Since many people have attempted to write an orderly account of the events that have transpired among us,

I, too, have carefully investigated everything from the beginning and have decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

You will have great joy, and many people will rejoice at his birth,

The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you.

Then the angel told her, "Stop being afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God.

Mary asked the angel, "How can this happen, since I have not had relations with a man?"

Then Mary said, "Truly I am the Lord's servant. Let everything you have said happen to me." Then the angel left her.

Why should this happen to me, to have the mother of my Lord visit me?

When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.

While they were there, the time came for her to have her baby,

because my eyes have seen your salvation,

When Jesus' parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!"

Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don't begin to say to yourselves, "We have father Abraham!' because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones!

He answered them, "The person who has two coats must share with the one who doesn't have any, and the person who has food must do the same."

"Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!"

But he told them, "I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in other cities, because I was sent to do that also."

Simon answered, "Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I'll lower the nets."

Amazement seized all the people, and they began to praise God. They were filled with fear and declared, "We have seen wonderful things today!"

I have not come to call righteous people, but sinners, to repentance."

Jesus answered them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions became hungry?

"But how terrible it will be for you who are rich, because you have had your comfort!

So they went to Jesus and begged him repeatedly, "He deserves to have this done for him,

So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus, "Sir, stop troubling yourself, because I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof.

because I, too, am a man under authority and have soldiers under me. I say to one "Go' and he goes, to another "Come' and he comes, and to my servant "Do this' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith!"

So he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear again, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news.

Now the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and told himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman she is. She's a sinner!"

Jesus told him, "Simon, I have something to ask you." "Teacher," he replied, "ask it."

Simon answered, "I suppose the one who had the larger debt canceled." Jesus told him, "You have answered correctly."

So I'm telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that's why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little."

So he said, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given in parables, so that "they might look but not see, and they might listen but not understand.'"

The ones on the stony ground are the people who joyfully welcome the word when they hear it. But since they don't have any roots, they believe for a while, but in a time of testing they fall away.

So pay attention to how you listen, because to the one who has something, more will be given. However, from the one who doesn't have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."

But he told them, "You give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish unless we go and buy food for all these people."

Now there were about 5,000 men. So he told his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about 50."

What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world, but destroys himself or is lost?

Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Keep listening to him!"

Jesus told him, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest."

"How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

Look! I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to destroy all the enemy's power, and nothing will ever hurt you.

At that moment, the Holy Spirit made Jesus extremely joyful, so Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you.

All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Jesus told him, "You have answered correctly. "Do this, and you will live.'"

A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don't have anything to serve him.'

because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened.

After Jesus had said this, a Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So Jesus went and took his place at the table.

"How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, spices, and every kind of herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.

How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to have the places of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.

How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn't go in yourselves, and you kept out those who were trying to go in."

Therefore, what you have said in darkness will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops."

Why, even all the hairs on your head have been counted! Stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows."

So he began to think to himself, "What should I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'

Consider the crows. They don't plant or harvest, they don't even have a storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!

Now if that's the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you you who have little faith?

But be sure of this: if the homeowner had known at what time the thief were coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into.

I have a baptism to be baptized with, and what stress I am under until it's completed!

So he told the gardener, "Look here! For three years I've been coming to look for fruit on this tree but I haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?'

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you people were unwilling!

Then the host who invited both of you would come to you and say, "Give this person your place.' In disgrace, you would have to take the place of least honor.

When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me, because I have found the coin that I lost!'

No one would give him anything, even though he would gladly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating.

"Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father's hired men have more food than they can eat, and here I am starving to death!

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

Then his son told him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I don't deserve to be called your son anymore.'

"His father told him, "My child, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

So if you haven't been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?

And if you haven't been faithful with what belongs to foreigners, who will give you what is your own?

So he shouted, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am suffering in this fire.'

because I have five brothers to warn them, so that they won't end up in this place of torture, too.'

"Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets. They should listen to them!'

The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you!

"Suppose a man among you has a servant plowing or watching sheep. Would he say to him when he comes in from the field, "Come at once and have something to eat'?

That's the way it is with you. When you have done everything you were ordered to do, say, "We are worthless servants. We have done only what we ought to have done.'"

and shouted, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

Now some people were even bringing their infants to Jesus to have him touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they sternly told the people not to do that.

The official replied, "I have kept all of these since I was a young man."

When Jesus heard this, he told him, "You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."

Then Peter said, "See, we have left everything we have and followed you."

After they have whipped him, they'll kill him, but on the third day he'll rise again."

So he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The people at the front of the crowd sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, "Look! I'm giving half of my possessions to the destitute, and if I have accused anyone falsely, I'm repaying four times as much as I owe."

The king told him, "Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.'

Then why didn't you put my money in the bank? When I returned, I could have collected it with interest.'

"If you had only known today what could have brought you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight,

He told them, "It is written, "My house is to be called a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a hideout for bandits!"

"Show me a denarius. Whose face and name does it have?" "Caesar's," they replied.

and asked him, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, the man should marry the widow and have children for his brother.

Then some of the scribes replied, "Teacher, you have given a fine answer."

"Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.

So be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man."

He told them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer,

"You are the ones who have always stood by me in my trials.

but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail. When you have come back, you must strengthen your brothers."

Then Jesus told the high priests, the Temple police, and the elders, who had come for him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit?

"Why do we need any more testimony?" they asked. "We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!"

and told them, "You brought this man to me as one who turns the people against the government. And here in your presence I have examined him and have found him "Not Guilty' of the charges you make against him.

Then he spoke to them a third time: "What has he done wrong? I have found nothing in him worthy of death. So I will punish him and let him go."

So he released the man who had been put in prison for revolt and murder the man whose release they continued to demand but he let them have their way with Jesus.