Seeing that many have attempted to draw up a narrative of the facts which are received with full assurance among us

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his name John.

You will conceive in your womb and bear a son; and you are to call His name JESUS.

and uttered a loud cry of joy. "Blest among women are you," she said, "and the offspring of your body is blest!

The crowds repeatedly asked him, "What then are we to do?"

There came also a party of tax-gatherers to be baptized, and they asked him, "Rabbi, what are we to do?"

The soldiers also once and again inquired of him, "And we, what are we to do?" His answer was, "Neither intimidate any one nor lay false charges; and be content with your pay."

Then the Devil said to Him, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become bread."

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and caused Him to stand on the roof of the Temple, and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written,

"Ha! Jesus the Nazarene, what have you to do with us? I know who you are--God's Holy One!"

Demons also came out of many, loudly calling out, "You are the Son of God." But He rebuked them and forbad them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

On another occasion, when He was in one of the towns, there was a man there covered with leprosy, who, seeing Jesus, threw himself at His feet and implored Him, saying, "Sir, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean."

He saw their faith and said to him, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

Well aware of their reasonings, Jesus answered their questions by asking in turn, "What is this that you are debating in your hearts?

Which is easier? --to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?

This led the Pharisees and Scribes of their party to expostulate with His disciples and ask, "Why are you eating and drinking with these tax-gatherers and notorious sinners?"

And some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what the Law forbids on the Sabbath?"

how he entered the house of God and took and ate the Presented Loaves and gave some to his followers--loaves which none but the Priests are allowed to eat?"

Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it."

Then fixing His eyes upon His disciples, Jesus said to them, "Blessed are you poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours.

"Blessed are you who hunger now, because your hunger shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you who now weep aloud, because you shall laugh.

"Blessed are you when men shall hate you and exclude you from their society and insult you, and spurn your very names as evil things, for the Son of Man's sake.

"But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies; seek the welfare of those who hate you;

And if you are kind to those who are kind to you, what credit is it to you? Even bad men act thus.

so John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord. "Are you the Coming One?" he asked, "or is there another that we are to expect?"

The men came to Jesus and said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you with this question: 'Are you the Coming One, or is there another that we are to expect?'"

Then He answered the messengers, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. Blind men receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are purified, deaf persons hear, the dead are raised to life, the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them.

But what did you go out to see? A man wearing luxurious clothes? People who are gorgeously dressed and live in luxury are found in palaces.

They are like children sitting in the public square and calling out to one another, 'We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced: we have sung dirges, and you have not shown sorrow.'

But wisdom is justified by all who are truly wise."

This is the reason why I tell you that her sins, her many sins, are forgiven--because she has loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

"To you," He replied, "it is granted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but all others are taught by parables, in order that they may see and yet not see, and may hear and yet not understand.

Those by the way-side are those who have heard, and then the Devil comes and carries away the Message from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Those on the rock are the people who on hearing the Message receive it joyfully; but they have no root: for a time they believe, but when trial comes they fall away.

But He was told, "Your mother and brothers are standing on the edge of the crowd, and want to see you."

"My mother and my brothers," He replied, "are these who hear God's Message and obey it."

So they came and woke Him, crying, "Rabbi, Rabbi, we are drowning." Then He roused Himself and rebuked the wind and the surging of the water, and they ceased and there was a calm.

"Who is it touched me?" Jesus asked. And when all denied having done so, Peter and the rest said, "Rabbi, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing on you."

Now when the day began to decline, the Twelve came to Him and said, "Send the people away, that they may go to the villages and farms round about and find lodging and a supply of food; because here we are in an uninhabited district."

I tell you truly that there are some of those who stand here who will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of God."

And when they were preparing to depart from Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we are thankful to you that we are here. Let us put up three tents--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what he was saying.

And He addressed them thus: "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few: therefore entreat the Owner of the harvest to send out more reapers into His fields. And now go.

Nevertheless rejoice not at this, that the spirits submit to you; but rejoice that your names are registered in Heaven."

All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, nor who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son may choose to reveal Him."

And He turned towards His disciples and said to them apart, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!

The next day he took out two shillings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.'

"Martha, Martha," replied Jesus, "you are anxious and worried about a multitude of things;

If you then, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it."

The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness.

"But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others.

Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."

"But to you who are my friends I say, "'Be not afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do nothing further.

Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? and yet not one of them is a thing forgotten in God's sight.

But the very hairs on your heads are all counted. Away with fear: you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.'

And when they are bringing you before synagogues and magistrates and governors, do not anxiously ponder the manner or matter of your defence, nor what you are to say;

Then turning to His disciples He said, "For this reason I say to you, 'Dismiss all anxious care for your lives, inquiring what you are to eat, and for your bodies, what you are to put on.'

Observe the ravens. They neither sow nor reap, and have neither store-chamber nor barn. And yet God feeds them. How far more precious are you than the birds!

If then you are unable to do even a very little thing, why be over-anxious about other matters?

"Therefore, do not be asking what you are to eat nor what you are to drink; and do not waver between hope and fear.

Blessed are those servants, whom their Master when He comes shall find on the watch. I tell you in solemn truth, that He will tie an apron round Him, and will bid them recline at table while He comes and waits on them.

And whether it be in the second watch or in the third that He comes and finds them so, blessed are they.

Be you also ready, for at an hour when you are not expecting Him the Son of Man will come."

"Master," said Peter, "are you addressing this parable to us, or to all alike?"

For when, with your opponent, you are going before the magistrate, on the way take pains to get out of his power; for fear that, if he should drag you before the judge, the judge may hand you over to the officer of the court, and the officer lodge you in prison.

I tell you, certainly not. On the contrary, if you are not penitent you will all perish as they did.

But Jesus saw her, and calling to her, He said to her, "Woman, you are free from your weakness."

Then the Warden of the Synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured her on a Sabbath, said to the crowd, "There are six days in the week on which people ought to work. On those days therefore come and get yourselves cured, and not on the Sabbath day."

when some one asked Him, "Sir, are there but few who are to be saved?"

As soon as the Master of the house shall have risen and shut the door, and you have begun to stand outside and knock at the door and say, "'Sir, open the door for us' --"'I do not know you,' He answers; 'you are no friends of mine.'

"But He will reply, "'I tell you that you are no friends of mine. Begone from me, all of you, wrongdoers that you are.'

On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests.

At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.'

"'You my dear son,' said the father, 'are always with me, and all that is mine is also yours.

We are bound to make merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life, he was lost and has been found.'"

"So he called all his master's debtors, one by one, and asked the first, 'How much are you in debt to my master?'

"And the master praised the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for, in relation to their own contemporaries, the men of this age are shrewder than the sons of Light.

"You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.

"'Remember, my child,' said Abraham, 'that you had all your good things during your lifetime, and that Lazarus in like manner had his bad things. But, now and here, he is receiving consolation and you are in agony.

"'If they are deaf to Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham, 'they would not be led to believe even if some one should rise from the dead.'"

"Were not all ten made clean?" Jesus asked; "but where are the nine?

Jesus however called the infants to Him. "Let the little children come to me," He said; "do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of God belongs.

"Things impossible with man," He replied, "are possible with God."

Then He drew the Twelve to Him and said, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written in the Prophets which refers to the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

"Now his countrymen hated him, and sent a deputation after him to say, 'We are not willing that he should become our king.'

For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man: you take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.'

And if any one asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' simply say, 'The Master needs it.'"

And while they were untying the colt the owners called out, "Why are you untying the colt?"

together with the Elders, and they asked Him, "Tell us, By what authority are you doing these things? And who is it that gave you this authority?"

And if we say, 'human,' the people will all stone us; for they are thoroughly convinced that John was a Prophet."

"The men of this age," replied Jesus, "marry, and the women are given in marriage.

But as for those who shall have been deemed worthy to find a place in that other age and in the Resurrection from among the dead, the men do not marry and the women are not given in marriage.

For indeed they cannot die again; they are like angels, and are sons of God through being sons of the Resurrection.

He is not a God of dead, but of living men, for to Him are all living."

"Rabbi, when will this be?" they asked Him, "and what will be the token given when these things are about to take place?"

"See to it," He replied, "that you are not misled; for many will come assuming my name and professing, 'I am He,' or saying, 'The time is close at hand.' Do not go and follow them.

You will be the objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name;

Then let those who shall be in Judaea escape to the hills; let those who are in the city leave it, and those who are in the country not enter in.

For those are the days of vengeance and of fulfilling all that is written.