and Jesus was baptized, and immediately went up from the water. At that moment the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him,

and leaving Nazareth He went and settled at Capernaum, a town by the Lake on the frontiers of Zebulun and Naphtali,

"Zebulun's land and Naphtali's land; the road by the Lake; the country beyond the Jordan; Galilee of the Nations!

And walking along the shore of the Lake of Galilee He saw two brothers--Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew--throwing a drag-net into the Lake; for they were fishers.

"And when praying, you must not be like the hypocrites. They are fond of standing and praying in the synagogues or at the corners of the wider streets, in order that men may see them. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

"No man can be the bondservant of two masters; for either he will dislike one and like the other, or he will attach himself to one and think slightingly of the other. You cannot be the bondservants both of God and of gold.

Look at the birds which fly in the air: they do not sow or reap or store up in barns, but your Heavenly Father feeds them: are not you of much greater value than they?

and yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his magnificence could array himself like one of these.

And why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, and not notice the beam which is in your own eye?

Seeing great crowds about Him Jesus had given directions to cross to the other side of the Lake,

But suddenly there arose a great storm on the Lake, so that the waves threatened to engulf the boat; but He was asleep.

"Go," He replied. Then they came out from the men and went into the swine, whereupon the entire herd instantly rushed down the cliff into the Lake and perished in the water.

And when He saw the crowds He was touched with pity for them, because they were distressed and were fainting on the ground like sheep which have no shepherd.

"But to what shall I compare the present generation? It is like children sitting in the open places, who call to their playmates.

But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath."

Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." And he stretched it out, and it was restored quite sound like the other.

That same day Jesus had left the house and was sitting on the shore of the Lake,

And in regard to them the prophecy of Isaiah is receiving signal fulfilment: "'You will hear and hear and by no means understand, and you will look and look and by no means see.

Another parable He put before them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "is like a mustard-seed, which a man takes and sows in his ground.

Another parable He spoke to them. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "is like yeast which a woman takes and buries in a bushel of flour, for it to work there till the whole mass has risen."

Then will the righteous shine out like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Listen, every one who has ears!

"The Kingdom of the Heavens is like treasure buried in the open country, which a man finds, but buries again, and, in his joy about it, goes and sells all he has and buys that piece of ground.

"Again the Kingdom of the Heavens is like a jewel merchant who is in quest of choice pearls.

"Again the Kingdom of the Heavens is like a draw-net let down into the sea, which encloses fish of all sorts.

"Therefore," He said, "remember that every Scribe well trained for the Kingdom of the Heavens is like a householder who brings out of his storehouse new things and old."

Meanwhile the boat was far out on the Lake, buffeted and tossed by the waves, the wind being adverse.

Again, moving thence, Jesus went along by the Lake of Galilee; and ascending the hill, He sat down there.

When the disciples arrived at the other side of the Lake, they found that they had forgotten to bring any bread;

There in their presence His form underwent a change; His face shone like the sun, and His raiment became as white as the light.

"Because your faith is so small," He replied; "for I solemnly declare to you that if you have faith like a mustard-seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Remove from this place to that,' and it will remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.

"However, lest we cause them to sin, go and throw a hook into the Lake, and take the first fish that comes up. When you open its mouth, you will find a shekel in it: bring that coin and give it to them for yourself and me."

said, "In solemn truth I tell you that unless you turn and become like little children, you will in no case be admitted into the Kingdom of the Heavens.

What do you yourselves think? Suppose a man gets a hundred sheep and one of them strays away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and look for the one that is straying?

"All of these," said the young man, "I have carefully kept. What do I still lack?"

"For the Kingdom of the Heavens is like an employer who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard,

For in the Resurrection, men neither marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are like angels in Heaven.

and like to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to be addressed by men as 'Rabbi.'

"But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the Kingdom of the Heavens against men; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are just like whitewashed sepulchres, the outside of which pleases the eye, though inside they are full of dead men's bones and of all that is unclean.

but all these miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth.

"Then will the Kingdom of the Heavens be found to be like ten bridesmaids who took their torches and went out to meet the bridegroom.

"Why, it is like a man who, when going on his travels, called his bondservants and entrusted his property to their care.

and from that moment he was on the look out for an opportunity to betray Him.

"Even if I must die with you," declared Peter, "I will never disown you." In like manner protested all the disciples.

In like manner the High Priests also, together with the Scribes and the Elders, taunted Him.

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

For fear of him the guards trembled violently, and became like dead men.

and immediately on His coming up out of the water He saw an opening in the sky, and the Spirit like a dove coming down to Him;

One day, passing along the shore of the Lake of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, throwing their nets in the Lake; for they were fisherman.

The man rose, and immediately under the eyes of all took up his mat and went out, so that they were all filled with astonishment, gave the glory to God, and said, "We never saw anything like this."

Again He went out to the shore of the Lake, and the whole multitude kept coming to Him, and He taught them.

So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?"

Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake, and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him;

Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. He therefore went on board the boat and sat there, a little way from the land; and all the people were on the shore close to the water.

that "'They may look and look but not see, and listen and listen but not understand, lest perchance they should return and be pardoned.'"

It is like a mustard-seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds in the world;

So they arrived at the opposite shore of the Lake, in the country of the Gerasenes.

He gave them leave; and the foul spirits came out and entered into the swine, and the herd--about 2,000 in number--rushed headlong down the cliff into the Lake and were drowned in the Lake.

When Jesus had re-crossed in the boat to the other side, a vast multitude came crowding to Him; and He was on the shore of the Lake,

Others asserted that He was Elijah. Others again said, "He is a Prophet, like one of the great Prophets."

So when Jesus landed, He saw a vast multitude; and His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were like sheep which have no shepherd, and He proceeded to teach them many things.

When evening was come, the boat was half way across the Lake, while he Himself was on shore alone.

Returning from the neighbourhood of Tyre, He came by way of Sidon to the Lake of Galilee, passing through the district of the Ten Towns.

He looked up and said, "I can see the people: I see them like trees--only walking."

Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?" "From early childhood," he said;

In solemn truth I tell you that no one who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will by any possibility enter it."

and Peter, recollecting, said to Him, "Look, Rabbi, the fig-tree which you cursed is withered up."

Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, replied, "Why try to ensnare me? Bring me a shilling for me to look at."

Moreover in the course of His teaching He said, "Be on your guard against the Scribes who like to walk about in long robes and to be bowed to in places of public resort,

As He was leaving the Temple, one of His disciples exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi, what wonderful stones! what wonderful buildings!"

For nation will rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth.

For those will be times of suffering the like of which has never been from the first creation of God's world until now, and assuredly never will be again;

It is like a man living abroad who has left his house, and given the management to his servants--to each one his special duty--and has ordered the porter to keep awake.

"Even if I must die with you," declared Peter again and again, "I will never disown you." In like manner protested also all the disciples.

and the Holy Spirit came down in bodily shape, like a dove, upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, "Thou art My Son, dearly loved: in Thee is My delight."

On one occasion the crowd was pressing on Him and listening to God's Message, while He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

There is no disciple who is superior to his teacher; but every one whose instruction is complete will be like his teacher.

"And why look at the splinter in your brother's eye instead of giving careful attention to the beam in your own?

Every one who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them in practice, I will show you whom he is like.

He is like a man building a house, who digs and goes deep, and lays the foundation on the rock; and when a flood comes, the torrent bursts upon that house, but is unable to shake it, because it is securely built.

But he who has heard and not practised is like a man who has built a house upon the soft soil without a foundation, against which the torrent bursts, and immediately it collapses, and terrible is the wreck and ruin of that house."

Jesus listened to the Captain's message and was astonished at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I tell you that not even in Israel have I found faith like that."

They are like children sitting in the public square and calling out to one another, 'We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced: we have sung dirges, and you have not shown sorrow.'

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, there is a man who is overfond of eating and drinking--he is a friend of tax-gatherers and notorious sinners!'

One day He went on board a boat--both He and his disciples; and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the Lake." So they set sail.

During the passage He fell asleep, and there came down a squall of wind on the Lake, so that the boat began to fill and they were in deadly peril.

The demons came out of the man and left him, and entered into the swine; and the herd rushed violently over the cliff into the Lake and were drowned.

"I saw Satan fall like a lightning-flash out of Heaven," He replied.

In like manner a Levite also came to the place, and seeing him passed by on the other side.

"Which of those three seems to you to have acted like a fellow man to him who fell among the robbers?"

Alas for you Pharisees! for you love the best seats in the synagogues, and you like to be bowed to in places of public resort.

Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."

and be yourselves like men waiting for their master--on the look-out till he shall return from the wedding feast--that, when he comes and knocks, they may open the door instantly.

And He gave them the following parable. "A man," He said, "who had a fig-tree growing in his garden came to look for fruit on it and could find none.

So he said to the gardener, "'See, this is the third year I have come to look for fruit on this fig-tree and cannot find any. Cut it down. Why should so much ground be actually wasted?'

This prompted Him to say, "What is the Kingdom of God like? and to what shall I compare it?

It is like a mustard seed which a man drops into the soil in his garden, and it grows and becomes a tree in whose branches the birds roost."

It is like yeast which a woman takes and buries in a bushel of flour, to work there till the whole is leavened."

"But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.'

covered with sores and longing to make a full meal off the scraps flung on the floor from the rich man's table. Nay, the dogs, too, used to come and lick his sores.