Now the birth of Christ Jesus occurred under these conditions: After His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they had lived together, she was found to be an expectant mother through the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Now when Jesus was born at Bethlehem in Judea in the days of King Herod, stargazers came from the East to Jerusalem

Now when King Herod heard of it, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree then that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

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.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He set out for Galilee.

But your way of speaking must be a simple 'Yes' or 'No.' Anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

"Take care not to do your good deeds in public, to attract the attention of people; if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

But whenever you, a follower of mine, do a deed of charity, never let your own left hand know what your right hand is doing,

No one can be a slave to two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and money.

Now if God so gorgeously dresses the wild grass which today is green but tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you with little faith?

Why do you keep watching the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the girder in your own?

So if you, in spite of your being bad, know how to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your heavenly Father give what is good to those who keep on asking Him?

And then I will say to them openly, 'I never knew you at all. Go away from me, you who practiced doing wrong.'

Now Jesus, because He saw a crowd about Him, gave orders to cross to the other side.

Now there was not far from there a large drove of hogs feeding.

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said, "Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts?

Nobody sews a patch of brand-new goods on an old coat, for such a patch would tear away from the coat, and the hole would be bigger than ever.

Nobody pours new wine into old wine-bottles; or, if they do, the bottles burst, the wine runs out, and the bottles are ruined. But people pour new wine into new wine-bottles, and so both are preserved."

Keep on curing the sick, raising the dead, healing lepers, and driving out demons. You received and gave no pay; you must give and take none.

No pupil is better than his teacher, and no slave is better than his master.

And I solemnly say to you, no one who gives a cup of cold water to one of the least of my disciples, because he is a disciple, will ever fail to get his reward."

Now when John in prison heard of the doings of the Christ, he sent this message by his disciples:

And happy is the man who finds no cause for stumbling over me."

If not, what did you go out there to see? A man dressed in silks and satins? No, people who dress in that way are found in the palaces of kings.

"I solemnly say to you, of all men born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has ever appeared; and yet the one who is least important in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven? No, you belong to the regions of the dead! For if the wonder-works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued until today.

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one but the Father perfectly knows the Son, and no one but the Son perfectly knows the Father, and the one to whom the Son chooses to make Him known.

If you only knew what that saying means, 'It is mercy and not sacrifice that I want,' you would not have condemned men who are not guilty.

Now there was a man there with one hand withered. And, to get a charge against Him, they asked Him, "Is it right to cure people on the sabbath?"

But because Jesus knew it, He left there. And many people followed Him, and He cured them all,

He will not debate, nor challenge anyone; His voice will no one hear in the streets;

And all the crowds of people were dumbfounded, and began to say, "He is by no means the Son of David, is He?"

But because He knew their thoughts, He said to them, "Any kingdom that is not united is in the process of destruction, and any city or family that is not united cannot last.

Now if Satan is driving out Satan, he has become disunited; how then can his kingdom last?

But He answered, "Only a wicked and treacherous age is hankering for a spectacular sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.

and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil,

and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root.

"Now listen closely to the story of the sower.

but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls.

And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit.

And he said, 'No, never, for while you are gathering the wild wheat plants you might root up the good ones with them.

He said to them, "Every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who can bring out of his storeroom new furnishings as well as old."

is under no obligation at all to help his parent.' So you have set aside what God has said for the sake of what has been handed down to you.

It is not what goes into a man's mouth that makes him foul; no, it is what comes out of a man's mouth that makes him foul."

Then His disciples came up to Him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were knocked breathless to hear what you have just said?"

Then Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for it is now three days they have been staying with me, and they have nothing at all left to eat, and I fear they might give out on the way home."

"It is a wicked and immoral age that is hankering for a spectacular sign, so no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah." Then He left them and went away.

Jesus knew it and said, "Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Have you so little faith?

And I, yes I, tell you, your name from now on is to be Peter, Rock, and on a massive rock like this I will build my church, and the powers of the underworld shall never overthrow it.

Then Jesus said to His disciples: "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must say 'No' to self, put his cross on his shoulders, and keep on following me.

They looked up and saw no one but Jesus Himself.

So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together man must stop separating."

The disciples said to Him, "If that is a man's relation to his wife, there is no advantage in getting married."

Jesus said to them: "I solemnly say to you, in the new order of life, when the Son of Man shall take His seat on His glorious throne, you too, who have followed me, will sit on twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

But many who are first now will be last then, and many who are last now will be first then."

But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not contract with me at twenty cents?

So those who are last now will be first then, and those first will be last."

But Jesus called them to Him and said, "You know that the rulers of the heathen lord it over them, and their great men rule as despots over them.

Now this occurred to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

"Tell the daughter of Zion, your King is now coming to you, gentle, and riding on a donkey, yea, on the colt of a beast of burden."

So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." He also answered them, "Nor am I going to tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do.

Now when the owner of the estate comes back, what will he do to these tenants?"

When the high priests and the Pharisees heard His stories, they knew that He was speaking about them,

But they paid no attention to it, but went off, one to his farm, another to his place of business,

So they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, to say to Him, "Teacher, we know that you are in the habit of telling the truth and of teaching the way of God in honesty, and you do not care what anyone says, for you are not partial.

On the same day some Sadducees, who claim that there is no resurrection, came up to Him, and asked this question:

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died without children, and left his widow to his brother.

Now at the resurrection which one's wife, of the seven, will she be? For they all married her."

'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob!' Now God is not the God of dead but of living men."

Now the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, and so they had a meeting.

And not one could answer Him a word, and from that day on no one ever dared to ask Him any more questions.

Now your house is abandoned by me!

Jesus answered, "Look out that no one misleads you about it,

"Now learn what the story of the fig tree means. Just as soon as its branches grow tender, and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

So when you see all these things, you will know that He is right at your door.

For just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

For just as in the days before the Flood people went on eating and drinking, marrying and being married, until the very day Noah entered the ark,

and knew nothing about it until the Flood came and swept them all away, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

So keep on watching, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Now five of them were thoughtless and five were thoughtful,

for the thoughtless ones took their lamps but took no oil with them.

But the thoughtful ones answered, 'No, no, there may not be enough for you and us. Go to the store and buy your own oil.'

But he answered, 'I positively say to you, I do not know you.'

So you must keep on watching, for you do not know either the day or the hour.

Then the man who had received the one thousand came up and said, 'Master, I knew you were a hard man, who reaped where you had not sown, who gathered where you had not threshed.

His master answered him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reaped where I had not sown and gathered where I had not threshed.

"Then He will say to those at His left, 'Be gone from me, you who are now cursed, to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

"You know that in two days the Passover Feast will take place, and the Son of Man will be turned over to be crucified."

I tell you, I will never again drink the product of the vine till the day when I drink the new wine with you in my Father's kingdom."

Now His betrayer had given them a signal by saying, "The one I kiss is He. Seize Him!"

Now the high priests and the whole council were trying to get false testimony against Jesus, to have Him put to death;

Then the high priest arose and said to Him, "Have you no answer to make? What do you say to the evidence that they bring against you?"

What do you think now?" Then they answered, "He deserves to die."

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a waiting girl came up to him, and said, "You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean."

Again he denied it, and even swore, "I do not know the man!"

Then he commenced cursing and swearing, "I do not know the man!" And at once a cock crowed.

Now this piece of ground has ever since been called "The Field of Blood."

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked Him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Yes."