When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida.

But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing.

Now about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray.

Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him.

Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!"

Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely.

As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts, he took a child, had him stand by his side,

John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not a disciple along with us."

But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you."

Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem.

He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him,

but the villagers refused to welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem.

As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

And if a peace-loving person is there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will return to you.

All things have been given to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him."

He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you understand it?"

Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.

So too a Levite, when he came up to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan who was traveling came to where the injured man was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.

He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.'

The expert in religious law said, "The one who showed mercy to him." So Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest.

But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me."

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.'

I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man's sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Others, to test him, began asking for a sign from heaven.

But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first man's armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder.

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!"

As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table.

But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

One of the experts in religious law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too."

When he went out from there, the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, and to ask him hostile questions about many things,

plotting against him, to catch him in something he might say.

But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Then someone from the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

But Jesus said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?"

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

be like people waiting for their master to come back from the wedding celebration, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.

then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

Now there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

But the worker answered him, 'Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it.

When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity."

Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall, and lead it to water?

Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" So he said to them,

Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, 'Lord, let us in!' But he will answer you, 'I don't know where you come from.'

Now one Sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, they were watching him closely.

There right in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.

But they remained silent. So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away.

Then he said to them, "Which of you, if you have a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?"

He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you host a dinner or a banquet, don't invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid.

When one of those at the meal with Jesus heard this, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!"

But Jesus said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many guests.

But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.'

Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him.

Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him.

So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.

He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

I will get up and go to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him.

Then his son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

But the father said to his slaves, 'Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet!

But the older son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and appealed to him,

But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'

Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours.

So he called the manager in and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.'

The man replied, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.'

Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' The second man replied, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

The Pharisees (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him.

He replied to him, 'If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Won't the master instead say to him, 'Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may eat and drink'?

As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance,

He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus' feet and thanked him. (Now he was a Samaritan.)

Then the disciples said to him, "Where, Lord?" He replied to them, "Where the dead body is, there the vultures will gather."

There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'

Won't God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them?

Now people were even bringing their babies to him for him to touch. But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them.

Now a certain ruler asked him, "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.