And no one who will give the humblest of my disciples even a cup of cold water because he is my disciple, I tell you, can ever fail of his reward."

The blind are regaining their sight and the lame can walk, the lepers are being cured and the deaf can hear, the dead are being raised and good news is being preached to the poor.

And blessed is the man who finds nothing that repels him in me."

But as they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What was it that you went out into the desert to look at? A reed swaying in the wind?

This is the man of whom the Scripture says, " 'Here I send my messenger on before you; He will prepare the road ahead of you.'

and, if you are ready to accept the idea, he is himself Elijah who was to come.

But to what can I compare this present age? It is like children sitting about in the bazaars and calling out to their playmates,

Now that the Son of Man has come, he does eat and drink, and people say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drinker, the companion of tax-collectors and irreligious people!' And yet Wisdom is vindicated by her actions!"

for the yoke I offer you is a kindly one, and the load I ask you to bear is light."

But the Pharisees saw it and said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing something which it is against the Law to do on the Sabbath!"

How is it that he went into the House of God and that they ate the Presentation Loaves which it was against the Law for him and his companions to eat, or for anyone except the priests?

But I tell you, there is something greater than the Temple here!

But if you knew what the saying means, 'It is mercy, not sacrifice, that I care for,' you would not have condemned men who are not guilty.

For the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath."

There was a man there with one hand withered. And in order to get a charge to bring against him, they asked him, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath?"

And how much more a man is worth than a sheep! Therefore, it is right to do people good on the Sabbath."

Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand!" And he held it out, and it was restored and became as well as the other.

??n fulfilment of what was said by the prophet Isaiah,

"Here is my servant whom I have selected, My beloved, who delights my heart! I will endow him with my Spirit, And he will announce a judgment to the heathen.

But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, "Any kingdom that is disunited is on the way to destruction, and any city or household that is disunited cannot last.

If Satan is driving Satan out, he is disunited, and so how can his kingdom last?

And if I am driving the demons out by Beelzebub's aid, by whose aid do your sons drive them out? Therefore let them be your judges.

Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not join me in gathering, scatters.

"You must either make the tree sound and its fruit sound, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; a tree is judged by its fruit.

You brood of snakes! how can you, bad as you are, utter anything good? For the mouth says only what the heart is full of.

A good man, out of the good he has accumulated, brings out things that are good, and a bad man, out of what he has accumulated that is bad, brings out things that are bad.

For it is by your words that you will be acquitted, or by your words that you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees addressed him, saying, "Master, we would like to have you show us some sign."

For just as Jonah was in the maw of the whale for three days and nights, the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.

Men of Nineveh will rise with this age at the judgment and condemn it, for when Jonah preached they repented, and there is more than Jonah here!

The queen of the south will rise with this age at the judgment and condemn it, for she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and there is more than Solomon here!

Then it goes and gets seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there, and in the end the man is worse off than he was before. That is the way it will be with this present wicked age."

But he said to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!"

and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell by the path and the birds came and ate it up,

This is why I speak to them in figures, because though they look they do not see, and though they listen they do not hear or understand.

They are a fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy, " 'You will listen and listen, and never understand, And you will look and look, and never see!

For this nation's mind has grown dull, And they hear faintly with their ears, And they have shut their eyes, So as never to see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their minds, and turn back, And let me cure them!'

When anyone hears the teaching of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and robs him of the seed that has been sown in his mind. That is what was sown along the path.

Another figure which he used in speaking to them was this: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

He said to them, 'This is some enemy's doing.' And they said to him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'

Another figure which he used in speaking to them was this: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.

It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the largest of plants and grows into a tree, so that the wild birds come and roost in its branches."

Another figure which he used with them was this: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and buried in a bushel of flour until it had all risen."

Then he left the crowds and went into his house. And his disciples came up to him and said, "Explain to us the figure of the weeds in the field."

He answered, "The sower who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

The field is the world. The good seed is the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the wicked.

The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.

So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned, this is what will happen at the close of the age;

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a hoard of money, buried in a field, which a man found, and buried again. And he was overjoyed, and went and sold everything he had and bought the field.

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dealer in search of fine pearls.

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was let down into the sea, and inclosed fish of all kinds.

That is what will happen at the close of the age. The angels will go out and remove the wicked from among the upright,

He said to them, "Then remember that every scribe who has become a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven must be like a householder who can supply from his storeroom new things as well as old."

Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary, and are not his brothers named James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

And do not all his sisters live here among us? Then where did he get all this?"

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is treated with honor everywhere except in his native place and at his home."

and he said to his attendants, "This man must be John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why wonderful powers are working through him."

for John said to him, "It is not right for you to be living with her."

And when it was evening, the disciples came up to him and said, "This is a lonely place and the day is over. Send the crowds off to the villages to buy themselves food."

And the disciples saw him walking on the sea, and they were terrified and said, "It is a ghost!" And they screamed with fear.

But Jesus immediately spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid."

Peter answered, "If it is you, Master, order me to come to you on the water."

But you say, 'Whoever tells his father or mother, "Anything of mine that might have been of use to you is given to God,"

You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied finely about you when he said,

But their worship of me is all in vain, For the lessons they teach are but human precepts.' "

"Listen to this, and grasp it! It is not what goes into a man's mouth that pollutes him; it is what comes out of his mouth that pollutes a man."

Peter said to him, "Explain the figure for us."

Can you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then is disposed of?

It is these things that pollute a man, but not eating with unwashed hands!"

And a Canaanite woman of that district came out and screamed, "Son of David, take pity on me, sir! My daughter is dreadfully possessed by a demon!"

But he would not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps screaming after us."

He said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs!"

"It is a wicked and faithless age that insists on a sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah." And he left them and went away.

When Jesus reached the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

But I tell you, your name is Peter, a rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not subdue it.

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone for what he has done.

And his appearance underwent a change in their presence and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.

And Peter spoke, and said to Jesus, "Master, how good it is that we are here! If you wish, I will make three huts here, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

As he spoke a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Beloved. He is my Chosen. Listen to him!"

And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus cautioned them, saying, "Do not tell anyone of the vision you have seen until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

He answered, "Elijah does come and is to reform everything,

but I tell you, Elijah has come already, and they would not recognize him, but treated him just as they pleased. It is in just that way that the Son of Man is going to be treated by them!"

"Master, take pity on my son, for he has epilepsy, and is very wretched; he often falls into the fire or into the water.

As they were going about in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men,

But rather than give offense to them, go down to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, open its mouth and you will find in it a dollar. Take that and pay the tax for us both."

Just at that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, "Who is really greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"

Anyone, therefore, who is as unassuming as this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven,

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills, and go in search of the one that is astray?

In just that way, it is the will of my Father in heaven that not a single one of these children be lost.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the congregation. And if he refuses to listen to it, treat him as a heathen or a tax-collector.

For wherever two or three are gathered as my followers, I am there among them."

And as he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all he had, in payment of the debt.

Ought you not to have taken pity on your fellow-slave, as I did on you?'

That is what my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts!"

When Jesus had finished this discourse, he left Galilee and went to the part of Judea that is on the other side of the Jordan.

And some Pharisees came up to him to test him, and they said, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"

They said to him, "Then why did Moses command us to draw up a written divorce-notice and give it to her?"

The disciples said to him, "If that is a man's relation to his wife, it is better not to marry!"

He said to them, "It is not everyone who can accept that, but only those who have a special gift.