"Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel," which means "God with us."

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well."

After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to look for the child to kill him."

After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on him.

so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

"Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward.

When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you more valuable than they are?

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.

Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.

Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake.

And he said, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned in the water.

After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!"

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

"I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house 'Beelzebul,' how much more will they defame the members of his household!

"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings!

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.'

"To what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another,

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath."

Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you."

On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.

And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: 'You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend.

He presented them with another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.

He gave them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen."

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish.

Then he said to them, "Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old."

And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

But so that we don't offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you."

and said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!

Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.

What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray?

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.

"For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.

The young man said to him, "I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?"

Then Peter said to him, "Look, we have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

"Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death,

"Tell the people of Zion, 'Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet."'

For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

"Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean.

In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Look, your house is left to you desolate!

Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe him.

So then, if someone says to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe him.

For just like the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.'

"For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.

All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!"

At that moment Jesus said to the crowd, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not arrest me.

Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way,

And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

The people there were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, not like the experts in the law.

And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

So the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?"

A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you."

Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake.

so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven."

He also said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground.

It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground --

So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear.

On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go across to the other side of the lake."

So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes.

Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

Others said, "He is Elijah." Others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past."

As Jesus came ashore he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this."

Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, "Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to this generation."

Regaining his sight he said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking."

It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He is dead!"

I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, "You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Peter began to speak to him, "Look, we have left everything to follow you!"

"Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles.

Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered."

But he saw through their hypocrisy and said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."

For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

In his teaching Jesus also said, "Watch out for the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces,

Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!"

Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe him.