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.

so He sent messengers before Him. Then they went on and entered into a Samaritan town, to make preparations for Him.

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

When the disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?"

Then they went on to a different village.

While they were going along the road, a man said to Him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

Stay on at the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the workman deserves his support. Do not keep moving about from house to house.

And if you go into any town and they welcome you, continue to eat what is offered you,

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

A curse on you, Chorazin! A curse on you, Bethsaida! For if the wonder-works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, long ago they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

Then He turned to His disciples when they were alone, and said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you are seeing.

For I tell you, many prophets and kings have wished to see what you are seeing, but they did not, and to hear what you are hearing, but they did not."

Now as they were journeying on, He came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.

But He knew what they were thinking, and so said to them, "Any kingdom that is not united is in the process of destruction, and one house falls after another.

Then it goes and gets seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there, and so the end of that man is worse than the beginning."

The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with the men of this age and will condemn them, for they turned to the message preached by Jonah, and yet One who is more than Jonah is here.

So you testify to what your forefathers did and approve it, because they killed them and you build monuments for them.

This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and some they will persecute';

Meanwhile as the people had gathered in tens of thousands, so that they were trampling upon one another, He began to say, first of all, to His disciples: "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy.

So I tell you, my friends, never be afraid of those who kill the body but after that have nothing more that they can do.

Now when they are bringing you before the synagogues or the magistrates or the authorities, never worry about how to defend yourselves, or what to say,

And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant."

Just think of the ravens! For they neither sow nor reap, they have no storehouses nor barns, and yet God continues to feed them. How much more are you worth than the birds!

Just think of how the lilies grow. They do not toil nor spin. But, I tell you, not even Solomon, in all his splendor, was ever dressed like one of them.

and be like men waiting for their master when he comes home from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they at once may open the door for him.

Whether he comes before or after midnight, if he finds them so, happy are they.

But the one who does wrong without knowing it will be lightly punished. Much will be demanded from anyone to whom much has been given; yea, people will demand much more from anyone to whom they have entrusted much.

Then He answered them, "Do you think, because these Galileans suffered like this, that they were worse sinners than all the rest of the Galileans?

By no means, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.

Or those eighteen people at Siloam on whom the tower fell and whom it crushed to death, do you think that they were offenders worse than all the rest of the people who live in Jerusalem?

By no means, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did."

One Sabbath, when He went to take a meal at the house of a Pharisee who was a member of the council, they continued to watch Him closely.

But they made no answer. So He took hold of the man and cured him and sent him away.

But they could make no reply to this.

Then He proceeded to say to the man who invited Him: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, stop the social custom of inviting your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, for they may invite you in return and so you will be repaid.

Then you will be happy, because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright."

But they all in the same attitude began to excuse themselves. The first one said, 'I have just bought a piece of land and I must go and look it over. Please excuse me.'

Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more to eat than they need, and here I am dying of hunger!

because this son of mine was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found!' So they began to celebrate.

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

Besides all this, between you and us there stands fixed a great chasm, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot, nor can they cross from your side to us.'

(for I have five brothers) to warn them, that they too may not come to this place of torture.'

But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.'

But he pleaded, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, they would repent.'

Then he answered, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Now He said to His disciples: "It is inevitable that snares to evil will come, but a curse be on the man through whom they come!

So as soon as He saw them, He said to them, "Go at once and show yourselves to the priests." And while they were going they were cured.

Then they asked Him, "Where, Lord, will this be?" And He said to them, "Wherever there is carrion the vultures will flock."

To some people who were confident that they themselves were upright, but who scorned everybody else, He told the following story:

Now some people were bringing even their babies to Him to have Him touch them, but the disciples, when they saw it, reproved them for it.

and then they will flog Him and kill Him, but on the third day He will rise again."

But they did not understand about these things, and this statement was an insoluble riddle to them; they did not even begin to grasp what He meant.

They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was coming by.

And when they all saw it, they began to grumble and say, "He has gone in to lodge with a notorious sinner!"

As they were listening to these things, He told them another story, because He was near Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.

Then after he had gotten the appointment as king, he returned and ordered those slaves to whom he had given his money to be called in, that he might find out what business they had done.

And they said, 'Sir, he has two hundred already.'

And while they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

And they answered, "The Lord needs it."

So they brought it to Jesus.

Then they threw their coats upon it and mounted Jesus upon it. As He was going on, the people continued to spread their coats under Him on the road.

Just as He was approaching the city, going down the Mount of Olives, the whole throng of the disciples began to praise God exultantly and loudly for all the wonder-works that they had seen,

But He answered, "I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!"

and said: "If today you yourself had only known the conditions of peace! But now they are hidden from you.

and they will throw you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know when God visited you."

but they could not find, as hard as they tried, what to do with Him, for all the people continued to hang on His words.

And they argued with one another, and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'

But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet."

So they answered and said that they did not know where it was from.

So at the proper time He sent a slave to the tenants, that they might pay him his part of the grape-crop, but the tenants beat him and sent him back empty-handed.

Then again he sent another slave, and they beat him and insulted him, and sent him back empty-handed.

And again he sent a third slave, and they wounded him and threw him out of the vineyard.

Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my dearly loved son. They will, I should think, respect him.'

But when the tenants saw him, they argued among themselves, 'This is the heir; let us kill him, so that what he inherits may be ours.'

So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

He will come and put those tenants to death and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "May it never be so!"

Then the scribes and the high priests tried to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He meant this story for them.

So they closely watched and sent spies who pretended to be upright men, to catch Him in His conversation, so as to turn Him over to the power and authority of the governor.

They asked Him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and show no favors to anyone, but teach the way of God honestly.

"Show me a twenty-cent coin. Whose picture and title does it bear?" They answered, "Caesar's."

So they could not use what he said before the people, and in astonishment at His answer they said no more.

For they cannot die again. They are like the angels, and since they are reborn in the resurrection, are children of God.

For they did not dare to ask Him any more questions.

men who eat up widows' houses and to cover it up make long prayers! They will receive a much heavier sentence."

Then they asked Him, "Teacher, when will this be? And what is the sign that it is about to take place?"

Yes, you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and they will put some of you to death,

They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be carried off as captives among all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under the feet of the heathen, until the times of the heathen come to full measure.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud in overwhelming power and splendor.

So the high priests and the scribes continued to seek how they might put Him to death, for they were afraid of the people.

They were delighted and made a bargain to pay him for it.

They asked Him, "Where do you wish us to prepare it?"

So they went off and found it just as He had said, and they prepared the Passover supper.

Then they began to discuss among themselves which one it was who was going to do this.

Then He said to them, "When I sent you out without purse or bag or shoes, you did not need anything, did you?" They answered, "Nothing at all."

So they said, "Lord, look! here are two swords!" And He answered them, "Enough!"

Then they arrested Him and led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest. Peter was following at a distance.

And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had taken their seats together, Peter, too, was sitting among them.

and after blindfolding Him they asked Him, "Play the prophet and tell us who it is that struck you!"

And they continued to say many other abusive things to Him.

Then they all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" And He answered, "Yes, I am."