The whole of Judea, as well as all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, went out to him; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Now about that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

And he was there in the Wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and among the wild beasts, while the angels ministered to him.

But Jesus rebuked the spirit: "Be silent! Come out from him."

In the evening, after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who were ill or possessed by demons;

Jesus cured many who were ill with various diseases, and drove out many demons, and would not permit them to speak, because they knew him to be the Christ.

"Be careful not to say anything to any one; but go and show yourself to the Priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing directed by Moses, as evidence of your cure."

And some people came bringing to him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four bearers.

But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be parted from them, and they will fast then--when that day comes.

Then Jesus went away with his disciples to the Sea, followed by a great number of people from Galilee.

So Jesus told his disciples to keep a small boat close by, for fear the crowd should crush him.

And he appointed twelve--whom he also named 'Apostles'--that they might be with him, and that he might send them out as his Messengers, to preach,

And the Teachers of the Law, who had come down from Jerusalem, said: "He has Baal-zebub in him, and he drives the demons out by the help of Baal-zebub, their chief."

And when a household is divided against itself, it will not be able to last.

I tell you that men will be forgiven everything--their sins, and all the slanders that they utter;

Jesus again began to teach by the Sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the Sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water's edge.

'Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; And though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; Lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.'

The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them.

So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully;

Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message,

But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold."

And Jesus said to them: "Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn-measure or under the couch, instead of being put on the lampstand?

Take care what you listen to," said Jesus. "The measure you mete will be meted out to you, and more will be added for you.

For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."

And then sleeps by night and rises by day, while the seed is shooting up and growing--he knows not how.

By what can we illustrate it? Perhaps by the growth of a mustard-seed. This seed, when sown in the ground, though it is smaller than all other seeds,

Jesus rose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: "Hush! Be still!" Then the wind dropped, and a great calm followed.

But they were struck with great awe, and said to one another: "Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

There was a large drove of pigs close by, feeding on the hill- side.

By the time Jesus had re-crossed in the boat to the opposite shore, a great number of people had gathered to meet him, and were standing by the Sea.

"My little daughter," he said, "is at the point of death; I beg you to come and place your hands on her, that her life may be spared."

"Daughter," he said, "your faith has delivered you. Go, and peace be with you; be free from your complaint."

But Jesus, overhearing what they were saying, said to the President of the Synagogue: "Do not be afraid; only have faith."

On leaving that place, Jesus, followed by his disciples, went to his own part of the country.

And he wondered at the want of faith shown by the people. Jesus went round the villages, one after another, teaching.

But when Herod heard of him, he said--"The man whom I beheaded--John--he must be risen!"

For John had said to Herod--'You have no right to be living with your brother's wife.'

Because Herod stood in fear of John, knowing him to be an upright and holy man, and protected him. He had listened to John, but still remained much perplexed, and yet he found pleasure in listening to him.

"Come by yourselves privately to some lonely spot," he said, "and rest for a while"--for there were so many people coming and going that they had not time even to eat.

Send the people away, so that they may go to the farms and villages around and buy themselves something to eat."

But Jesus answered: "It is for you to give them something to eat." "Are we to go and buy twenty pounds' worth of bread," they asked, "to give them to eat?"

For all of them saw him, and were terrified. But Jesus at once spoke to them. "Courage!" he said, "it is I; do not be afraid!"

They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with their hands 'defiled,' by which they meant unwashed.

His answer was: "It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you hypocrites in the words--'This is a people that honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far removed from me;

In this way you nullify the words of God by your traditions, which you hand down; and you do many similar things."

There is nothing external to a man, which by going into him can 'defile' him; but the things that come out from a man are the things that defile him."

"What, do even you understand so little?" exclaimed Jesus. "Do not you see that there is nothing external to a man, which by going into a man, can 'defile' him,

"Let the children be satisfied first," answered Jesus. "For it is not fair to take the children's food, and throw it to dogs."

On returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went, by way of Sidon, to the Sea of Galilee, across the district of the Ten Towns.

Then, looking up to Heaven, he sighed, and said to the man: "Ephphatha!" which means 'Be opened.'

"Where will it be possible," his disciples answered, "to get sufficient bread for these people in this lonely place?"

Sighing deeply, Jesus said: "Why does this generation ask for a sign? I tell you, no sign shall be given it."

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo much suffering, and that he must be rejected by the Councillors, and the Chief Priests, and the Teachers of the Law, and be put to death, and rise again after three days.

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my teaching, in this unfaithful and wicked generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his Father's Glory with the holy angels."

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain alone by themselves. There his appearance was transformed before their eyes,

"Rabbi," said Peter, interposing, "it is good to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

"O faithless generation!" exclaimed Jesus. "How long must I be with you? how long must I have patience with you? Bring the boy to me."

They brought him to Jesus; but no sooner did the boy see him than the spirit threw him into convulsions; and he fell on the ground, and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

"How long has he been like this?" Jesus asked the boy's father.

The boy's father immediately cried out: "I have faith; help my want of faith!"

With a loud cry the spirit threw the boy into repeated convulsions, and then came out from him. The boy looked like a corpse, so that most of them said that he was dead.

"A spirit of this kind," he said, "can be driven out only by prayer."

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said: "If any one wishes to be first, he must be last of all, and servant of all."

"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons by using your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he did not follow us."

And, if any one puts a snare in the way of one of these lowly ones who believe in me, it would be far better for him if he had been thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck.

If your hand proves a snare to you, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter the Life maimed, than to have both your hands and go into the Pit, into the inextinguishable fire.

If your foot proves a snare to you, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter the Life lame, than to have both your feet and be thrown into the Pit.

If your eye proves a snare to you, tear it out. It would be better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye, than to have both eyes and be thrown into the Pit,

For it is by fire that every one will be salted.

Then Jesus looked round, and said to his disciples: "How hard it will be for men of wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!"

"Then who can be saved?" they exclaimed in the greatest astonishment.

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

"Listen!" he said. "We are going up to Jerusalem; and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law, and they will condemn him to death, and they will give him up to the Gentiles,

But among you it is not so. No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

And whoever wants to take the first place among you must be the servant of all;

For even the Son of Man came, not be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

They came to Jericho. When Jesus was going out of the town with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road-side.

Many of the people kept telling him to be quiet; but the man continued to call out all the louder: "Son of David, take pity on me."

And, if any one says to you 'Why are you doing that?', say 'The Master wants it, and will be sure to send it back here at once.'"

Some of the by-standers said to them: "What are you doing, untying the foal?"

And, noticing a fig-tree at a distance in leaf, he went to it to see if by any chance he could find something on it; but, on coming up to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

Then he began to teach. "Does not Scripture say," he asked, "'My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers.'"

Now the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law heard this and began to look for some way of putting Jesus to death; for they were afraid of him, since all the people were greatly impressed by his teaching.

As they passed by early in the morning, they noticed that the fig-tree was withered up from the very roots.

"I tell you that if any one should say to this hill 'Be lifted up and hurled into the sea!', without ever a doubt in his mind, but in the faith that what he says will be done, he would find that it would be.

And therefore I say to you 'Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be.'

But those tenants said to one another 'Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.'

These men came to him and said: "Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and are not afraid of any one, for you pay no regard to a man's position, but teach the Way of God honestly; are we right in paying taxes to the Emperor, or not?

Should we pay, or should we not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus said to them: "Why are you testing me? Bring me a florin to look at."

And Jesus replied: "Pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and to God what belongs to God." And they wondered at him.

At the resurrection whose wife will she be, all seven brothers having had her as their wife?"

While Jesus was teaching in the Temple Courts, he asked: "How is it that the Teachers of the Law say that the Christ is to be David's son?

David himself calls him 'lord,' how comes it, then, that he is to be his son?" The mass of the people listened to Jesus with delight.

In the course of his teaching, Jesus said: "See that you are on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the streets with respect,

They are the men that rob widows of their homes, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

"Do you see these great buildings?" asked Jesus. "Not a single stone will be left here upon another, which shall not be thrown down."

"Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign when all this is drawing to its close."

And, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; such things must occur; but the end is not yet.

For 'nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom'; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This will be but the beginning of the birth-pangs.

See to yourselves! They will betray you to courts of law; and you will be taken to Synagogues and beaten; and you will be brought up before governors and kings for my sake, that you may bear witness before them.