for a friend of mine has just come to my house from a distance, and I have nothing for him to eat'?

"And he from indoors shall answer, "'Do not pester me. The door is now barred, and I am here in bed with my children. I cannot get up and give you bread.'

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.

"When any one lights a lamp, he never puts it in the cellar or under the bushel, but on the lampstand, that people who come in may see the light.

so that the blood of all the Prophets, that is being shed from the creation of the world onwards, may be required from the present generation.

"But to you who are my friends I say, "'Be not afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do nothing further.

"And I tell you that every man who shall have acknowledged me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.

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

"Moreover every one who shall speak against the Son of Man, may obtain forgiveness; but he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never obtain forgiveness.

Just then a man in the crowd appealed to Him. "Rabbi," he said, "tell my brother to give me a share of the inheritance."

"Man," He replied, "who has constituted me a judge or arbitrator over you?"

and he debated within himself, saying, "'What am I to do? for I have no place in which to store my crops.'

"And he said to himself, "'This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store up all my harvest and my wealth;

and I will say to my life, "'Life, you have ample possessions laid up for many years to come: take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.'

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.

But if that servant should say in his heart, 'My Master is a long time in coming,' and should begin to beat the menservants and the maids, and to eat and drink, drinking even to excess;

"I came to throw fire upon the earth, and what is my desire? Oh that it were even now kindled!

For when, with your opponent, you are going before the magistrate, on the way take pains to get out of his power; for fear that, if he should drag you before the judge, the judge may hand you over to the officer of the court, and the officer lodge you in prison.

"But He will reply, "'I tell you that you are no friends of mine. Begone from me, all of you, wrongdoers that you are.'

"Go," He replied, "and take this message to that fox: "'See, to-day and to-morrow I am driving out demons and effecting cures, and on the third day I finish my course.'

"Yet I must continue my journey to-day and to-morrow and the day following; for it is not conceivable that a Prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

See, your house is left to you. But I tell you that you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

"When any one invites you to a wedding banquet, do not take the best seat, lest perhaps some more honoured guest than you may have been asked,

On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests.

"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.'

"A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'

"Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.'

"'Go out,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled.

For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"

"If any one is coming to me who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be a disciple of mine.

No one who does not carry his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.

Then coming home he calls his friends and neighbours together, and says, 'Congratulate me, for I have found my sheep--the one I had lost.'

And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, and says, "'Congratulate me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.'

The younger of them said to his father, "'Father, give me the share of the property that comes to me.' "So he divided his wealth between them.

"But on coming to himself he said, "'How many of my father's hired men have more bread than they want, while I here am dying of hunger!

I will rise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you:

I no longer deserve to be called a son of yours: treat me as one of your hired men.'

for my son here was dead and has come to life again: he was lost and has been found.' "And they began to be merry.

"'All these years,' replied the son, 'I have been slaving for you, and I have never at any time disobeyed any of your orders, and yet you have never given me so much as a kid, for me to enjoy myself with my friends;

"'You my dear son,' said the father, 'are always with me, and all that is mine is also yours.

"Then the steward said within himself, "'What am I to do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough for field labour: to beg, I should be ashamed.

I see what to do, in order that when I am discharged from the stewardship they may give me a home in their own houses.'

"So he called all his master's debtors, one by one, and asked the first, 'How much are you in debt to my master?'

So he cried aloud, and said, "'Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

"'Remember, my child,' said Abraham, 'that you had all your good things during your lifetime, and that Lazarus in like manner had his bad things. But, now and here, he is receiving consolation and you are in agony.

And, besides all this, a vast chasm is immovably fixed between us and you, put there in order that those who desire to cross from this side to you may not be able, nor any be able to cross over from your side to us.'

"'I entreat you then, father,' said he, 'to send him to my father's house.

and will not rather say to him, 'Get my dinner ready, make yourself tidy, and wait upon me till I have finished my dinner, and then you shall have yours'?

And in the same town was a widow who repeatedly came and entreated him, saying, "'Give me justice and stop my oppressor.'

yet because she annoys me I will give her justice, to prevent her from constantly coming to pester me.'"

I fast twice a week. I pay the tithe on all my gains.'

"But the tax-gatherer, standing far back, would not so much as lift his eyes to Heaven, but kept beating his breast and saying, "'O God, be reconciled to me, sinner that I am.'

Jesus however called the infants to Him. "Let the little children come to me," He said; "do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of God belongs.

"Why do you call me good?" replied Jesus; "there is no one good but One, namely God.

"All of those," he replied, "I have kept from my youth."

On receiving this answer Jesus said to him, "There is still one thing wanting in you. Sell everything you possess and give the money to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; and then come, follow me."

Then, at the top of his voice, he cried out, "Jesus, son of David, take pity on me."

Those in front reproved him and tried to silence him; but he continued shouting, louder than ever, "Son of David, take pity on me."

"What shall I do for you?" "Sir," he replied, "let me recover my sight."

Zacchaeus however stood up, and addressing the Lord said, "Here and now, Master, I give half my property to the poor, and if I have unjustly exacted money from any man, I pledge myself to repay to him four times the amount."

"'By your own words,' he replied, 'I will judge you, you bad servant. You knew me to be a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow:

why then did you not put my money into a bank, that when I came I might have received it back with interest?

But as for those enemies of mine who were unwilling that I should become their king, bring them here, and cut them to pieces in my presence.'"

"It is written," He said, "'And My house shall be the House of Prayer,' but you have made it a robbers' cave."

Then the owner of the vineyard said, "'What am I to do? I will send my son--my dearly-loved son: they will probably respect him.'

"But when the vine-dressers saw him, they discussed the matter with one another, and said, "'This is the heir: let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'

"Show me a shilling; whose likeness and inscription does it bear?" "Caesar's," they said.

Why, David himself says in the Book of Psalms, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand

"See to it," He replied, "that you are not misled; for many will come assuming my name and professing, 'I am He,' or saying, 'The time is close at hand.' Do not go and follow them.

"But before all these things happen they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you up to synagogues and to prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my sake.

You will be the objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name;

So also, when you see these things happening, you may be sure that the Kingdom of God is near.

Earth and sky will pass away, but it is certain that my words will not pass away.

But beware of slumbering; and every moment pray that you may be fully strengthened to escape from all these coming evils, and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man."

Jesus sent Peter and John with instructions. "Go," He said, "and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it."

and say to the master of the house, "'The Rabbi asks you, Where is the room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?'

Then, taking a Passover biscuit, He gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is being given on your behalf: this do in remembrance of me."

He gave them the cup in like manner, when the meal was over. "This cup," He said, "is the new Covenant ratified by my blood which is to be poured out on your behalf.

Yet the hand of him who is betraying me is at the table with me.

For which is the greater--he who sits at table, or he who waits on him? Is it not he who sits at table? But my position among you is that of one who waits on others.

You however have remained with me amid my trials;

and I covenant to give you, as my Father has covenanted to give me, a Kingdom--

so that you shall eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones as judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.

But *I* have prayed for *you* that your faith may not fail, and you, when at last you have come back to your true self, must strengthen your brethren."

"I tell you, Peter," said Jesus, "that the cock will not crow to-day till you have three times denied that you know me."

For I tell you that those words of Scripture must yet find their fulfilment in me: 'And He was reckoned among the lawless'; for indeed that saying about me has its accomplishment."

But when He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not come into temptation."

"Father, if it be Thy will, take this cup away from me; yet not my will but Thine be done!"

"Why are you sleeping?" He said; "stand up; and pray that you may not come into temptation."

"Permit me thus far," said Jesus. And He touched the ear and healed it.

While day after day I was with you in the Temple, you did not lay hands upon me; but to you belongs this hour--and the power of darkness."

The Master turned and looked on Peter; and Peter recollected the Master's words, how He had said to him, "This very day, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times."

"You have brought this man to me on a charge of corrupting the loyalty of the people. But, you see, I have examined him in your presence and have discovered in the man no ground for the accusations which you bring against him.

But Jesus turned towards them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your Kingdom."

"I tell you in solemn truth," replied Jesus, "that this very day you shall be with me in Paradise."

and Jesus cried out in a loud voice, and said, "Father, to Thy hands I entrust my spirit." And after uttering these words He yielded up His spirit.

See my hands and my feet--it is my very self. Feel me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see I have."

And He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you--that everything must be fulfilled that is written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and the Psalms concerning me."

And remember that I am about to send out my Father's promised gift to rest upon you. But, as for you, wait patiently in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."