One day as He was teaching, there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Him to cure people.

But the scribes and the Pharisees began to argue, saying, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Now the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling at His disciples, and were saying, "Why are you eating and drinking with tax-collectors and notorious sinners?"

After that they said to Him, "John's disciples rigidly practice fasting and offering up prayers; so do the Pharisees, but your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

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

And the scribes and the Pharisees were closely watching Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath, in order to get a charge against Him.

but the Pharisees and experts in the law thwarted God's purpose for themselves by refusing to be baptized by him.

Now one of the Pharisees invited Him to take dinner with him. So He came to the Pharisee's house and took His place at the table.

There was a woman in the town who was a social outcast, and when she learned that He was taking dinner at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster bottle of perfume

So when the Pharisee who invited Him saw it, he said to himself, "If He were really a prophet, He would know who and of what character the woman is who is clinging to Him -- that she is a social outcast."

When He had said this, a Pharisee asked Him to lunch at his house, and He went in and took His place at table.

The Pharisee noticed that He did not first wash before lunch, and was surprised.

But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees have the habit of cleaning the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside you yourselves are full of greed and wickedness.

But a curse on you Pharisees, because you pay tithes on mint, rue, and every tiny garden herb, but neglect justice and the love of God! These latter especially you ought to have done, but ought not to have neglected the former.

A curse on you Pharisees, because you like to have the front seats in synagogues, and to be greeted with honor in public places!

After He left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be violently enraged against Him and to try to draw Him out on many subjects,

Meanwhile as the people had gathered in tens of thousands, so that they were trampling upon one another, He began to say, first of all, to His disciples: "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy.

Just at that time some Pharisees came up and said to Him, "Get out at once! Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you!"

One Sabbath, when He went to take a meal at the house of a Pharisee who was a member of the council, they continued to watch Him closely.

He answered the experts in the law and the Pharisees by asking, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath or not?"

And so the Pharisees and scribes continually grumbled, and said, "This fellow is welcoming notorious sinners, and even eating with them."

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

Now, when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with visible display,

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

The Pharisee stood and said this self-centered prayer, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector.

Then some Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, reprove your disciples."