Jesus and the Sabbath Controversy

1. At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
2. But the Pharisees, seeing it, said to Him, “Look! Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
3. But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him,
4. how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests?
5. Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are innocent?
6. But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
7. But if you knew what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

9. And departing from there He went into their synagogue.
10. And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”, that they might accuse Him.
11. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
12. How much then is a man more valuable than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored, whole like the other.
14. Then the Pharisees went out and held counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him.

15. But Jesus, knowing it, withdrew from there, and many followed Him, and He healed them all,
16. and He warned them not to make Him known.
17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
18. “Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom My soul delights; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
19. He will not strive, nor cry, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering flax He will not quench, until He brings justice to victory.
21. And in His name the nations will hope.”

Jesus and Beelzebul

22. Then a demon-possessed man, blind and mute, was brought to Him; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
23. And all the crowds were amazed, and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24. But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, “This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
25. But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29. Or how can one enter into the strong man’s house, and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Words Show the True Nature

33. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for by the fruit the tree is known.
34. O generation of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35. The good man brings out good things from the good treasure of the heart, and the evil man brings out evil things from the evil treasure.
36. But I tell you that for every idle word men speak, they will give account in the day of judgment.
37. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

The Sign of Jonah

38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39. But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
42. The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43. When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
44. And when it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
45. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So it will be also with this evil generation.
46. While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him.
47. Then one said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”
48. But He answered and said to him who told Him, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”
49. And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!
50. For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”