"The time has fully come," He said, "and the Kingdom of God is close at hand: repent, and believe this Good News.

And all were amazed and awe-struck, so they began to ask one another, "What does this mean? Here is a new sort of teaching--and a tone of authority! And even to foul spirits he issues orders and they obey him!"

"Why does this man use such words?" they said; "he is blaspheming. Who can pardon sins but One--that is, God?"

Which is easier?--to say to this paralytic, 'Your sins are pardoned,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk?'

The man rose, and immediately under the eyes of all took up his mat and went out, so that they were all filled with astonishment, gave the glory to God, and said, "We never saw anything like this."

Hearing of this, His relatives came to seize Him by force, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

This was because they said, "He is possessed by a foul spirit."

By this time His mother and His brothers arrive, and standing outside they send a message to Him to call Him.

"To you," He replied, "has been entrusted the secret truth concerning the Kingdom of God; but to those others outside your number all this is spoken in figurative language;

"Do you all miss the meaning of this parable?" He added; "how then will you understand the rest of my parables?"

Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground:

Another saying of His was this: "How are we to picture the Kingdom of God? or by what figure of speech shall we represent it?

Then they were filled with terror, and began to say to one another, "Who is this, then? For even wind and sea obey Him."

This man lived among the tombs, nor could any one now secure him even with a chain;

But He continued looking about to see the person who had done this,

He goes in. "Why all this outcry and loud weeping?" He asks; "the child is asleep, not dead."

To this their reply is a scornful laugh. He, however, puts them all out, takes the child's father and mother and those He has brought with Him, and enters the room where the child lies.

On the Sabbath He proceeded to teach in the synagogue; and many, as they heard Him, were astonished. "Where did he acquire all this?" they asked. "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And what are these marvellous miracles which his hands perform?

Is not this the carpenter, Mary's son, the brother of James and Joses, Jude and Simon? And do not his sisters live here among us?" So they turned angrily away.

King Herod heard of all this (for the name of Jesus had become widely known)

By this time it was late; so His disciples came to Him, and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late:

"Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "'This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me:

After He had left the crowd and gone indoors, His disciples began to ask Him about this figure of speech.

"My heart yearns over the people," He said; "for this is now the third day they have remained with me, and they have nothing to eat.

"Where can we possibly get bread here in this remote place to satisfy such a crowd?" answered His disciples.

He perceived what they were saying, and He said to them, "What is this discussion of yours about having no bread? Do you not yet see and understand? Are your minds so dull of comprehension?

And He strictly forbad them to tell this about Him to any one.

This He told them plainly; whereupon Peter took Him and began to remonstrate with Him.

Every one, however, who has been ashamed of me and of my teachings in this faithless and sinful age, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."

Then there came a cloud spreading over them, and a voice issued from the cloud, "This is my Son, dearly loved: listen to Him."

Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?" "From early childhood," he said;

"An evil spirit of this kind," He answered, "can only be driven out by prayer."

"Whoever for my sake receives one such young child as this, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not so much me as Him who sent me."

"It was in consideration of your stubborn hearts," said Jesus, "that Moses enacted this law for you;

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cling to his wife,

Jesus, however, on seeing this, was moved to indignation, and said to them, "Let the little children come to me: do not hinder them; for to those who are childlike the Kingdom of God belongs.

but will receive a hundred times as much now in this present life--houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, lands--and persecution with them--and in the coming age the Life of the Ages.

and He said to the tree, "Let no one ever again eat fruit from thee!" And His disciples heard this.

This the High Priests and Scribes heard, and they began to devise means to destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, because of the deep impression produced on all the people by His teaching.

In solemn truth I tell you that if any one shall say to this mountain, 'Remove, and hurl thyself into the sea,' and has no doubt about it in his heart, but stedfastly believes that what he says will happen, it shall be granted him.

"Have you not read even this passage," He added, "'The stone which the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone:

this Cornerstone came from the Lord, and is wonderful in our esteem?'"

And they kept looking out for an opportunity to seize Him, but were afraid of the people; for they saw that in this parable He had referred to *them*. So they left Him and went away.

They brought one; and He asked them, "Whose is this likeness and this inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.

"Is not this the cause of your error," replied Jesus--"your ignorance alike of the Scriptures and of the power of God?

"The chief Commandment," replied Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;

"The second is this: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as thou lovest thyself.' "Other Commandment greater than these there is none."

So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to the Treasury;

And I solemnly tell you that wherever in the whole world the Good News shall be proclaimed, this which she has done shall also be told in remembrance of her."

Also during the meal He took a Passover biscuit, blessed it, and broke it. He then gave it to them, saying, "Take this, it is my body."

"This is my blood," He said, "which is to be poured out on behalf of many--the blood which makes the Covenant sure.

"I solemnly tell you," replied Jesus, "that to-day--this night--before the cock crows twice, you yourself will three times disown me."

and He said, "Abba! my Father! all things are possible for Thee: take this cup of suffering away from me: and yet not what I desire, but what Thou desirest."

Day after day I used to be among you in the Temple teaching, and you never seized me. But this is happening in order that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.'

"We have heard him say, 'I will pull down this Sanctuary built by human hands, and three days afterwards I will erect another built without hands.'"

But not even in this shape was their testimony consistent.

At last the High Priest stood up, and advancing into the midst of them all, asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is the meaning of all this that these witnesses allege against you?"

and at this time a man named Barabbas was in prison among the insurgents--persons who in the insurrection had committed murder.

Then they crucified Him. This done, they divided His garments among them, drawing lots to decide what each should take.

This Christ, the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even the men who were being crucified with Him heaped insults on Him.

And when the Centurion who stood in front of the cross saw that He was dead, he exclaimed, "This man was indeed God's Son."

But he said to them, "Do not be terrified. It is Jesus you are looking for--the Nazarene who has been crucified. He has come back to life: He is not here: this is the place where they laid Him.