Sabbath he went to the meeting place and taught. There was a man there with a crippled right hand.


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The religion scholars and Pharisees had their eye on Jesus to see if he would heal the man, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath infraction.


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He knew what they were up to and spoke to the man with the crippled hand: <J>"Get up and stand here before us."</J> He did.


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Then Jesus addressed them, <J>"Let me ask you something: What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?"</J>


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He looked around, looked each one in the eye. He said to the man, <J>"Hold out your hand."</J> He held it out—it was as good as new!


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Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon.


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They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed.


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Then he spoke: <J>You're blessed when you've lost it all. God's kingdom is there for the finding.</J>


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<J>You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry. Then you're ready for the Messianic meal. You're blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning.</J>


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<J>"Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable.</J>


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<J>You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don't like it, I do... and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.</J>


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<J>And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long. And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games. There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.</J>


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<J>"There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.</J>


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<J>"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.</J>


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<J>If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.</J>


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<J>If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.</J>


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<J>"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!</J>


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<J>If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that.</J>


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<J>If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.</J>


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<J>"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst.</J>


text:
<J>"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier.</J>


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<J>Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."</J>


text:
He quoted a proverb: <J>"'Can a blind man guide a blind man?' Wouldn't they both end up in the ditch?</J>


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<J>An apprentice doesn't lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.</J>


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<J>"It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.</J>


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<J>Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.</J>


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<J>The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives.</J>


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<J>It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.</J>


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<J>"Why are you so polite with me, always saying 'Yes, sir,' and 'That's right, sir,' but never doing a thing I tell you?</J>


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<J>These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.</J>


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<J>"If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last.</J>


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<J>But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss."</J>


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A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn't want to lose him.


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When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant.


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Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, "Master, you don't have to go to all this trouble. I'm not that good a person, you know. I'd be embarrassed for you to come to my house,


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I'm a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; another, 'Come,' and he comes; my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."


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Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: <J>"I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works."</J>


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Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd.


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As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow.


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Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, <J>"Young man, I tell you: Get up."</J>


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They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, "God is back, looking to the needs of his people!"


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He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, "Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?"


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The men showed up before Jesus and said, "John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, 'Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?'"


text:
In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight.


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Then he gave his answer: <J>"Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth have God's salvation hospitality extended to them.</J>


text:
After John's messengers left to make their report, Jesus said more about John to the crowd of people. <J>"What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper?</J>


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<J>What then? A messenger from God? That's right, a messenger! Probably the greatest messenger you'll ever hear.</J>


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<J>He is the messenger Malachi announced when he wrote, I'm sending my messenger on ahead To make the road smooth for you.</J>


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<J>"Let me lay it out for you as plainly as I can: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer, but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.</J>


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The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence;


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the Pharisees and religious officials would have nothing to do with such a baptism, wouldn't think of giving up their place in line to their inferiors.


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<J>They're like spoiled children complaining to their parents, 'We wanted to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you were always too busy.'</J>


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One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee's house and sat down at the dinner table.


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Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume


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and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume.


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When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him."


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<J>Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?"</J>


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Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, <J>"Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair.</J>


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<J>Impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal."</J>


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He continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God's kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him.


text:
There were also some women in their company who had been healed of various evil afflictions and illnesses: Mary, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;


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Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's manager; and Susanna—along with many others who used their considerable means to provide for the company.


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As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story:


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<J>"A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it.</J>


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<J>Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?"</J>


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He said, <J>"You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren't going to get it: Their eyes are open but don't see a thing, Their ears are open but don't hear a thing.</J>


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<J>The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved.</J>


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<J>"The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone.</J>


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<J>"And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.</J>


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<J>"But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.</J>


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<J>"No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way.</J>


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<J>We're not keeping secrets; we're telling them. We're not hiding things; we're bringing everything out into the open.</J>


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<J>So be careful that you don't become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes."</J>


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He replied, <J>"My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God's Word. Obedience is thicker than blood."</J>


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One day he and his disciples got in a boat. <J>"Let's cross the lake,"</J> he said. And off they went.


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It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize.


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They woke Jesus: "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" Getting to his feet, he told the wind, "Silence!" and the waves, "Quiet down!" They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.


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Then he said to his disciples, <J>"Why can't you trust me?"</J> They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, "Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!"


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As he stepped out onto land, a madman from town met him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn't worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery.


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When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before him, and bellowed, "What business do you have messing with me? You're Jesus, Son of the High God, but don't give me a hard time!"


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(The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.


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Jesus asked him, <J>"What is your name?"</J> "Mob. My name is Mob," he said, because many demons afflicted him.


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A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order.


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It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.


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People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus' feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious.


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Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave—too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off.


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"<J>Go home and tell everything God did in you."</J> So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.


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A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus' feet and begged him to come to his home


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because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making his way through the pushing, jostling crowd.


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In the crowd that day there was a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with hemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but not one had been able to help her.


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She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus' robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped.


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Jesus said, <J>"Who touched me?"</J> When no one stepped forward, Peter said, "But Master, we've got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you."


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When the woman realized that she couldn't remain hidden, she knelt trembling before him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story—why she touched him and how at that same moment she was healed.


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Jesus said, <J>"Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!"</J>


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While he was still talking, someone from the leader's house came up and told him, "Your daughter died. No need now to bother the Teacher."


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Going into the house, he wouldn't let anyone enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child's parents.


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Everyone was crying and carrying on over her. Jesus said, <J>"Don't cry. She didn't die; she's sleeping."</J>


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Her parents were ecstatic, but Jesus warned them to keep quiet. "Don't tell a soul what happened in this room."


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Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases.


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<J>Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns—get a modest place and be content there until you leave.</J>


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Commissioned, they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went.


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Herod, the ruler, heard of these goings on and didn't know what to think. There were people saying John had come back from the dead,


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Herod said, "But I killed John—took off his head. So who is this that I keep hearing about?" Curious, he looked for a chance to see him in action.


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The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida.


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But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed.


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As the day declined, the Twelve said, "Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We're out in the middle of nowhere."


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"<J>You feed them</J>," Jesus said. They said, "We couldn't scrape up more than five loaves of bread and a couple of fish—unless, of course, you want us to go to town ourselves and buy food for everybody."


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(There were more than five thousand people in the crowd.) But he went ahead and directed his disciples, <J>"Sit them down in groups of about fifty."</J>


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He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd.


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One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, <J>"What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?"</J>


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They said, "John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back."


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He then asked, <J>"And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?"</J> Peter answered, "The Messiah of God."


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He went on, <J>"It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive."</J>


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Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: <J>"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.</J>


text:
<J>If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by.</J>


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Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God."


text:
About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along.


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and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.


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Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him.


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When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He blurted this out without thinking.


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While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God.


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When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.


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A man called from out of the crowd, "Please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son. He's my only child.


text:
Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he's screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black and blue before it leaves.


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Jesus said, <J>"What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here."</J>


text:
While he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus stepped in, ordered the vile spirit gone, healed the boy, and handed him back to his father.


text:
They all shook their heads in wonder, astonished at God's greatness, God's majestic greatness. While they continued to stand around exclaiming over all the things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,


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"<J>Treasure and ponder each of these next words: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into human hands."</J>


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They didn't get what he was saying. It was like he was speaking a foreign language and they couldn't make heads or tails of it. But they were embarrassed to ask him what he meant.


text:
"<J>Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me, accepts me,"</J> he said. <J>"And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your spirit, not your size, makes the difference."</J>


text:
John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't of our group."


text:
When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem.


text:
He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality.


text:
When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, "Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?"


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Jesus said to another, <J>"Follow me."</J> He said, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral."


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Jesus refused. <J>"First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!"</J>


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Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home."


text:
Jesus said, <J>"No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."</J>


text:
Later the Master selected seventy and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he intended to go.


text:
He gave them this charge: <J>"What a huge harvest! And how few the harvest hands. So on your knees; ask the God of the Harvest to send harvest hands.</J>


text:
<J>"Travel light. Comb and toothbrush and no extra luggage. "Don't loiter and make small talk with everyone you meet along the way.</J>


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<J>If your greeting is received, then it's a good place to stay. But if it's not received, take it back and get out. Don't impose yourself.</J>


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<J>"Stay at one home, taking your meals there, for a worker deserves three square meals. Don't move from house to house, looking for the best cook in town.</J>


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<J>'The only thing we got from you is the dirt on our feet, and we're giving it back. Did you have any idea that God's kingdom was right on your doorstep?'</J>


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<J>"Doom, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had been given half the chances given you, they'd have been on their knees long ago, repenting and crying for mercy.</J>


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<J>"And you, Capernaum! Do you think you're about to be promoted to heaven? Think again. You're on a mud slide to hell.</J>


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<J>"The one who listens to you, listens to me. The one who rejects you, rejects me. And rejecting me is the same as rejecting God, who sent me."</J>


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<J>See what I've given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you.</J>


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<J>All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that's the agenda for rejoicing."</J>


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At that, Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit. <J>"I thank you, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the know-it-alls and showed them to these innocent newcomers. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.</J>


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<J>"I've been given it all by my Father! Only the Father knows who the Son is and only the Son knows who the Father is. The Son can introduce the Father to anyone he wants to."</J>


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He then turned in a private aside to his disciples. <J>"Fortunate the eyes that see what you're seeing!</J>


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<J>There are plenty of prophets and kings who would have given their right arm to see what you are seeing but never got so much as a glimpse, to hear what you are hearing but never got so much as a whisper."</J>


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Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"


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He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."


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Jesus answered by telling a story. <J>"There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead.</J>


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<J>Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side.</J>


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<J>"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him.</J>


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<J>He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable.</J>


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<J>In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'</J>


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"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, <J>"Go and do the same."</J>


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As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home.


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But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."


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The Master said, <J>"Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.</J>


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<J>One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course, and won't be taken from her."</J>


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One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, "Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."


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Then he said, <J>"Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread.</J>


text:
<J>"The friend answers from his bed, 'Don't bother me. The door's locked; my children are all down for the night; I can't get up to give you anything.'</J>


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<J>"But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need.</J>


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<J>"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open.</J>


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<J>"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in.</J>


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<J>If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate?</J>


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<J>As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"</J>


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Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise.


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But some from the crowd were cynical. "Black magic," they said. "Some devil trick he's pulled from his sleeve."


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Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, <J>"Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces.</J>


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<J>If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons,</J>


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<J>but if you're slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn't the same mud stick to your own exorcists?</J>


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<J>But if it's God's finger I'm pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God's kingdom is here for sure.</J>


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<J>"When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound.</J>


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<J>But what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons? Then he's beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered.</J>


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<J>"When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone, it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.'</J>


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<J>It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place."</J>


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While he was saying these things, some woman lifted her voice above the murmur of the crowd: "Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!"


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Jesus commented, <J>"Even more blessed are those who hear God's Word and guard it with their lives!"</J>


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As the crowd swelled, he took a fresh tack: <J>"The mood of this age is all wrong. Everybody's looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you're looking for is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. But the only proof you're going to get is the Jonah-proof given to the Ninevites, which looks like no proof at all.</J>


text:
<J>"On Judgment Day the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about 'proofs.'</J>


text:
<J>On Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that condemns this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon's is right in front of you, and you quibble over 'evidence.'</J>


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<J>"No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going.</J>


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<J>Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar.</J>


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When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table.


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The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn't wash up before the meal.


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But the Master said to him, <J>"I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil.</J>


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<J>Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.</J>


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<J>"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God's love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.</J>


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<J>"You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery.</J>


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<J>Frauds! You're just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under."</J>


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One of the religion scholars spoke up: "Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you're insulting us?"


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He said, <J>"Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You're hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.</J>


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<J>The tombs you build are monuments to your murdering ancestors more than to the murdered prophets.</J>


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<J>That accounts for God's Wisdom saying, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, but they'll kill them and run them off.'</J>


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<J>What it means is that every drop of righteous blood ever spilled from the time earth began until now,.</J>


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<J>from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was struck down between altar and sanctuary, is on your heads. Yes, it's on the bill of this generation and this generation will pay.</J>


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<J>"You're hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won't go in yourself, and won't let anyone else in either."</J>


text:
As soon as Jesus left the table, the religion scholars and Pharisees went into a rage. They went over and over everything he said,


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By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other's toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, <J>"Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness.</J>


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<J>You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known.</J>


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<J>You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.</J>


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<J>"I'm speaking to you as dear friends. Don't be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being.</J>


text:
<J>"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one.</J>


text:
<J>And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries.</J>


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<J>"Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God's angels.</J>


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<J>"If you bad-mouth the Son of Man out of misunderstanding or ignorance, that can be overlooked. But if you're knowingly attacking God himself, taking aim at the Holy Spirit, that won't be overlooked.</J>


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<J>"When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don't worry about defending yourselves—what you'll say or how you'll say it.</J>


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<J>The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes."</J>


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Someone out of the crowd said, "Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance."


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He replied, <J>"Mister, what makes you think it's any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?"</J>


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peaking to the people, he went on, <J>"STake care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."</J>


text:
<J>Then he said, 'Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods,</J>


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<J>and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!'</J>


text:
<J>"Just then God showed up and said, 'Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?'</J>


text:
He continued this subject with his disciples. <J>"Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion.</J>


text:
<J>There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.</J>


text:
<J>Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.</J>


text:
<J>Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.</J>


text:
<J>If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?</J>


text:
<J>"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving.</J>


text:
<J>Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.</J>


text:
<J>Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.</J>


text:
<J>"Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on.</J>


text:
<J>Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks.</J>


text:
<J>Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He'll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them.</J>


text:
<J>"You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn't have stayed out late and left the place unlocked.</J>


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<J>So don't you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don't expect him, the Son of Man will show up."</J>


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The Master said, <J>"Let me ask you: Who is the dependable manager, full of common sense, that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time?</J>


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<J>But if he says to himself, 'The master is certainly taking his time,' begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk,</J>


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<J>the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.</J>


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<J>"The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed.</J>


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<J>But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he'll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!</J>


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<J>I've come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished!</J>


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<J>Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront!</J>


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<J>From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be— Three against two, and two against three;</J>


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<J>Father against son, and son against father; Mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; Mother-in-law against bride, and bride against mother-in-law."</J>


text:
<J>Then he turned to the crowd: "When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, 'Storm's coming'—and you're right.</J>


text:
<J>Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don't tell me you can't tell a change in the season, the God-season we're in right now.</J>


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<J>the kind you'd use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you'd probably go to jail</J>


text:
About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar.


text:
Jesus responded, <J>"Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans?</J>


text:
<J>And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites?</J>


text:
Then he told them a story: <J>"A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any.</J>


text:
<J>He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?'</J>


text:
There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn't even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years.


text:
The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, "Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath."


text:
But Jesus shot back, <J>"You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it.</J>


text:
<J>So why isn't it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?"</J>


text:
When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.


text:
<J>It's like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it."</J>


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<J>It's like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises."</J>


text:
He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.


text:
<J>"Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives.</J>


text:
<J>Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'</J>


text:
<J>only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'</J>


text:
<J>"That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom.</J>


text:
<J>You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened.</J>


text:
<J>This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.</J>


text:
<J>Just then some Pharisees came up and said, "Run for your life! Herod's on the hunt. He's out to kill you!"</J>


text:
Jesus said, <J>"Tell that fox that I've no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I'm busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I'm wrapping things up.</J>


text:
<J>Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets, abuser of the messengers of God! How often I've longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, Her brood safe under her wings— but you refused and turned away!</J>


text:
<J>And now it's too late: You won't see me again until the day you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of God.'"</J>


text:
One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move.


text:
So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, <J>"Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?"</J>


text:
Then he said, <J>"Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn't rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?"</J>


text:
He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said,


text:
<J>"When someone invites you to dinner, don't take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host.</J>


text:
<J>Then he'll come and call out in front of everybody, 'You're in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.' Red-faced, you'll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left.</J>


text:
<J>"When you're invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, 'Friend, come up to the front.' That will give the dinner guests something to talk about!</J>


text:
<J>What I'm saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."</J>


text:
Then he turned to the host. <J>"The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor.</J>


text:
<J>You'll be—and experience—a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God's people."</J>


text:
That triggered a response from one of the guests: "How fortunate the one who gets to eat dinner in God's kingdom!"


text:
Jesus followed up. <J>"Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many.</J>


text:
<J>When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, 'Come on in; the food's on the table.'</J>


text:
<J>"Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, 'I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.'</J>


text:
<J>"Another said, 'I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.'</J>


text:
<J>"The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, 'Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.'</J>


text:
<J>"The master said, 'Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full!</J>


text:
<J>Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.'"</J>


text:
<J>"Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple.</J>


text:
<J>"Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it?</J>


text:
<J>If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you:</J>


text:
<J>"Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other?</J>


text:
<J>"Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple.</J>


text:
<J>"Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it's useless, good for nothing. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?"</J>


text:
By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently.


text:
The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends."


text:
<J>"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it?</J>


text:
<J>and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!'</J>


text:
<J>Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.</J>


text:
<J>"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it?</J>


text:
<J>And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!'</J>


text:
<J>Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."</J>


text:
<J>The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.' "So the father divided the property between them.</J>


text:
<J>It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had.</J>


text:
<J>After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt.</J>


text:
<J>He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.</J>


text:
<J>"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death.</J>


text:
<J>I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you;</J>


text:
<J>He got right up and went home to his father. "When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.</J>


text:
<J>The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'</J>


text:
<J>"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.</J>


text:
<J>Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time!</J>


text:
<J>My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.</J>


text:
<J>"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing.</J>


text:
<J>He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'</J>


text:
<J>"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen.</J>


text:
<J>The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends?</J>


text:
<J>Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'</J>


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<J>"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—</J>


text:
<J>but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"</J>


text:
Jesus said to his disciples, <J>"There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses.</J>


text:
<J>So he called him in and said, 'What's this I hear about you? You're fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.'</J>


text:
<J>"The manager said to himself, 'What am I going to do? I've lost my job as manager. I'm not strong enough for a laboring job, and I'm too proud to beg... .</J>


text:
<J>Ah, I've got a plan. Here's what I'll do... then when I'm turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.'</J>


text:
<J>"Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'</J>


text:
<J>"He replied, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' "The manager said, 'Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.'</J>


text:
<J>"To the next he said, 'And you, what do you owe?' "He answered, 'A hundred sacks of wheat.' "He said, 'Take your bill, write in eighty.'</J>


text:
<J>"Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits.</J>


text:
<J>I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior."</J>


text:
<J>Jesus went on to make these comments: If you're honest in small things, you'll be honest in big things;</J>


text:
<J>No worker can serve two bosses: He'll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can't serve both God and the Bank.</J>


text:
When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch.


text:
So Jesus spoke to them: <J>"You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what's behind the appearance. What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous.</J>


text:
<J>God's Law and the Prophets climaxed in John; Now it's all kingdom of God—the glad news and compelling invitation to every man and woman.</J>


text:
<J>The sky will disintegrate and the earth dissolve before a single letter of God's Law wears out.</J>


text:
<J>Using the legalities of divorce as a cover for lust is adultery; Using the legalities of marriage as a cover for lust is adultery.</J>


text:
<J>"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption.</J>


text:
<J>All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.</J>


text:
<J>"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.</J>


text:
<J>He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'</J>


text:
<J>"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented.</J>


text:
<J>Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.'</J>


text:
<J>where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'</J>


text:
<J>"Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.'</J>


text:
<J>" 'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.'</J>


text:
<J>"Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"</J>


text:
He said to his disciples, <J>"Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on!</J>


text:
<J>Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!</J>


text:
<J>Even if it's personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, 'I'm sorry, I won't do it again,' forgive him."</J>


text:
But the Master said, <J>"You don't need more faith. There is no 'more' or 'less' in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it would do it.</J>


text:
<J>"Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, 'Sit down and eat'?</J>


text:
<J>Wouldn't you be more likely to say, 'Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I've finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper'?</J>


text:
<J>It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, 'The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.'"</J>


text:
It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee.


text:
Taking a good look at them, he said, <J>"Go, show yourselves to the priests."</J> They went, and while still on their way, became clean.


text:
One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God.


text:
Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, <J>"The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar.</J>


text:
<J>Nor when someone says, 'Look here!' or, 'There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you."</J>


text:
He went on to say to his disciples, <J>"The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won't see a thing.</J>


text:
<J>And they'll say to you, 'Look over there!' or, 'Look here!' Don't fall for any of that nonsense.</J>


text:
<J>The arrival of the Son of Man is not something you go out to see. He simply comes. "You know how the whole sky lights up from a single flash of lightning? That's how it will be on the Day of the Son of Man.</J>


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<J>But first it's necessary that he suffer many things and be turned down by the people of today.</J>


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<J>everyone carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ship. They suspected nothing until the flood hit and swept everything away.</J>


text:
<J>"It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual</J>


text:
<J>right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp.</J>


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<J>"When the Day arrives and you're out working in the yard, don't run into the house to get anything. And if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat.</J>


text:
<J>If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms.</J>


text:
Trying to take all this in, the disciples said, "Master, where?" He told them, <J>"Watch for the circling of the vultures. They'll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body."</J>


text:
He said, <J>"There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people.</J>


text:
<J>"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think.</J>


text:
<J>But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'"</J>


text:
<J>So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them?</J>


text:
<J>I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"</J>


text:
He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people:


text:
<J>The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man.</J>


text:
<J>"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'"</J>


text:
<J>Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."</J>


text:
People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off.


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Jesus called them back. <J>"Let these children alone. Don't get between them and me. These children are the kingdom's pride and joy.</J>


text:
One day one of the local officials asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?"


text:
<J>You know the commandments, don't you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother."</J>


text:
When Jesus heard that, he said, <J>"Then there's only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me."</J>


text:
This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go.


text:
Seeing his reaction, Jesus said, <J>"Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God's kingdom?</J>


text:
<J>I'd say it's easier to thread a camel through a needle's eye than get a rich person into God's kingdom."</J>


text:
"<J>No chance at all,"</J> Jesus said, <J>"if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."</J>


text:
"<J>Yes,"</J> said Jesus, <J>"and you won't regret it. No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children—whatever—</J>


text:
<J>will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!"</J>


text:
Then Jesus took the Twelve off to the side and said, <J>"Listen carefully. We're on our way up to Jerusalem. Everything written in the Prophets about the Son of Man will take place.</J>


text:
<J>He will be handed over to the Romans, jeered at, made sport of, and spit on. Then, after giving him the third degree, they will kill him.</J>


text:
Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"


text:
The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.


text:
He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd.


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When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, <J>"Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home."</J>


text:
Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him.


text:
Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?"


text:
Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."


text:
While he had their attention, and because they were getting close to Jerusalem by this time and expectation was building that God's kingdom would appear any minute, he told this story:


text:
<J>"There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return.</J>


text:
<J>But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, 'Operate with this until I return.'</J>


text:
<J>"But the citizens there hated him. So they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: 'We don't want this man to rule us.'</J>


text:
<J>"When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.</J>


text:
<J>"He said, 'Good servant! Great work! Because you've been trustworthy in this small job, I'm making you governor of ten towns.'</J>


text:
<J>"The next servant said, 'Master, here's your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar.</J>


text:
<J>To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don't suffer fools gladly.'</J>


text:
<J>Why didn't you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?'</J>


text:
<J>"Then he said to those standing there, 'Take the money from him and give it to the servant who doubled my stake.'</J>


text:
<J>"He said, 'That's what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.</J>


text:
<J>" 'As for these enemies of mine who petitioned against my rule, clear them out of here. I don't want to see their faces around here again.'"</J>


text:
When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions:


text:
<J>"Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it.</J>


text:
Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:


text:
"<J>If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it's too late.</J>


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<J>In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side.</J>


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<J>They'll smash you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact. All this because you didn't recognize and welcome God's personal visit."</J>


text:
<J>Going into the Temple he began to throw out everyone who had set up shop, selling everything and anything.</J>


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He said, <J>"It's written in Scripture, My house is a house of prayer; You have turned it into a religious bazaar."</J>


text:
From then on he taught each day in the Temple. The high priests, religion scholars, and the leaders of the people were trying their best to find a way to get rid of him.


text:
One day he was teaching the people in the Temple, proclaiming the Message. The high priests, religion scholars, and leaders confronted


text:
They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say 'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him;


text:
if we say 'humans,' the people will tear us limb from limb, convinced as they are that John was God's prophet."


text:
Jesus told another story to the people: <J>"A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip. He was gone a long time.</J>


text:
<J>In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed.</J>


text:
<J>He decided to try again and sent another servant. That one they beat black and blue, and sent him off empty-handed.</J>


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<J>He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to foot and dumped him in the street.</J>


text:
<J>"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'I know what I'll do: I'll send my beloved son. They're bound to respect my son.'</J>


text:
<J>"But when the farmhands saw him coming, they quickly put their heads together. 'This is our chance—this is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all to ourselves.'</J>


text:
<J>They killed him and threw him over the fence. "What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do?</J>


text:
<J>Right. He'll come and clean house. Then he'll assign the care of the vineyard to others."</J> Those who were listening said, "Oh, no! He'd never do that!"


text:
But Jesus didn't back down. <J>"Why, then, do you think this was written: That stone the masons threw out— It's now the cornerstone!?</J>


text:
<J>"Anyone falling over that stone will break every bone in his body; if the stone falls on anyone, it will be a total smashup."</J>


text:
The religion scholars and high priests wanted to lynch him on the spot, but they were intimidated by public opinion. They knew the story was about them.


text:
Watching for a chance to get him, they sent spies who posed as honest inquirers, hoping to trick him into saying something that would get him in trouble with the law.


text:
So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you're honest and straightforward when you teach, that you don't pander to anyone but teach the way of God accurately.


text:
Try as they might, they couldn't trap him into saying anything incriminating. His answer caught them off guard and left them speechless.


text:
Some Sadducees came up. This is the Jewish party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked,


text:
"Teacher, Moses wrote us that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to take the widow to wife and get her with child.


text:
<J>but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage</J>


text:
<J>nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.</J>


text:
<J>Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!'</J>


text:
<J>"Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preen in the radiance of public flattery, bask in prominent positions, sit at the head table at every church function.</J>


text:
All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all!"


text:
One day people were standing around talking about the Temple, remarking how beautiful it was, the splendor of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said,


text:
"<J>All this you're admiring so much—the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of rubble."</J>


text:
They asked him, "Teacher, when is this going to happen? What clue will we get that it's about to take place?"


text:
He said, <J>"Watch out for the doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One,' or, 'The end is near.' Don't fall for any of that.</J>


text:
<J>When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end."</J>


text:
<J>Huge earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. You'll think at times that the very sky is falling.</J>


text:
<J>"But before any of this happens, they'll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name.</J>


text:
<J>I'll give you the words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters.</J>


text:
<J>"You'll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed.</J>


text:
<J>Even so, every detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care; nothing of you will be lost.</J>


text:
<J>Staying with it—that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.</J>


text:
<J>"When you see soldiers camped all around Jerusalem, then you'll know that she is about to be devastated.</J>


text:
<J>If you're living in Judea at the time, run for the hills. If you're in the city, get out quickly. If you're out in the fields, don't go home to get your coat.</J>


text:
<J>Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. Incredible misery! Torrential rage!</J>


text:
<J>People dropping like flies; people dragged off to prisons; Jerusalem under the boot of barbarians until the nations finish what was given them to do.</J>


text:
<J>in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.</J>


text:
<J>When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!"</J>


text:
<J>Don't brush this off: I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen.</J>


text:
<J>"But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap,</J>


text:
<J>So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man."</J>


text:
The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way to do away with Jesus but, fearful of the people, they were also looking for a way to cover their tracks.


text:
Leaving the others, he conferred with the high priests and the Temple guards about how he might betray Jesus to them.


text:
Jesus sent Peter and John off, saying, <J>"Go prepare the Passover for us so we can eat it together."</J>


text:
He said, <J>"Keep your eyes open as you enter the city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him home.</J>


text:
<J>Then speak with the owner of the house: The Teacher wants to know, 'Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'</J>


text:
and said, <J>"You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering.</J>


text:
Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, <J>"This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory."</J>


text:
He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, <J>"This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.</J>


text:
"<J>Do you realize that the hand of the one who is betraying me is at this moment on this table?</J>


text:
<J>It's true that the Son of Man is going down a path already marked out—no surprises there. But for the one who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man, this is doomsday."</J>


text:
They immediately became suspicious of each other and began quizzing one another, wondering who might be about to do this.


text:
But Jesus intervened: <J>"Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles.</J>


text:
<J>It's not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.</J>


text:
"<J>Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You'd rather eat and be served, right? But I've taken my place among you as the one who serves.</J>


text:
<J>so you can eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and be strengthened as you take up responsibilities among the congregations of God's people.</J>


text:
"<J>Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat.</J>


text:
<J>Simon, I've prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start."</J>


text:
Jesus said, <J>"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me."</J>


text:
Then Jesus said, <J>"When I sent you out and told you to travel light, to take only the bare necessities, did you get along all right?"</J> "Certainly," they said, "we got along just fine."


text:
He said, <J>"This is different. Get ready for trouble. Look to what you'll need; there are difficult times ahead. Pawn your coat and get a sword.</J>


text:
<J>What was written in Scripture, 'He was lumped in with the criminals,' gets its final meaning in me. Everything written about me is now coming to a conclusion."</J>


text:
He said, <J>"What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won't give in to temptation."</J>


text:
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a crowd showed up, Judas, the one from the Twelve, in the lead. He came right up to Jesus to kiss him.


text:
Jesus spoke to those who had come—high priests, Temple police, religion leaders: <J>"What is this, jumping me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal?</J>


text:
<J>Day after day I've been with you in the Temple and you've not so much as lifted a hand against me. But do it your way—it's a dark night, a dark hour."</J>


text:
Arresting Jesus, they marched him off and took him into the house of the Chief Priest. Peter followed, but at a safe distance.


text:
In the middle of the courtyard some people had started a fire and were sitting around it, trying to keep warm.


text:
One of the serving maids sitting at the fire noticed him, then took a second look and said, "This man was with him!"


text:
A short time later, someone else noticed him and said, "You're one of them." But Peter denied it: "Man, I am not."


text:
About an hour later, someone else spoke up, really adamant: "He's got to have been with him! He's got 'Galilean' written all over him."


text:
Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about." At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed.


text:
Just then, the Master turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Master had said to him: <J>"Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."</J>


text:
When it was morning, the religious leaders of the people and the high priests and scholars all got together and brought him before their High Council.


text:
<J>So here's what I have to say: From here on the Son of Man takes his place at God's right hand, the place of power."</J>


text:
They all said, "So you admit your claim to be the Son of God?" <J>"You're the ones who keep saying it,"</J> he said.


text:
But they had made up their minds, "Why do we need any more evidence? We've all heard him as good as say it himself."


text:
and began to bring up charges against him. They said, "We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King."


text:
Pilate asked him, "Is this true that you're 'King of the Jews'?" <J>"Those are your words, not mine,"</J> Jesus replied.


text:
Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, "I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me."


text:
But they were vehement. "He's stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He's a dangerous man, endangering the peace."


text:
Realizing that he properly came under Herod's jurisdiction, he passed the buck to Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for a few days.


text:
Herod was delighted when Jesus showed up. He had wanted for a long time to see him, he'd heard so much about him. He hoped to see him do something spectacular.


text:
But the high priests and religion scholars were right there, saying their piece, strident and shrill in their accusations.


text:
Mightily offended, Herod turned on Jesus. His soldiers joined in, taunting and jeering. Then they dressed him up in an elaborate king costume and sent him back to Pilate.


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and said, "You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing to your charge.


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And neither did Herod, for he has sent him back here with a clean bill of health. It's clear that he's done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving death.


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He tried a third time. "But for what crime? I've found nothing in him deserving death. I'm going to warn him to watch his step and let him go."


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But they kept at it, a shouting mob, demanding that he be crucified. And finally they shouted him down.


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He released the man thrown in prison for rioting and murder, and gave them Jesus to do whatever they wanted.


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As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus.


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At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, <J>"Daughters of Jerusalem, don't cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children.</J>


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<J>The time is coming when they'll say, 'Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!'</J>


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<J>Then they'll start calling to the mountains, 'Fall down on us!' calling to the hills, 'Cover us up!'</J>


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When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.


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Jesus prayed, <J>"Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."</J> Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them.


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The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!"


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The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine:


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When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: "This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!"


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All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home.


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Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.


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There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character.


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He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea.


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He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.


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Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used.


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The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus' body was placed.


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Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.


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At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared.


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They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there.


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The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery?


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Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles,


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But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that's all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head.


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He asked, <J>"What's this you're discussing so intently as you walk along?" They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend.</J>


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Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, "Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn't heard what's happened during the last few days?"


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He said, <J>"What has happened?"</J> They said, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people.


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And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened.


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and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.


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Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus."


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Then he said to them, <J>"So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can't you simply believe all that the prophets said?</J>


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<J>Don't you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?"</J>


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Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.


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but they pressed him: "Stay and have supper with us. It's nearly evening; the day is done." So he went in with them.


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And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them.


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Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?"


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They didn't waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together,


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Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.


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He continued with them, <J>"Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over.</J>


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<J>Look at my hands; look at my feet—it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this."</J>


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They still couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true. He asked, <J>"Do you have any food here?"</J>


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Then he said, <J>"Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled."</J>


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He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.


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He said, <J>"You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day,</J>


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<J>and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem!</J>


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What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high."


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But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.


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The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.


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John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word."


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We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.


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No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.


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When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest.


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Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself."


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"I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached."


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Now they had a question of their own: "If you're neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?"


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John answered, "I only baptize using water. A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst.


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He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him."


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These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.


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"Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.'


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I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."


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John clinched his witness with this: "I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him.


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I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, 'The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'


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That's exactly what I saw happen, and I'm telling you, there's no question about it: This is the Son of God."


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Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, <J>"What are you after?"</J> They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"


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He replied, <J>"Come along and see for yourself."</J> They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.


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The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "We've found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ").


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He immediately led him to Jesus. Jesus took one look up and said, <J>"You're John's son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas"</J> (or Peter, which means "Rock").


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The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, <J>"Come, follow me."</J>


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Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, "We've found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It's Jesus, Joseph's son, the one from Nazareth!"


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Nathanael said, "Where did you get that idea? You don't know me." Jesus answered, <J>"One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree."</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"You've become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet!</J>


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<J>Before this is over you're going to see heaven open and God's angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again."</J>


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When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus' mother told him, "They're just about out of wine."


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Jesus said, <J>"Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn't my time. Don't push me."</J>


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Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons.


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When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn't know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom,


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"Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best till now!"


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This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.


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After this he went down to Capernaum along with his mother, brothers, and disciples, and stayed several days.


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When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem.


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He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength.


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Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right.


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He told the dove merchants, <J>"Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a shopping mall!"</J>


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They were indignant: "It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and you're going to rebuild it in three days?"


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Later, after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this. They then put two and two together and believed both what was written in Scripture and what Jesus had said.


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During the time he was in Jerusalem, those days of the Passover Feast, many people noticed the signs he was displaying and, seeing they pointed straight to God, entrusted their lives to him.


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But Jesus didn't entrust his life to them. He knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were.


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Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."


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Jesus said, <J>"You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."</J>


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"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"


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Jesus said, <J>"You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind hovering over the water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom.</J>


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<J>When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.</J>


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<J>"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak.</J>


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<J>You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."</J>


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<J>Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions.</J>


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<J>If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God?</J>


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<J>"No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man.</J>


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<J>In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—</J>


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<J>and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.</J>


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<J>"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.</J>


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<J>God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.</J>


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<J>Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.</J>


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<J>"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.</J>


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<J>Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure.</J>


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<J>But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."</J>


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After this conversation, Jesus went on with his disciples into the Judean countryside and relaxed with them there. He was also baptizing.


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They came to John and said, "Rabbi, you know the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan? The one you authorized with your witness? Well, he's now competing with us. He's baptizing, too, and everyone's going to him instead of us."


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John answered, "It's not possible for a person to succeed—I'm talking about eternal success—without heaven's help.


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You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of him to get things ready.


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The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom's friend, his 'best man'—that's me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start? "That's why my cup is running over.


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"The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heavenborn is in a league of his own.


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But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth.


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"The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces.


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The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts.


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That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn't see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that."


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(although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people.


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The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)


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Jesus answered, <J>"If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water."</J>


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The woman said, "Sir, you don't even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this 'living water'?


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Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?"


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<J>Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life."</J>


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The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!"


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<J>You've had five husbands, and the man you're living with now isn't even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough."</J>


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Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?"


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"<J>Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem.</J>


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<J>You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews.</J>


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<J>But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.</J>


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<J>God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."</J>


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The woman said, "I don't know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we'll get the whole story."


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Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn't believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.


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The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people,


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"Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?"


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Jesus said, <J>"The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started.</J>


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<J>As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It's harvest time!</J>


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"<J>The Harvester isn't waiting. He's taking his pay, gathering in this grain that's ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant.</J>


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<J>I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others."</J>


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Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman's witness: "He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!"


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They said to the woman, "We're no longer taking this on your say-so. We've heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He's the Savior of the world!"


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So when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, but only because they were impressed with what he had done in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, not that they really had a clue about who he was or what he was up to.


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Now he was back in Cana of Galilee, the place where he made the water into wine. Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain official from the king's court whose son was sick.


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When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and heal his son, who was on the brink of death.


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Jesus simply replied, <J>"Go home. Your son lives."</J> The man believed the bare word Jesus spoke and headed home.


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He asked them what time he began to get better. They said, "The fever broke yesterday afternoon at one o'clock."


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The father knew that that was the very moment Jesus had said, <J>"Your son lives."</J> That clinched it. Not only he but his entire household believed.


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When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, <J>"Do you want to get well?"</J>


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The sick man said, "Sir, when the water is stirred, I don't have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in."


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The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. That day happened to be the Sabbath.


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The Jews stopped the healed man and said, "It's the Sabbath. You can't carry your bedroll around. It's against the rules."


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But he told them, "The man who made me well told me to. He said, <J>'Take your bedroll and start walking.'"</J>


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A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, <J>"You look wonderful! You're well! Don't return to a sinning life or something worse might happen."</J>


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But Jesus defended himself. <J>"My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I."</J>


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That really set them off. The Jews were now not only out to expose him; they were out to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, putting himself on a level with God.


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So Jesus explained himself at length. <J>"I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does.</J>


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<J>The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. "But you haven't seen the half of it yet,</J>


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<J>for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses.</J>


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<J>Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son</J>


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<J>so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor.</J>


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<J>"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.</J>


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<J>"It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive.</J>


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<J>And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.</J>


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<J>"Don't act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice.</J>


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<J>Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.</J>


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<J>"I can't do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I'm not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders.</J>


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<J>Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn't he?</J>


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<J>"But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I'm speaking to you this way so that you will be saved.</J>


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<J>John was a torch, blazing and bright, and you were glad enough to dance for an hour or so in his bright light.</J>


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<J>But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John's witness. It's the work the Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me.</J>


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<J>The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance.</J>


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<J>There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously.</J>


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<J>"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!</J>


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<J>And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.</J>


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<J>And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda.</J>


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<J>I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms.</J>


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<J>How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?</J>


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<J>"But don't think I'm going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser.</J>


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<J>If you won't take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?"</J>


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When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, <J>"Where can we buy bread to feed these people?"</J>


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Philip answered, "Two hundred silver pieces wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece."


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"There's a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that's a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this."


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Jesus said, <J>"Make the people sit down."</J> There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them.


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Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.


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When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, <J>"Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted."</J>


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The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done. They said, "This is the Prophet for sure, God's Prophet right here in Galilee!"


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Jesus saw that in their enthusiasm, they were about to grab him and make him king, so he slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by himself.


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got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned.


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They were maybe three or four miles out when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, quite near the boat. They were scared senseless,


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The next day the crowd that was left behind realized that there had been only one boat, and that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. They had seen them go off without him.


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So when the crowd realized he was gone and wasn't coming back, they piled into the Tiberias boats and headed for Capernaum, looking for Jesus.


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Jesus answered, <J>"You've come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs—and for free.</J>


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"<J>Don't waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last."</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God's works."</J>


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They waffled: "Why don't you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what's going on? When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do.


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Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"


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Jesus responded, <J>"The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread.</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.</J>


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<J>I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me.</J>


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<J>Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go.</J>


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<J>I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.</J>


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<J>"This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole.</J>


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<J>This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time."</J>


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At this, because he said, <J>"I am the Bread that came down from heaven," the Jews started arguing over him:</J>


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"Isn't this the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father? Don't we know his mother? How can he now say, <J>'I came down out of heaven'</J> and expect anyone to believe him?"


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<J>You're not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that's the only way you'll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.</J>


text:
<J>This is what the prophets meant when they wrote, 'And then they will all be personally taught by God.' Anyone who has spent any time at all listening to the Father, really listening and therefore learning, comes to me to be taught personally—to see it with his own eyes, hear it with his own ears, from me, since I have it firsthand from the Father.</J>


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<J>No one has seen the Father except the One who has his Being alongside the Father—and you can see me.</J>


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<J>"I'm telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life.</J>


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<J>But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever.</J>


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<J>I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live—and forever! The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self."</J>


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At this, the Jews started fighting among themselves: "How can this man serve up his flesh for a meal?"


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But Jesus didn't give an inch. <J>"Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you.</J>


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<J>The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day.</J>


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<J>In the same way that the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one who makes a meal of me lives because of me.</J>


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<J>This is the Bread from heaven. Your ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live always."</J>


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Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, <J>"Does this throw you completely?</J>


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<J>The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making.</J>


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<J>But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this."</J> (Jesus knew from the start that some weren't going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.)


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He went on to say, <J>"This is why I told you earlier that no one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father."</J>


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He was referring to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. This man—one from the Twelve!—was even then getting ready to betray him.


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Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn't want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him.


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His brothers said, "Why don't you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do?


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No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you're serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world."


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Jesus came back at them, <J>"Don't crowd me. This isn't my time. It's your time—it's always your time; you have nothing to lose.</J>


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<J>The world has nothing against you, but it's up in arms against me. It's against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions.</J>


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<J>You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don't wait for me. I'm not ready. It's not the right time for me."</J>


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But later, after his family had gone up to the Feast, he also went. But he kept out of the way, careful not to draw attention to himself.


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There was a lot of contentious talk about him circulating through the crowds. Some were saying, "He's a good man." But others said, "Not so. He's selling snake oil."


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<J>Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up.</J>


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<J>A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality.</J>


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<J>It was Moses, wasn't it, who gave you God's Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?"</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you're still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I'm up to.</J>


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<J>Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it's the Sabbath.</J>


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<J>You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man's whole body well on the Sabbath?</J>


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<J>Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right."</J>


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And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah?


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And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from."


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That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, <J>"Yes, you think you know me and where I'm from, but that's not where I'm from. I didn't set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don't know him at all.</J>


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They were looking for a way to arrest him, but not a hand was laid on him because it wasn't yet God's time.


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Many from the crowd committed themselves in faith to him, saying, "Will the Messiah, when he comes, provide better or more convincing evidence than this?"


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The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him.


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The Jews put their heads together. "Where do you think he is going that we won't be able to find him? Do you think he is about to travel to the Greek world to teach the Jews?


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What is he talking about, anyway: <J>'You will look for me, but you won't find me,'</J> and <J>'Where I am, you can't come'?"</J>


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On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, <J>"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.</J>


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<J>Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says."</J>


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(He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)


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Others said, "He is the Messiah!" But others were saying, "The Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does he?


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Don't the Scriptures tell us that the Messiah comes from David's line and from Bethlehem, David's village?"


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That's when the Temple police reported back to the high priests and Pharisees, who demanded, "Why didn't you bring him with you?"


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The police answered, "Have you heard the way he talks? We've never heard anyone speak like this man."


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"Does our Law decide about a man's guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?"


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but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them.


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The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone


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They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt.


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They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, <J>"The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone."</J>


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Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone.


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Jesus once again addressed them: <J>"I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in."</J>


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Jesus replied, <J>"You're right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I've come from and where I go next. You don't know where I'm from or where I'm headed.</J>


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<J>But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn't make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.</J>


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<J>That fulfills the conditions set down in God's Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses.</J>


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<J>And that is what you have: You have my word and you have the word of the Father who sent me."</J>


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They said, "Where is this so-called Father of yours?" Jesus said, <J>"You're looking right at me and you don't see me. How do you expect to see the Father? If you knew me, you would at the same time know the Father."</J>


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He gave this speech in the Treasury while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him because his time wasn't yet up.


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Then he went over the same ground again. <J>"I'm leaving and you are going to look for me, but you're missing God in this and are headed for a dead end. There is no way you can come with me."</J>


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The Jews said, <J>"So, is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by 'You can't come with me'?"</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"You're tied down to the mundane; I'm in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I'm living on other terms.</J>


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<J>I told you that you were missing God in all this. You're at a dead end. If you won't believe I am who I say I am, you're at the dead end of sins. You're missing God in your lives."</J>


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<J>I have so many things to say that concern you, judgments to make that affect you, but if you don't accept the trustworthiness of the One who commanded my words and acts, none of it matters. That is who you are questioning—not me but the One who sent me."</J>


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So Jesus tried again. <J>"When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me.</J>


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<J>The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn't abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him."</J>


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Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. <J>"If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure.</J>


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Surprised, they said, "But we're descendants of Abraham. We've never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, <J>'The truth will free you'?"</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave.</J>


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<J>A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house.</J>


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<J>I know you are Abraham's descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn't yet penetrated your thick skulls.</J>


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<J>I'm talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father."</J>


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They were indignant. "Our father is Abraham!" Jesus said, <J>"If you were Abraham's children, you would have been doing the things Abraham did.</J>


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<J>And yet here you are trying to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth he got straight from God! Abraham never did that sort of thing.</J>


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<J>You persist in repeating the works of your father."</J> They said, "We're not bastards. We have a legitimate father: the one and only God."


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"<J>If God was your father,"</J> said Jesus, <J>"you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn't come on my own. He sent me.</J>


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<J>You're from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn't stand the truth because there wasn't a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies.</J>


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<J>I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me.</J>


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<J>Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me?</J>


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<J>Anyone on God's side listens to God's words. This is why you're not listening—because you're not on God's side."</J>


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The Jews then said, "That clinches it. We were right all along when we called you a Samaritan and said you were crazy—demon-possessed!"


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<J>I am not trying to get anything for myself. God intends something gloriously grand here and is making the decisions that will bring it about.</J>


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<J>I say this with absolute confidence. If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to look death in the face."</J>


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At this point the Jews said, "Now we know you're crazy. Abraham died. The prophets died. And you show up saying, <J>'If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to face death, not even a taste.'</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"If I turned the spotlight on myself, it wouldn't amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor.</J>


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<J>You haven't recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn't know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says.</J>


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<J>Abraham—your 'father'—with jubilant faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered."


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That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.


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Jesus said, <J>"You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.</J>


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<J>We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over.</J>


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He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes,


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and said, <J>"Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam"</J> (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed—and saw.


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Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn't this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?"


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Others said, "It's him all right!" But others objected, "It's not the same man at all. It just looks like him." He said, "It's me, the very one."


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"A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, <J>'Go to Siloam and wash.'</J> I did what he said. When I washed, I saw."


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The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see."


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Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks.


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They came back at the blind man, "You're the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?" He said, "He is a prophet."


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The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight.


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But we don't know how he came to see—haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself."


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(His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place.


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They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind—and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor."


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He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."


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"I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?"


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With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we're disciples of Moses.


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The man replied, "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes!


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It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will.


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They said, "You're nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!" Then they threw him out in the street.


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Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, <J>"Do you believe in the Son of Man?"</J>


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Jesus then said, <J>"I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure.</J>


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<J>"Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler!</J>


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<J>The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.</J>


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<J>When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.</J>


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<J>They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."</J>


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<J>All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them.</J>


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<J>I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture.</J>


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<J>A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.</J>


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<J>"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary.</J>


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<J>A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf.</J>


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<J>In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary.</J>


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<J>You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd.</J>


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<J>This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again.</J>


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<J>No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father."</J>


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A lot of them were saying, "He's crazy, a maniac—out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?"


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But others weren't so sure: "These aren't the words of a crazy man. Can a 'maniac' open blind eyes?"


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The Jews, circling him, said, "How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you're the Messiah, tell us straight out."


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Jesus answered, <J>"I told you, but you don't believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words.</J>


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<J>I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand.</J>


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<J>The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him.</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"I have made a present to you from the Father of a great many good actions. For which of these acts do you stone me?"</J>


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The Jews said, "We're not stoning you for anything good you did, but for what you said—this blasphemy of calling yourself God."


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Jesus said, <J>"I'm only quoting your inspired Scriptures, where God said, 'I tell you—you are gods.'</J>


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<J>why do you yell, 'Blasphemer! Blasphemer!' at the unique One the Father consecrated and sent into the world, just because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?</J>


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<J>But if I am doing them, put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes. Then perhaps things will come together for you, and you'll see that not only are we doing the same thing, we are the same—Father and Son. He is in me; I am in him."</J>


text:
A lot of people followed him over. They were saying, "John did no miracles, but everything he said about this man has come true."


text:
This was the same Mary who massaged the Lord's feet with aromatic oils and then wiped them with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick.


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When Jesus got the message, he said, <J>"This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son."</J>


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Jesus replied, <J>"Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in daylight doesn't stumble because there's plenty of light from the sun.</J>


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He said these things, and then announced, <J>"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I'm going to wake him up."</J>


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The disciples said, "Master, if he's gone to sleep, he'll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine."


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<J>And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let's go to him."</J>


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That's when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, "Come along. We might as well die with him."


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"<J>You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.</J>


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"Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world."


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After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."


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When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there.


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Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."


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Others among them said, "Well, if he loved him so much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man."


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Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it.


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Jesus said, <J>"Remove the stone."</J> The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"


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Jesus looked her in the eye. <J>"Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"</J>


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Then, to the others, <J>"Go ahead, take away the stone."</J> They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, <J>"Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me.</J>


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<J>I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."</J>


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And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face. Jesus told them, <J>"Unwrap him and let him loose."</J>


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That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him.


text:
The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. "What do we do now?" they asked. "This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs.


text:
If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have."


text:
Then one of them—it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year—spoke up, "Don't you know anything?


text:
Can't you see that it's to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?"


text:
He didn't say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation,


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and not only for the nation but so that all God's exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.


text:
So Jesus no longer went out in public among the Jews. He withdrew into the country bordering the desert to a town called Ephraim and secluded himself there with his disciples.


text:
The Jewish Passover was coming up. Crowds of people were making their way from the country up to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the Feast.


text:
They were curious about Jesus. There was a lot of talk of him among those standing around in the Temple: "What do you think? Do you think he'll show up at the Feast or not?"


text:
Meanwhile, the high priests and Pharisees gave out the word that anyone getting wind of him should inform them. They were all set to arrest him.


text:
Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living.


text:
Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them.


text:
Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus' feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.


text:
"Why wasn't this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces."


text:
He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.


text:
Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead.


text:
They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God's name! Yes! The King of Israel!


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The disciples didn't notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.


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The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts.


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It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade.


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The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: "It's out of control. The world's in a stampede after him."


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They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"


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<J>"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.</J>


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<J>In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.</J>


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<J>"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.</J>


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<J>"Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? 'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is why I came in the first place.</J>


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<J>I'll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.' "</J> A voice came out of the sky: "I have glorified it, and I'll glorify it again."


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<J>At this moment the world is in crisis. Now Satan, the ruler of this world, will be thrown out.</J>


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<J>And I, as I am lifted up from the earth, will attract everyone to me and gather them around me."</J>


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Voices from the crowd answered, "We heard from God's Law that the Messiah lasts forever. How can it be necessary, as you put it, that the Son of Man 'be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"


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Jesus said, <J>"For a brief time still, the light is among you. Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn't destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don't know where you're going.</J>


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<J>As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You'll be children of light."</J> Jesus said all this, and then went into hiding.


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This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right: God, who believed what we preached? Who recognized God's arm, outstretched and ready to act?


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Their eyes are blinded, their hearts are hardened, So that they wouldn't see with their eyes and perceive with their hearts, And turn to me, God, so I could heal them.


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Isaiah said these things after he got a glimpse of God's cascading brightness that would pour through the Messiah.


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On the other hand, a considerable number from the ranks of the leaders did believe. But because of the Pharisees, they didn't come out in the open with it. They were afraid of getting kicked out of the meeting place.


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Jesus summed it all up when he cried out, <J>"Whoever believes in me, believes not just in me but in the One who sent me.</J>


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<J>I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won't have to stay any longer in the dark.</J>


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<J>"If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn't take it seriously, I don't reject him. I didn't come to reject the world;</J>


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<J>I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I'm saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word.</J>


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<J>I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it.</J>


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<J>And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That's all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you."</J>


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Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.


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It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.


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Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God.


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Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.


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Jesus answered, <J>"You don't understand now what I'm doing, but it will be clear enough to you later."</J>


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Peter persisted, "You're not going to wash my feet—ever!" Jesus said, <J>"If I don't wash you, you can't be part of what I'm doing."</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"If you've had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you're clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you're clean. But not every one of you."</J>


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After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table. Then he said, <J>"Do you understand what I have done to you?</J>


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<J>I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer.</J>


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<J>"I'm not including all of you in this. I know precisely whom I've selected, so as not to interfere with the fulfillment of this Scripture: The one who ate bread at my table Turned on his heel against me.</J>


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<J>"I'm telling you all this ahead of time so that when it happens you will believe that I am who I say I am.</J>


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<J>Make sure you get this right: Receiving someone I send is the same as receiving me, just as receiving me is the same as receiving the One who sent me."</J>


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After he said these things, Jesus became visibly upset, and then he told them why. <J>"One of you is going to betray me."</J>


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One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against him, his head on his shoulder.


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Jesus said, <J>"The one to whom I give this crust of bread after I've dipped it."</J> Then he dipped the crust and gave it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot.


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As soon as the bread was in his hand, Satan entered him. <J>"What you must do,"</J> said Jesus, <J>"do. Do it and get it over with."</J>


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Some thought that since Judas was their treasurer, Jesus was telling him to buy what they needed for the Feast, or that he should give something to the poor.


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When he had left, Jesus said, <J>"Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him,</J>


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"<J>Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I'm telling you: 'Where I go, you are not able to come.'</J>


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"<J>Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another.</J>


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<J>This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."</J>


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Simon Peter asked, "Master, just where are you going?" Jesus answered, <J>"You can't now follow me where I'm going. You will follow later."</J>


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"<J>Really? You'll lay down your life for me? The truth is that before the rooster crows, you'll deny me three times."</J>


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<J>There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you?</J>


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<J>And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live.</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.</J>


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<J>If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him!"</J>


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<J>"You've been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don't understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, 'Where is the Father?'</J>


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<J>Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren't mere words. I don't just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.</J>


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<J>"Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can't believe that, believe what you see—these works.</J>


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<J>The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it.</J>


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<J>From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it.</J>


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<J>I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you.</J>


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<J>This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!</J>


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<J>In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive.</J>


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<J>At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you.</J>


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<J>"The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him."</J>


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Judas (not Iscariot) said, "Master, why is it that you are about to make yourself plain to us but not to the world?"


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"<J>Because a loveless world,"</J> said Jesus, <J>"is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood!</J>


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<J>Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me.</J>


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<J>The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you.</J>


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<J>I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught.</J>


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<J>"You've heard me tell you, 'I'm going away, and I'm coming back.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.</J>


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<J>"I've told you this ahead of time, before it happens, so that when it does happen, the confirmation will deepen your belief in me.</J>


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<J>I'll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don't worry—he has nothing on me, no claim on me.</J>


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<J>But so the world might know how thoroughly I love the Father, I am carrying out my Father's instructions right down to the last detail. "Get up. Let's go. It's time to leave here.</J>


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<J>He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.</J>


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<J>"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.</J>


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<J>"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.</J>


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<J>But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.</J>


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<J>This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.</J>


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<J>If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.</J>


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<J>"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.</J>


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<J>I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.</J>


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<J>"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.</J>


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<J>If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God's terms and no longer on the world's terms, the world is going to hate you.</J>


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<J>"When that happens, remember this: Servants don't get better treatment than their masters. If they beat on me, they will certainly beat on you. If they did what I told them, they will do what you tell them.</J>


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<J>"They are going to do all these things to you because of the way they treated me, because they don't know the One who sent me.</J>


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<J>If I hadn't come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn't be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse.</J>


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<J>If I hadn't done what I have done among them, works no one has ever done, they wouldn't be to blame. But they saw the God-signs and hated anyway, both me and my Father.</J>


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<J>Interesting—they have verified the truth of their own Scriptures where it is written, 'They hated me for no good reason.'</J>


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<J>"When the Friend I plan to send you from the Father comes—the Spirit of Truth issuing from the Father—he will confirm everything about me.</J>


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<J>You, too, from your side must give your confirming evidence, since you are in this with me from the start.</J>


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<J>They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he's doing God a favor.</J>


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<J>I've told you these things so that when the time comes and they start in on you, you'll be well-warned and ready for them. "I didn't tell you this earlier because I was with you every day.</J>


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<J>But now I am on my way to the One who sent me. Not one of you has asked, 'Where are you going?'</J>


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<J>So let me say it again, this truth: It's better for you that I leave. If I don't leave, the Friend won't come. But if I go, I'll send him to you.</J>


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<J>"When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment:</J>


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<J>that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control;</J>


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<J>that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.</J>


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<J>But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.</J>


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<J>Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I've said, 'He takes from me and delivers to you.'</J>


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That stirred up a hornet's nest of questions among the disciples: "What's he talking about: <J>'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'</J>? And, <J>'Because I'm on my way to the Father'</J>?


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Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, <J>"Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, 'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'?</J>


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<J>Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.</J>


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<J>"When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain.</J>


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<J>The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you.</J>


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<J>You'll no longer be so full of questions. "This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I've revealed to you.</J>


