so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

When Zechariah was serving with his division of priests in God's presence,

When Zechariah saw him, he was startled, and fear overwhelmed him.

because he will be great in the Lord's presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

He will bring many of Israel's descendants back to the Lord their God.

Meanwhile, the people kept waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed in the sanctuary so long.

to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God's promises."

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

She went into Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby jumped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

So they motioned to the baby's father to see what he wanted to name him.

He granted us deliverance from our enemies' grip so that we could serve him without fear

to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death's shadow, and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

So all the people went to their hometowns to be registered.

When the angels had left them and gone back to heaven, the shepherds told one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what has taken place that the Lord has told us about."

So they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in the feeding trough.

When they saw this, they repeated what they had been told about this child.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

which you prepared for all people to see

Indeed, a sword will pierce your own soul, too, so that the inner thoughts of many people might be revealed."

Meanwhile, the child continued to grow and to become strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's favor rested upon him.

When Jesus' parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!"

He asked them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?"

Everyone will see the salvation that God has provided.'"

John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, "You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don't begin to say to yourselves, "We have father Abraham!' because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones!

The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire."

Now Herod the tetrarch had been rebuked by John because he had married his brother's wife Herodias and because of all of the other evil things Herod had done.

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

With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.'"

and to announce the year of the Lord's favor."

he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled, as you've heard it read aloud."

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?"

So he told them, "You will probably quote this proverb to me, "Doctor, heal yourself! Do everything here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.'"

I'm telling you the truth there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when it didn't rain for three years and six months and there was a severe famine everywhere in the land.

There were also many lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha's time, yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

So news about him spread to every place in the surrounding region.

Then Jesus got up to leave the synagogue and went into Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, so they asked Jesus about her.

So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

One day, as the crowd was pressing in on him to listen to God's word, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

He saw two boats lying on the shore, but the fishermen had stepped out of them and were washing their nets.

So Jesus got into one of the boats (the one that belonged to Simon) and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and began to teach the crowds from the boat.

Simon answered, "Master, we have worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I'll lower the nets."

After the men had done this, they caught so many fish that the nets began to tear.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until the boats began to sink.

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

and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons and Simon's partners.

Then Jesus told Simon, "Stop being afraid. From now on you will be catching people." So when they brought the boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

One day, while Jesus was in one of the cities, a man covered with leprosy saw Jesus and fell on his face, begging him, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."

So Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do want to. Be clean!" Instantly the leprosy left him.

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

Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, "Get up and walk'?

But so you'll know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"." he told the paralyzed man, "I say to you: Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home!"

So the man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up what he had been lying on. Then he went home, praising God.

After that, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector's desk. He told him, "Follow me!"

So Levi left everything behind, got up, and followed him.

Then they told him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, in order to find a way of accusing him of doing something wrong.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, "Get up, and stand in the middle of the synagogue." So he got up and stood there.

He looked around at all of them and then told the man, "Hold out your hand." The man did so, and his hand was restored to health.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because your reward in heaven is great! That's the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.

"How terrible it will be for you when everyone says nice things about you, because that's the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets!"

"But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

"Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?

How can you say to your brother, "Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you don't see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you'll see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

But the person who hears what I say but doesn't act on it is like someone who built a house on the ground without any foundation. When the floodwaters pushed against it, that house quickly collapsed, and the resulting destruction of that house was extensive."

There a centurion's servant, whom he valued highly, was sick and about to die.

When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and save his servant's life.

So they went to Jesus and begged him repeatedly, "He deserves to have this done for him,

So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus, "Sir, stop troubling yourself, because I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof.

That's why I didn't presume to come to you. But just say the word, and let my servant be healed,

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

As he approached the entrance to the city, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.

When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her. He told her, "You can stop crying."

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!"

John's disciples told him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples

So he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear again, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news.

When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to ask the crowds about John. "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look! Those who wear fine clothes and live in luxury are in royal palaces.

Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet!

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

By having been baptized with John's baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God's justice.

But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God's plan for themselves by refusing to be baptized by John.

Because John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, yet you say, "He has a demon!'

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, "Look! He's a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. So he went to the Pharisee's home and took his place at the table.

There was a woman who was a notorious sinner in that city. When she learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's home, she took an alabaster jar of perfume

Now the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and told himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman she is. She's a sinner!"

Then, turning to the woman, he told Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You didn't give me any water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

So I'm telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that's why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little."

Those who were at the table with them began to say among themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?"

After this, Jesus traveled from one city and village to another, preaching and spreading the good news about God's kingdom. The Twelve were with him,

Joanna, the wife of Herod's household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women continued to support them out of their personal resources.

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on, and birds from the sky ate them up.

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.'"

"Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God's word.

The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

"No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see the light.

So pay attention to how you listen, because to the one who has something, more will be given. However, from the one who doesn't have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."