Messengers from John the Baptist

1 ^bWhen Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Now when John heard in ^cprison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you ^dthe one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John ^ewhat you hear and see: 5 ^fthe blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers¹ are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and ^gthe poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^hinto the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man² dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A ⁱprophet?³ Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is ^kleast in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 ^lFrom the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,⁴ and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, ^mhe is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear,⁵ let him hear.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

18 For John came neither ⁿeating nor ^odrinking, and they say, ^p‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a ^qfriend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ^rYet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”⁶

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

20 ^sThen he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be ^tmore bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be ^uexalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in ^vSodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

25 ^wAt that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the ^xwise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.⁷ 27 ^yAll things have been handed over to me by my Father, and ^zno one knows the Son except the Father, and ^ano one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to ^breveal him. 28 ^cCome ^dto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and ^eI will give you rest. 29 Take my ^fyoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will ^gfind rest for your souls. 30 For ^hmy yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 ⁱAt that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to ^jpluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing ^kwhat is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read ^lwhat David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate ^mthe bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law ⁿhow on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ^o‘I desire ^pmercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

9 ^qHe went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^r“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who ^shas a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and ^tlift it out? 12 Of ^uhow much more value is a man ^vthan a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, ^whow to destroy him.

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was ^xto fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22 ^aThen a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were ^bamazed, and said, ^c“Can this be the ^dSon of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^e“It is only by ^fBeelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a ^gstrong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 ^hWhoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the ⁱblasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever 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 age to come.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

33 ^j“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the ^ktree is known by its fruit. 34 You ^lbrood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? ^mFor out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will ⁿgive account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 ^oThen some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, ^p“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For ^qjust as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be ^rthree days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for ^sthey repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for ^tshe came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

43 ^u“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the ^vlast state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 ^wWhile he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers⁸ stood outside, asking to speak to him.⁹ 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For ^xwhoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my ^ybrother and sister and mother.”

Great Is Your Steadfast Love

A Prayer of David.