As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "Here I send my messenger on before you; He will prepare your way;

And all Judea and everybody in Jerusalem went out to him there, and accepted baptism from him in the Jordan River, acknowledging their sins.

I have baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the holy Spirit."

Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for men."

And they were all so amazed that they discussed it with one another, and said, "What does this mean? It is a new teaching! He gives orders with authority even to the foul spirits, and they obey him!"

And his fame immediately spread in all directions through the whole neighborhood of Galilee.

In the evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons,

and the whole town was gathered at the door.

and found him, and said to him, "They are all looking for you!"

So he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out the demons.

and such a crowd gathered that after a while there was no room even around the door, and he was telling them his message.

And he got up, and immediately picked up his mat and went out before them all, so that they were all astonished and acknowledged the power of God, saying, "We never saw anything like this before."

He went out of the town again and along the shore, and all the people came to him and he taught them.

Jesus heard it, and said to them, "It is not well people but the sick who have to have the doctor. I did not come to invite the pious but the irreligious."

Jesus said to them, "Can wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

But a time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and when that day comes, they will fast.

For he cured so many people that all who had any ailments pressed up to him to touch him.

I tell you, men will be forgiven for everything, for all their sins and all the abusive things they say.

Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Then he began again to teach by the seashore. And a crowd gathered around him so great that he got into a boat and sat in it, a little way from the shore, while all the people were on the land close to the water.

And Jesus said, "If you do not understand this figure, then how will you understand my other figures?

but it takes no real root in them and they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes because of the message they give it up at once.

"Take care what you hear," he said to them. "The measure you give will be given to you, and even more besides.

For people who have will have more given them, and from people who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

and then sleeping at night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up, without his knowing it.

But as soon as the crop will let him, the man goes in with his sickle, for the harvest time has come.

It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown in the ground, though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the world,

yet once sown, comes up and grows to be the largest of all the plants, and produces branches so large that the wild birds can roost under the shelter of it."

And those who had seen it told them what had happened to the demoniac, and all about the pigs.

And he would not permit it, but said to him, "Go home to your own people, and tell them all the Lord has done for you and how he took pity on you."

And he went off and began to tell everybody in the Ten Towns all Jesus had done for him; and they were all astonished.

and appealed to him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come, lay your hands on her, so that she may get well and live!"

and had had a great deal of treatment from various doctors and had spent all that she had and had not been benefited at all but had actually grown worse,

for she said, "If I can only touch his clothes, I shall get well."

The woman, knowing what had happened to her, came forward frightened and trembling, and threw herself down at his feet and told him the whole truth.

And he went into the house and said to them, "What is the meaning of all this confusion and crying? The child is not dead, she is asleep."

And they laughed at him. But he drove them all out, and took the child's father and mother and the men who were with him and went into the room where the child was lying.

When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue. And the people were astonished when they heard him, and said, "Where did he get all this? How does he come to have such wisdom? How are such marvelous things done through him?

and drove out many demons, and cured many sick people by anointing them with oil.

King Herod heard of him, for his name was now well known, and people were saying that John the baptizer had risen from the dead, and that that was why he was endowed with these extraordinary powers.

"Ask me for anything you like and I will give it to you." And he made oath to her, "I will give you whatever you ask me for, up to half my kingdom."

The apostles rejoined Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to some quiet place, and rest a little while." For people were coming and going in large numbers, and they had no time even for meals.

And many people saw them start and knew of it, and hurried around by land from all the neighboring towns, and got ahead of them.

And he directed them all to sit down in parties on the fresh grass.

Then he took the five loaves and the two fish and looked up to heaven and blessed the loaves and broke them in pieces and gave them to the disciples to pass to the people; and he divided the two fish among them all.

And they all ate and had enough.

He immediately had his disciples get into the boat and cross before him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he was dismissing the crowd.

for they all saw him and were terrified. But he immediately spoke to them and said, "Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid."

and they hurried all over the countryside and began to bring the sick to him on their mats, wherever they heard he was.

And whatever village or town or farm he went to, they would lay their sick in the market-place and beg him to let them touch just the tassel of his cloak, and all who touched it were cured.

For the Pharisees and all the Jews observe the rules handed down from their ancestors, and will not eat until they have washed their hands in a particular way,

and they will not eat anything from the market without first purifying it by sprinkling it, and they have a number of other observances which have come down to them, in the way of washing cups, pitchers, and basins.

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

He called the people to him again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand this.

since it does not go into his heart but into his stomach and then is disposed of?" So he declared all food clean.

greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, abusiveness, arrogance, folly??23 all these evils come from inside, and they pollute a man."

He said to her, "Let the children first eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

And people were utterly amazed, and said, "How well he has done everything! He even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak!"

And if I send them home hungry they will give out on the way, for some of them come from a distance."

And he sighed deeply and said, "Why do the men of this day ask for a sign? I tell you, no sign will be given them."

For whoever wants to preserve his own life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me and for the good news will preserve it.

For what good does it do a man to gain the whole world and yet part with his life?

For if anyone is ashamed of me and my teachings in this unfaithful and sinful age, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes back in his Father's glory, with the holy angels."

And he said to them, "I tell you, some of you who stand here will certainly live to see the reign of God come in its might."

He said to them, "Elijah does come first, and reforms everything, and does not the Scripture say of the Son of Man that he will suffer much and be refused?

And all the people were amazed when they saw him, and they ran up to him and greeted him.

for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and three days after he is killed he will rise again."

And he sat down and called the Twelve in, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all."

But Jesus said, "Do not tell him not to do so, for there is no one who will use my name to do a mighty act, and be able soon after to abuse me.

For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink, on the ground that you belong to Christ, I tell you, will certainly not fail to be repaid.

Salt is a good thing, but if salt loses its strength, what will you use to season it? You must have salt within you, and live in peace with one another."

I tell you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all."

But he said to him, "Master, I have obeyed all these commandments ever since I was a child."

And Jesus looked at him and loved him, and he said to him, "There is one thing that you lack. Go, sell all you have, and give the money to the poor, and then you will have riches in heaven; and come back and be a follower of mine."

And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have money to enter the Kingdom of God!"

Peter started to say to him, "Well, we have left all we had, and have followed you."

but will receive now in this life a hundred times as much in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands, though not without persecution??nd in the coming age eternal life.

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

"See!" he said, "we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the heathen

and they will ridicule him and spit on him and flog him and kill him; and three days after he will rise again."

Many of the people rebuked him and told him to be still. But he cried out all the louder, "You son of David, take pity on me!"

and said to them, "Go to the village that lies in front of you, and as soon as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

And if anybody says to you, 'Why are you doing that?' say, 'The Master needs it, and will send it back here directly.' "

And he came into Jerusalem and into the Temple, and looked it all over; then, as it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany.

and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple.

And he taught them, and said, "Does not the Scripture say, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a robbers' cave."

The high priests and the scribes heard of this, and they cast about for a way of destroying him, for they were afraid of him, for all the people were amazed at what he taught.

I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Get up and throw yourself into the sea!' and has no doubt in his mind, but has faith that what he says will happen, shall have it.

Jesus said to them, "Let me ask you one question, and if you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have for doing as I do.

And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'It was from heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

Yet can we say, 'It was from men'?" For they were afraid of the people, because all the people thought John was really a prophet.

So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus said to them, "Nor will I tell you what authority I have for doing as I do."

He still had one left to send, a dearly loved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'

But the tenants said to one another, 'This is his heir! Come on, let us kill him, and the property will belong to us!'

What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come back and put the tenants to death and give the vineyard to others.

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

One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing. He saw that Jesus had answered them well, and he asked him, "Which is the first of all the commands?"

and you must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind, and your whole strength.'

and to love him with one's whole heart, one's whole understanding, and one's whole strength, and to love one's neighbor as one's self is far more than all these burnt-offerings and sacrifices."