Jesus Sends the Seventy-Two

¹After this, the Lord appointed seventy-twoothers and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to visit.

²And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.

³Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

⁴Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.

⁵Whatever house you enter, begin by saying, ‘Peace to this house.’

⁶If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.

⁷Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages.Do not move around from house to house.

⁸If you enter a town and they welcome you, eat whatever is set before you.

⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’

¹⁰But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go into the streets and declare,

¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’

¹²I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to the Unrepentant

¹³Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

¹⁴But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

¹⁵And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!

¹⁶Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

The Joyful Return

¹⁷The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”

¹⁸So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.

²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving

²¹At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

²²All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

²³Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

²⁴For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

³¹Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

³²So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.

³³But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion.

³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

³⁵The next day he took out two denariiand gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’

³⁶Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷“The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law.Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Martha and Mary

³⁸As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

³⁹She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.

⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.

⁴²But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

The Lord of the Sabbath

¹At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.

²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

³Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

⁴He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread,which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.

⁵Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?

⁶But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.

⁷If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’you would not have condemned the innocent.

⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

⁹Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,

¹⁰and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

¹¹He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

¹²How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other.

¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,

¹⁶warning them not to make Him known.

¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸“Here is My Servant,whom I have chosen,My beloved,in whom My soul delights.I will put My Spirit on Him,and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out;no one will hear His voice in the streets.

²⁰A bruised reed He will not break,and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish,till He leads justice to victory.

²¹In His name the nations will put their hope.”

A House Divided

²²Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.

²³The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul,the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

²⁵Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

³⁰He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

The Unpardonable Sin

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Good and Bad Fruit

³³Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

³⁵The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

³⁶But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

³⁹Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.

⁴²The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit Returns

⁴³When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order.

⁴⁵Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.

⁴⁷Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

⁴⁸But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”

⁴⁹Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.

⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

The Leaven of the Pharisees

¹In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.

³What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

Fear God Alone

⁴I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.

⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

⁷And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Confessing Christ

⁸I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God.

⁹But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say.

¹²For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”

¹⁵And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

¹⁶Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.

¹⁷So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’

¹⁸Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

²¹This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry

²²Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.

²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!

²⁵Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁶So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin.Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.

²⁸If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!

²⁹And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.

³⁰For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

³¹But seek Hiskingdom, and these things will be added unto you.

Treasures in Heaven

³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

³³Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Readiness at Any Hour

³⁵Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.

³⁶Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.

³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them.

³⁸Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the nightand finds them alert, those servants will be blessed.

³⁹But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,he would not have let his house be broken into.

⁴⁰You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹“Lord,” said Peter, “are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”

⁴²And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time?

⁴³Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

⁴⁴Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁵But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk.

⁴⁶The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows.

⁴⁸But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.

Not Peace but Division

⁴⁹I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

⁵⁰But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.

⁵²From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

⁵³They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Present Time

⁵⁴Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens.

⁵⁵And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is.

⁵⁶You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?

Reconciling with an Adversary

⁵⁷And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

⁵⁸Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.

⁵⁹I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Why Do You Boast of Evil?

¹Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?The loving devotion of God endures all day long.

²Your tongue devises destructionlike a sharpened razor,O worker of deceit.

³You love evil more than good,falsehood more than speaking truth.Selah

⁴You love every word that devours,O deceitful tongue.

⁵Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin;He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent;He will uproot you from the land of the living.Selah

⁶The righteous will see and fear;they will mock the evildoer, saying,

⁷“Look at the manwho did not make God his refuge,but trusted in the abundance of his wealthand strengthened himself by destruction.”

⁸But I am like an olive treeflourishing in the house of God;I trust in the loving devotion of Godforever and ever.

⁹I will praise You forever,because You have done it.I will wait on Your name—for it is good—in the presence of Your saints.