After he had thought about it, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," he said, "don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

About this time, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness,

"That's why I'm telling you to stop worrying about your life what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body what you will wear. Life is more than food, isn't it, and the body more than clothing?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don't work or spin yarn,

But first be concerned about God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.

So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly told them, "See to it that nobody knows about this."

But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.

When they hand you over, don't worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, because in that hour what you are to say will be given to you.

Now when John heard in prison about the activities of the Messiah, he sent a message by his disciples

As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

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.'

You children of serpents! How can you say anything good when you are evil? The mouth speaks about what overflows from the heart.

He answered them, "You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn't been given to them,

"Listen, then, to the parable about the farmer.

When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and asked, "Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field."

At that time Herod the tetrarch, hearing about the fame of Jesus,

Now those who had eaten were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

How can you fail to understand that I wasn't talking to you about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"

On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Don't tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Then the disciples understood that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Furthermore, I tell all of you with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven,

Jesus asked him, "Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments."

When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing in the marketplace without work.

So off they went. He went out again about noon and about three o'clock and did the same thing.

About five o'clock he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, "Why are you standing here all day long without work?'

When the high priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was talking about them.

"What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They told him, "David's."

The Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him. How terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born."

Then he told them, "I'm so deeply grieved that I feel I'm about to die. Wait here and stay awake with me."

But he denied it in front of them all. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he exclaimed.

While he was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him a message that said, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I have suffered terribly due to a dream I had about him."

Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood. Attend to that yourselves."

About three o'clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, eli, lema sabachthani?", which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Now after John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom of God.

Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever, so they promptly told Jesus about her.

At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were saying to themselves. "Why are you arguing about such things among yourselves?" he asked them.

Jerusalem, Idumea, from across the Jordan, and from the region around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they kept hearing about everything he was doing.

When his family heard about it, they went to restrain him, because they kept saying, "He's out of his mind!"

When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables.

He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables

So he let them do this. The unclean spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned there.

Since she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe,

But Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about this. He also told them to give her something to eat.

King Herod heard about this, because Jesus' name had become well-known. He was saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That's why he is able to do these miracles."

But when Herod heard about it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised,"

When John's disciples heard about this, they came and carried off his body and laid it in a tomb.

He told them, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

When he had left the crowd and gone home, his disciples began asking him about the parable.

In fact, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell down at his feet.

Now about 4,000 men were there. Then he sent them on their way.

Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah!" Jesus sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

He was speaking about this matter quite openly.

They kept the matter to themselves but argued about what "rising from the dead" meant.

But I tell you that Elijah has come, yet people treated him just as they pleased, as it is written about him."

He asked the scribes, "What are you arguing about with them?"

Then they left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus didn't want anyone to find out about it,

Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?"

But they kept silent, because they had argued on the road with one another about who was the greatest.

Back in the house, the disciples asked him about this again.

As for the dead being raised, haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

Then a destitute widow came and dropped in two small copper coins, worth about a cent.

When they take you away and hand you over for trial, don't worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you at that time, because it won't be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

For the Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him, but how terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born."

But he denied it, saying, "I don't know or even understand what you're talking about!" Then he went out into the entryway. Just then a rooster crowed.

Then he began to invoke a divine curse and to swear with an oath, "I don't know this man you're talking about!"

Now Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

Everyone who heard about it kept thinking what had happened and asked, "What will this child become?" because it was obvious that the hand of the Lord was with him.

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."

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

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

Just then she came forward and began to thank God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

John went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

Jesus himself was about 30 years old when he began his ministry. He was (as legally calculated) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Then Jesus returned to Galilee by the power of the Spirit. Meanwhile, the news about him spread throughout the surrounding country.

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.

But he told them, "I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in other cities, because I was sent to do that also."

But the news about Jesus spread even more, and many crowds began gathering to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.

Because Jesus knew that they were arguing, he asked them, "Why are you arguing about this among yourselves?

"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!"

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.

This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding countryside.

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

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?

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.'

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,

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.'"

because his only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. While Jesus was on his way, the crowds continued to press in on him.

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.

But the crowds found out about this and followed him. He welcomed them and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God and to heal those who needed healing.

Now there were about 5,000 men. So he told his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about 50."

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

They had a glorified appearance, and were discussing Jesus' departure that he would shortly bring about in Jerusalem.

After the voice had spoken, Jesus was alone. The disciples kept silent and at that time told no one about what they had seen.

But they didn't know what this meant. Indeed, the meaning was hidden from them so that they didn't understand it; and they were afraid to ask him about this statement.