They were astonished beyond measure, and said to one another, "Who then *can* be saved?"

Jesus looking on them said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for everything is possible with God."

"Remember," said Peter to Him, "that we forsook everything and have become your followers."

"See," He said, "we are going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the High Priests and the Scribes. They will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles;

Then James and John, the sons of Zabdi, came up to Him and said, "Rabbi, we wish you would grant us whatever request we make of you."

"Allow us," they replied, "to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left hand, in your glory."

"You know not," said He, "what you are asking. Are you able to drink out of the cup from which I am to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?"

"We are able," they replied. "Out of the cup," said Jesus, "from which I am to drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I am to be baptized you shall be baptized;

Jesus, however, called them to Him and said to them, "You are aware how those who are deemed rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men make them feel their authority;

Then Jesus stood still. "Call him," He said. So they called the blind man. "Cheer up," they said; "rise, he is calling you."

"What shall I do for you?" said Jesus. "Rabboni," replied the blind man, "let me recover my sight."

"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has cured you." Instantly he regained his sight, and followed Him along the road.

"Go," He said, "to the village facing you, and immediately on entering it you will find an ass's foal tied up which no one has ever yet ridden: untie him and bring him here.

and He said to the tree, "Let no one ever again eat fruit from thee!" And His disciples heard this.

And He remonstrated with them. "Is it not written," He said, "'My House shall be called The House of Prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it what it now is--a robbers' cave."

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

Jesus said to them, "Have faith in God.

So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." "Nor do I tell you," said Jesus, "by what authority I do these things."

Then He began to speak to them in figurative language. "There was once a man," He said, "who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a pit for the wine-tank, and built a strong lodge. Then he let the place to vine-dressers and went abroad.

"But those men--the vine-dressers--said to one another, "'Here is the heir: come, let us kill him, and then the property will one day be ours.'

What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do?" "He will come and put the vine-dressers to death," they said; "and will give the vineyard to others."

So they came to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you are a truthful man and you do not fear any one; for you do not recognize human distinctions, but teach God's way truly. Is it allowable to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

"Rabbi," they said, "Moses made it a law for us: 'If a man's brother should die and leave a wife, but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up a family for his brother.'

But as to the dead, that they rise to life, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?'

So the Scribe said to Him, "Rightly, in very truth, Rabbi, have you said that He stands alone, and there is none but He;

Perceiving that the Scribe had answered wisely Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." No one from that time forward ventured to put any question to Him.

David himself said, taught by the Holy Spirit, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I have made thy foes a footstool under thy feet.'

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,

Having taken a seat opposite the Treasury, He observed how the people were dropping money into the Treasury, and that many of the wealthy threw in large sums.

So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to the Treasury;

But they said, "Not on the Festival-day, for fear there should be a riot among the people."

Now when He was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while He was at table, there came a woman with a jar of pure, sweet-scented ointment very costly: she broke the jar and poured the ointment over His head.

But there were some who said indignantly among themselves, "Why has the ointment been thus wasted?

But Jesus said, "Leave her alone: why are you troubling her? She has done a most gracious act towards me.

And while they were at table Jesus said, "I solemnly tell you that one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me."

"This is my blood," He said, "which is to be poured out on behalf of many--the blood which makes the Covenant sure.

Then said Jesus to them, "All of you are about to stumble and fall, for it is written, 'I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered in all directions.'

"All may stumble and fall," said Peter, "yet I never will."

So they came to a place called Gethsemane. There He said to His disciples, "Sit down here till I have prayed."

and He said to them, "My heart is oppressed with anguish to the very point of death: wait here and keep awake."

and He said, "Abba! my Father! all things are possible for Thee: take this cup of suffering away from me: and yet not what I desire, but what Thou desirest."

Then He came and found them asleep, and He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Had you not strength to keep awake a single hour?

A third time He came, and then He said, "Sleep on and rest. Enough! the hour has come. Even now they are betraying the Son of Man into the hands of sinful men.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them. "The one I kiss," he said, "is the man: lay hold of him, and take him safely away."

So he came, and going straight to Jesus he said, "Rabbi!" and kissed Him with seeming affection;

"Have you come out," said Jesus, "with swords and cudgels to arrest me, as if you had to fight with a robber?

But He remained silent, and gave no reply. A second time the High Priest questioned Him. "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" he said.

and seeing Peter warming himself she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the Nazarene."

But he denied it, and said, "I don't know--I don't understand--What do you mean?" And then he went out into the outer court. Just then a cock crowed.

And all the passers-by reviled Him. They shook their heads at Him and said, "Ah! you who were for destroying the Sanctuary and building a new one in three days,

Some of the bystanders, hearing Him, said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah!"

But he said to them, "Do not be terrified. It is Jesus you are looking for--the Nazarene who has been crucified. He has come back to life: He is not here: this is the place where they laid Him.

So they came out, and fled from the tomb, for they were greatly agitated and surprised; and they said not a word to any one, for they were afraid.

Then He said to them, "Go the whole world over, and proclaim the Good News to all mankind.

So the Lord Jesus after having thus spoken to them was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense;

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your petition has been heard: and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call his name John.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; no wine or fermented drink shall he ever drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth.

"Thus has the Lord dealt with me," she said, "now that He has graciously taken away my reproach among men."

So Gabriel went into the house and said to her, "Joy be to you, favoured one! the Lord is with you."

But the angel said, "Do not be frightened, Mary, for you have found favour with God.

and uttered a loud cry of joy. "Blest among women are you," she said, "and the offspring of your body is blest!

Then Mary said: "My soul extols the Lord,

His mother, however, said, "No, he is to be called John."

"There is not one of your family," they said, "who has that name."

Instantly his mouth and his tongue were set free, and he began to speak and bless God.

All who heard the story treasured it in their memories. "What then will this child be?" they said. For the lord's hand was indeed with him.

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel," he said, "Because He has not forgotten His people but has effected redemption for them,

But the angel said to them, "Put away all fear; for I am bringing you good news of great joy--joy for all the People.

Then, as soon as the angels had left them and returned to Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go over as far as Bethlehem and see this that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

And when they saw the child, they told what had been said to them about Him;

he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

Which Thou hast made ready in the sight of all nations--

Symeon blessed them and said to Mary the mother, "This child is appointed for the falling and the uprising of many in Israel and for a token to be spoken against;

When they saw Him, they were smitten with amazement, and His mother said to Him, "My child, why have you behaved thus to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in anguish."

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."

Then the Devil said to Him, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become bread."

And the Devil said to Him, "To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it.

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and caused Him to stand on the roof of the Temple, and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written,

The reply of Jesus was, "It is said, 'Thou shalt not put the Lord they God to the proof.'"

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor; He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners of war and recovery of sight to the blind: to send away free those whom tyranny has crushed,

And rolling up the book, He returned it to the attendant, and sat down--to speak. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

And they all spoke well of Him, wondering at the sweet words of kindness which fell from His lips, while they asked one another, "Is not this Joseph's son?"

"Doubtless," said He, "you will quote to me the proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself: all that we hear that you have done at Capernaum, do here also in your native place.'"

But He said to them, "I have to tell the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because for this purpose I was sent."

and going on board one of them, which was Simon's He asked him to push out a little from land. Then He sat down and taught the crowd of people from the boat.

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Push out into deep water, and let down your nets for a haul."

Reaching out His hand and touching him, Jesus said, "I am willing; be cleansed!" And instantly the leprosy left him.

He ordered him to tell no one. "But go," He said, "show yourself to the Priest, and make the offering for your purification which Moses appointed, as evidence for them."

He saw their faith and said to him, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --Turning to the paralytic He said, "I bid you, Rise, take up your bed, and go home."

Amazement seized them all. "Glory to God!" was the abiding feeling. Yet fear flashed through their minds and they said, "We have seen strange things to-day."

After this He went out and noticed a tax-gatherer, Levi by name, sitting at the Toll office; and He said to him, "Follow me."

Again they said to Him, "John's disciples fast often and pray, as do also those of the pharisees; but yours eat and drink."

He also spoke in figurative language to them. "No one," He said, "tears a piece from a new garment to mend an old one. Otherwise he would not only spoil the new, but the patch from the new would not match the old.

He knew their thoughts, and said to the man with the withered arm, "Rise, and stand there in the middle." And he rose and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it."

And looking round upon them all He said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He did so, and the arm was restored.

With these He came down till He reached a level place, where there was a great crowd of His disciples, and a multitude of people from every part of Judaea, from Jerusalem, and from the sea-side district of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases;

Then fixing His eyes upon His disciples, Jesus said to them, "Blessed are you poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours.