Is He not the carpenter, Mary's son, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And do not His sisters live here among us?" And so they found a cause for stumbling over him.

For this very Herod had sent and seized John and bound him and put him in prison, just to please Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her.

for Herod stood in awe of John, because he knew that he was an upright and holy man, and so he protected him. When he heard him speak, he was very much disturbed, and yet he liked to hear him.

And he promised her on oath, "I will give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom."

She left the room and asked her mother, "What shall I ask him for?" And she answered, "The head of John the Baptist."

The king, although exceedingly sorry, yet on account of his oath and his guests, did not like to refuse her,

and brought back his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

She was a heathen who spoke Greek and had been born in Syro-Phenicia. And she kept begging Him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

But He was saying to her, "Let the children first eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it out to the house dogs."

Then He said to her, "Because you have said this, go home; the demon has gone out of your daughter."

She went home and found her daughter lying in bed, and the demon gone out.

So the people were overwhelmingly dumbfounded, and kept saying, "How wonderfully He has done everything! He even makes deaf people hear and dumb people talk."

But His disciples answered Him, "Where can anyone get bread enough here in this destitute place, to give these people plenty?"

Since you have eyes can you not see with them? Since you have ears can you not hear with them?

For whoever wants to save his higher life, will have to give up the lower life, and whoever gives up his lower life for me and for the good news, will save the higher life.

For what benefit will it be to a man to gain the whole world and fail to gain the higher life?

And He said to them, "I solemnly say to you, some of the people standing here will certainly live to see the kingdom of God come in its power."

Then Peter interrupted and said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good for us to be here. So let us put up three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

and if any woman divorces her husband to marry another man, she commits adultery."

So Jesus stopped and said, "Tell him to come here." Then they told the blind man, saying, "Cheer up! Get up! He is calling for you."

and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and as soon as you get into it, you will find a colt tied which has never been ridden by a man. Untie it and bring it here.

And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing that?' answer, 'The Lord needs it, and will soon send it back here.'"

But those tenants said among themselves, 'This is his heir; come on, let us kill him, and all that is coming to him will be ours.'

and the second married her and died leaving no child; and so did the third.

Now at the resurrection, which one's wife will she be? For all seven of them married her."

Jesus answered, "The first one is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord,

David himself called him Lord, so how can He be his son?" Most of the people liked to hear Him.

For all of them put in out of their surplus, but she in her want put in all she had, yes, all she had to live on."

Jesus said to him, "Are you looking in wonder at these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another that will not be torn down."

But when you hear of wars and rumors of war, stop getting alarmed. They have to come, but the end is not yet.

"If anyone says to you at that time, 'Look! Here is the Christ,' or, 'Look! There He is,' do not believe it.

But about that day or hour not a single one knows -- not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son; not a single one but the Father.

It might have been sold for more than sixty dollars, and the money have been given to the poor." So they kept on grumbling at her.

But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you embarrass her? She has done a good deed to me.

I solemnly say to you, all over the world wherever this good news is proclaimed, the deed that she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

They were delighted to hear it, and promised to pay him for it. So he kept looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them.

Then they came to the place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, "Sit down here while I pray."

and so He said to them, "My heart is breaking, it almost kills me! You must stay here and keep watching."

Then He walked on a few steps and threw Himself upon the ground and kept praying that if it were possible He might escape the hour of agony,

And He went back and found them asleep, and He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch a single hour?

He came back the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? No more of that! The hour has come. See! The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinful men.

Get up, let us be going. Look! here comes my betrayer!"

Did you hear His own blasphemy? What do you think now?" And they all condemned Him as deserving to die.

But he said to them, "You must not be so astounded; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See! Here is the spot where they laid Him.

But although they had heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

In the days when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest whose name was Zechariah, who belonged to the division of Abijah. His wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

while all the throng of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense burning.

So the angel came to her home and said, "Congratulations, you highly favored woman! The Lord be with you!"

Then the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and so your child will be called holy, the Son of God.

And listen! your relative, Elizabeth, has herself too become pregnant, although she is old, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Then Mary said, "I am the Lord's slave. May what you say take place with me." Then the angel left her.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped within her. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

Blessed is she who has believed, for what is promised to her by the Lord will be fulfilled."

for He has smiled upon His slave in her lowly station, for from this day all ages will count me happy!

Now Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned home.

And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and so they were rejoicing with her.

Then they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives that bears that name."

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth,

and she bore her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn.

but Mary continued to treasure it all up and to ponder it in her heart.

So He went back to Nazareth with them and continued to obey them. But His mother continued to treasure up all these sayings in her heart.

as it is written in the sermon-book of the prophet Isaiah: "Here is a voice of one shouting in the desert, 'Get the road ready for the Lord, make the paths straight for Him.

Then he took Him to Jerusalem, and had Him stand on the tip-top turret of the temple, and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here,

Then He began to speak to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled here in your hearing."

He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote this proverb to me, 'Doctor, cure yourself! Do the things here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.'"

Then He rose to leave the synagogue, and He went to Simon's house. And Simon's mother-in-law was in the grip of a burning fever; so they asked Him about her.

Then He took His stand by her and reproved the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

Once as the crowd was pressing against Him to hear the message of God, He found Himself standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret.

But the news about Him continued to spread, and great crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases.

Then He came down with them and took His stand on a level place, where there was a great throng of His disciples and a vast crowd of people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases.

As He approached the gate of the town, look, there was being carried out a dead man, his mother's only son, and she was a widow! A considerable crowd of townspeople were with her.

Now when the Lord saw her, His heart was moved with pity for her, and so He said to her, "Stop weeping."

At that very hour He cured many people of diseases and scourges and evil spirits, and graciously granted sight to many blind persons.

and took her stand behind Him at His feet, continually weeping. Then she began to wet His feet with her tears, but she continued to wipe them off with the hair of her head, and she kept right on kissing His feet with affection and anointing them with the perfume.

And turning face to face with the woman He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came to your house; you did not give me any water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair.

Therefore, I tell you, her sins, as many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the one who has little to be forgiven loves me little."

And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven!"

And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!"

So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand.

Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved.

The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away.

And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit.

So He said to her, "My daughter, it is your faith that has cured you; go on in peace."

Now they were all weeping and wailing over her. But He said, "Stop weeping! For she is not dead but asleep."

But He grasped her hand and called out, "My child, get up!"

So her spirit returned and she got up at once, and He directed that something be given her to eat.

And her parents were astounded, but He ordered them not to tell anyone what had taken place.

So Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who can this be about whom I hear such reports?" So he was trying to see Him.

As the day began to decline, the Twelve came up and said to Him, "Send the crowd off to the villages and farms around, to get lodging and to find food there, for we are in a destitute place here."

For whoever chooses to save his lower life will lose his higher life, but whoever gives up his lower life for my sake will save his higher life.

I solemnly say to you, some of you who stand here will certainly live to see the kingdom of God."

And just as they were starting to leave Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- although he did not know what he was saying.

Then Jesus answered, "O you unbelieving, stubborn people of the times! How long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring him here to me."

For I tell you, many prophets and kings have wished to see what you are seeing, but they did not, and to hear what you are hearing, but they did not."

Now as they were journeying on, He came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.

She had a sister named Mary who took her seat at the Lord's feet, and remained listening to His message.

But Martha was getting worried about having to wait on them so much, so she came up suddenly and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the housework alone? Then tell her to take hold and help me."

The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and vexed about many things.

But there is actual need of few things, really of only one thing. For Mary has chosen the good portion which must not be taken away from her."

Just as He was saying this, a woman in the crowd lifted her voice and said, "Blessed is the mother who bore you and nursed you!"