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.'"

As Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and told him, "How blessed is the womb that gave birth to you and the breasts that nursed you!"

Now as the crowds continued to throng around Jesus, he went on to say, "This people living today are an evil generation. It craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah,

because just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

After Jesus had said this, a Pharisee invited him to have a meal with him. So Jesus went and took his place at the table.

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who died between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation!

Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I'll store all my grain and goods in them.

But God told him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you. Now who will get the things you've accumulated?'

But be sure of this: if the homeowner had known at what time the thief were coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into.

Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable just for us or for everyone?"

How blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he comes!

He asked them, "Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered like this?

Then Jesus told them this parable: "A man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but didn't find any.

So he told the gardener, "Look here! For three years I've been coming to look for fruit on this tree but I haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?'

Shouldn't this woman, a descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?"

Even as he was saying this, all of his opponents were blushing with shame. But the rest of the crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.

And they couldn't argue with him about this.

Then the host who invited both of you would come to you and say, "Give this person your place.' In disgrace, you would have to take the place of least honor.

Now one of those eating with him heard this and told him, "How blessed is the person who will eat in the kingdom of God!"

"So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, "Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

and say, "This person started a building but couldn't finish it.'

But the Pharisees and the scribes kept complaining, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable:

But this son of yours spent your money on prostitutes, and when he came back, you killed the fattened calf for him!'

But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.'"

So he called for him and asked him, "What's this I hear about you? You can't be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!'

Now the Pharisees, who love money, had been listening to all this and began to ridicule Jesus.

So he shouted, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am suffering in this fire.'

Besides all this, a wide chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot do so, nor can they cross from your side to us.'

because I have five brothers to warn them, so that they won't end up in this place of torture, too.'

The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you!

Except for this foreigner, were any of them found to return and give praise to God?"

Then they asked him, "Where, Lord, will this take place?" He told them, "Wherever there's a corpse, there the vultures will gather."

yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.'"

Jesus also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves, thinking they were righteous, but who looked down on everyone else:

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, "O God, I thank you that I'm not like other people thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector.

I tell you, this man, rather than the other one, went down to his home justified, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted."

Now some people were even bringing their infants to Jesus to have him touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they sternly told the people not to do that.

When Jesus heard this, he told him, "You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."