But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John.

And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him."

The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.

He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.

and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.

Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the surrounding countryside.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,

They got up, forced him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

They were all amazed and began to say to one another, "What's happening here? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!"

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 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."

Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.

The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,

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.

But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.

But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me."

After Jesus called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

Now about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray.

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

So he said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, may your name be honored; may your kingdom come.

But some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he casts out demons."

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!"

But Jesus replied, "Woe to you experts in religious law as well! You load people down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch the burdens with even one of your fingers!

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out -- a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

So the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious and said to his slave, 'Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

But at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered with sores,

"Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart.

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

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."

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!"

He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

He said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.

Then they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud with power and great glory.

When he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."

So he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation!"

Day after day when I was with you in the temple courts, you did not arrest me. But this is your hour, and that of the power of darkness!"

But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

For this is certain: The days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore children, and the breasts that never nursed!'

But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them.

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."