After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. She said,

The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!"

Then Mary said, "Truly I am the Lord's servant. Let everything you have said happen to me." Then the angel left her.

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

but his mother said, "Absolutely not! He must be named John."

Jesus' father and mother kept wondering at the things being said about him.

Jesus answered him, "It has been said, "You must not tempt the Lord your God.'"

All the people began to speak well of him and to wonder at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. They said, "This is Joseph's son, isn't it?"

But Jesus rebuked him. "Be quiet," he said, "and come out of him!" At this, the demon threw the man down in the middle of the synagogue and came out of him without hurting him.

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

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Mister, your sins are forgiven."

Then Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "How blessed are you who are destitute, because the kingdom of God is yours!

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith!"

Then he went up and touched the bier, and the men who were carrying it stopped. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"

Fear gripped everyone, and they began to praise God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said, and "God has helped his people."

When the men had come to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?'"

Now while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from every city, he said in a parable:

But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted." As he said this, he called out, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!"

So he said, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given in parables, so that "they might look but not see, and they might listen but not understand.'"

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."

Now everyone was crying and wailing for her. But Jesus said, "Stop crying! She's not dead. She's sleeping."

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening. He was puzzled because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,

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

As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away to the neighboring villages and farms so they can rest and get some food, because we are here in a deserted place."

He said, "The Son of Man must suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he must be killed, but on the third day he will be raised."

Now about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray.

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

John said, "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us."

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."

At that moment, the Holy Spirit made Jesus extremely joyful, so Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you.

He said, "The one who showed mercy to him." Jesus told him, "Go and do what he did."

But some of them said, "He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."

But he said, "Instead, how blessed are those who hear God's word and obey it!"

After Jesus had said this, a Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So Jesus went and took his place at the table.

Jesus said, "How terrible it will be for you experts in the Law, too! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, yet you don't even lift a finger to ease those burdens.

That is why the Wisdom of God said, "I will send them prophets and apostles. They will kill some of them and persecute others,'

Therefore, what you have said in darkness will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops."

Then he told them a parable. He said, "The land of a certain rich man produced good 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.

The Lord said, "Who, then, is the faithful and careful servant manager whom his master will put in charge of giving all his other servants their share of food at the right time?

When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman, you are free from your illness."

Again he said, "To what can I compare the kingdom of God?

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

Still another said, "I recently got married, so I can't come.'

The servant said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.'

Then Jesus said, "A man had two sons.

"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!

"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

"Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets. They should listen to them!'

He said, "In a city there was a judge who didn't fear God or respect people.

"But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he continued to beat his chest and said, "O God, be merciful to me, the sinner that I am!'

Jesus, however, called for the children and said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these.

So when Jesus saw how sad he was, he said, "How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God!

Then Peter said, "See, we have left everything we have and followed you."

But they didn't understand any of this. What he said was hidden from them, and they didn't know what he meant.

"What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, I want to see again!"

When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today."

So he said, "A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king and then to return.

The first servant came and said, "Sir, your coin has earned ten more coins.'

"The second servant came and said, "Your coin, sir, has earned five coins.'

"Then the other servant came and said, "Sir, look! Here's your coin. I've kept it in a cloth for safekeeping

After Jesus had said this, he traveled on and went up to Jerusalem.

"Go into the village ahead of you," he said. "As you enter, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it along.

They said, "How blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!"

"Then the owner of the vineyard said, "What should I do? I'll send my son whom I love. Maybe they'll respect him.'

But when the farmers saw him, they talked it over among themselves and said, "This is the heir. Let's kill him so that the inheritance will be ours!'

He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others." Those who heard him said, "That must never happen!"

So they couldn't catch him before the people in what he said. Amazed at his answer, they became silent.

He said, "I tell you with certainty, this destitute widow has dropped in more than all of them,

Now while some people were talking about the Temple how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God he said,

He said, "Be careful that you are not deceived, because many will come in my name and say, "I AM' and, "The time has come.' Don't follow them.

Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, "Take this and share it among yourselves,

But Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me."

So they said, "Lord, look! Here are two swords." He answered them, "Enough of that!"

But Jesus said, "No more of this!" So he touched the wounded man's ear and healed him.

A servant girl saw him sitting by the fire, stared at him, and said, "This man was with him, too."

A little later, a man looked at him and said, "You are one of them, too." But Peter said, "Mister, I am not!"

But Peter said, "Mister, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us."

Then they all asked, "Are you, then, the Son of God?" He answered them, "You said it I AM."

But Jesus turned to them and said, "Women of Jerusalem, stop crying for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children,

Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit." After he said this, he breathed his last.

When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, "This man certainly was righteous!"

But what they said seemed nonsense to them, so they did not believe them.

They answered him, "The events involving Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in what he said and did before God and all the people, and how our high priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and had him crucified.

Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. However, they didn't see him."

Then Jesus told them, "O, how foolish you are! How slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!

After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.