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

Then Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?"

But because you did not believe my announcement, which will be fulfilled at its proper time, you will become silent and unable to speak until the day this happens."

"This is what the Lord did for me when he looked favorably on me and took away my public disgrace."

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?

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.

Then Mary said, "My soul praises the greatness of the Lord!

My spirit exults in God, my Savior,

because he has looked favorably on his humble servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed,

because the Almighty has done great things for me. His name is holy.

because my eyes have seen your salvation,

He asked them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?"

John replied to all of them, "I'm baptizing you with water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I'm not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

and the Holy Spirit descended on him, appearing in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!"

He told Jesus, "I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

So if you will worship me, all this will be yours."

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free,

So he told them, "You will probably quote this proverb to me, "Doctor, heal yourself! Do everything here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.'"

I'm telling you the truth there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when it didn't rain for three years and six months and there was a severe famine everywhere in the land.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, "Leave me, Lord! I am a sinful man!" -

One day, while Jesus was in one of the cities, a man covered with leprosy saw Jesus and fell on his face, begging him, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."

After that, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector's desk. He told him, "Follow me!"

How can you say to your brother, "Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you don't see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you'll see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

"Why do you keep calling me "Lord, Lord,' but don't do what I tell you?

I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them.

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.

That's why I didn't presume to come to you. But just say the word, and let my servant be healed,

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."

How blessed is anyone who is not offended by me!"

This is the man about whom it is written, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

Jesus continued, "To what may I compare the people living today?

Then, turning to the woman, he told Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You didn't give me any water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

You didn't give me a kiss, but this woman, from the moment I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet.

You didn't anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with perfume.

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."

The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

But he answered those people, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear a message from God and heed it."

When he saw Jesus, he screamed, fell down in front of him, and cried out in a loud voice, "What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!"

Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" While everyone was denying it, Peter and those who were with him said, "Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you."

Still Jesus said, "Somebody touched me, because I know that power has gone out of me."

Herod said, "I beheaded John. But who is this man I'm hearing so much about?" So Herod kept trying to see Jesus.

Then he told all of them, "If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously,

because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

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

Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child.

Then he told them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest."

He told another man, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

Still another man said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those at home."

"Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.'

The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

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."

But the man wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

But Martha was worrying about all the things she had to do, so she came to him and asked, "Lord, you do care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself, don't you? Then tell her to help me."

So he told them, "Whenever you pray you are to say, "Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come.

Then he told them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread.

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

Suppose he answers from inside, "Stop bothering me! The door is already locked, and my children are here with us in the bedroom. I can't get up and give you anything!'

"The person who isn't with me is against me, and the person who doesn't gather with me scatters."

"Whenever an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through dry places looking for a place to rest but doesn't find any. So it says, "I will go back to my home that I left.'

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a hiding place or under a basket, but on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see its light.

"But I tell you, my friends, never be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can't do anything more.

"But I tell you, the Son of Man will acknowledge before God's angels everyone who acknowledges me before people.

But whoever denies me before people will be denied before God's angels.

Then someone in the crowd told him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

But Jesus asked him, "Mister, who appointed me to be a judge or arbitrator over you people?"

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

Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I'll store all my grain and goods in them.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "That's why I'm telling you to stop worrying about your life what you will eat or about your body what you will wear,

But if that servant says to himself, "My master is taking a long time to come back,' and begins to beat the other servants and to eat, drink, and get drunk,

But he will tell you, "I don't know where you come from. Get away from me, all you who practice evil!'

He told them, "Go and tell that fox, "Listen! I am driving out demons and healing today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish my work.

But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day, because it's not possible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.'

Look! Your house is left vacant to you. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Then he told the man who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, stop inviting only your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return and you would be repaid.

Every single one of them began asking to be excused. The first told him, "I bought a field, and I need to go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.'

Another said, "I bought five pairs of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

Then the master told the servant, "Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full.

Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.'"

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can't be my disciple.

Whoever doesn't carry his cross and follow me can't be my disciple.

In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions."

Then he goes home, calls his friends and neighbors together, and says to them, "Rejoice with me, because I've found my lost sheep!'

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!'

The younger one told his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate.' So the father divided his property between them.

"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.

I don't deserve to be called your son anymore. Treat me like one of your hired men."'

Because my son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

But he answered his father, "Listen! All these years I've worked like a slave for you. I've never disobeyed a command of yours. Yet you've never given me so much as a young goat for a festival so I could celebrate with my friends.

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

So he called for him and asked him, "What's this I hear about you? You can't be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!'

"Then the servant manager told himself, "What should I do? My master is taking my position away from me. I'm not strong enough to plow, and I'm ashamed to beg.

I know what I'll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I'm dismissed from my job.'

"So he called for each of his master's debtors. He asked the first, "How much do you owe my master?'

"I'm telling you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they will welcome you into eternal homes.

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.'

"But Abraham said, "My child, remember that during your lifetime you received blessings, while Lazarus received hardships. But now he is being comforted here, while you suffer.

"The rich man said, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house