The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now after John was imprisoned, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.

He said, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!"

"Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!"

Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer.

"Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. "Follow me," he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?"

Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to save a life or destroy it?" But they were silent.

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God."

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

Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake.

But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times."

He said to them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,

But these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred."

He also said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground.

He also asked, "To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it?

So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Be quiet! Calm down!" Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.

Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

Then he cried out with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God -- do not torment me!"

Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up."

The girl got up at once and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). They were completely astonished at this.

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did he get these ideas? And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands?

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dispersed the crowd.

After saying good-bye to them, he went to the mountain to pray.

As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Jesus.

Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition."

He also said to them, "You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition.

But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you would have received from me is corban' (that is, a gift for God),

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this."

His disciples answered him, "Where can someone get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy these people?"

Immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.

But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God's interests, but on man's."

And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

So Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters -- one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, to the unquenchable fire.

If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! It is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

Now as Jesus was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

Jesus looked at them and replied, "This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God."

Many scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man and said to him, "Have courage! Get up! He is calling you."

Many spread their cloaks on the road and others spread branches they had cut in the fields.

Jesus said to them, "Have faith in God.

When they came they said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone's favor, because you show no partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?"

Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were utterly amazed at him.

Jesus said to them, "Aren't you deceived for this reason, because you don't know the scriptures or the power of God?

Now as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"

Jesus answered, "The most important is: 'Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Then no one dared any longer to question him.

The one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

For in those days there will be suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, or ever will happen.

And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them short.

But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a good service for me.

For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me!

I tell you the truth, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!"

But he denied it: "I don't even understand what you're talking about!" Then he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed.

Around three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Now when the centurion, who stood in front of him, saw how he died, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council, who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

After Joseph bought a linen cloth and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone across the entrance of the tomb.

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.