This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled:

He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.

so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day.

If you had known what this means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.

He said to them, "Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out?

For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'

But you say, 'If someone tells his father or mother, "Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,"

"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea.

And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage.

He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come.

And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

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

Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest!

The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born."

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus replied, "You have said it yourself."

Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?

How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?"

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.

But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

and offered Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. But after tasting it, he would not drink it.

So he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

They watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they could accuse him.

Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so the crowd would not press toward him.

He appointed twelve (whom he named apostles), so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach

Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

And wherever he would go -- into villages, towns, or countryside -- they would place the sick in the marketplaces, and would ask him if they could just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you would have received from me is corban' (that is, a gift for God),

"If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone tied around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.

and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.

And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them short.

For the Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born."

Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him.

Jesus said to them, "Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw?

Day after day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that the scriptures would be fulfilled."

Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, throwing dice for them, to decide what each would take.

And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled."

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

Demons also came out of many, crying out, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a reason to accuse him.

But they were filled with mindless rage and began debating with one another what they would do to Jesus.

Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you.

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."

For Jesus had started commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so he would be bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard. But he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.)

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

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.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

"Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it?

It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

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.

"Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, 'Come at once and sit down for a meal'?

The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!'

When harvest time came, he sent a slave to the tenants so that they would give him his portion of the crop. However, the tenants beat his slave and sent him away empty-handed.

So they began to question one another as to which of them it could possibly be who would do this.

But Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come out to get him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw?

and said to them, "Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day,

and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people.

Jesus answered her, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, 'Give me some water to drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.

Philip replied, "Two hundred silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little."

But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Then they began asking him, "Who is your father?" Jesus answered, "You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too."

They answered him, "Abraham is our father!" Jesus replied, "If you are Abraham's children, you would be doing the deeds of Abraham.

Jesus replied, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me.

Yet you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching.

(His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains."

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?"

So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."

so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, "Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn to me, and I would heal them."

Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue.

There are many dwelling places in my Father's house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you.

You heard me say to you, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.

If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father.

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor's residence. (Now it was very early morning.) They did not go into the governor's residence so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal.

They replied, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."

Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here."

Jesus replied, "You would have no authority over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of greater sin."

For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, "Not a bone of his will be broken."

There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets -- that his Christ would suffer -- he has fulfilled in this way.

to do as much as your power and your plan had decided beforehand would happen.

Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them.

This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand.

These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.

Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.'"

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that some time ago God chose me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message of the gospel and believe.