But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you must name him John.

But when he came out, he could not speak to them, and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. Meanwhile he kept on making signs to them, and remained dumb.

But when the period of his service was over, he went back to his home.

But she was agitated at what he said, and began to ponder what this greeting meant.

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no husband?"

But his mother said, "Never! But he must be named John."

But the angel said to them: "Stop being afraid, for now I bring you good tidings of great joy which is to be for all the people;

but Mary continued to treasure it all up and to ponder it in her heart.

She was very old; from girlhood she had lived seven years with a husband, and now had been a widow eighty years. She never left the temple, but continued to worship all day and all night with fastings and prayers.

and stayed the usual time. When they returned, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were not aware of it.

But they did not understand what He said to them.

So He went back to Nazareth with them and continued to obey them. But His mother continued to treasure up all these sayings in her heart.

John expressly answered them all, "I am baptizing you in water only, but there is coming the One who is stronger than I am, whose shoestrings I am not fit to untie. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire;

His winnowing-fork is in His hand, and He will clean out His threshing-floor, and store His wheat in His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with fire inextinguishable."

But Herod the governor, because he was repeatedly reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the wicked deeds that Herod had done,

But Jesus answered him, "The Scripture says, 'Not on bread alone does man live.'"

But Jesus answered him, "The Scripture says, 'You must worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone.'"

But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the heaven was closed for three years and a half, and there was a great famine over all the land,

But He Himself passed through the midst of them and went on His way.

But Jesus reproved him, saying "Be quiet! Get out of him at once!" So the demon threw the man down in the midst of them and came out of him without doing him any harm.

Even demons came out of many people, shrieking and saying, "You are the Son of God!" But He reproved them and would not let them speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.

But He said to them, "To other towns also I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God, for that is what I was sent to do."

Then He saw two boats lying up on the shore of the lake, but the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

Simon answered, "We have toiled all night and caught nothing, but since you tell me to do so, I will set the nets again."

Then He warned him not to tell anybody, but rather He said, "Go, show yourself to the priest, and, to prove it to the people, make the offering for your purification, just as Moses prescribed."

But the news about Him continued to spread, and great crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases.

But Jesus Himself continued His habit of retiring to lonely spots and praying.

But the scribes and the Pharisees began to argue, saying, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

But to show you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth" -- turning to the man who was paralyzed, He said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet, and go home."

But Jesus answered them, "Not well but sick people have to send for the doctor.

It is not upright but sinful people that I have come to invite to repentance."

After that they said to Him, "John's disciples rigidly practice fasting and offering up prayers; so do the Pharisees, but your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

But Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

But a time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; at that time they will fast."

But fresh wine must be put into new bottles.

But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand at the front." So he got up and stood there.

But they were filled with fury and began to discuss what they could do to Jesus.

But a curse on you who are rich, for you are now receiving your comforts in full.

But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you,

But you must practice loving your enemies, doing good to them, and lending to them, despairing of nothing; so that your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

A pupil is not better than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.

Why do you continue to look at the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the heavy girder in your own eye?

"So why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' but do not practice what I tell you?

He is like a man who was building a house, who dug deep, and laid its foundation upon the rock; and when a flood came, the torrent burst upon that house but it could not shake it, because it was well built.

But the man who merely hears them and does not practice them is like a man who built a house upon the ground without a foundation. The torrent burst upon it, and at once it collapsed, and the wreck of that house was complete."

Then Jesus started to go with them. But when He was not far from the house, the captain sent friends to say to Him, "My Lord, stop troubling yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

And so I did not deem myself worthy even to come to you. But simply speak the word, and let my servant-boy be cured.

But when John's messengers had gone, He began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the desert to gaze at? A reed that is tossed to and fro by the wind?

but the Pharisees and experts in the law thwarted God's purpose for themselves by refusing to be baptized by him.

They are like little children sitting in the market-place and calling to their fellows in the game: "'We played the wedding march for you, but you did not dance. We sang the funeral dirge, but you did not mourn.'

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

and took her stand behind Him at His feet, continually weeping. Then she began to wet His feet with her tears, but she continued to wipe them off with the hair of her head, and she kept right on kissing His feet with affection and anointing them with the perfume.

And turning face to face with the woman He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came to your house; you did not give me any water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss, but she, from the moment I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet with affection.

You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume.

Therefore, I tell you, her sins, as many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the one who has little to be forgiven loves me little."

But He said to the woman, "It is your faith that has saved you; go on in peace."

So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand.

Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved.

The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away.

And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit.

But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

"Nobody lights a lamp and then covers it with a pot or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

His mother and His brothers came to see Him, but they could not get in touch with Him, on account of the crowd.

Now as they were sailing along, He fell off to sleep. But a furious squall of wind rushed down upon the lake, and they were filling up and were in impending peril.

Then He said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and astounded, and continued to say to one another, "Who can He be? For He gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey Him."

As soon as He stepped out upon the shore, there met Him a man from town, who was under the power of demons; and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and did not stay in a house but in tombs.

The man out of whom the demons had gone begged Him to let him go with Him, but Jesus sent him away and said,

"Go back to your home, and continue to tell what great things God has done for you." But he went off and told all over the town what great things Jesus had done for him.

Then Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" But as all were denying that they had done so, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are jamming you and jostling you."

But Jesus heard it and said to him, "Do not be afraid; just have faith, and she will get well."

When He reached the house, He let no one go in with Him but Peter, James, and John, and the child's father and mother.

Now they were all weeping and wailing over her. But He said, "Stop weeping! For she is not dead but asleep."

But He grasped her hand and called out, "My child, get up!"

And her parents were astounded, but He ordered them not to tell anyone what had taken place.

So Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who can this be about whom I hear such reports?" So he was trying to see Him.

But the crowds learned of it, and followed Him; and He welcomed them and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God and to cure the people who needed to be cured.

But He said to them, "Give them something to eat yourselves." Then they said, "We have only five loaves and two fish, unless we go ourselves and buy food for all these people."

So He said to them, "But who do you, yourselves, say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God!"

But He particularly warned, yea, even commanded, them not to tell this to anybody,

as He said, "The Son of Man has to endure great suffering and be disowned by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes, and be put to death but be raised to life on the third day."

For whoever chooses to save his lower life will lose his higher life, but whoever gives up his lower life for my sake will save his higher life.

Now Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but all at once they became wide awake and saw His splendor and the two men who were standing with Him.

But as he was saying this, a cloud came and was circling over them, and they were frightened as the two visitors entered into the cloud.

I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."

Even while the boy was coming to Him, the demon dashed him down and convulsed him, but Jesus reproved the foul spirit and cured the boy and gave back to his father.

But they remained ignorant of what this meant; indeed, it had been hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

But Jesus, as He knew that the controversy was going on in their hearts, took a little child and had it stand by His side.

But they would not receive Him, because He was facing in the direction of Jerusalem.

But He turned at once and reproved them.

But Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, even wild birds have roosts, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

He said to another man, "Follow me." But he said, "Let me first go back and bury my father."

Then He answered him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but you go on and continue to spread the good news of the kingdom of God."

Still another man said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say 'Goodbye' to the homefolks."

So He was saying to them: "The harvest is plentiful, but the reapers are scarce. So pray the Lord of the harvest to send out reapers to His harvest-field.

And if anyone there loves peace, your peace will come upon him; but if not, it will come back to you.

But if you go into any town and they do not welcome you, go out into the streets and say,

'We are wiping off against you the very dust from your town that has stuck to our feet. But understand this, the kingdom of God is close by.'

But at the judgment the punishment will be lighter for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

However, you must stop rejoicing over the fact that the spirits are submitting to you, but continue to rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven."