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Chapter 12
Lord of the Sabbath
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some 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.”
3He answered, “Haven't you 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 do, but only for the priests.
5Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?
6I tell you that oneOr something; also in verses 41 and 42 greater than the temple is here.
7If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’Hosea 6:6 you would not have condemned the innocent.
8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue,
10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you 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 he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as 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. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick,
16warning them not to tell who he was.
17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18“Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
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 snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
21In his name the nations will put their hope.”Isaiah 42:1-4
Jesus and Beelzebub
22Then they brought him a demon–possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.
23All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub,Greek Beezeboul or Beelzeboul; also in verse 27 the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, 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 Beelzebub, by whom do your people 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.
29“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
30“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized 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 the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
36But I tell you that men will have to give 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 Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”
39He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous 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 a huge 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 up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now oneOr something; also in verse 42 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 listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.
43“When an evilGreek unclean spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
44Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
47Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”Some manuscripts do not have verse 47.
48He replied to him, “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.”
Chapter 13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.
2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
9He who has ears, let him hear.”
10The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’Isaiah 6:9,10
16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27“The owner's servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28”‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29”‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”
33He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amountGreek three satas (probably about 1/2 bushel or 22 liters) of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”Psalm 78:2
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
37He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
52He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
A Prophet Without Honor
53When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.
54Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.
55“Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
56Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
57And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”
58And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Chapter 14
John the Baptist Beheaded
1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,
2and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,
4for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.
6On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much
7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted
10and had John beheaded in the prison.
11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
12John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18“Bring them here to me,” he said.
19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
24but the boat was already a considerable distanceGreek many stadia from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”
28“Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.
35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him
36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

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