The Demand for a Sign

¹Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.

²But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’

³and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.

⁴A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread.

⁶“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.”

⁸Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread?

⁹Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

¹⁰Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

¹¹How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

¹²Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s Confession of Christ

¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.

¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

²⁰Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.

Christ’s Passion Foretold

²¹From that time on Jesusbegan to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²²Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”

²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up Your Cross

²⁴Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

²⁶What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

²⁷For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.

²⁸Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

¹After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

²There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

³Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

⁴Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.Listen to Him!”

⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror.

⁷Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.”

⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

¹⁰The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things.

¹²But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”

¹³Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

The Boy with a Demon

¹⁴When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.

¹⁵“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

¹⁶I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

¹⁷“O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.”

¹⁸Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

The Power of Faith

¹⁹Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁰“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

The Second Prediction of the Passion

²²When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.

²³They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved.

The Temple Tax

²⁴After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma taxcame to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”

²⁵“Yes,” he answered.When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”

²⁶“From others,” Peter answered.“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him.

²⁷“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin.Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

Temptations and Trespasses

¹Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

²It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

³Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

⁴Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

The Power of Faith

⁵The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

⁷Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?

⁸Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you may eat and drink’?

⁹Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told?

¹⁰So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

The Ten Lepers

¹¹While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.

¹²As He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten lepers.They stood at a distance

¹³and raised their voices, shouting, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”And as they were on their way, they were cleansed.

¹⁵When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice.

¹⁶He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷“Were not all ten cleansed?” Jesus asked. “Where then are the other nine?

¹⁸Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?”

¹⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well!”

The Coming of the Kingdom

²⁰When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs.

²¹Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

²²Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

²³People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.

²⁴For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day.

²⁵But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

²⁶Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man:

²⁷People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.

²⁹But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind.

³²Remember Lot’s wife!

³³Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.

³⁴I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: one will be taken and the other left.

³⁵Two women will be grinding grain together: one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷“Where, Lord?” they asked.Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Taste and See That the LORD Is Good

¹I will bless the LORD at all times;His praise will always be on my lips.

²My soul boasts in the LORD;let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

³Magnify the LORD with me;let us exalt His name together.

⁴I sought the LORD, and He answered me;He delivered me from all my fears.

⁵Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;their faces shall never be ashamed.

⁶This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him;He saved him from all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,and he delivers them.

⁸Taste and see that the LORD is good;blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

⁹Fear the LORD, you His saints,for those who fear Him lack nothing.

¹⁰Young lions go lacking and hungry,but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

¹¹Come, children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹²Who is the man who delights in life,who desires to see good days?

¹³Keep your tongue from eviland your lips from deceitful speech.

¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good;seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,and His ears are inclined to their cry.

¹⁶But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;He delivers them from all their troubles.

¹⁸The LORD is near to the brokenhearted;He saves the contrite in spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous,but the LORD delivers him from them all.

²⁰He protects all his bones;not one of them will be broken.

²¹Evil will slay the wicked,and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.

²²The LORD redeems His servants,and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.