Now on one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

Then the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, "Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Then they said to him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours continue to eat and drink."

But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?"

The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a reason to accuse him.

However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

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.

Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

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

The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal.

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.

"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 Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces!

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,

Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to Jesus, "Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you."

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

So Jesus asked the experts in religious law and the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"

But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

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

Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so he answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers -- or even like this tax collector.

I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."