The Temptation of Jesus

¹Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

²where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

³The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

⁵Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

⁶“I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.

⁷So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”

⁸But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

⁹Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.

¹⁰For it is written:‘He will command His angels concerning Youto guard You carefully,

¹¹and they will lift You up in their hands,so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

¹²But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

¹³When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹⁴Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.

¹⁵He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.

The Rejection at Nazareth

¹⁶Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,

¹⁷the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,because He has anointed Meto preach good news to the poor.He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captivesand recovery of sight to the blind,to release the oppressed,

¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,

²¹and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

²²All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

²³Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

²⁵But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.

²⁶Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

²⁷And there were many lepersin Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

²⁹They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

³⁰But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.

Jesus Expels an Unclean Spirit

³¹Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.

³²They were astonished at His teaching, because His message had authority.

³³In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,

³⁴“Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

³⁵But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without harming him.

³⁶All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

³⁷And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.

Jesus Heals at Peter’s House

³⁸After Jesus had left the synagogue, He went to the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. So they appealed to Jesus on her behalf,

³⁹and He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and began to serve them.

⁴⁰At sunset, all who were ill with various diseases were brought to Jesus, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them.

⁴¹Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ.

Jesus Preaches in Judea

⁴²At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place, and the crowds were looking for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.

⁴³But Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why I was sent.”

⁴⁴And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

¹Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:

²“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men.

³And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

⁴For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,

⁵yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.’”

⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.

⁷Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?

⁸I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:

¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed,‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

¹²I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

¹³But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’

¹⁴I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Blesses the Children

¹⁵Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.

¹⁶But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

¹⁷Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁸Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.

²⁰You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”

²¹“All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.

²²On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

²³But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.

²⁴Seeing the man’s sadness,Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!

²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

²⁸“Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we hadto follow You.”

²⁹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God

³⁰will fail to receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

The Third Prediction of the Passion

³¹Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

³²He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.

³³They will flog Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”

³⁴But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

³⁵As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.

³⁶When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.

³⁷“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.

³⁸So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰Jesus stopped and directed that the man be brought to Him. When he had come near, Jesus asked him,

⁴¹“What do you want Me to do for you?”“Lord,” he said, “let me see again.”

⁴²“Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.”

⁴³Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

The Parable of the Sower

¹Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

²And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,

³“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

⁵Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.

⁶But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

⁹Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

¹⁰As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

¹¹He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,

¹²so that,‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,and ever hearing but never understanding;otherwise they might turnand be forgiven.’”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹³Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?

¹⁴The farmer sows the word.

¹⁵Some are like the seedsalong the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

¹⁶Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.

¹⁷But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

¹⁸Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,

¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

The Lesson of the Lamp

²¹Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?

²²For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.

²⁵For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Seed Growing Secretly

²⁶Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.

²⁷Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.

²⁸All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within.

²⁹And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?

³¹It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.

³²But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

³³With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand.

³⁴He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”

³⁶After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.

³⁷Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.

³⁸But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”

³⁹Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

⁴⁰“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

You Are My Refuge and My Fortress

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most Highwill abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

²I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.”

³Surely He will deliver youfrom the snare of the fowler,and from the deadly plague.

⁴He will cover you with His feathers;under His wings you will find refuge;His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.

⁵You will not fear the terror of the night,nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,nor the calamity that destroys at noon.

⁷Though a thousand may fall at your side,and ten thousand at your right hand,no harm will come near you.

⁸You will only see it with your eyesand witness the punishment of the wicked.

⁹Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—

¹⁰no evil will befall you,no plague will approach your tent.

¹¹For He will command His angels concerning youto guard you in all your ways.

¹²They will lift you up in their hands,so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³You will tread on the lion and cobra;you will trample the young lion and serpent.

¹⁴“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him;because he knows My name, I will protect him.

¹⁵When he calls out to Me,I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble.I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶With long life I will satisfy himand show him My salvation.”