Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,

So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old.

So the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!

Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?"

Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.

For my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

When his parents saw him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."

Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don't begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

Jesus said to them, "No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself!' and say, 'What we have heard that you did in Capernaum, do here in your hometown too.'"

"Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God."

Then astonishment seized them all, and they glorified God. They were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen incredible things today."

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

He also told them a parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old garment. If he does, he will have torn the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

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

When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly, "He is worthy to have you do this for him,

So Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!"

So he answered them, "Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.

So Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." He replied, "Say it, Teacher."

Simon answered, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."

He said, "You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.

Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away.

So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They replied, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we go and buy food for all these people."

(Now about five thousand men were there.) Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

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."

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles 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 authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.

On that same occasion Jesus 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 intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.

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."

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

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

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 woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others.

Woe to you experts in religious law! You have taken away the key to knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were going in."

So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do.

so he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'

And I will say to myself, "You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!"'

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?'

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!

Blessed are those slaves whom their master finds alert when he returns! I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, have them take their place at the table, and will come and wait on them!

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

"I have come to bring fire on the earth -- and how I wish it were already kindled!

I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished!

Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last cent!"

So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, 'For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?'

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

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?"

"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host.

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.'

Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to examine them. Please excuse me.'

Returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.'

I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.

Then when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'

But when he came to his senses he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!

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

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 he answered his father, 'Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!

So he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this fire.'

(for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don't come into this place of torment.'

But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to them.'

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.

So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, 'We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was our duty.'"

raised their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

For a while he refused, but later on he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people,

The man replied, "I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my youth."

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

And Peter said, "Look, we have left everything we own to follow you!"

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

And those who were in front scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted even more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!"

And the king said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you will have authority over ten cities.'

Why then didn't you put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest?'

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

saying to them, "It is written, 'My house will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of robbers!"

Then some of the experts in the law answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well!"

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will have some of you put to death.

But stay alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

He said to them, "Listen, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters,

And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

"You are the ones who have remained with me in my trials.

"Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat,

but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Jesus replied, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me."

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come out to get him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw?

Then they said, "Why do we need further testimony? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!"

I will therefore have him flogged and release him."

A third time he said to them, "Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release him."

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened there in these days?"

So he said to them, "You foolish people -- how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Look at my hands and my feet; it's me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have."

And while they still could not believe it (because of their joy) and were amazed, he said to them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"

And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."