Luke 1

Luke 2

Jesus Is Born

¹At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire. ²This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All the people went to register in the cities where their ancestors had lived.

⁴So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem. Joseph, a descendant of King David, went to Bethlehem because David had been born there. ⁵Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

⁶While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child. ⁷She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn.

Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus

⁸Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. ⁹An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. ¹⁰The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. ¹¹Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. ¹²This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising Theos by saying,

14 “Glory to Theos in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”

¹⁵The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. ¹⁷When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. ¹⁸Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was amazed.

¹⁹Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.

²⁰As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised Theos for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

Jesus' Parents Obey Moses' Teachings

²¹Eight days after his birth, the child was circumcised and named Jesus. This was the name the angel had given him before his mother became pregnant.

²²After the days required by Moses’ Teachings to make a mother clean (“Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to Theos.) had passed, Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem. They took Jesus to present him to the Lord. ²³They did exactly what was written in the Lord’s Teachings: “Every firstborn boy is to be set apart as holy to the Lord.” ²⁴They also offered a sacrifice as required by the Lord’s Teachings: “a pair of mourning doves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon's Prophecy

²⁵A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He lived an honorable and devout life. He was waiting for the one who would comfort Israel. The Holy Spirit (pneuma) was with Simeon ²⁶and had told him that he wouldn’t die until he had seen the Messiah, whom the Lord would send.

²⁷Moved by the Spirit (pneuma), Simeon went into the temple courtyard. Mary and Joseph were bringing the child Jesus into the courtyard at the same time. They brought him so that they could do for him what Moses’ Teachings required. ²⁸Then Simeon took the child in his arms and praised Theos by saying,

29 “Now, Lord, you are allowing your servant to leave in peace
as you promised.
30 My eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people to see.
32 He is a light that will reveal ⌞salvation⌟ to the nations
and bring glory to your people Israel.”

³³Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is the reason that many people in Israel will be condemned and many others will be saved. He will be a sign that will expose ³⁵the thoughts of those who reject him. And a sword will pierce your heart.”

Anna's Prophecy

³⁶Anna, a prophet, was also there. She was a descendant of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was now very old. Her husband had died seven years after they were married, ³⁷and she had been a widow for 84 years. Anna never left the temple courtyard but worshiped day and night by fasting and praying. ³⁸At that moment she came up to Mary and Joseph and began to thank Theos. She spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for Jerusalem to be set free.

³⁹After doing everything the Lord’s Teachings required, Joseph and Mary returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and Theos’s favor (Or “grace.”) was with him.

Mary and Joseph Find Jesus with the Teachers in the Temple Courtyard

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. ⁴²When he was 12 years old, they went as usual.

⁴³When the festival was over, they left for home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. ⁴⁴They thought that he was with the others who were traveling with them. After traveling for a day, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

⁴⁶Three days later, they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. ⁴⁷His understanding and his answers stunned everyone who heard him.

⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!”

⁴⁹Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you realize that I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they didn’t understand what he meant.

⁵¹Then he returned with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them.

His mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²Jesus grew in wisdom and maturity. He gained favor from Theos and people.

Luke 3

John Prepares the Way

(Matthew 3:1–12; Mark 1:1–8; John 1:19–28)

¹It was the fifteenth year in the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod ruled Galilee, and his brother Philip ruled Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. ²It was at the time when Annas and Caiaphas were chief priests that Theos spoke to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert. ³John traveled throughout the region around the Jordan River. He told people about a baptism of repentance (Repentance is turning to Theos with a complete change in the way a person thinks and acts.) for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As the prophet Isaiah wrote in his book,

“A voice cries out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord!
Make his paths straight!
5 Every valley will be filled.
Every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked ways will be made straight.
The rough roads will be made smooth.
6 All people will see the salvation that Theos gives.’ ”

⁷Crowds of people were coming to be baptized by John. He would say to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from Theos’s coming anger? ⁸Do those things that prove that you have turned to Theos and have changed the way you think and act. Don’t say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.’ I guarantee that Theos can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. ⁹The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”

¹⁰The crowds asked him, “What should we do?”

¹¹He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who doesn’t have any. Whoever has food should share it too.”

¹²Some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³He told them, “Don’t collect more money than you are ordered to collect.”

¹⁴Some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He told them, “Be satisfied with your pay, and never use threats or blackmail to get money from anyone.”

¹⁵People’s hopes were rising as they all wondered whether John was the Messiah. ¹⁶John replied to all of them, “I baptize you with water. But the one who is more powerful than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie his sandal straps. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (pneuma) and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing (Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.) shovel is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. (A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.) He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the husks in a fire that can never be put out.”

¹⁸With many other encouraging words, he told the Good News to the people.

¹⁹John spoke out against the ruler Herod because Herod had married his own sister-in-law, Herodias. He also spoke out against Herod for all the evil things he had done. ²⁰So Herod added one more evil to all the others; he locked John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

(Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11)

²¹When all the people were baptized, Jesus, too, was baptized. While he was praying, heaven opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit (pneuma) came down to him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you.”

²³Jesus was about 30 years old when he began ⌞his ministry⌟.

The Ancestors of Jesus

Jesus, so people thought, was the son of Joseph, son of Eli,

²⁴son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph,

²⁵son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai,

²⁶son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda,

²⁷son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri,

²⁸son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er,

²⁹son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi,

³⁰son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim,

³¹son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David,

³²son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon,

³³son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,

³⁴son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,

³⁵son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah,

³⁶son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,

³⁷son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,

³⁸son of Enos, son of Seth,

son of Adam,

son of Theos.

Luke 4

The Devil Tempts Jesus

(Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13)

¹Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (pneuma) as he left the Jordan River. The Spirit (pneuma) led him while he was in the desert, ²where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days. During those days Jesus ate nothing, so when they were over, he was hungry.

³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of Theos, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

⁴Jesus answered him, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone.’ ” (Some manuscripts and translations add “but on every word of Theos.”)

⁵The devil took him to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. ⁶The devil said to him, “I will give you all the power and glory of these kingdoms. All of it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷So if you will worship me, all this will be yours.”

⁸Jesus answered him, “Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your Theos and serve only him.’ ”

⁹Then the devil took him into Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of Theos, jump from here! ¹⁰Scripture says, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you to watch over you carefully. ¹¹They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.’ ”

¹²Jesus answered him, “It has been said, ‘Never tempt the Lord your Theos.’ ” (Or “Never put the Lord your Theos to any test.”)

¹³After the devil had finished tempting Jesus in every possible way, the devil left him until another time.

Nazareth Rejects Jesus

(Matthew 13:54–58; Mark 6:1–6)

¹⁴Jesus returned to Galilee. The power of the Spirit (pneuma) was with him, and the news about him spread throughout the surrounding country. ¹⁵He taught in the synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual he went into the synagogue on the day of rest—a holy day. He stood up to read the lesson. ¹⁷The attendant gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened it and found the place where it read:

18 “The Spirit (pneuma) of the Lord is with me.
He has anointed me
to tell the Good News to the poor.
He has sent me ‡Some manuscripts and translations add “to heal those who are brokenhearted.”
to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin
and the restoring of sight to the blind,
to forgive those who have been shattered by sin,
19 to announce the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue watched him closely. ²¹Then he said to them, “This passage came true today when you heard me read it.”

²²All the people spoke well of him. They were amazed to hear the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

²³So he said to them, “You’ll probably quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ and then say to me, ‘Do all the things in your hometown that we’ve heard you’ve done in Capernaum.’ ” ²⁴Then Jesus added, “I can guarantee this truth: A prophet isn’t accepted in his hometown.

²⁵“I can guarantee this truth: There were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time. It had not rained for three-and-a-half years, and the famine was severe everywhere in the country. ²⁶But Theos didn’t send Elijah to anyone except a widow at Zarephath in the territory of Sidon. ²⁷There were also many people with skin diseases in Israel in the prophet Elisha’s time. But Theos cured no one except Naaman from Syria.”

²⁸Everyone in the synagogue became furious when they heard this. ²⁹Their city was built on a hill with a cliff. So they got up, forced Jesus out of the city, and led him to the cliff. They intended to throw him off of it. ³⁰But Jesus walked right by them and went away.

Jesus Forces an Evil Spirit (pneuma) out of a Man

(Mark 1:21–28)

³¹Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and taught them on a day of rest—a holy day. ³²The people were amazed at his teachings because he spoke with authority.

³³In the synagogue was a man possessed by a spirit (pneuma), an evil demon. He shouted very loudly, ³⁴“Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of Theos!”

³⁵Jesus ordered the spirit (pneuma), “Keep quiet, and come out of him!” The demon threw the man down in the middle of the synagogue and came out without hurting him.

³⁶Everyone was stunned. They said to one another, “What kind of command is this? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits, and they come out.”

³⁷So news about him spread to every place throughout the surrounding region.

Jesus Cures Simon's Mother-in-Law and Many Others

(Matthew 8:14–18; Mark 1:29–34)

³⁸Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. They asked Jesus to help her. ³⁹He bent over her, ordered the fever to leave, and it went away. She got up immediately and prepared a meal for them.

⁴⁰When the sun was setting, everyone who had friends suffering from various diseases brought them to him. He placed his hands on each of them and cured them. ⁴¹Demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of Theos!” But Jesus ordered them not to speak. After all, they knew he was the Messiah.

Spreading the Good News

(Matthew 4:23–25; Mark 1:35–39)

⁴²In the morning he went to a place where he could be alone. The crowds searched for him. When they came to him, they tried to keep him from leaving. ⁴³But he said to them, “I have to tell the Good News about Theos’s kingdom in other cities also. That’s what I was sent to do.”

⁴⁴So he spread his message in the synagogues of Judea. (Some manuscripts read “in the synagogues of Galilee.”)

Luke 5

Calling of the First Disciples

(Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:14–20)

¹One day Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee. The people crowded around him as they listened to Theos’s word. ²Jesus saw two boats on the shore. The fishermen had stepped out of them and were washing their nets. ³So Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowd from the boat.

⁴When he finished speaking, he told Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and lower your nets to catch some fish.”

⁵Simon answered, “Teacher, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll lower the nets.”

⁶After the men had done this, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. ⁷So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. Their partners came and filled both boats until the boats nearly sank.

⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he knelt in front of Jesus and said, “Leave me, Lord! I’m a sinful person!” ⁹Simon and everyone who was with him were amazed to see the large number of fish they had caught. ¹⁰James and John, who were Zebedee’s sons and Simon’s partners, were also amazed.

Jesus told Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will catch people instead of fish.”

¹¹Simon and his partners brought the boats to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease

(Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–44)

¹²One day Jesus was in a city where there was a man covered with a serious skin disease. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground. He begged Jesus, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.” (“Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to Theos.)

¹³Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, “I want to. So be clean!” Immediately, his skin disease went away.

¹⁴Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone. Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice as Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.”

¹⁵The news about Jesus spread even more. Large crowds gathered to hear him and have their diseases cured. ¹⁶But he would go away to places where he could be alone for prayer.

Jesus Forgives Sins

(Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12)

¹⁷One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in Moses’ Teachings were present. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. Jesus had the power of the Lord to heal.

¹⁸Some men brought a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They tried to take him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. ¹⁹But they could not find a way to get him into the house because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. They made an opening in the tiles and let the man down on his stretcher among the people. (They lowered him in front of Jesus.)

²⁰When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Sir, your sins are forgiven.” ²¹The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees thought, “Who is this man? He’s dishonoring Theos! Who besides Theos can forgive sins?”

²²Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “What are you thinking? ²³Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

²⁵The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising Theos, he went home.

²⁶Everyone was amazed and praised Theos. They were filled with awe and said, “We’ve seen things today we can hardly believe!”

Jesus Chooses Levi [Matthew] to Be a Disciple

(Matthew 9:9–13; Mark 2:13–17)

²⁷After that, Jesus left. He saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” ²⁸So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

²⁹Levi held a large reception at his home for Jesus. A huge crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.

³⁰The Pharisees and their experts in Moses’ Teachings complained to Jesus’ disciples. They asked, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. ³²I’ve come to call sinners to change the way they think and act, not to call people who think they have Theos’s approval.”

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting

(Matthew 9:14–17; Mark 2:18–22)

³³They said to him, “John’s disciples frequently fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. But your disciples eat and drink.”

³⁴Jesus asked them, “Can you force wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them? ³⁵The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. At that time they will fast.”

³⁶He also used these illustrations: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new coat to patch an old coat. Otherwise, the new cloth will tear the old. Besides, the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will make the skins burst. The wine will run out, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.

³⁹“No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine. He says, ‘The old wine is better!’ ”

Luke 6

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day

(Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28)

¹Once, on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His disciples were picking the heads of grain, removing the husks, and eating the grain.

²Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are your disciples doing something that is not right to do on the day of rest—a holy day?”

³Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ⁴Haven’t you read how he went into the house of Theos, ate the bread of the presence, and gave some of it to the men who were with him? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right.”

⁵Then he added, “The Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day

(Matthew 12:9–15a; Mark 3:1–6)

⁶On another day of rest—a holy day, Jesus went into a synagogue to teach. A man whose right hand was paralyzed was there. ⁷The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of rest—a holy day, so that they could find a way to accuse him of doing something wrong.

⁸But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Get up, and stand in the center ⌞of the synagogue⌟!” The man got up and stood there. ⁹Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you—what is the right thing to do on a day of rest—a holy day: to do good or evil, to give a person his health or to destroy it?” ¹⁰He looked around at all of them and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did so, and his hand became normal again.

¹¹The experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees were furious and began to discuss with each other what they could do to Jesus.

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles

(Matthew 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19)

¹²At that time Jesus went to a mountain to pray. He spent the whole night in prayer to Theos.

¹³When it was day, he called his disciples. He chose twelve of them and called them apostles. ¹⁴They were Simon (whom Jesus named Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the Zealot), ¹⁶Judas (son of James), and Judas Iscariot (who became a traitor).

Many People Are Cured

(Mark 3:7–12)

¹⁷Jesus came down from the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples and many other people were there. They had come from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸They wanted to hear him and be cured of their diseases. Those who were tormented by evil spirits were cured. ¹⁹The entire crowd was trying to touch him because power was coming from him and curing all of them.

Jesus Teaches His Disciples

²⁰Jesus looked at his disciples and said,

“Blessed are those who are poor.
Theos’s kingdom is theirs.
21 Blessed are those who are hungry.
They will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who are crying.
They will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, avoid you,
insult you, and slander you
because you are committed to the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice then, and be very happy!
You have a great reward in heaven.
That’s the way their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 “But how horrible it will be for those who are rich.
They have had their comfort.
25 How horrible it will be for those who are well-fed.
They will be hungry.
How horrible it will be for those who are laughing.
They will mourn and cry.
26 How horrible it will be for you
when everyone says nice things about you.
That’s the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

(Matthew 5:38–48)

²⁷“But I tell everyone who is listening: Love your enemies. Be kind to those who hate you. ²⁸Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who insult you. ²⁹If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other cheek as well. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop him from taking your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you for something. If someone takes what is yours, don’t insist on getting it back.

³¹“Do for other people everything you want them to do for you.

³²“If you love those who love you, do you deserve any thanks for that? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³If you help those who help you, do you deserve any thanks for that? Sinners do that too. ³⁴If you lend anything to those from whom you expect to get something back, do you deserve any thanks for that? Sinners also lend to sinners to get back what they lend. ³⁵Rather, love your enemies, help them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the Most High Theos. After all, he is kind to unthankful and evil people. ³⁶Be merciful as your Father is merciful.

Stop Judging

(Matthew 7:1–5)

³⁷“Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and you will receive. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.”

³⁹Jesus also gave them this illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t both fall into the same pit? ⁴⁰A student is no better than his teacher. But everyone who is well-trained will be like his teacher.

⁴¹“Why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? ⁴²How can you say to another believer, ‘Friend, let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you don’t see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye.

Evil People

(Matthew 7:15–23)

⁴³“A good tree doesn’t produce rotten fruit, and a rotten tree doesn’t produce good fruit. ⁴⁴Each tree is known by its fruit. You don’t pick figs from thorny plants or grapes from a thornbush. ⁴⁵Good people do the good that is in them. But evil people do the evil that is in them. The things people say come from inside them.

Build on the Rock

(Matthew 7:24–29)

⁴⁶“Why do you call me Lord but don’t do what I tell you?

⁴⁷“I will show you what everyone who comes to me, hears what I say, and obeys it is like. ⁴⁸He is like a person who dug down to bedrock to lay the foundation of his home. When a flood came, the floodwaters pushed against that house. But the house couldn’t be washed away because it had a good foundation. ⁴⁹The person who hears ⌞what I say⌟ but doesn’t obey it is like someone who built a house on the ground without any foundation. The floodwaters pushed against it, and that house quickly collapsed and was destroyed.”

Luke 7

A Believing Army Officer

(Matthew 8:5–13)

¹When Jesus had finished everything he wanted to say to the people, he went to Capernaum. ²There a Roman army officer’s valuable slave was sick and near death. ³The officer had heard about Jesus and sent some Jewish leaders to him. They were to ask Jesus to come and save the servant’s life. ⁴They came to Jesus and begged, “He deserves your help. ⁵He loves our people and built our synagogue at his own expense.”

⁶Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the officer sent friends to tell Jesus, “Sir, don’t bother. I don’t deserve to have you come into my house. ⁷That’s why I didn’t come to you. But just give a command, and let my servant be cured. ⁸As you know, I’m in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I tell my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

⁹Jesus was amazed at the officer when he heard these words. He turned to the crowd following him and said, “I can guarantee that I haven’t found faith as great as this in Israel.”

¹⁰When the men who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant healthy again.

Jesus Brings a Widow's Son Back to Life

¹¹Soon afterward, Jesus went to a city called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd went with him. ¹²As he came near the entrance to the city, he met a funeral procession. The dead man was a widow’s only child. A large crowd from the city was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her. He said to her, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴He went up to the open coffin, took hold of it, and the men who were carrying it stopped. He said, “Young man, I’m telling you to come back to life!” ¹⁵The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶Everyone was struck with fear and praised Theos. They said, “A great prophet has appeared among us,” and “Theos has taken care of his people.” ¹⁷This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding region.

John Sends Two Disciples

(Matthew 11:2–6)

¹⁸John’s disciples told him about all these things. Then John called two of his disciples ¹⁹and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?”

²⁰The men came to Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?’ ”

²¹At that time Jesus was curing many people who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits. Also, he was giving back sight to many who were blind.

²²Jesus answered John’s disciples, “Go back, and tell John what you have seen and heard: Blind people see again, lame people are walking, those with skin diseases are made clean, (“Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to Theos.) deaf people hear again, dead people are brought back to life, and poor people hear the Good News. ²³Whoever doesn’t lose his faith in me is indeed blessed.”

Jesus Speaks about John

(Matthew 11:7–19)

²⁴When John’s messengers had left, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John. “What did you go into the desert to see? Tall grass swaying in the wind? ²⁵Really, what did you go to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Those who wear splendid clothes and live in luxury are in royal palaces. ²⁶Really, what did you go to see? A prophet? Let me tell you that he is far more than a prophet. ²⁷John is the one about whom Scripture says,

‘I am sending my messenger ahead of you
to prepare the way in front of you.’

²⁸I can guarantee that of all the people ever born, no one is greater than John. Yet, the least important person in Theos’s kingdom is greater than John.

²⁹“All the people, including tax collectors, heard John. They admitted that Theos was right by letting John baptize them. ³⁰But the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings rejected Theos’s plan for them. They refused to be baptized.

³¹“How can I describe the people who are living now? What are they like? ³²They are like children who sit in the marketplace and shout to each other,

‘We played music for you,
but you didn’t dance.
We sang a funeral song,
but you didn’t cry.’

³³John the Baptizer has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘There’s a demon in him!’ ³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! He’s a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

³⁵“Yet, wisdom is proved right by all its results.”

A Sinful Woman Receives Forgiveness

³⁶One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and was eating at the table.

³⁷A woman who lived a sinful life in that city found out that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she took a bottle of perfume ³⁸and knelt at his feet. She was crying and washed his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them over and over again, and poured the perfume on them.

³⁹The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and thought, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what sort of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner.”

⁴⁰Jesus spoke up, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon replied, “Teacher, you’re free to speak.”

⁴¹⌞So Jesus said,⌟ “Two men owed a moneylender some money. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. ⁴²When they couldn’t pay it back, he was kind enough to cancel their debts. Now, who do you think will love him the most?”

⁴³Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the largest debt canceled.”

Jesus said to him, “You’re right!” ⁴⁴Then, turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “You see this woman, don’t you? I came into your house. You didn’t wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You didn’t give me a kiss. But ever since I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You didn’t put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷That’s why I’m telling you that her many sins have been forgiven. Her great love proves that. But whoever receives little forgiveness loves very little.”

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹The other guests thought, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!”

Luke 8

Women Who Supported Jesus

¹After this, Jesus traveled from one city and village to another. He spread the Good News about Theos’s kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him. ²Also, some women were with him. They had been cured from evil spirits and various illnesses. These women were Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³Joanna, whose husband Chusa was Herod’s administrator; Susanna; and many other women. They provided financial support for Jesus and his disciples.

A Story about a Farmer

(Matthew 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20)

⁴When a large crowd had gathered and people had come to Jesus from every city, he used this story as an illustration: ⁵“A farmer went to plant his seeds. Some seeds were planted along the road, were trampled, and were devoured by birds. ⁶Others were planted on rocky soil. When the plants came up, they withered because they had no moisture. ⁷Others were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up with them and choked them. ⁸Others were planted on good ground. When they came up, they produced a hundred times as much as was planted.”

After he had said this, he called out, “Let the person who has ears listen!”

⁹His disciples asked him what this story meant. ¹⁰Jesus answered, “Knowledge about the mysteries of Theos’s kingdom has been given ⌞directly⌟ to you. But it is given to others in stories. When they look, they don’t see, and when they hear, they don’t understand.

¹¹“This is what the story illustrates: The seed is Theos’s word. ¹²Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. They hear the word, but then the devil comes. He takes the word away from them so that they don’t believe and become saved. ¹³Some people are like seeds on rocky soil. They welcome the word with joy whenever they hear it, but they don’t develop any roots. They believe for a while, but when their faith is tested, they abandon it. ¹⁴The seeds that were planted among thornbushes are people who hear the word, but as life goes on the worries, riches, and pleasures of life choke them. So they don’t produce anything good. ¹⁵The seeds that were planted on good ground are people who also hear the word. But they keep it in their good and honest hearts and produce what is good despite what life may bring.

¹⁶“No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see the light. ¹⁷There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light.

¹⁸“So pay attention to how you listen! Those who understand ⌞these mysteries⌟ will be given ⌞more knowledge⌟. However, some people don’t understand ⌞these mysteries⌟. Even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

The True Family of Jesus

(Matthew 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35)

¹⁹His mother and his brothers came to see him. But they couldn’t meet with him because of the crowd. ²⁰Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

²¹He answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do what Theos’s word says.”

Jesus Calms the Sea

(Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41)

²²One day Jesus and his disciples got into a boat. He said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they started out. ²³As they were sailing along, Jesus fell asleep.

A violent storm came across the lake. The boat was taking on water, and they were in danger. ²⁴They went to him, woke him up, and said, “Master! Master! We’re going to die!”

Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to stop. The wind stopped, and the sea became calm. ²⁵He asked them, “Where is your faith?”

Frightened and amazed, they asked each other, “Who is this man? He gives orders to the wind and the water, and they obey him!”

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Man

(Matthew 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20)

²⁶They landed in the region of the Gerasenes across from Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus stepped out on the shore, a certain man from the city met him. The man was possessed by demons and had not worn clothes for a long time. He would not stay in a house but lived in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he shouted, fell in front of him, and said in a loud voice, “Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High Theos? I beg you not to torture me!” ²⁹Jesus ordered the evil spirit (pneuma) to come out of the man. (The evil spirit (pneuma) had controlled the man for a long time. People had kept him under guard. He was chained hand and foot. But he would break the chains. Then the demon would force him to go into the desert.)

³⁰Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He answered, “Legion [Six Thousand].” (Many demons had entered him.) ³¹The demons begged Jesus not to order them to go into the bottomless pit.

³²A large herd of pigs was feeding on a mountainside. The demons begged Jesus to let them enter those pigs. So he let them do this. ³³The demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.

³⁴When those who had taken care of the pigs saw what had happened, they ran away. They reported everything in the city and countryside. ³⁵The people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out. Dressed and in his right mind, he was sitting at Jesus’ feet. The people were frightened. ³⁶Those who had seen this told the people how Jesus had restored the demon-possessed man to health.

³⁷Then all the people from the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave because they were terrified.

Jesus got into a boat and started back. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone out begged him, “Let me go with you.”

But Jesus sent the man away and told him, ³⁹“Go home to your family, and tell them how much Theos has done for you.” So the man left. He went through the whole city and told people how much Jesus had done for him.

Jairus' Daughter and a Woman with Chronic Bleeding

(Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:21–43)

⁴⁰When Jesus came back, a crowd welcomed him. Everyone was expecting him.

⁴¹A man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, arrived and quickly bowed down in front of Jesus. He begged Jesus to come to his home. ⁴²His only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus went, the people were crowding around him.

⁴³A woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years was in the crowd. No one could cure her. ⁴⁴She came up behind Jesus, touched the edge of his clothes, and her bleeding stopped at once.

⁴⁵Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”

After everyone denied touching him, Peter said, “Teacher, the people are crowding you and pressing against you.”

⁴⁶Jesus said, “Someone touched me. I know power has gone out of me.”

⁴⁷The woman saw that she couldn’t hide. Trembling, she quickly bowed in front of him. There, in front of all the people, she told why she touched him and how she was cured at once.

⁴⁸Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace!”

⁴⁹While Jesus was still speaking to her, someone came from the synagogue leader’s home. He said, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰When Jesus heard this, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid! Just believe, and she will get well.”

⁵¹Jesus went into the house. He allowed no one to go with him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s parents. ⁵²Everyone was crying and showing how sad they were. Jesus said, “Don’t cry! She’s not dead. She’s just sleeping.”

⁵³They laughed at him because they knew she was dead. ⁵⁴But Jesus took her hand and called out, “Child, get up!” ⁵⁵She came back to life and got up at once. He ordered her parents to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶They were amazed. Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Luke 9

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

(Matthew 10:5–42; Mark 6:7–13)

¹Jesus called the twelve apostles together and gave them power and authority over every demon and power and authority to cure diseases. ²He sent them to spread the message about Theos’s kingdom and to cure the sick.

³He told them, “Don’t take anything along on the trip. Don’t take a walking stick, traveling bag, any food, money, or a change of clothes. ⁴When you go into a home, stay there until you’re ready to leave. ⁵If people don’t welcome you, leave that city, and shake its dust off your feet as a warning to them.”

⁶The apostles went from village to village, told the Good News, and cured the sick everywhere.

Rumors about Jesus

(Matthew 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29)

⁷Herod the ruler heard about everything that was happening. He didn’t know what to make of it. Some people were saying that John had come back to life. ⁸Others said that Elijah had appeared, and still others said that one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life.

⁹Herod said, “I had John’s head cut off. Who is this person I’m hearing so much about?” So Herod wanted to see Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; John 6:1–14)

¹⁰The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him to a city called Bethsaida so that they could be alone. ¹¹But the crowds found out about this and followed him. He welcomed them, talked to them about Theos’s kingdom, and cured those who were sick.

¹²Toward the end of the day, the twelve apostles came to him. They said to him, “Send the crowd to the closest villages and farms so that they can find some food and a place to stay. No one lives around here.”

¹³Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish. Unless we go to buy food for all these people, that’s all we have.” ¹⁴(There were about five thousand men.)

Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit in groups of about fifty.” ¹⁵So they did this.

¹⁶Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and blessed the food. He broke the loaves apart and kept giving them to the disciples to give to the crowd. ¹⁷All of them ate as much as they wanted. When they picked up the leftover pieces, they filled twelve baskets.

Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus

(Matthew 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30)

¹⁸Once when Jesus was praying privately and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

¹⁹They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, and still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back to life.”

²⁰He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, whom Theos has sent.”

²¹He ordered them not to tell this to anyone.

Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

(Matthew 16:21–23; Mark 8:31–33)

²²Jesus said that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. He would be killed, but on the third day he would come back to life.

What It Means to Follow Jesus

(Matthew 16:24–28; Mark 8:34–9:1)

²³He said to all of them, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. ²⁴Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them. ²⁵What good does it do for people to win the whole world but lose their lives by destroying them? ²⁶If people are ashamed of me and what I say, the Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes in the glory that he shares with the Father and the holy angels.

²⁷“I can guarantee this truth: Some people who are standing here will not die until they see Theos’s kingdom.”

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus

(Matthew 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–13)

²⁸About eight days after he had said this, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a mountain to pray. ²⁹While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰Suddenly, both Moses and Elijah were talking with him. ³¹They appeared in heavenly glory and were discussing Jesus’ approaching death and what he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.

³²Peter and the men with him were sleeping soundly. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. ³³As Moses and Elijah were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s put up three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter didn’t know what he was saying.

³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them. They were frightened as they went into the cloud. ³⁵A voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him!”

³⁶After the voice had spoken, they saw that Jesus was alone. The disciples said nothing, and for some time they told no one about what they had seen.

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy

(Matthew 17:14–20; Mark 9:14–29)

³⁷The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. ³⁸A man in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son. He’s my only child. ³⁹Whenever a spirit (pneuma) takes control of him, he shrieks, goes into convulsions, and foams at the mouth. After a struggle, the spirit (pneuma) goes away, leaving the child worn out. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to force the spirit (pneuma) out of him, but they couldn’t do it.”

⁴¹Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and corrupt generation! How long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here!”

⁴²While he was coming ⌞to Jesus⌟, the demon knocked the boy to the ground and threw him into convulsions.

Jesus ordered the evil spirit (pneuma) to leave. He cured the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³Everyone was amazed to see Theos’s wonderful power.

The Son of Man Again Foretells His Betrayal

(Matthew 17:22–23; Mark 9:30–32)

Everyone was amazed at all the things that Jesus was doing. So he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴“Listen carefully to what I say. The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people.”

⁴⁵They didn’t know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them so that they didn’t understand it. Besides, they were afraid to ask him about what he had said.

Greatness in the Kingdom

(Matthew 18:1–5; Mark 9:33–37)

⁴⁶A discussion started among them about who would be the greatest. ⁴⁷Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. Whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. The one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest.”

Using the Name of Jesus

(Mark 9:38–41)

⁴⁹John replied, “Master, we saw someone forcing demons out of a person by using the power and authority of your name. We tried to stop him because he was not one of us.”

⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Don’t stop him! Whoever isn’t against you is for you.”

People from a Samaritan Village Reject Jesus

⁵¹The time was coming closer for Jesus to be taken to heaven. So he was determined to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²He sent messengers ahead of him. They went into a Samaritan village to arrange a place for him to stay. ⁵³But the people didn’t welcome him, because he was on his way to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴James and John, his disciples, saw this. They asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”

⁵⁵But he turned and corrected them. (Some manuscripts and translations add “ ‘You don’t know the kind of spirit (pneuma) that is influencing you. The Son of Man didn’t come to destroy people’s lives but to save them,’ he said.”) ⁵⁶So they went to another village.

What It Takes to Be a Disciple

(Matthew 8:19–22)

⁵⁷As they were walking along the road, a man said to Jesus, “I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep.”

⁵⁹He told another man, “Follow me!”

But the man said, “Sir, first let me go to bury my father.”

⁶⁰But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You must go everywhere and tell about Theos’s kingdom.”

⁶¹Another said, “I’ll follow you, sir, but first let me tell my family goodbye.”

⁶²Jesus said to him, “Whoever starts to plow and looks back is not fit for Theos’s kingdom.”

Luke 10

Jesus Sends Disciples to Do Mission Work

¹After this, the Lord appointed 70 (Some manuscripts have “72.”) other disciples to go ahead of him to every city and place that he intended to go. They were to travel in pairs.

²He told them, “The harvest is large, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops. ³Go! I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴Don’t carry a wallet, a traveling bag, or sandals, and don’t stop to greet anyone on the way. ⁵Whenever you go into a house, greet the family right away with the words, ‘May there be peace in this house.’ ⁶If a peaceful person lives there, your greeting will be accepted. But if that’s not the case, your greeting will be rejected. ⁷Stay with the family that accepts you. Eat and drink whatever they offer you. After all, the worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from one house to another. ⁸Whenever you go into a city and the people welcome you, eat whatever they serve you. ⁹Heal the sick that are there, and tell the people, ‘Theos’s kingdom is near you!’

¹⁰“But whenever you go into a city and people don’t welcome you, leave. Announce in its streets, ¹¹‘We are wiping your city’s dust from our feet in protest against you! But realize that Theos’s kingdom is near you!’ ¹²I can guarantee that judgment day will be easier for Sodom than for that city.

¹³“How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in your cities had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted. Long ago they would have worn sackcloth and sat in ashes. ¹⁴Judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ¹⁵And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go to hell!

¹⁶“The person who hears you hears me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

¹⁷The 70 disciples came back very happy. They said, “Lord, even demons obey us when we use the power and authority of your name!”

¹⁸Jesus said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. ¹⁹I have given you the authority to trample snakes and scorpions and to destroy the enemy’s power. Nothing will hurt you. ²⁰However, don’t be happy that evil spirits obey you. Be happy that your names are written in heaven.”

²¹In that hour the Holy Spirit (pneuma) filled Jesus with joy. Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from wise and intelligent people and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

²²“My Father has turned everything over to me. Only the Father knows who the Son is. And no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.”

²³He turned to his disciples in private and said to them, “How blessed you are to see what you’ve seen. ²⁴I can guarantee that many prophets and kings wanted to see and hear what you’ve seen and heard, but they didn’t.”

A Story about a Good Samaritan

²⁵Then an expert in Moses’ Teachings stood up to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶Jesus answered him, “What is written in Moses’ Teachings? What do you read there?”

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

²⁸Jesus told him, “You’re right! Do this, and life will be yours.”

²⁹But the man wanted to justify his question. So he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus replied, “A man went from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way robbers stripped him, beat him, and left him for dead.

³¹“By chance, a priest was traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he went around him and continued on his way. ³²Then a Levite came to that place. When he saw the man, he, too, went around him and continued on his way.

³³“But a Samaritan, as he was traveling along, came across the man. When the Samaritan saw him, he felt sorry for the man, ³⁴went to him, and cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. He told the innkeeper, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than that, I’ll pay you on my return trip.’

³⁶“Of these three men, who do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?”

³⁷The expert said, “The one who was kind enough to help him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and imitate his example!”

Mary Listens to Jesus

³⁸As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to him talk.

⁴⁰But Martha was upset about all the work she had to do. So she asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

⁴¹The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things. ⁴²There’s only one thing you need. (Some manuscripts and translations read, “But of the few things ⌞worth worrying about⌟, there is only one thing you need.”) Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 11

The Lord's Prayer

(Matthew 6:9–13)

¹Once Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.”

²Jesus told them, “When you pray, say this:

Father,
let your name be kept holy.
Let your kingdom come.
3 Give us our bread day by day.
4 Forgive us as we forgive everyone else.
Don’t allow us to be tempted.”

The Power of Prayer

(Matthew 7:7–11)

⁵Jesus said to his disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend. Suppose you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. ⁶A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don’t have anything to serve him.’ ⁷Your friend might answer you from inside his house, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children are in bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ ⁸I can guarantee that although he doesn’t want to get up to give you anything, he will get up and give you whatever you need because he is your friend and because you were so bold.

⁹“So I tell you to ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the person who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹“If your child asks you, his father, for a fish, would you give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if your child asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? ¹³Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit (pneuma) to those who ask him?”

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul

(Matthew 12:22–32, 43–45; Mark 3:20–30)

¹⁴Jesus was forcing a demon out of a man. The demon had made the man unable to talk. When the demon had gone out, the man began to talk.

The people were amazed. ¹⁵But some of them said, “He can force demons out of people only with the help of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.” ¹⁶Others wanted to test Jesus and demanded that he show them some miraculous sign from heaven.

¹⁷Since Jesus knew what they were thinking, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is ruined. A house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸Now, if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? I say this because you say Beelzebul helps me force demons out of people. ¹⁹If I force demons out with the help of Beelzebul, who helps your followers force them out? That’s why they will be your judges. ²⁰But if I force out demons with the help of Theos’s power, then Theos’s kingdom has come to you.

²¹“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own mansion, his property is safe. ²²But a stronger man than he may attack him and defeat him. Then the stronger man will take away all the weapons in which the strong man trusted and will divide the loot.

²³“Whoever isn’t with me is against me. Whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters.

²⁴“When an evil spirit (pneuma) comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ ²⁵When it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in order. ²⁶Then the spirit (pneuma) goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before.”

The Sign of Jonah

(Matthew 12:38–42)

²⁷While Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd shouted, “How blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and the breasts that nursed you.”

²⁸Jesus replied, “Rather, how blessed are those who hear and obey Theos’s word.”

²⁹As the people were gathering around him, Jesus said, “The people living today are evil. They look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of Jonah. ³⁰Just as Jonah became a miraculous sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a miraculous sign to the people living today. ³¹The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with the men who live today. She will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here! ³²The men of Nineveh will stand up at the time of judgment with the people living today. Since the men of Nineveh turned to Theos and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message, they will condemn the people living today. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here!

Jesus Talks about Light

³³“No one lights a lamp and hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see its light.

³⁴“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is unclouded, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is evil, your body is full of darkness. ³⁵So be careful that the light in you isn’t darkness. ³⁶If your whole body is full of light and not darkness, it will be as bright as a lamp shining on you.”

Jesus Criticizes Some Jewish Leaders

³⁷After Jesus spoke, a Pharisee invited him to have lunch at his house. So Jesus accepted the invitation. ³⁸The Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus didn’t wash before the meal.

³⁹The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside you are full of greed and evil. ⁴⁰You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside too? ⁴¹Give what is inside as a gift to the poor, and then everything will be clean (“Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to Theos.) for you.

⁴²“How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give ⌞Theos⌟ one-tenth of your mint, spices, and every garden herb. But you have ignored justice and the love of Theos. You should have done these things without ignoring the others.

⁴³“How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to sit in the front seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴How horrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves. People walk on them without knowing what they are.”

⁴⁵One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings said to him, “Teacher, when you talk this way, you insult us too.”

⁴⁶Jesus said, “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You burden people with loads that are hard to carry. But you won’t lift a finger to carry any of these loads.

⁴⁷“How horrible it will be for you! You build the monuments for the prophets. But it was your ancestors who murdered them. ⁴⁸So you are witnesses and approve of what your ancestors did. They murdered the prophets for whom you build monuments. ⁴⁹That’s why the Wisdom of Theos said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will murder some of those prophets and apostles and persecute others.’ ⁵⁰So the people living now will be charged with the murder of every prophet since the world was made. ⁵¹This includes the murders from Abel to Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I can guarantee this truth: The people living today will be held responsible for this.

⁵²“How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You have taken away the key that unlocks knowledge. You haven’t gained entrance into ⌞knowledge⌟ yourselves, and you’ve kept out those who wanted to enter.”

⁵³When Jesus left, the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees held a terrible grudge against him. They questioned him about many things ⁵⁴and watched him closely to trap him in something he might say.

Luke 12

Jesus Speaks to His Disciples

¹Meanwhile, thousands of people had gathered. They were so crowded that they stepped on each other. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. I’m talking about their hypocrisy. ²Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. ³Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.

⁴“My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more. ⁵I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.

⁶“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? Theos doesn’t forget any of them. ⁷Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows. ⁸I can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of Theos’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others. ⁹But Theos’s angels will be told that I don’t know those people who tell others that they don’t know me. ¹⁰Everyone who says something against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the person who dishonors the Holy Spirit (pneuma) will not be forgiven.

¹¹“When you are put on trial in synagogues or in front of rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. ¹²At that time the Holy Spirit (pneuma) will teach you what you must say.”

A Story about Material Possessions

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance that our father left us.”

¹⁴Jesus said to him, “Who appointed me to be your judge or to divide ⌞your inheritance⌟?”

¹⁵He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”

¹⁶Then he used this illustration. He said, “A rich man had land that produced good crops. ¹⁷He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’ ¹⁸He said, ‘I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones so that I can store all my grain and goods in them. ¹⁹Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.” ’

²⁰“But Theos said to him, ‘You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you’ve accumulated?’ ²¹That’s how it is when a person has material riches but is not rich in his relationship with Theos.”

Stop Worrying

(Matthew 6:25–34)

²²Then Jesus said to his disciples, “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat or wear. ²³Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. ²⁴Consider the crows. They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even have a storeroom or a barn. Yet, Theos feeds them. You are worth much more than birds.

²⁵“Can any of you add an hour to your life by worrying? ²⁶If you can’t do a small thing like that, why worry about other things? ²⁷Consider how the flowers grow. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. ²⁸That’s the way Theos clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?

²⁹“Don’t concern yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things. ³⁰Everyone in the world is concerned about these things, but your Father knows you need them. ³¹Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be provided for you. ³²Don’t be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

³³“Sell your material possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out! Make a treasure for yourselves in heaven that never loses its value! In heaven thieves and moths can’t get close enough to destroy your treasure. ³⁴Your heart will be where your treasure is.

The Son of Man Will Return When You Least Expect Him

³⁵“Be ready for action, and have your lamps burning. ³⁶Be like servants waiting to open the door at their master’s knock when he returns from a wedding. ³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I can guarantee this truth: He will change his clothes, make them sit down at the table, and serve them. ³⁸They will be blessed if he comes in the middle of the night or toward morning and finds them awake.

³⁹“Of course, you realize that if the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let him break into his house. ⁴⁰Be ready, because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.”

⁴¹Peter asked, “Lord, did you use this illustration just for us or for everyone?”

⁴²The Lord asked, “Who, then, is the faithful, skilled manager that the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their share of food at the right time? ⁴³That servant will be blessed if his master finds him doing this job when he comes. ⁴⁴I can guarantee this truth: He will put that servant in charge of all his property. ⁴⁵On the other hand, that servant may think that his master is taking a long time to come home. The servant may begin to beat the other servants and to eat, drink, and get drunk. ⁴⁶His master will return at an unexpected time. Then his master will punish him severely and assign him a place with unfaithful people.

⁴⁷“The servant who knew what his master wanted but didn’t get ready to do it will receive a hard beating. ⁴⁸But the servant who didn’t know ⌞what his master wanted⌟ and did things for which he deserved punishment will receive a light beating. A lot will be expected from everyone who has been given a lot. More will be demanded from everyone who has been entrusted with a lot.

Jesus Will Cause Conflict

⁴⁹“I have come to throw fire on the earth. I wish that it had already started! ⁵⁰I have a baptism to go through, and I will suffer until it is over.

⁵¹“Do you think I came to bring peace to earth? No! I can guarantee that I came to bring nothing but division. ⁵²From now on a family of five will be divided. Three will be divided against two and two against three. ⁵³A father will be against his son and a son against his father. A mother will be against her daughter and a daughter against her mother. A mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Use Good Judgment

⁵⁴Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, you immediately say, ‘There’s going to be a rainstorm,’ and it happens. ⁵⁵When you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and that’s what happens. ⁵⁶You hypocrites! You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of earth and sky. But for some reason you don’t know how to judge the time in which you’re living. ⁵⁷So why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸For instance, when an opponent brings you to court in front of a ruler, do your best to settle with him before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge. The judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison. ⁵⁹I can guarantee that you won’t get out until you pay every penny of your fine.”

Luke 13

Jesus Tells People to Turn to Theos and Change the Way They Think and Act

¹At that time some people reported to Jesus about some Galileans whom Pilate had executed while they were sacrificing animals. ²Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that this happened to them because they were more sinful than other people from Galilee? ³No! I can guarantee that they weren’t. But if you don’t turn to Theos and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die. ⁴What about those 18 people who died when the tower at Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more sinful than other people living in Jerusalem? ⁵No! I can guarantee that they weren’t. But if you don’t turn to Theos and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die.”

A Story about a Fruitless Tree

⁶Then Jesus used this illustration: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on the tree but didn’t find any. ⁷He said to the gardener, ‘For the last three years I’ve come to look for figs on this fig tree but haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up ⌞good⌟ soil?’

⁸“The gardener replied, ‘Sir, let it stand for one more year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹Maybe next year it’ll have figs. But if not, then cut it down.’ ”

Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman

¹⁰Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the day of rest—a holy day. ¹¹A woman who was possessed by a spirit (pneuma) was there. The spirit (pneuma) had disabled her for 18 years. She was hunched over and couldn’t stand up straight. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her to come to him and said, “Woman, you are free from your disability.” ¹³He placed his hands on her, and she immediately stood up straight and praised Theos.

¹⁴The synagogue leader was irritated with Jesus for healing on the day of rest. The leader told the crowd, “There are six days when work can be done. So come on one of those days to be healed. Don’t come on the day of rest—a holy day.”

¹⁵The Lord said, “You hypocrites! Don’t each of you free your ox or donkey on the day of rest—a holy day? Don’t you then take it out of its stall to give it some water to drink? ¹⁶Now, here is a descendant of Abraham. Satan has kept her in this condition for 18 years. Isn’t it right to free her on the day of rest—a holy day?”

¹⁷As he said this, everyone who opposed him felt ashamed. But the entire crowd was happy about the miraculous things he was doing.

Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast

(Matthew 13:31–33; Mark 4:30–32)

¹⁸Jesus asked, “What is Theos’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? ¹⁹It’s like a mustard seed that someone planted in a garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds nested in its branches.”

²⁰He asked again, “What can I compare Theos’s kingdom to? ²¹It’s like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough.”

The Narrow Door

²²Then Jesus traveled and taught in one city and village after another on his way to Jerusalem.

²³Someone asked him, “Sir, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He answered, ²⁴“Try hard to enter through the narrow door. I can guarantee that many will try to enter, but they won’t succeed. ²⁵After the homeowner gets up and closes the door, ⌞it’s too late⌟. You can stand outside, knock at the door, and say, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know who you are.’ ²⁶Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷But he will tell you, ‘I don’t know who you are. Get away from me, all you evil people.’ ²⁸Then you will cry and be in extreme pain. That’s what you’ll do when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets. They’ll be in Theos’s kingdom, but you’ll be thrown out. ²⁹People will come from all over the world and will eat in Theos’s kingdom. ³⁰Some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

Jesus Warns Jerusalem

³¹At that time some Pharisees told Jesus, “Get out of here, and go somewhere else! Herod wants to kill you.”

³²Jesus said to them, “Tell that fox that I will force demons out of people and heal people today and tomorrow. I will finish my work on the third day. ³³But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day. It’s not possible for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.

³⁴“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing! ³⁵Your house will be abandoned. I can guarantee that you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Luke 14

Jesus Attends a Banquet

¹On a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests were watching Jesus very closely.

²A man whose body was swollen with fluid was there. ³Jesus reacted by asking the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “Is it right to heal on the day of rest—a holy day, or not?” ⁴But they didn’t say a thing.

So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. ⁵Jesus asked them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?” ⁶They couldn’t argue with him about this.

⁷Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: ⁸“When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. ⁹Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. ¹⁰So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. ¹¹Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”

¹²Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. ¹³Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have Theos’s approval come back to life.”

¹⁵One of those eating with him heard this. So he said to Jesus, “The person who will be at the banquet in Theos’s kingdom is blessed.”

¹⁶Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. ¹⁷When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’

¹⁸“Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’

²¹“The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’

²²“The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’

²³“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. ²⁴I can guarantee that none of those invited earlier will taste any food at my banquet.’ ”

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned to them and said, ²⁶“If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples. ²⁷So those who do not carry their crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples.

²⁸“Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. ²⁹Otherwise, if you lay a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will make fun of you. ³⁰They’ll say, ‘This person started to build but couldn’t finish the job.’

³¹“Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He would first sit down and think things through. Can he and his 10,000 soldiers fight against a king with 20,000 soldiers? ³²If he can’t, he’ll send ambassadors to ask for terms of peace while the other king is still far away. ³³In the same way, none of you can be my disciples unless you give up everything.

³⁴“Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? ³⁵It’s not any good for the ground or for the manure pile. People throw it away.

“Let the person who has ears listen!”

Luke 15

The Lost Sheep

(Matthew 18:12–14)

¹All the tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus. ²But the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³Jesus spoke to them using this illustration: ⁴“Suppose a man has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 sheep grazing in the pasture and look for the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵When he finds it, he’s happy. He puts that sheep on his shoulders and ⁶goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says to them, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ ⁷I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to Theos and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to Theos and have his approval.”

The Lost Coin

⁸“Suppose a woman has ten coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and look for the coin carefully until she finds it? ⁹When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin that I lost.’ ¹⁰So I can guarantee that Theos’s angels are happy about one person who turns to Theos and changes the way he thinks and acts.”

The Lost Son

¹¹Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. ¹²The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided his property between his two sons.

¹³“After a few days, the younger son gathered his possessions and left for a country far away from home. There he wasted everything he had on a wild lifestyle. ¹⁴He had nothing left when a severe famine spread throughout that country. He had nothing to live on. ¹⁵So he got a job from someone in that country and was sent to feed pigs in the fields. ¹⁶No one in the country would give him any food, and he was so hungry that he would have eaten what the pigs were eating.

¹⁷“Finally, he came to his senses. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more food than they can eat, while I’m starving to death here? ¹⁸I’ll go at once to my father, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. ¹⁹I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Make me one of your hired men.” ’

²⁰“So he went at once to his father. While he was still at a distance, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son, put his arms around him, and kissed him. ²¹Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore.’ (Some manuscripts and translations add “Make me one of your hired hands.”)

²²“The father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s celebrate with a feast. ²⁴My son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.’ Then they began to celebrate.

²⁵“His older son was in the field. As he was coming back to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶He called to one of the servants and asked what was happening.

²⁷“The servant told him, ‘Your brother has come home. So your father has killed the fattened calf to celebrate your brother’s safe return.’

²⁸“Then the older son became angry and wouldn’t go into the house. His father came out and begged him to come in. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I’ve never disobeyed one of your commands. Yet, you’ve never given me so much as a little goat for a celebration with my friends. ³⁰But this son of yours spent your money on prostitutes, and when he came home, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

³¹“His father said to him, ‘My child, you’re always with me. Everything I have is yours. ³²But we have something to celebrate, something to be happy about. This brother of yours was dead but has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.’ ”

Luke 16

Jesus Speaks about Dishonesty

¹Then Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a business manager. The manager was accused of wasting the rich man’s property. ²So the rich man called for his manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Let me examine your books. It’s obvious that you can’t manage my property any longer.’

³“The manager thought, ‘What should I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I’ll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I’ve lost my job.’

⁵“So the manager called for each one of his master’s debtors. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶“The debtor replied, ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’

“The manager told him, ‘Take my master’s ledger. Quick! Sit down, and write “four hundred!” ’

⁷“Then he asked another debtor, ‘How much do you owe?’

“The debtor replied, ‘A thousand bushels of wheat.’

“The manager told him, ‘Take the ledger, and write “eight hundred!” ’

⁸“The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. Worldly people are more clever than spiritually-minded people when it comes to dealing with others.”

⁹⌞Jesus continued,⌟ “I’m telling you that although wealth is often used in dishonest ways, you should use it to make friends for yourselves. When life is over, you will be welcomed into an eternal home. ¹⁰Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot. Whoever is dishonest with very little is dishonest with a lot. ¹¹Therefore, if you can’t be trusted with wealth that is often used dishonestly, who will trust you with wealth that is real? ¹²If you can’t be trusted with someone else’s wealth, who will give you your own?

¹³“A servant cannot serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve Theos and wealth.”

¹⁴The Pharisees, who love money, heard all this and were making sarcastic remarks about him. ¹⁵So Jesus said to them, “You try to justify your actions in front of people. But Theos knows what’s in your hearts. What is important to humans is disgusting to Theos.

¹⁶“Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets were ⌞in force⌟ until the time of John. Since that time, people have been telling the Good News about Theos’s kingdom, and everyone is trying to force their way into it. ¹⁷It is easier for the earth and the heavens to disappear than to drop a comma from the Scriptures.

¹⁸“Any man who divorces his wife to marry another woman is committing adultery. The man who marries a woman divorced in this way is committing adultery.

A Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹“There was a rich man who wore expensive clothes. Every day was like a party to him. ²⁰There was also a beggar named Lazarus who was regularly brought to the gate of the rich man’s house. ²¹Lazarus would have eaten any scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Lazarus was covered with sores, (The last sentence in verse 20 (in Greek) has been moved to verse 21 to express the complex Greek paragraph structure more clearly in English.) and dogs would lick them.

²²“One day the beggar died, and the angels carried him to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³He went to hell, where he was constantly tortured. As he looked up, in the distance he saw Abraham and Lazarus. ²⁴He yelled, ‘Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue. I am suffering in this fire.’

²⁵“Abraham replied, ‘Remember, my child, that you had a life filled with good times, while Lazarus’ life was filled with misery. Now he has peace here, while you suffer. ²⁶Besides, a wide area separates us. People couldn’t cross it in either direction even if they wanted to.’

²⁷“The rich man responded, ‘Then I ask you, Father, to send Lazarus back to my father’s home. ²⁸I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they won’t end up in this place of torture.’

²⁹“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses’ ⌞Teachings⌟ and the Prophets. Your brothers should listen to them!’

³⁰“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! If someone comes back to them from the dead, they will turn to Theos and change the way they think and act.’

³¹“Abraham answered him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses’ ⌞Teachings⌟ and the Prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone comes back to life.’ ”

Luke 17

Causing Others to Lose Faith

(Matthew 18:6–10; Mark 9:42–50)

¹Jesus told his disciples, “Situations that cause people to lose their faith are certain to arise. But how horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith! ²It would be best for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large stone hung around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to lose his faith. ³So watch yourselves!

“If a believer sins, correct him. If he changes the way he thinks and acts, forgive him. ⁴Even if he wrongs you seven times in one day and comes back to you seven times and says that he is sorry, forgive him.”

The Apostles Ask for More Faith

⁵Then the apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith.”

⁶The Lord said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.

⁷“Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field, ‘Have something to eat’? ⁸No. Instead, he tells his servant, ‘Get dinner ready for me! After you serve me my dinner, you can eat yours.’ ⁹He doesn’t thank the servant for following orders. ¹⁰That’s the way it is with you. When you’ve done everything you’re ordered to do, say, ‘We’re worthless servants. We’ve only done our duty.’ ”

Ten Men with a Skin Disease Are Healed

¹¹Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee on his way to Jerusalem. ¹²As he went into a village, ten men with a skin disease met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and shouted, “Jesus, Teacher, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When he saw them, he told them, “Show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were made clean. (“Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to Theos.) ¹⁵When one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back and praised Theos in a loud voice. ¹⁶He quickly bowed at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (The man was a Samaritan.)

¹⁷Jesus asked, “Weren’t ten men made clean? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Only this foreigner came back to praise Theos.”

¹⁹Jesus told the man, “Get up, and go home! Your faith has made you well.”

The Pharisees Ask about Theos's Kingdom

²⁰The Pharisees asked Jesus when Theos’s kingdom would come.

He answered them, “People can’t observe the coming of Theos’s kingdom. ²¹They can’t say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ You see, Theos’s kingdom is within (Or “among,” or “in your midst.”) you.”

Jesus Teaches about the Time When He Will Come Again

²²Jesus said to his disciples, “The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³People will say, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Don’t run after those people. ²⁴The day of the Son of Man (Some manuscripts and translations omit “The day of.”) will be like lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other. ²⁵But first he must suffer a lot and be rejected by the people of his day.

²⁶“When the Son of Man comes again, the situation will be like the time of Noah. ²⁷People were eating, drinking, and getting married until the day that Noah went into the ship. Then the flood destroyed all of them.

²⁸“The situation will also be like the time of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹But on the day that Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from the sky and destroyed all of them. ³⁰The day when the Son of Man is revealed will be like that.

³¹“On that day those who are on the roof shouldn’t come down to get their belongings out of their houses. Those who are in the field shouldn’t turn back. ³²Remember Lot’s wife! ³³Those who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them.

³⁴“I can guarantee that on that night if two people are in one bed, one will be taken and the other one will be left. ³⁵Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other one will be left.” (Some manuscripts and translations add verse 36: “Two will be in a field. One will be taken, and the other will be left.” See Matthew 24:40.)

³⁷They asked him, “Where, Lord?”

Jesus told them, “Vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.”

Luke 18

Theos Will Help His People

¹Jesus used this illustration with his disciples to show them that they need to pray all the time and never give up. ²He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear Theos or respect people. ³In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice.’

⁴“For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, ‘This widow really annoys me. Although I don’t fear Theos or respect people, ⁵I’ll have to give her justice. Otherwise, she’ll keep coming to me until she wears me out.’ ”

⁶The Lord added, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge thought. ⁷Won’t Theos give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them? ⁸I can guarantee that he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

A Pharisee and a Tax Collector

⁹Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that Theos approved of them while they looked down on everyone else. ¹⁰He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘Theos, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’

¹³“But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, ‘Theos, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

¹⁴“I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with Theos’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”

Jesus Blesses Children

(Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16)

¹⁵Some people brought infants to Jesus to have him hold them. When the disciples saw this, they told the people not to do that.

¹⁶But Jesus called the infants to him and said, “Don’t stop the children from coming to me! Children like these are part of Theos’s kingdom. ¹⁷I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn’t receive Theos’s kingdom as a little child receives it will never enter it.”

Eternal Life in the Kingdom

(Matthew 19:16–30; Mark 10:17–31)

¹⁸An official asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except Theos. ²⁰You know the commandments: Never commit adultery. Never murder. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Honor your father and your mother.”

²¹The official replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a boy.”

²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still need one thing. Sell everything you have. Distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”

²³When the official heard this, he became sad, because he was very rich. ²⁴Jesus watched him and said, “How hard it is for rich people to enter Theos’s kingdom! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Theos’s kingdom.”

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

²⁷Jesus said, “The things that are impossible for people to do are possible for Theos to do.”

²⁸Then Peter said, “We’ve left everything to follow you.”

²⁹Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children because of Theos’s kingdom ³⁰will certainly receive many times as much in this life and will receive eternal life in the world to come.”

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

(Matthew 20:17–19; Mark 10:32–34)

³¹Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and said to them, “We’re going to Jerusalem. Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true. ³²He will be handed over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, insult him, spit on him, ³³whip him, and kill him. But on the third day he will come back to life.”

³⁴But they didn’t understand any of this. What he said was a mystery to them, and they didn’t know what he meant.

Jesus Gives Sight to a Blind Man

(Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52)

³⁵As Jesus came near Jericho, a blind man was sitting and begging by the road. ³⁶When he heard the crowd going by, he tried to find out what was happening. ³⁷The people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸Then the blind man shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹The people at the front of the crowd told the blind man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹“What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said, “Lord, I want to see again.”

⁴²Jesus told him, “Receive your sight! Your faith has made you well.” ⁴³Immediately, he could see again. He followed Jesus and praised Theos. All the people saw this, and they, too, praised Theos.

Luke 19

Zacchaeus Meets Jesus

¹Jesus was passing through Jericho. ²A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was the director of tax collectors, and he was rich. ³He tried to see who Jesus was. But Zacchaeus was a small man, and he couldn’t see Jesus because of the crowd. ⁴So Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a fig tree to see Jesus, who was coming that way.

⁵When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down! I must stay at your house today.”

⁶Zacchaeus came down and was glad to welcome Jesus into his home. ⁷But the people who saw this began to express disapproval. They said, “He went to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸⌞Later, at dinner,⌟ Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Lord, I’ll give half of my property to the poor. I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way.”

⁹Then Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “You and your family have been saved today. You’ve shown that you, too, are one of Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁰Indeed, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost.”

A Story about a King

¹¹Jesus was getting closer to Jerusalem, and the people thought that Theos’s kingdom would appear suddenly. While Jesus had the people’s attention, he used this illustration. ¹²He said, “A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king, and then he returned. ¹³⌞Before he left,⌟ he called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He said to his servants, ‘Invest this money until I come back.’

¹⁴“The citizens of his own country hated him. They sent representatives to follow him and say ⌞to the person who was going to appoint him⌟, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵“After he was appointed king, he came back. Then he said, ‘Call those servants to whom I gave money. I want to know how much each one has made by investing.’

¹⁶“The first servant said, ‘Sir, the coin you gave me has earned ten times as much.’

¹⁷“The king said to him, ‘Good job! You’re a good servant. You proved that you could be trusted with a little money. Take charge of ten cities.’

¹⁸“The second servant said, ‘The coin you gave me, sir, has made five times as much.’

¹⁹“The king said to this servant, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰“Then the other servant said, ‘Sir, look! Here’s your coin. I’ve kept it in a cloth for safekeeping because ²¹I was afraid of you. You’re a tough person to get along with. You take what isn’t yours and harvest grain you haven’t planted.’

²²“The king said to him, ‘I’ll judge you by what you’ve said, you evil servant! You knew that I was a tough person to get along with. You knew that I take what isn’t mine and harvest grain I haven’t planted. ²³Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’ ²⁴The king told his men, ‘Take his coin away, and give it to the man who has ten.’

²⁵“They replied, ‘Sir, he already has ten coins.’

²⁶“ ‘I can guarantee that everyone who has something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don’t have much. ²⁷Bring my enemies, who didn’t want me to be their king. Kill them in front of me.’ ”

The King Comes to Jerusalem

(Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–19)

²⁸After Jesus had given this illustration, he continued on his way to Jerusalem.

²⁹When he came near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives (as it was called), Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him. ³⁰He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it. ³¹If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say that the Lord needs it.”

³²The men Jesus sent found it as he had told them. ³³While they were untying the young donkey, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the donkey?”

³⁴The disciples answered, “The Lord needs it.”

³⁵They brought the donkey to Jesus, put their coats on it, and helped Jesus onto it. ³⁶As he was riding along, people spread their coats on the road. ³⁷By this time he was coming near the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives. Then the whole crowd of disciples began to praise Theos for all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸They shouted joyfully,

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.”

³⁹Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”

⁴⁰Jesus replied, “I can guarantee that if they are quiet, the stones will cry out.”

⁴¹When he came closer and saw the city, he began to cry. ⁴²He said, “If you had only known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden, so you cannot see it. ⁴³The time will come when enemy armies will build a wall to surround you and close you in on every side. ⁴⁴They will level you to the ground and kill your people. One stone will not be left on top of another, because you didn’t recognize the time when Theos came to help you.”

Jesus Throws Out the Moneychangers

(Matthew 21:12–17; Mark 11:15–19)

⁴⁵Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to throw out those who were selling things there. ⁴⁶He said to them, “Scripture says, ‘My house will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves.”

⁴⁷Jesus taught in the temple courtyard every day. The chief priests, the experts in Moses’ Teachings, and the leaders of the people looked for a way to kill him. ⁴⁸But they could not find a way to do it, because all the people were eager to hear him.

Luke 20

Jesus' Authority Challenged

(Matthew 21:23–27; Mark 11:27–33)

¹One day Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courtyard and telling them the Good News. The chief priests, the experts in Moses’ Teachings, and the leaders came up to him. ²They asked him, “Tell us, what gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?”

³Jesus answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. Tell me, ⁴did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?”

⁵They talked about this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶But if we say, ‘from humans,’ everyone will stone us to death. They’re convinced that John was a prophet.” ⁷So they answered that they didn’t know who gave John the right to baptize.

⁸Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.”

A Story about a Vineyard

(Matthew 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12)

⁹Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to the people: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to vineyard workers, and went on a long trip.

¹⁰“At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to obtain from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard. But the workers beat the servant and sent him back with nothing. ¹¹So he sent a different servant. The workers beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him back with nothing. ¹²Then he sent a third servant. But they injured this one and threw him out ⌞of the vineyard⌟.

¹³“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I’ll send my son, whom I love. They’ll probably respect him.’

¹⁴“When the workers saw him, they talked it over among themselves. They said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will destroy these workers and give the vineyard to others.”

Those who heard him said, “That’s unthinkable!”

¹⁷Then Jesus looked straight at them and asked, “What, then, does this Scripture verse mean:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?

¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken. If that stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person.”

¹⁹The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the chief priests wanted to arrest him right there, but they were afraid of the people. They knew that he had directed this illustration at them.

A Question about Taxes

(Matthew 22:15–22; Mark 12:13–17)

²⁰So they watched for an opportunity to send out some spies. The spies were to act like sincere religious people. They wanted to catch him saying the wrong thing so that they could hand him over to the governor. ²¹They asked him, “Teacher, we know that you’re right in what you say and teach. Besides, you don’t play favorites. Rather, you teach the way of Theos truthfully. ²²Is it right for us to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”

²³He saw through their scheme, so he said to them, ²⁴“Show me a coin. Whose face and name is this?”

They answered, “The emperor’s.”

²⁵He said to them, “Well, then give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give Theos what belongs to Theos.”

²⁶They couldn’t make him say anything wrong in front of the people. His answer surprised them, so they said no more.

The Dead Come Back to Life

(Matthew 22:23–33; Mark 12:18–27)

²⁷Some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, ²⁸“Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ ²⁹There were seven brothers. The first got married and died without having children. ³⁰Then the second brother married the widow, ³¹and so did the third. In the same way all seven brothers married the widow, died, and left no children. ³²Finally, the woman died. ³³Now, when the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? The seven brothers had married her.”

³⁴Jesus said to them, “In this world people get married. ³⁵But people who are considered worthy to come back to life and live in the next world will neither marry ³⁶nor die anymore. They are the same as the angels. They are Theos’s children who have come back to life.

³⁷“Even Moses showed in the passage about the bush that the dead come back to life. He says that the Lord is the Theos of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ³⁸He’s not the Theos of the dead but of the living. In Theos’s sight all people are living.”

³⁹Some experts in Moses’ Teachings responded, “Teacher, that was well said.” ⁴⁰From that time on, no one dared to ask him another question.

How Can David's Son Be David's Lord?

(Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37a)

⁴¹Jesus said to them, “How can people say that the Messiah is David’s son? ⁴²David says in the book of Psalms,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Take the honored position—the one next to me [Theos the Father] on the heavenly throne—
43 until I put your enemies under your control.” ’

⁴⁴David calls him Lord. So how can he be his son?”

Jesus Disapproves of the Example Set by the Experts in Moses' Teachings

(Matthew 23:1–12; Mark 12:37b–40)

⁴⁵While all the people were listening, Jesus said to the disciples, ⁴⁶“Beware of the experts in Moses’ Teachings! They like to walk around in long robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces, to have the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at dinners. ⁴⁷They rob widows by taking their houses and then say long prayers to make themselves look good. The experts in Moses’ Teachings will receive the most severe punishment.”

Luke 21

A Widow's Contribution

(Mark 12:41–44)

¹Looking up, Jesus saw people, especially the rich, dropping their gifts into the temple offering box. ²He noticed a poor widow drop in two small coins. ³He said, “I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. ⁴All of these people have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.”

Jesus Teaches His Disciples

(Matthew 24:1–35; Mark 13:1–31)

⁵Some ⌞of the disciples⌟ were talking about the temple complex. They noted that it was built with fine stones and decorated with beautiful gifts. So Jesus said, ⁶“About these buildings that you see—the time will come when not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down.”

⁷The disciples asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will occur?”

⁸Jesus said, “Be careful that you are not deceived. Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am he!’ and ‘The time is near.’ Don’t follow them!

⁹“When you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t be terrified! These things must happen first, but the end will not come immediately.”

¹⁰Then Jesus continued, “Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and dreadful diseases in various places. Terrifying sights and miraculous signs will come from the sky.

¹²“Before all these things happen, people will arrest and persecute you. They will hand you over to their synagogues and put you into their prisons. They will drag you in front of kings and governors because of my name. ¹³It will be your opportunity to testify to them. ¹⁴So make up your minds not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵I will give you words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to oppose or prove wrong.

¹⁶“Even parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will betray you and kill some of you. ¹⁷Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. ¹⁸But not a hair on your head will be lost. ¹⁹By your endurance you will save your life.

²⁰“When you see armies camped around Jerusalem, realize that the time is near for it to be destroyed. ²¹Then those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. Those of you in Jerusalem should leave it. Those of you in the fields shouldn’t go back into them. ²²This will be a time of vengeance. Everything that is written about it will come true.

²³“How horrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. Indeed, the land will suffer very hard times, and its people will be punished. ²⁴Swords will cut them down, and they will be carried off into all nations as prisoners. Nations will trample Jerusalem until the times allowed for the nations ⌞to do this⌟ are over.

²⁵“Miraculous signs will occur in the sun, moon, and stars. The nations of the earth will be deeply troubled and confused because of the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶People will faint as they fearfully wait for what will happen to the world. Indeed, the powers of the universe will be shaken.

²⁷“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸“When these things begin to happen, stand with confidence! The time when you will be set free is near.”

²⁹Then Jesus used this story as an illustration. “Look at the fig tree or any other tree. ³⁰As soon as leaves grow on them, you know without being told that summer is near. ³¹In the same way, when you see these things happen, you know that Theos’s kingdom is near.

³²“I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all this takes place. ³³The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

No One Knows When the Earth and the Heavens Will Disappear

³⁴“Make sure that you don’t become drunk, hung over, and worried about life. Then that day could suddenly catch you by surprise ³⁵like a trap that catches a bird. That day will surprise all people who live on the earth. ³⁶Be alert at all times. Pray so that you have the power to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand in front of the Son of Man.”

³⁷During the day Jesus would teach in the temple courtyard. But at night he would go to the Mount of Olives (as it was called) and spend the night there. ³⁸All of the people would get up early to hear him speak in the temple courtyard.

Luke 22

The Plot to Kill Jesus

(Matthew 26:1–5, 14–16; Mark 14:1–2, 10–11; John 11:45–57)

¹The Festival of Unleavened Bread, called Passover, was near. ²The chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings were looking for some way to kill Jesus. However, they were afraid of the people.

³Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles. ⁴Judas went to the chief priests and the temple guards and discussed with them how he could betray Jesus. ⁵They were pleased and agreed to give him some money. ⁶So Judas promised to do it. He kept looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them when there was no crowd.

The Passover

(Matthew 26:17–20; Mark 14:12–17)

⁷The day came during the Festival of Unleavened Bread when the Passover lamb had to be killed. ⁸Jesus sent Peter and John and told them, “Go, prepare the Passover lamb for us to eat.”

⁹They asked him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”

¹⁰He told them, “Go into the city, and you will meet a man carrying a jug of water. Follow him into the house he enters. ¹¹Tell the owner of the house that the teacher asks, ‘Where is the room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ ¹²He will take you upstairs and show you a large furnished room. Get things ready there.”

¹³The disciples left. They found everything as Jesus had told them and prepared the Passover.

¹⁴When it was time to eat the Passover meal, Jesus and the apostles were at the table. ¹⁵Jesus said to them, “I’ve had a deep desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶I can guarantee that I won’t eat it again until it finds its fulfillment in Theos’s kingdom.” ¹⁷Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He said, “Take this, and share it. ¹⁸I can guarantee that from now on I won’t drink this wine until Theos’s kingdom comes.”

The Lord's Supper

(Matthew 26:26–30; Mark 14:22–26)

¹⁹Then Jesus took bread and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He broke the bread, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given up for you. Do this to remember me.”

²⁰When supper was over, he did the same with the cup. He said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new promise (Or “testament,” or “covenant.”) made with my blood.”

Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him

(Matthew 26:21–25; Mark 14:18–21; John 13:21–30)

²¹“The hand of the one who will betray me is with me on the table. ²²The Son of Man is going to die the way it has been planned for him. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays him.”

²³So they began to discuss with each other who could do such a thing.

An Argument about Greatness

²⁴Then a quarrel broke out among the disciples. They argued about who should be considered the greatest.

²⁵Jesus said to them, “The kings of nations have power over their people, and those in authority call themselves friends of the people. ²⁶But you’re not going to be that way! Rather, the greatest among you must be like the youngest, and your leader must be like a servant. ²⁷Who’s the greatest, the person who sits at the table or the servant? Isn’t it really the person who sits at the table? But I’m among you as a servant.

²⁸“You have stood by me in the troubles that have tested me. ²⁹So as my Father has given me a kingdom, I’m giving it to you. ³⁰You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. You will also sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

(Matthew 26:31–35; Mark 14:27–31; John 13:36–38)

³¹⌞Then the Lord said,⌟ “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to have you apostles for himself. He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separates wheat from husks. ³²But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. So when you recover, strengthen the other disciples.”

³³But Peter said to him, “Lord, I’m ready to go to prison with you and to die with you.”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Peter, I can guarantee that the rooster won’t crow tonight until you say three times that you don’t know me.”

³⁵Then Jesus said to them, “When I sent you out without a wallet, traveling bag, or sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?”

“Not a thing!” they answered.

³⁶Then he said to them, “But now, the person who has a wallet and a traveling bag should take them along. The person who doesn’t have a sword should sell his coat and buy one. ³⁷I can guarantee that the Scripture passage which says, ‘He was counted with criminals,’ must find its fulfillment in me. Indeed, whatever is written about me will come true.”

³⁸The disciples said, “Lord, look! Here are two swords!”

Then Jesus said to them, “That’s enough!”

Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane

(Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42)

³⁹Jesus went out ⌞of the city⌟ to the Mount of Olives as he usually did. His disciples followed him. ⁴⁰When he arrived, he said to them, “Pray that you won’t be tempted.”

⁴¹Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ⁴²“Father, if it is your will, take this cup ⌞of suffering⌟ away from me. However, your will must be done, not mine.”

⁴³Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. ⁴⁴So he prayed very hard in anguish. His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Some manuscripts and translations omit verses 43 and 44.)

⁴⁵When Jesus ended his prayer, he got up and went to the disciples. He found them asleep and overcome with sadness. ⁴⁶He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up, and pray that you won’t be tempted.”

Jesus Is Arrested

(Matthew 26:47–56; Mark 14:43–52; John 18:1–14)

⁴⁷While he was still speaking to the disciples, a crowd arrived. The man called Judas, one of the twelve apostles, was leading them. He came close to Jesus to kiss him.

⁴⁸Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you intend to betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

⁴⁹The men who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen. So they asked him, “Lord, should we use our swords to fight?” ⁵⁰One of the disciples cut off the right ear of the chief priest’s servant.

⁵¹But Jesus said, “Stop! That’s enough of this.” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.

⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple guards, and leaders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal? ⁵³I was with you in the temple courtyard every day and you didn’t try to arrest me. But this is your time, when darkness rules.”

⁵⁴So they arrested Jesus and led him away to the chief priest’s house.

Peter Denies Jesus

(Matthew 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72; John 18:15–18, 25–27)

Peter followed at a distance.

⁵⁵Some men had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard. As they sat together, Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶A female servant saw him as he sat facing the glow of the fire. She stared at him and said, “This man was with Jesus.”

⁵⁷But Peter denied it by saying, “I don’t know him, woman.”

⁵⁸A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You are one of them.”

But Peter said, “Not me!”

⁵⁹About an hour later another person insisted, “It’s obvious that this man was with him. He’s a Galilean!”

⁶⁰But Peter said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹Then the Lord turned and looked directly at Peter. Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before a rooster crows today, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” ⁶²Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council

(Matthew 26:57–68; Mark 14:53–65)

⁶³The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him as they beat him. ⁶⁴They blindfolded him and said to him, “Tell us who hit you.” ⁶⁵They also insulted him in many other ways.

⁶⁶In the morning the council of the people’s leaders, the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, gathered together. They brought Jesus in front of their highest court and asked him, ⁶⁷“Tell us, are you the Messiah?”

Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. ⁶⁸And if I ask you, you won’t answer. ⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be in the honored position—the one next to Theos the Father on the heavenly throne.”

⁷⁰Then all of them said, “So you’re the Son of Theos?”

Jesus answered them, “You’re right to say that I am.”

⁷¹Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We’ve heard him say it ourselves.”

Luke 23

Pilate Questions Jesus

(Matthew 27:11–14; Mark 15:1–5; John 18:28–38)

¹Then the entire assembly stood up and took him to Pilate.

²They began to accuse Jesus by saying, “We found that he stirs up trouble among our people: He keeps them from paying taxes to the emperor, and he says that he is Christ, a king.”

³Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Yes, I am,” Jesus answered.

⁴Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I can’t find this man guilty of any crime.”

Pilate Sends Jesus to Herod

⁵The priests and the crowd became more forceful. They said, “He stirs up the people throughout Judea with his teachings. He started in Galilee and has come here.”

⁶When Pilate heard that, he asked if the man was from Galilee. ⁷When Pilate found out that he was, he sent Jesus to Herod. Herod ruled Galilee and was in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸Herod was very pleased to see Jesus. For a long time he had wanted to see him. He had heard about Jesus and hoped to see him perform some kind of miracle. ⁹Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus wouldn’t answer him. ¹⁰Meanwhile, the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings stood there and shouted their accusations against Jesus.

¹¹Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and made fun of him. They put a colorful robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. ¹²So Herod and Pilate became friends that day. They had been enemies before this.

¹³Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people. ¹⁴He told them, “You brought me this man as someone who turns the people against the government. I’ve questioned him in front of you and haven’t found this man guilty of the crimes of which you accuse him. ¹⁵Neither could Herod. So he sent this man back to us. This man hasn’t done anything to deserve the death penalty. ¹⁶So I’m going to have him whipped and set free.” (Some manuscripts and translations add verse 17: “At every Passover festival the governor had to set someone free for them.”)

The Crowd Rejects Jesus

(Matthew 27:15–26; Mark 15:6–15; John 18:39–40)

¹⁸The whole crowd then shouted, “Take him away! Free Barabbas for us.” ¹⁹(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for his involvement in a riot that had taken place in the city and for murder.)

²⁰But because Pilate wanted to free Jesus, he spoke to the people again.

²¹They began yelling, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²²A third time Pilate spoke to them. He asked, “Why? What has he done wrong? I haven’t found this man deserving of the death penalty. So I’m going to have him whipped and set free.”

²³But the crowd pressured Pilate. They shouted that Jesus had to be crucified, and they finally won. ²⁴Pilate decided to give in to their demand. ²⁵He freed Barabbas, who had been put in prison for rioting and murdering, because that’s what they wanted. But he let them do what they wanted to Jesus.

Jesus Is Led Away to Be Crucified

²⁶As the soldiers led Jesus away, they grabbed a man named Simon, who was from the city of Cyrene. Simon was coming into Jerusalem. They laid the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

²⁷A large crowd followed Jesus. The women in the crowd cried and sang funeral songs for him. ²⁸Jesus turned to them and said, “You women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me! Rather, cry for yourselves and your children! ²⁹The time is coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the women who couldn’t get pregnant, who couldn’t give birth, and who couldn’t nurse a child.’ ³⁰Then people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ ³¹If people do this to a green tree, what will happen to a dry one?”

³²Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be executed with him.

The Crucifixion

(Matthew 27:31–44; Mark 15:20–32; John 19:16b–24)

³³When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified him. The criminals were also crucified, one on his right and the other on his left.

³⁴Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” (Some manuscripts and translations omit “Then … doing.”)

Meanwhile, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.

³⁵The people stood there watching. But the rulers were making sarcastic remarks. They said, “He saved others. If he’s the Messiah that Theos has chosen, let him save himself!” ³⁶The soldiers also made fun of him. They would go up to him, offer him some vinegar, ³⁷and say, “If you’re the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

³⁸A written notice was placed above him. It said, “This is the king of the Jews.”

Criminals Talk to Jesus

³⁹One of the criminals hanging there insulted Jesus by saying, “So you’re really the Messiah, are you? Well, save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other criminal scolded him: “Don’t you fear Theos at all? Can’t you see that you’re condemned in the same way that he is? ⁴¹Our punishment is fair. We’re getting what we deserve. But this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

⁴³Jesus said to him, “I can guarantee this truth: Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus Dies on the Cross

(Matthew 27:45–56; Mark 15:33–41; John 19:28–30)

⁴⁴Around noon darkness came over the entire land and lasted until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁵The sun had stopped shining. The curtain in the temple was split in two.

⁴⁶Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit (pneuma).” After he said this, he died.

⁴⁷When an army officer saw what had happened, he praised Theos and said, “Certainly, this man was innocent!” ⁴⁸Crowds had gathered to see the sight. But when all of them saw what had happened, they cried and returned to the city. ⁴⁹All his friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance and watched everything.

Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb

(Matthew 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; John 19:38–42)

⁵⁰There was a good man who had Theos’s approval. His name was Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish council, ⁵¹but he had not agreed with what they had done. He was from the Jewish city of Arimathea, and he was waiting for Theos’s kingdom.

⁵²He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³After he took it down from the cross, he wrapped it in linen. Then he laid the body in a tomb cut in rock, a tomb in which no one had ever been buried. ⁵⁴It was Friday, and the day of rest—a holy day, was just beginning.

⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed closely behind Joseph. They observed the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶Then they went back to the city and prepared spices and perfumes. But on the day of rest—a holy day, they rested according to the commandment.

Luke 24

Jesus Comes Back to Life

(Matthew 28:1–10; Mark 16:1–8; John 20:1–10)

¹Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb. They were carrying the spices that they had prepared. ²They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. ³When they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were puzzled about this, two men in clothes that were as bright as lightning suddenly stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed to the ground.

The men asked the women, “Why are you looking among the dead for the living one? ⁶He’s not here. He has been brought back to life! Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee. ⁷He said, ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people, be crucified, and come back to life on the third day.’ ” ⁸Then the women remembered what Jesus had told them.

⁹The women left the tomb and went back to the city. They told everything to the eleven apostles and all the others. ¹⁰The women were Mary from Magdala, Joanna, and Mary (the mother of James). There were also other women with them. They told the apostles everything.

¹¹The apostles thought that the women’s story didn’t make any sense, and they didn’t believe them.

¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down to look inside and saw only the strips of linen. Then he went away, wondering what had happened.

Jesus Appears to Disciples on a Road to Emmaus

¹³On the same day, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village called Emmaus. It was about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴They were talking to each other about everything that had happened.

¹⁵While they were talking, Jesus approached them and began walking with them. ¹⁶Although they saw him, they didn’t recognize him.

¹⁷He asked them, “What are you discussing?”

They stopped and looked very sad. ¹⁸One of them, Cleopas, replied, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has happened recently?”

¹⁹“What happened?” he asked.

They said to him, “We were discussing what happened to Jesus from Nazareth. He was a powerful prophet in what he did and said in the sight of Theos and all the people. ²⁰Our chief priests and rulers had him condemned to death and crucified. ²¹We were hoping that he was the one who would free Israel. What’s more, this is now the third day since everything happened. ²²Some of the women from our group startled us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³and didn’t find his body. They told us that they had seen angels who said that he’s alive. ²⁴Some of our men went to the tomb and found it empty, as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

²⁵Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are! You’re so slow to believe everything the prophets said! ²⁶Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then he began with Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets to explain to them what was said about him throughout the Scriptures.

²⁸When they came near the village where they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. ²⁹They urged him, “Stay with us! It’s getting late, and the day is almost over.” So he went to stay with them.

³⁰While he was at the table with them, he took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. But he vanished from their sight.

³²They said to each other, “Weren’t we excited when he talked with us on the road and opened up the meaning of the Scriptures for us?”

³³That same hour they went back to Jerusalem. They found the eleven apostles and those who were with them gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has really come back to life and has appeared to Simon.”

³⁵Then the two disciples told what had happened on the road and how they had recognized Jesus when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Apostles

(John 20:19–23)

³⁶While they were talking about what had happened, Jesus stood among them. He said to them, “Peace be with you!” ³⁷They were terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost.

³⁸He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Why do you have doubts? ³⁹Look at my hands and feet, and see that it’s really me. Touch me, and see for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones, but you can see that I do.” ⁴⁰As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

⁴¹The disciples were overcome with joy and amazement because this seemed too good to be true. Then Jesus asked them, “Do you have anything to eat?” ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish. ⁴³He took it and ate it while they watched him.

⁴⁴Then he said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you. I told you that everything written about me in Moses’ Teachings, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He said to them, “Scripture says that the Messiah would suffer and that he would come back to life on the third day. ⁴⁷Scripture also says that by the authority of Jesus people would be told to turn to Theos and change the way they think and act so that their sins will be forgiven. This would be told to people from all nations, beginning in the city of Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses to these things.

⁴⁹“I’m sending you what my Father promised. Wait here in the city until you receive power from heaven.”

⁵⁰Then Jesus took them to a place near Bethany. There he raised his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken to heaven.

⁵²The disciples worshiped him and were overjoyed as they went back to Jerusalem. ⁵³They were always in the temple, where they praised Theos.

Luke Writes to Theophilus

The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zechariah

The Angel Gabriel Comes to Mary

Mary Visits Elizabeth

Mary Praises Theos

John Is Born

Luke 2

Jesus Is Born

Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus

Jesus' Parents Obey Moses' Teachings

Simeon's Prophecy

Anna's Prophecy

Mary and Joseph Find Jesus with the Teachers in the Temple Courtyard

Luke 3

John Prepares the Way

The Baptism of Jesus

The Ancestors of Jesus

Luke 4

The Devil Tempts Jesus

Nazareth Rejects Jesus

Jesus Forces an Evil Spirit (pneuma) out of a Man

Jesus Cures Simon's Mother-in-Law and Many Others

Spreading the Good News

Luke 5

Calling of the First Disciples

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease

Jesus Forgives Sins

Jesus Chooses Levi [Matthew] to Be a Disciple

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting

Luke 6

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles

Many People Are Cured

Jesus Teaches His Disciples

Love Your Enemies

Stop Judging

Evil People

Build on the Rock

Luke 7

A Believing Army Officer

Jesus Brings a Widow's Son Back to Life

John Sends Two Disciples

Jesus Speaks about John

A Sinful Woman Receives Forgiveness

Luke 8

Women Who Supported Jesus

A Story about a Farmer

The True Family of Jesus

Jesus Calms the Sea

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Man

Jairus' Daughter and a Woman with Chronic Bleeding

Luke 9

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Rumors about Jesus

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus

Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

What It Means to Follow Jesus

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy

The Son of Man Again Foretells His Betrayal

Greatness in the Kingdom

Using the Name of Jesus

People from a Samaritan Village Reject Jesus

What It Takes to Be a Disciple

Luke 10

Jesus Sends Disciples to Do Mission Work

A Story about a Good Samaritan

Mary Listens to Jesus

Luke 11

The Lord's Prayer

The Power of Prayer

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul

The Sign of Jonah

Jesus Talks about Light

Jesus Criticizes Some Jewish Leaders

Luke 12

Jesus Speaks to His Disciples