Women Minister to Jesus

¹Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,

²as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

³Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to themout of their own means.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable:

⁵“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

⁶Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.”As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,‘though seeing, they may not see;though hearing, they may not understand.’

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

¹²The seedsalong the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹³The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

¹⁵But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

The Lesson of the Lamp

¹⁶No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.

¹⁸Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

¹⁹Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they were unable to reach Him because of the crowd.

²⁰He was told, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.”

²¹But He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²²One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

²³As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

²⁴The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.

²⁵“Where is your faith?” He asked.Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

The Demons and the Pigs

²⁶Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,across the lake from Galilee.

²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.

²⁸When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!”

²⁹For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.

³⁰“What is your name?” Jesus asked.“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.

³¹And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.

³²There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

³³Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside.

³⁵So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

³⁶Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.

³⁷Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.

³⁸The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying,

³⁹“Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

The Healing Touch of Jesus

⁴⁰When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

⁴¹Just then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his house,

⁴²because his only daughter, who was about twelve, was dying.As Jesus went with him, the crowds pressed around Him,

⁴³including a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on physicians,but no one was able to heal her.

⁴⁴She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵“Who touched Me?” Jesus asked.But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter,“the people are crowding and pressing against You.”

⁴⁶But Jesus declared, “Someone touched Me, for I know that power has gone out from Me.”

⁴⁷Then the woman, seeing that she could not escape notice, came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched Him and how she had immediately been healed.

⁴⁸“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹When He entered the house, He did not allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother.

⁵²Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”

⁵³And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴But Jesus took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!”

⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat.

⁵⁶Her parents were astounded, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

The Poor Widow’s Offering

¹Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,

²and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

³“Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.

⁴For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

Temple Destruction and Other Signs

⁵As some of the disciples were remarking how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and consecrated gifts, Jesus said,

⁶“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

⁷“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

⁸Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

⁹When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.”

Witnessing to All Nations

¹⁰Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

¹²But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors.

¹³This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses.

¹⁴So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves.

¹⁵For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.

¹⁷And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.

¹⁸Yet not even a hair of your head will perish.

¹⁹By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.

²¹Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city.

²²For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

²³How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.

²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Return of the Son of Man

²⁵There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.

²⁶Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

²⁷At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.

³⁰When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.

³¹So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

³²Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

Be Watchful for the Day

³⁴But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

³⁵For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth.

³⁶So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.

³⁸And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

¹“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

²But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his voice.”

⁶Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.

⁷So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

⁸All who came before Mewere thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

⁹I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.

¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.

¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock.

¹³The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.

¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,

¹⁵just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.

¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

¹⁷The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again.

¹⁸No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”

¹⁹Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.

²⁰Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”

²¹But others replied, “These are not the words of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

²²At that time the Feast of Dedicationtook place in Jerusalem. It was winter,

²³and Jesus was walking in the temple courtsin Solomon’s Colonnade.

²⁴So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵“I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify on My behalf.

²⁶But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.

²⁷My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

²⁹My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

³⁰I and the Father are one.”

³¹At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him.

³²But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?”

³³“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’?

³⁵If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—

³⁶then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

³⁷If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.

³⁸But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”

³⁹At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

John’s Testimony Confirmed

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.

⁴¹Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.”

⁴²And many in that place believed in Jesus.

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

¹Do not boast about tomorrow,for you do not know what a day may bring.

²Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and sand is a burden,but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.

⁴Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood,but who can withstand jealousy?

⁵Better an open rebukethan love that is concealed.

⁶The wounds of a friend are faithful,but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

⁷The soul that is full loathes honey,but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a bird that strays from its nestis a man who wanders from his home.

⁹Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,and the counsel of a friend is sweetness to the soul.

¹⁰Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend,and do not go to your brother’s housein the day of your calamity;better a neighbor nearbythan a brother far away.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,so that I can answer him who taunts me.

¹²The prudent see danger and take cover,but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

¹³Take the garment of him who posts security for a stranger;get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

¹⁴If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,it will be counted to him as a curse.

¹⁵A constant dripping on a rainy dayand a contentious woman are alike—

¹⁶restraining her is like holding back the windor grasping oil with one’s right hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,so one man sharpens another.

¹⁸Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,and he who looks after his master will be honored.

¹⁹As water reflects the face,so the heart reflects the true man.

²⁰Sheol and Abaddonare never satisfied;so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

²¹A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,but a man is tested by the praise accorded him.

²²Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle,yet his folly will not depart from him.

²³Be sure to know the state of your flocks,and pay close attention to your herds;

²⁴for riches are not forever,nor does a crown endure to every generation.

²⁵When hay is removed and new growth appearsand the grass from the hills is gathered,

²⁶the lambs will provide you with clothing,and the goats with the price of a field.

²⁷You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you—food for your householdand nourishment for your maidservants.