but the crowds learned this and followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them of the Reign of God, and cured those who needed to be healed.

Now as the day began to decline the twelve came up to him and said, "Send the crowd off to lodge in the villages and farms around and get provisions there, for here we are in a desert place."

He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They said, "We have only got five loaves and two fish. Unless ??are we to go and buy food for the whole of this people?"

He said to them, "And who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "The Christ of God."

I tell you plainly, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the Reign of God."

When they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is a good thing we are here; let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (not knowing what he was saying).

And all were astounded at this grand display of God. But while all marvelled at all he did, he said to his disciples,

Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you go and spread the news of the Reign of God."

Another man also said to him, "I will follow you, Lord. But let me first say good-bye to my people at home."

Jesus said to him, "No one is any use to the Reign of God who puts his hand to the plough and then looks behind him."

heal those in the town who are ill, and tell them, 'The Reign of God is nearly on you.'

'The very dust of your town that clings to us, we wipe off from our feet as a protest. But mark this, the Reign of God is near!'

Now a jurist got up to tempt him. "Teacher," he said, "what am I to do to inherit life eternal?"

He replied, "You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole strength, and with your whole mind. Also your neighbour as yourself."

And suppose he answers from the inside, 'Don't bother me; the door is locked by this time, and my children are in bed with me. I can't get up and give you anything.'

I tell you, though he will not get up and give you anything because you are a friend of his, he will at least rise and give you whatever you want, because you persist.

Well, if for all your evil you know to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father give the holy Spirit from heaven to those who ask him?"

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast daemons out, then the Reign of God has reached you already.

But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear and who observe the word of God!"

But woe to you Pharisees! you tithe mint and rue and every vegetable, but justice and the love of God you disregard; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omitting the former.

This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some they will kill and some they will persecute';

from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who was slain between the altar and the House of God ??yes, I tell you, it will all be charged upon this generation.

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of man will acknowledge him before the angels of God;

and he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

But God said to him, 'Foolish man, this very night your soul is wanted; and who will get all you have prepared?'

So fares the man who lays up treasure for himself instead of gaining the riches of God."

Look at the crows! they neither sow nor reap, no storehouse or granary have they, and yet God feeds them. How much more are you worth than birds?

Now if God so clothes grass which blooms to-day in the field and is thrown to-morrow into the furnace, will he not much more clothe you? O men, how little you trust him!

Sell what you possess and give it away in alms, make purses for yourselves that never wear out: get treasure in heaven that never fails, that no thief can get at, no moth destroy.

But if that servant says to himself, 'My lord and master is long of arriving,' and if he starts to beat the menservants and maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk,

that servant's lord and master will arrive on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know; he will cut him in two and assign him the fate of unbelievers.

Thus, when you go before the magistrate with your opponent, do your utmost to get quit of him on the way there, in case he hales you before the judge; then the judge will hand you over to the jailer and the jailer will throw you in prison.

I tell you, you will never get out till you pay the last farthing of your debt."

So he said to the vinedresser, 'Here have I come for three years in search of fruit on this fig tree without finding any; cut it down, why should it take up space?'

Then it may bear fruit next year. If not, you can have it cut down.'"

He laid his hands on her, and instantly she became erect and glorified God.

But the president of the synagogue was annoyed at Jesus healing on the sabbath, and he said to the crowd, "There are six days for work to be done; come during them to get healed, instead of on the sabbath."

So he said, "What is the Reign of God like? to what shall I compare it?

He added, "To what shall I compare the Reign of God?

"Strive to get in through the narrow door, for I tell you many will try to get in and not be able,

once the master of the House has got up and closed the door. You may stand outside and knock at the door, crying, 'Lord, open for us,' but he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.'

There you will wail and gnash your teeth, to see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets inside the Realm of God and yourselves put outside.

Yes, and people will come from east and west and north and south to their places at the feast within the Realm of God.

Just then some Pharisees came up to tell him, "Get away from here, for Herod intends to kill you."

He also said to his host, "When you give a dinner or supper, do not ask your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbours, in case they invite you back again and you get repaid.

Hearing this, one of his fellow guests said to him, "Blessed is he who feasts in the Realm of God!"

So, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent.

So, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a single sinner who repents."

So he got up and went off to his father. But when he was still far away his father saw him and felt pity for him and ran to fall upon his neck and kiss him.

The servant told him, 'Your brother has arrived, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.'

but he replied, 'Look at all the years I have been serving you! I have never neglected any of your orders, and yet you have never given me so much as a kid, to let me make merry with my friends.

No servant can serve two masters: either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will stand by the one and despise the other, you cannot serve both God and Mammon."

So he told them, "You are the people who get men to think you are good, but God knows what your hearts are! What is lofty in the view of man is loathsome in the eyes of God.

The Law and the prophets lasted till John; since then the good news of the Realm of God is preached, and anyone presses in.

But Abraham said, 'Remember, my son, you got all the bliss when you were alive, just as Lazarus got the ills of life; he is in comfort now, and you are in anguish.

'They have got Moses and the prophets,' said Abraham, 'they can listen to them.'

Will the man not rather say to him, 'Get some thing ready for my supper; gird yourself and wait on me till I eat and drink; then you can eat and drink yourself'?

Now one of them turned back when he saw he was cured, glorifying God with a loud voice;

Was there no one to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?"

And he said to him, "Get up and go, your faith has made you well."

On being asked by the Pharisees when the Reign of God was coming, he answered them, "The Reign of God is not coming as you hope to catch sight of it;

no one will say, 'Here it is' or 'There it is,' for the Reign of God is now in your midst."

"In a certain town," he said, "there was a judge who had no reverence for God and no respect even for man.

For a while he would not, but afterwards he said to himself, 'Though I have no reverence for God and no respect even for man,

And will not God see justice done to his elect who cry to him by day and night? Will he be tolerant to their opponents?

The Pharisee stood up and prayed by himself as follows; 'I thank thee, O God, I am not like the rest of men, thieves, rogues, and immoral, or even like yon taxgatherer.

But the taxgatherer stood far away and would not lift even his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'O God, have mercy on me for my sins!'

I tell you, he went home accepted by God rather than the other man; for everyone who uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted."

but Jesus called for the infants. "Let the children come to me," he said, "do not stop them: the Realm of God belongs to such as these.

I tell you truly, whoever will not submit to the Reign of God like a child will never get into it at all."

Then a ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what am I to do to inherit life eternal?"

Jesus said to him, "Why call me 'good'? No one is good, no one but God.

So Jesus looked at him and said, "How difficult it is for those who have money to enter the Realm of God!

Why, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the Realm of God."

He said, "What is impossible for men is possible for God."

He said to them, "I tell you truly, no one has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the Realm of God,

The people in front checked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!"

Instantly he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people gave praise to God when they saw this.

So he ran forward and climbed into a sycomore tree to get a sight of him, as he was to pass that road.

He went on to tell a parable in their hearing, as he was approaching Jerusalem and as they imagined God's Reign would instantly come into view.

Why then did you not put my money into the bank, so that I could have got it with interest when I came back?'

and as he was now close to the descent from the Hill of Olives, all the multitude of the disciples started joyfully to praise God with a loud voice for all they had seen,

But he replied, "I tell you, if they were to keep quiet, the very stones would shout."

and raze you and your children within you to the ground, leaving not one stone upon another within you ??and all because you would not understand when God was visiting you."

He will come and kill these vinedressers and give the vineyard to others." When they heard that, they said, "God forbid!"

So watching their chance they sent spies who pretended to be honest persons, in order to seize on what he said and get him handed over to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

They put this question to him, "Teacher, we know you are straight in what you say and teach, you do not look to human favour but teach the Way of God honestly.

"Well then," he said to them, "give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God."

for they cannot die any more; they are equal to angels and by sharing in the resurrection they are sons of God.

And that the dead are raised has been indicated by Moses in the passage on the Bush, when he calls the Lord 'God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob.'

God is not a God of dead people but of living, for all live to him."

So, whenever you see all this happen, be sure the Reign of God is at hand.

Take heed to yourselves in case your hearts get overpowered by dissipation and drunkenness and worldly anxieties, and so that Day catches you suddenly like a trap.

The high priests and scribes were trying how to get him put to death (for they were afraid of the people),

He assented to this and sought a good opportunity for betraying him to them in the absence of the crowd.

for I tell you I will never eat the passover again till the fulfilment of it in the Reign of God."

And he took a cup which was handed to him, gave thanks to God and said, "Take this and distribute it among yourselves,

for I tell you I will never drink the produce of the vine again till such time as God's Reign comes."

Then he took a loaf, and after thanking God he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This means my body given up for your sake; do this in memory of me."