Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us,

It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus,

so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

Then the angel told her:

Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and His kingdom will have no end.

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”

since we have been rescued
from our enemies’ clutches,
to serve Him without fear

For my eyes have seen Your salvation.

You have prepared it
in the presence of all peoples—

When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.”

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

“Leave us alone! What do You have to do with us, Jesus—Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God. And they were filled with awe and said, “We have seen incredible things today!”

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your comfort.

Jesus went with them, and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell Him, “Lord, don’t trouble Yourself, since I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.

Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel!”

He replied to them, “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.

Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

“Teacher,” he said, “say it.”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.”

“You have judged correctly,” He told him.

Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”

So He said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that

Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.

The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, You Son of the Most High God? I beg You, don’t torment me!”

“You give them something to eat,” He told them.

“We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

(For about 5,000 men were there.)

Then He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each.”

Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done 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 over all the power of the enemy; nothing will ever harm you.

In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him.”

because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’

Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’

“But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others.

“Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge! You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were going in.”

Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops?

Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds?

“Be ready for service and have your lamps lit.

Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.

But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how it consumes Me until it is finished!

I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last cent.”

He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by your host.

“But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’

and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’

When she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them.

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!

I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

“‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine?

And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own?

‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’

because I have five brothers—to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’

“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty.’”

and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

“I have kept all these from my youth,” he said.

When Jesus heard this, He told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Seeing that he became sad, Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!

Then Peter said, “Look, we have left what we had and followed You.”

So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Then those in front told him to keep quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!”

“‘Well done, good slave!’ he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over 10 towns.’

“And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it hidden away in a cloth

“He told him, ‘I will judge you by what you have said, you evil slave! If you knew I was a tough man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow,

why didn’t you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have collected it with interest!’

“‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.

and He said, “It is written, My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!”

“Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

“Caesar’s,” they said.

Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”

For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Then He said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

But He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles dominate them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’

But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple police, and the elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal?

So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered him, “You have said it.”

and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who subverts the people. But in fact, after examining Him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse Him of.

Therefore, I will have Him whipped and then release Him.”

A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have Him whipped and then release Him.”

He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken!

Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?”

Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”

But while they still were amazed and unbelieving because of their joy, He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”