Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well."

The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

"This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people."

But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting.

Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?"

So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

They said to her, "But none of your relatives bears this name."

All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the Lord's hand was indeed with him.

He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant --

the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grants

This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."

When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us."

When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child,

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected.

When his parents saw him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."

And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people.

Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

And he said to him, "To you I will grant this whole realm -- and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.

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

Then he began to tell them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read."

All were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.

When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear.

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?"

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. "Follow me," he said to him.

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

After Jesus had finished teaching all this to the people, he entered Capernaum.

When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly, "He is worthy to have you do this for him,

For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!"

This report about Jesus circulated throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

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

(Now all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God's justice, because they had been baptized with John's baptism.

"To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?

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."

Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"

But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain." As he said this, he called out, "The one who has ears to hear had better listen!"

Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.

"Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God.

Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!"

As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs.

But when Jesus heard this, he told him, "Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

Herod said, "I had John beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?" So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus.

But he forcefully commanded them not to tell this to anyone,

As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!"

But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement.

and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great."

Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Whenever you enter a house, first say, 'May peace be on this house!'

Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.'

On that same occasion Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.

Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.'

So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon -- and now, something greater than Solomon is here!

The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them -- and now, something greater than Jonah is here!

For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'

so that this generation may be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation.

Then he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

So if you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about the rest?

And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you people of little faith!

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

Then Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?"

Then Jesus told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, 'For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?'

But the worker answered him, 'Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it.

Then shouldn't this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?"

When he said this all his adversaries were humiliated, but the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.

But they could not reply to this.

So the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your place.' Then, ashamed, you will begin to move to the least important place.

When one of those at the meal with Jesus heard this, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!"

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.'

They will say, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish!'

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

So Jesus told them this parable:

because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again -- he was lost and is found!' So they began to celebrate.

But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'

So he called the manager in and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.'

The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light.

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

So he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this fire.'

Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'

(for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don't come into this place of torment.'

So the Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, 'Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.'"

Jesus also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else.

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."

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."