But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for this is the fitting way for both of us to do our full duty to God." Then he yielded to Him.

"Do not suppose that I have come to set aside the law or the prophets.

"Do not suppose that I have come to set aside the law or the prophets. I have not come to set them aside but to fill them up to the brim. For I solemnly say to you, heaven and earth would sooner pass away than the dotting of an 'i' or the crossing of a 't' from the law, until it all becomes in force.

I have not come to set them aside but to fill them up to the brim. For I solemnly say to you, heaven and earth would sooner pass away than the dotting of an 'i' or the crossing of a 't' from the law, until it all becomes in force.

I have not come to set them aside but to fill them up to the brim. For I solemnly say to you, heaven and earth would sooner pass away than the dotting of an 'i' or the crossing of a 't' from the law, until it all becomes in force. Whoever, therefore, breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others so to do, will be ranked as least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices them and teaches others so to do, will be ranked as great in the kingdom of heaven. read more. For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all. "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You must not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will have to answer to the court.' But I say to you: "Everyone who harbors malice against his brother, will have to answer to the court, and whoever speaks contemptuously to his brother, will have to answer to the supreme court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You cursed fool? will have to pay the penalty in the pit of torture. So if, in the very act of presenting your gift at the altar, you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your grit right there at the altar, and first go and make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift. Be quick to come to terms with your opponent while you are on the road to court with him, so that he may not turn you over to the judge and the judge turn you over to the officer, and you be put in prison. I solemnly say to you, you will never get out at all until you have paid the last penny. "You have heard it was said, 'You must not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman so as to have an evil desire for her at once has already committed adultery with her in his heart, So if your right eye causes you to do wrong, pluck it out of your way; for it is better to have one part of your body suffer loss than to have your whole body go down to the pit. And if your right hand causes you to do wrong, cut it off and put it out of your way, for it is better to have one part of your body suffer loss than to have your whole body go down to the pit. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any other ground than unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a wife who is thus divorced commits adultery. "Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You must not swear falsely, but you must perform your oaths as a religious duty.' But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne, or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. Never swear by your own head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. But your way of speaking must be a simple 'Yes' or 'No.' Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist the one who injures you, but if anyone slaps you on one cheek, turn him the other, too; and if anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat, too. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. If anyone, whoever he may be, keeps on begging you, give to him; if anyone wants to borrow from you, do not turn him away. "You have heard that it was said, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, practice loving your enemies and praying for your persecutors, to prove that you are sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun rise on bad as well as good people, and makes the rain come down on doers of right and of wrong alike. For if you practice loving only those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax-collectors practice that? And if you say 'Good morning' to your brothers only, what more than others are you doing? So you, my followers, ought to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is."

When Jesus had closed this address, the result was that the crowds were dumbfounded at His teaching,

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and, to testify to the people, make the offering that Moses prescribed."

Or, did you never read in the law that the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and yet are not guilty? But I tell you, there is something greater than the temple here!

But He said to them, "What man is there among you, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a ditch on the sabbath, will not lay hold on it and lift it out?

But if I by the Spirit of God am driving the demons out, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or, how can anyone get into a giant's house and carry off his goods, unless he first binds the giant? After that he can make a clean sweep of his house. read more. Whoever is not in partnership with me is against me, and whoever does not gather in partnership with me scatters.

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

But He answered, "I have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel's house."

but still, that we may not influence them to do anything wrong, go down to the sea and throw over a hook. Pull in the first fish that bites, open its mouth and you will find in it a dollar. Take it and pay the tax for both of us."

And some Pharisees came up to Him, to try Him out with the question, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?" And He answered, "Have you not read that the Creator at the beginning made them male and female, read more. and said, 'For this reason a man must leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two of them must be one!' So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together man must stop separating." Then they asked Him, "Why did Moses command us to give a written divorce charge, and in this way to divorce a wife?" He answered them, "It was because of your moral perversity that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not so from the beginning. I tell you, whoever divorces his wife for any other cause than her unfaithfulness, and marries another woman, commits adultery."

just as the Son of Man has come, not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom price to set many free."

Now the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, and so they had a meeting. And one of their number, an expert in the law, to tempt Him, asked, read more. "Teacher, what sort of command is greatest in the law?" And He answered him, "'You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole mind.' This is the greatest command, and is first in importance. The second is like it: 'You must love your neighbor as you do yourself.' The essence of the whole law and the prophets is packed into these two commands."

for this is my blood which ratifies the covenant, the blood which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.

On the Sabbath He was passing through the wheat fields, and His disciples started to make a path by pulling off the wheat heads. So the Pharisees were saying to Him, "Just look! Why are they doing on the Sabbath what it is against the law to do?" read more. He answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his soldiers were in need and hungry? How is it that he went into the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the sacred loaves, which it is against the law for anyone except the priests to eat, and gave part of them to his soldiers, too?" Then He said to them, "The Sabbath was made to serve man and not man to keep the Sabbath.

Then He said to them, "The Sabbath was made to serve man and not man to keep the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

And they kept closely watching Him, to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath, to get a charge to bring against Him.

Their worship of me is but an empty show; the things they teach are but men's precepts.' "You give up what God has commanded, read more. you cling to what men hand down. You are fine teachers to cancel what God commanded, in order to keep what men have handed down! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and again, 'Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death,' but you say if a man tells his father or mother, 'Everything I have that may be of use to you is Corban,' that is, consecrated to God, you let him off from doing anything more for his father or mother; and so you set aside what God has said by what you have handed down. You have many other practices like these." Again He called the people to Him and said, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from the outside can make him foul, but the things that come from the inside of a man are the things that make him foul." Omitted Text. Now when He had left the crowd and gone home, His disciples were asking Him the meaning of this story. And He answered them, "Are you too without understanding yet? Do you not know that nothing from the outside that goes into a man can make him foul, because it does not reach his heart but only his stomach, and then passes off into the waste?" In thus speaking He made all foods clean.

because it does not reach his heart but only his stomach, and then passes off into the waste?" In thus speaking He made all foods clean. He kept on saying, "The thing that comes from the inside of a man is the thing that makes him foul, read more. for from the inside, that is, from the hearts of men, designs for doing evil come, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, abusiveness, haughtiness, thoughtlessness. All these evils come from the inside of a man and make him foul."

But He kept silent and made no answer at all. So the high priest again questioned Him in these words, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

When He was eight days old and it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before Mary had conceived Him.

The roll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him, and He unrolled it and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has consecrated me to preach the good news to the poor; He has sent me to announce release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to send the downtrodden away in liberty and read more. to announce the year of favor from the Lord." Then He rolled up the roll and gave it back to the attendant and took His seat. Now the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were gazing at Him. Then He began to speak to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled here in your hearing."

Just then an expert in the law got up to test Him by asking, "Teacher, what shall I do to get possession of eternal life?" And He answered him, "What is written in the law? How does it read?" read more. Then he answered, "You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and your whole mind, and your neighbor as you do yourself." He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Continue to do this, and you will live." But he, as he wished to justify his question, said, "But who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered: "A man was on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers, who both stripped him and beat him till he was half dead, and then went off and left him. Now a priest happened to be going that way, but when he saw him, he went by on the other side of the road. So a Levite likewise came down to the place, but when he saw him, he went by on the other side. But a Samaritan, while on a journey, came down to him, and when he saw him, his heart was moved with pity for him. So he went to him and dressed his wounds by pouring oil and wine upon them, and then he put him on his donkey and brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out a half dollar and handed it to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him, and on my way back I will repay you.' Which one of these three do you think proved himself a real neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" He said, "The one who took pity on him." Jesus said to him, "Go and practice it yourself."

When He had said this, a Pharisee asked Him to lunch at his house, and He went in and took His place at table. The Pharisee noticed that He did not first wash before lunch, and was surprised. read more. But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees have the habit of cleaning the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside you yourselves are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside too? But dedicate once for all your inner self, and at once you will have everything clean.

And so was it not right for this woman, a descendant of Abraham, whom Satan has for eighteen years kept bound, to be freed from this bond on the Sabbath?" Even while He was saying this, His opponents were blushing with shame, but all the people were rejoicing over all the glorious things that were being done by Him.

It was the law and the prophets until John, but ever since that time the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everybody has been taking it by storm.

For I tell you, what has been written about me must be fulfilled: 'He was classed with the outlaws.' Yes, that saying about me has its fulfillment."

Then He began with Moses and went through all the prophets and explained to them all the passages in the Scriptures about Himself.

For while the law was given through Moses, spiritual blessing and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

For while the law was given through Moses, spiritual blessing and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

And just as Moses in the desert lifted the serpent on the pole, the Son of Man must be lifted up,

And at once the man was well, and picked up his pallet, and went to walking. Now it was the Sabbath. So the Jews began to say to the man who had been cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is against the law for you to carry your pallet." read more. He answered them, "The man who cured me said to me, 'Pick up your pallet and go to walking.'" They asked him, "Who is the man that said to you, 'Pick up your pallet and go to walking'?" The man who had been cured did not know who He was, for since there was a crowd at the place, Jesus had slipped away. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple court, and said to him, "See! You are now well. Stop sinning or something worse may befall you." The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. This is why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He persisted in doing such things on the Sabbath. Then He answered them, "My Father is still working, and so am I." It was on account of this that the Jews tried all the harder to put Him to death, because He not only persisted in breaking the Sabbath, but also kept on saying that God was His Father, and so was making Himself equal to God. So Jesus answered them: "I most solemnly say to you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, except as He sees the Father doing it, for whatever the Father is in the habit of doing the Son also persists in doing. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything that He Himself is doing, and He will show Him greater deeds than these, so that you will keep on wondering.

In the prophets it is written, 'And all men will be taught by God.' Everyone who ever listens to the Father and learns from Him will come to me.

I am this living bread that has come down out of heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my own flesh."

You are not greater than our forefather Abraham, are you? He is dead and the prophets are dead. Who do you claim to be?"

Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man does not come from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a sinful man perform such wonder- works?" So there was a difference of opinion among them.

So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know this man is a sinner."

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing about this;

I most solemnly say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains a single grain. But if it does die, it yields a great harvest.

The crowd answered Him, "We have learned from the law that the Christ is to remain here forever, and so how can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"

But this is so that the saying written in their law may be fulfilled, 'They hated me without a cause.'

The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and in accordance with that law He deserves to die, for claiming to be God's Son."

So, my brothers, you must understand that through Him the forgiveness of your sins is now proclaimed to you,

Then what are we to say about our forefather Abraham? For if he was considered in right standing with God on the condition of what he did, he has something to boast of, but not before God. read more. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham put his faith in God, and it was credited to him as right standing with God." Now when a workman gets his pay, it is not considered from the point of view of a favor but of an obligation; but the man who does no work, but simply puts his faith in Him who brings the ungodly into right standing with Himself, has his faith credited to him as right standing.

Then law crept in to multiply the offense. Though sin has multiplied, yet God's favor has surpassed it and overflowed,

What are we then to conclude? Is the law sin? Of course not! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have learned what sin was, for I should not have known what an evil desire was, if the law had not said, "You must not have an evil desire." Sin found its rallying point in that command and stirred within me every sort of evil desire, for without law, sin is lifeless. read more. I was once alive when I had no connection with the law, but when the command came, sin revived, and then I died; and so, in my case, the command which should have meant life turned out to mean death. For sin found its rallying point in that command and through it deceived me and killed me. So the law itself is holy, and its specific commands are holy, right, and good.

So the law itself is holy, and its specific commands are holy, right, and good. Did that which is good, then, result in death to me? Of course not! It was sin that did it, so that it might show itself as sin, for by means of that good thing it brought about my death, so that through the command sin might appear surpassingly sinful.

Did that which is good, then, result in death to me? Of course not! It was sin that did it, so that it might show itself as sin, for by means of that good thing it brought about my death, so that through the command sin might appear surpassingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am made of flesh that is frail, sold into slavery to sin. read more. Indeed, I do not understand what I do, for I do not practice what I want to do, but I am always doing what I hate. But if I am always doing what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is right. Now really it is not I that am doing these things, but it is sin which has its home within me. For I know that nothing good has its home in me; that is, in my lower self; I have the will but not the power to do what is right. Indeed, I do not do the good things that I want to do, but I do practice the evil things that I do not want to do. But if I do the things that I do not want to do, it is really not I that am doing these things, but it is sin which has its home within me. So I find this law: When I want to do right, the wrong is always in my way. For in accordance with my better inner nature I approve God's law, but I see another power operating in my lower nature in conflict with the power operated by my reason, which makes me a prisoner to the power of sin which is operating in my lower nature. Wretched man that I am! Who can save me from this deadly lower nature?

For the life-giving power of the Spirit through union with Christ Jesus has set us free from the power of sin and death. For though the law could not do it, because it was made helpless through our lower nature, yet God, by sending His own Son in a body similar to that of our lower nature, and as a sacrifice for sin, passed sentence upon sin through His body,

while Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law that would bring right standing, did not attain to it.

For they were ignorant of God's way of right standing and were trying to set up one of their own, and so would not surrender to God's way of right standing.

To the people already married I give this instruction -- no, not I but the Lord -- that a wife is not to leave her husband.

On the other hand, I have renounced all underhanded, disgraceful methods; I neither practice cunning nor do I tamper with God's message, but by clear and candid statements of truth I try to commend myself to every human conscience in God's sight.

For through the law I myself have become dead to the law, so that I may live for God.

Is the law then contrary to God's promises? Of course not. For if a law had been given that was able to impart life, surely, then, right standing would have come through law.

So the law has been our attendant to lead us to Christ, so that we might through faith obtain right standing with God.

I mean this: As long as the heir is under age he is not a whit better off than a slave, although he is heir of all the property, but he is under guardians and trustees until the time fixed by the father. read more. So when we were spiritually under age, we were slaves to the world's crude notions, but when the proper time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to law,

but when the proper time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to law, to ransom those who were subject to law, so that we might be adopted as sons.

Practice bearing one another's burdens, and in this way carry out the law of Christ.

and be actually in union with Him, not having a supposed right standing with God which depends on my doing what the law commands, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the real right standing with God which originates from Him and rests on faith.

and be actually in union with Him, not having a supposed right standing with God which depends on my doing what the law commands, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the real right standing with God which originates from Him and rests on faith.

Stop letting anyone, in gratuitous humility and worship of angels, defraud you as an umpire, for such a one is taking his stand on the mere visions he has seen, and is groundlessly conceited over his sensuous mind.

Now Moses was faithful in all the house of God, yet only as a servant to bear witness to the message that should be spoken,

for it is merely a symbol of the present time in connection with which gifts and sacrifices are repeatedly offered though they cannot make the conscience of the worshiper perfect,