And this was his message: "After me there is coming one stronger than I am, one whose shoes I am not fit to stoop down and untie.

And just as he was coming up out of the water he saw the heavens torn open and the Spirit coming down like a dove to enter into him,

and the whole town was gathered at the door.

But he went off and began to talk so much about it, and to spread the story so widely, that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in unfrequented places, and people came to him from every direction.

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

And whenever the foul spirits saw him, they fell down before him and screamed out, "You are the Son of God!"

And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said that he was possessed by Beelzebub and drove out demons by the help of the prince of demons.

Then he awoke and reproved the wind, and said to the sea, "Hush! Silence!" And the wind went down and there was a great calm.

And the men who tended them ran away and spread the news in the town and in the country around, and the people came to see what had happened.

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.

But he still looked around to see the person who had done it.

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.

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?

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

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

And they threw themselves down in groups, in hundreds and in fifties.

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.

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not observe the rules handed down by our ancestors, but eat food without purifying their hands?"

"You give up what God has commanded and hold fast to what men have handed down.

"How skilful you are," he said to them, "in nullifying what God has commanded in order to observe what has been handed down to you.

and so you nullify what God has said by what you have handed down. You have many such practices."

He left the neighborhood of Tyre again and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, crossing the district of the Ten Towns.

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

As they were going down the mountain, he cautioned them to let no one know what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead.

And they brought the boy to him. As soon as the spirit saw him, it convulsed the boy, and he fell down on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

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 to them, "It was on account of your perversity that he laid down that law for you.

But his face fell at Jesus' words, and he went away much cast down, for he had a great deal of property.

When the other ten heard of this they were at first very indignant at James and John.

And they came to Jericho. As he was leaving the town with his disciples and a great crowd, Timaeus' son Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting at the roadside.

And he sat down facing the treasury and watched the people dropping money into it; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be torn down."

a man on the roof of his house must not go down or go into the house to get anything out of it,

And they grumbled at her. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you bother her? It is a fine thing that she has done to me.

She has done all she could; she has perfumed my body in preparation for my burial.

I tell you, wherever the good news is preached all over the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

They came to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit down here while I pray."

And Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest and sat down with the attendants and warmed himself at the fire.

"We ourselves have heard him say, 'I will tear down this sanctuary built by men's hands, and in three days I will build another, made without hands.' "

While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the high priest's maids came up,

And Pilate said to them, "Why, what has he done that is wrong?" But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

And they struck him on the head with a stick and spat at him, and they knelt down and did homage to him.

And the passers-by jeered at him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! you who would tear down the sanctuary and build one in three days!

Come down from the cross and save yourself!"

Let this Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see it and believe!" And the men who were crucified with him abused him.

One man ran off and soaked a sponge in common wine, and put it on the end of a stick and held it up to him to drink, saying, "Let us see whether Elijah does come to take him down!"

And he bought a linen sheet and took him down from the cross and wrapped him in the sheet, and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the doorway of the tomb.