Then Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He said, "Since he was a child.

He told them, "This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting."

They didn't understand what this statement meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

"Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

But Jesus told them, "It was because of your hardness of heart that he wrote this command for you.

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

When Jesus saw this, he became furious and told them, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these.

Shocked at this statement, the man went away sad, because he had many possessions.

who will not receive a hundred times as much here in this world homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with persecution as well as eternal life in the age to come.

When the ten other disciples heard this, they began to be furious with James and John.

If anyone asks you, "Why are you doing this?,' say, "The Lord needs it,' and he will send it back here at once."

So he told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" Now his disciples were listening to this.

When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

I tell all of you with certainty, if anyone says to this mountain, "Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' if he doesn't doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

and asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority to do them?"

They began discussing this among themselves. "If we say, "From heaven,' he'll say, "Then why didn't you believe him?'

But those farmers told one another, "This is the heir. Come on, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'

Haven't you ever read this Scripture: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?"

They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.

So they brought one. Then he asked them, "Whose face and name are on this?" They told him, "Caesar's."

The second is this: "You must love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

He called his disciples and told them, "I tell all of you with certainty, this destitute widow has dropped in more than everyone who is contributing to the offering box,

I tell all of you with certainty, this generation will not disappear until all these things take place.

because they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people."

Irritated, some who were there asked one another, "Why was the perfume wasted like this?

This perfume could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and the money given to the destitute." So they got extremely angry with her.

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to them, saying, "Take some. This is my body."

He told them, "This is my blood of the covenant that is being poured out for many people.

Jesus told him, "I tell you with certainty, today, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times."

He kept repeating, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want."

"We ourselves heard him say, "I will destroy this sanctuary made by human hands, and in three days I will build another one not made by human hands.'"

But even on this point their testimony didn't agree.

The servant girl saw him and again told those who were standing around, "This man is one of them!"

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

When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, "Listen! He's calling for Elijah!"

When the centurion who stood facing Jesus saw how he had cried out and breathed his last, he said, "This man certainly was the Son of God!"

After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to two disciples as they were walking into the country.

Then Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?"

The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to announce this good news to you.

But because you did not believe my announcement, which will be fulfilled at its proper time, you will become silent and unable to speak until the day this happens."

After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. She said,

"This is what the Lord did for me when he looked favorably on me and took away my public disgrace."

Mary asked the angel, "How can this happen, since I have not had relations with a man?"

And listen! Elizabeth, your relative, has herself conceived a son in her old age, this woman who was rumored to be barren is in her sixth month.

Why should this happen to me, to have the mother of my Lord visit me?

How blessed is this woman for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled!"

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.

This was the first registration taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough."

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

Now a man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. This man was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the one who would comfort Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Then Simeon blessed them and told Mary, his mother, "This infant is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and rise. Also, he will be a sign that will be opposed.

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!"

Added to all this, Herod locked John up in prison.

The Devil told him, "Since you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread."

He told Jesus, "I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

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

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.'"

All the people in the synagogue became furious when they heard this.

But Jesus rebuked him. "Be quiet," he said, "and come out of him!" At this, the demon threw the man down in the middle of the synagogue and came out of him without hurting him.

Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, "What kind of statement is this? because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!"

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

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

The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue among themselves, saying, "Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

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

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

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."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith!"

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

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.'

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.

You didn't give me a kiss, but this woman, from the moment I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet.

You didn't anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with perfume.

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,

But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted." As he said this, he called out, "Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!"

Then his disciples began to ask him what this parable meant.

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

Then he asked the disciples, "Where's your faith?" Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, "Who is this man? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!"

When Jesus stepped out on the shore, a man from the city met him. This man was controlled by demons and had not worn clothes for a long time. He did not live in a house but in the tombs.

But when Jesus heard this, he told the synagogue leader, "Stop being afraid! Just believe, and she will get well."

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.

They did this and got all of them seated.

He gave them strict orders, commanding them not to tell this to anyone.

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

But while he was saying this, a cloud appeared and surrounded them, and they became terrified as they were being overshadowed by the cloud.

Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Keep listening to him!"

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.

Then he told them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest."

When his disciples James and John observed this rejection, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"

After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go.

"Whatever house you go into, first say, "May there be peace in this house.'

"We're wiping off your town's dust that clings to our feet in protest against you! But realize this: the kingdom of God is near!'

At that moment, the Holy Spirit made Jesus extremely joyful, so Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you.

Jesus told him, "You have answered correctly. "Do this, and you will live.'"