The New English Bible; 26-30; Luke 4:1 - Luke 13:21

The Gospel, according to Luke, chapter 4. Verse 1, full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan, and for forty days was led by the Spirit up and down the wilderness and tempted by the devil. All that time he had nothing to eat, and at the end of it he was famished. The devil said to him, if you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread. Jesus answered, Scripture says, man cannot live on bread alone. Next the devil led him up and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms

of the world. All this dominion will I give to you, he said, and the glory that goes with it, for it has been put in my hands, and I can give it to anyone I choose. You have only to do homage to me, and it shall all be yours. Jesus answered him, Scripture says, you shall do homage to the Lord your God, and worship him alone. The devil took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the parapet of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down, for Scripture says, he will give his angels orders to take care of you, and again they will support you in their arms, for fear you should strike your foot against a stone.

Jesus answered him, it has been said, you are not to test the Lord your God. So having come to the end of all his temptations, the devil departed, biting his time. Then Jesus, armed with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and reports about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and all men sang his praises. So he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went to synagogue on the Sabbath day, as he regularly did. He stood up to read the lesson, and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the scroll, and found the passage which says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has

anointed me, he has sent me to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release for prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to let the broken victims go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down, and all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began to speak, today he said, in your very hearing this text has come true. There was a general stir of admiration. They were surprised that words of such grace should fall from his lips. It's not this Joseph's son they asked. Then Jesus said, no doubt you will quote the proverb, physician, heal yourself, and say, we have heard of all your doings at cavernum, do the same

here in your own hometown. I tell you this, he went on. No prophet is recognized in his own country. There were many widows in Israel, you may be sure, in Elijah's time. When for three years and six months, the skies never opened, and famine lay hard over the whole country. Yet it was to none of those that Elijah was sent, but to a widow at Sirrepta in the territory of Sidon. Again, in the time of the prophet Elijah, there were many lepers in Israel, and not one of them was healed, but only Nehaman, the Syrian. At these words, the whole congregation were infuriated. They leapt up through him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill

on which it was built, meaning to hurl him over the edge. But he walked straight through them all, and went away. Coming down to cavernum, a town in Galilee, he taught the people on the Sabbath, and they were astounded at his teaching, for what he said had the note of authority. Now there was a man in the synagogue possessed by a devil, an unclean spirit. He shrieked at the top of his voice. What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the holy one of God. Jesus rebuked him, be silent, he sent, and come out of him. Then the devil, after throwing the man down in front of the people, left him without doing him any injury. Amazement fell on them all, and they said to one another,

what is there in this man's words? He gives orders to the unclean spirits with authority and power, and out they go. So the news spread, and he was the talk of the whole district. On leaving the synagogue, he went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was in the grip of a high fever, and they asked him to help her. He came and stood over her, and rebuked the fever. It left her, and she got up at once, and waited on them. At some said, all who had friends suffering from one disease or another brought them to him, and he laid his hands on them, one by one, and cured them. Devils also came out of many of them, shouting, you are the Son of God.

But he rebuked them and forbade them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah. When day broke, he went out and made his way to a lonely spot. But the people went in search of him, and when they came to where he was, they pressed him, not to leave them. But he said, I must give the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, for that is what I was sent to do. So he proclaimed the gospel in the synagogues of Judea. One day as he stood by the lake of Ginezaret, and the people crowded upon him to listen to the word of God, he noticed two boats lying at the water's age. The fishermen had come ashore, and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon,

and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he went on teaching the crowns from his seat in the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered, master, we were hard at work all night, and caught nothing at all. But if you say so, I will let down the nets. They did so, and made a big hole of fish, and their nets began to split. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. This they did, and loaded both boats to the point of sinking. When Simon saw what had happened, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, go, Lord, leave me, sinner, that I am. For he and all his companions were amazed at the catch they had made. So too were

his partners, James and John, Zebedee's sons. Do not be afraid, said Jesus to Simon, from now on, you will be catching men. As soon as they had brought the boats to land, they left everything and followed him. He was once in a certain town where there happened to be a man covered with leprosy. Seeing Jesus, he bowed to the ground and begged his help. Sir, he said, if only you will, you can cleanse me. Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, indeed, I will, be clean again. The leprosy left him immediately. Jesus then ordered him not to tell anybody, but go, he said, show yourself to the priest, and make the offering laid down by Moses for your cleansing. That

will certify the cure. But the talk about him spread all the more, great crowds gathered to hear him and to be cured of their ailments, and from time to time he would withdraw to lonely places for prayer. One day he was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting round. People had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of God was with him to heal the sick. Some men appeared, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They tried to bring him in and set him down in front of Jesus, but finding no way to do so because of the crowd, they went up onto the roof, and led him down through the tiling, bed, and all into the middle of the company in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said,

man, your sins are forgiven you. The lawyers and the Pharisees began saying to themselves, who is this fellow with his blast from a stalk, who but God alone can forgive sins? But Jesus knew their thoughts and answered them. Why do you harbor thoughts like these? Is it easier to say your sins are forgiven you, or to say stand up and walk, but convince you that the Son of Man has the right on earth to forgive sins. He turned to the paralyzed man. I say to you, stand up, take your bed and go home, and once he rose to his feet before their eyes, took up the bed he had been lying on, and went home praising God. They were all lost in amazement and praised God. Filled with awe, they said, you will never believe the things we have seen today.

Later, when he went out, he saw a tax gatherer, Levi by name, at his seat in the custom house. He said to him, follow me, and he rose to his feet, left everything behind, and followed him. Afterwards, Levi held a big reception in his house for Jesus. Among the guests was a large party of tax gatherers and others, the Pharisees, and the lawyers of their sect, complained to his disciples, why do you eat and drink, they said, with tax gatherers and sinners. Jesus answered them, it is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to invite virtuous people, but to call sinners to repentance. Then they said to him, John's disciples are much given to fasting and the practice of prayer,

and so are the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours, eat and drink. Jesus replied, can you make the bridegroom's friends fast, while the bridegroom is with them, but a time will come. The bridegroom will be taken away from them, and that will be the time for them to fast. He told them this parable also, no one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch, an old one. If he does, he will have made a hole in the new cloak, and the patch from the new will not match the old. Nor does anyone put new wine into old wine skins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will be wasted and the skins ruined. Fresh skins for new wine, and no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, the old wine is good.

The gospel according to Luke chapter 6. One Sabbath he was going through the corn fields, and his disciples were plucking the ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, why are you doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath? Jesus answered, so you have not read what David did when he and his men were hungry. He went into the house of God, and took the consecrated loaves to eat, and gave them to his men, though priests alone are allowed to eat them, and no one else. He also said, the Son of man is sovereign even over the Sabbath. On another Sabbath he had gone to synagogue

and was teaching. There happened to be a man in the congregation whose right arm was withered, and the lawyers and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether Jesus would cure him on the Sabbath so that they could find a charge to bring against him. But he knew what was in their minds and said to the man with the withered arm, get up and stand out here. So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, I put the question to you, is it permitted to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save life or to destroy it? He looked round at them all, and then said to the man, stretch out your arm. He did so, and his arm was restored. But they were beside themselves with anger, and began to discuss among themselves what they could do to Jesus.

During this time he went out one day into the hills to pray, and spent the night in prayer to God. When day broke, he called his disciples to him, and from among them he chose twelve, and named them apostles. Simon, to whom he gave the name of Peter, and Andrew, his brother, James and John, Philip and Botholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James, Son of Alphias, and Simon, who was also called the zealot, Judas, Son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who turned traitor. He came down the hill with them, and took his stand on level ground. There was a large concourse of his disciples, and great numbers of people from Jerusalem and Judea, and from the seaboard of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to listen to him, and to be cured of their diseases. Those who were

troubled with unclean spirits were cured, and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, because power went out from him, and cured them all. Then, turning to his disciples, he began to speak. How blessed are you who are poor? The kingdom of God is yours. How blessed are you who know go hungry? Your hunger shall be satisfied. How blessed are you who weep now? You shall laugh. How blessed you are when men hate you, when they outlaw you and insult you, and ban your very name as infamous, because of the Son of Man. On that day, be glad, and dance for joy, for assuredly you have a rich reward in heaven, in just the same way that their fathers treat the prophets.

But alas for you who are rich, you have had your time of happiness. Alas for you who are well fed now, you shall go hungry. Alas for you who laugh now, you shall mourn and weep. Alas for you when all speak well of you, just so did their fathers treat the false prophets. But to you who hear me, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you spitefully, when a man hits you on the cheek, offer him the other cheek too, when a man takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well, give to everyone who asks you, when a man takes what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners

love those who love them. Again, if you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do as much. And if you lend only where you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to each other if they are to be repaid in full, but you must love your enemies. And do good and lend without expecting any return. And you will have a rich reward. You will be sons of the most high, because he himself is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be compassionate as your father is compassionate. Pass no judgment and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Acquit and you will be acquitted. Give and gifts will be given you. Good measure,

press down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to you in return. He also offered them a parable. Can one blind man be guide to another? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A pupil is not superior to his teacher, but everyone when his training is complete will reach his teacher's level. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye with never a thought for the great plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, my dear brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when you are blind to the plank in your own? You hypocrite. First take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers.

There is no such thing as a good tree producing worthless fruit nor yet a worthless tree producing good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. You do not gather things from thistles and you do not pick grapes from brambles. A good man produces good from the store of good within himself and an evil man from evil within produces evil. For the words that the mouth utters, come from the overflowing of the heart. Why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord, and never do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears what I say and acts upon it, I will show you what he is like. He is like a man who in building his house dug deep and laid the foundations on rock. When the flood came the river burst upon that house but could not shift it because it had

been soundly built. But he who hears and does not act is like a man who built his house on the soil without foundations. As soon as the river burst upon it the house collapsed and fell with a great crash. When he had finished addressing the people he went to cavernome. A centurion there had a servant whom he valued highly. This servant was ill and near to death. Hearing about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders with the request that he would come and save his servant's life. They approached Jesus and pressed their petition earnestly. He deserves this favor from you they said for he is a friend of our nation and it is he who built us our synagogue. Jesus went with them. But when he was not far from the house the centurion sent friends with this message. Do not

trouble further sir. It is not for me to have you under my roof and that is why I did not presume to approach you in person. But say the word and my servant will be cured. I know for in my position I am myself under orders with soldiers under me. I say to one go and he goes to another come here and he comes and to my servant do this and he does it. When Jesus heard this he admired the man and turning to the crow that was following him he said I tell you nowhere even in Israel have I found faith like this and the messengers returned to the house and found the servant in good health. Afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd.

As he approached the gate of the town he met a funeral. The dead man was the only son of his widowed mother and many of the townspeople were there with her. When the Lord saw her his heart went out to her and he said weep no more. With that he stepped forward and laid his hand on the bear and the bearers halted. Then he spoke young man rise up the dead man sat up and began to talk and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Deep awe fell upon them all and they praised God a great prophet has arisen among as they said and again God has shown his care for his people. The story of what he had done ran through all parts of Judea and the whole neighborhood.

John 2 was informed of all this by his disciples summoning two of their number. He sent them to the Lord with this message. Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to expect some other? The messengers made their way to Jesus and said John the Baptist has sent us to you. He asks are you the one who is to come? Or are we to expect some other? There and then he cured many sufferers from diseases, plagues and evil spirits and on many blind people he bestowed sight. Then he gave them his answer go he said and tell John what you have seen and heard how the blind recover their sight the lame walk the lepers are clean the death here the dead are raised to life the poor are hearing the good news and happy is the man who does not find me a stumbling block.

After John's messengers had left Jesus began to speak about him to the crowds. What was the spectacle that drew you to the wilderness? A red bed swept by the wind? No. Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in silks and settles? Surely you must look in palaces for grand clothes and luxury. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed and far more than a prophet. He is the man of whom Scripture says, here is my herald whom I send on a head of you and he will prepare your way before you. I tell you there is not a mother's son greater than John and yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. When they heard him all the people

including the tax gatherers praised God for they had accepted John's baptism but the Pharisees and lawyers who refused his baptism had rejected God's purpose for themselves. How can I describe the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and shouting at each other, we piped for you and you would not dance, we wept and wailed and you would not mourn. For John the Baptist came neither eating, bread, nor drinking wine and you say he is possessed. The son of man came eating and drinking and you say, look at him, a glutton and a drinker, a friend of tax gatherers and sinners and yet God's wisdom is proved

right by all who are her children. One of the Pharisees invited him to dinner, he went to the Pharisee's house and took his place at table. A woman who was living an immoral life in the town had learned that Jesus was dining in the Pharisee's house and had brought oil of mer in a small flask. She took her place behind him by his feet, weeping. His feet were wetted with her tears and she wiped them with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the mirror. When his host the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, if this fellow were a real prophet, he would know who this woman is that touches him and what sort of woman she is, a sinner. Jesus took him up and said, Salmon,

I have something to say to you. Speak on, Master, said he, two men were in debt to a money lender, one owed him five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. As neither had anything to pay with, he let them both off. Now which will love him most? Salmon replied, I should think the one that was let off most. You are right, said Jesus. Then, turning to the woman, he said to Salmon, you see this woman? I came to your house. You provided no water for my feet, but this woman has made my feet wet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been kissing my feet ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointing

my feet with the mirror. And so I tell you, her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven, where little has been forgiven, little love is shown. Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven. The other guests began to ask themselves, who is this, that he can forgive sins, but he said to the woman, your faith has saved you, go in peace. The gospel according to look, after this he went journeying from town to town and village to village, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. With him were the twelve, and a number of

women who had been set free from evil spirits and infirmities. Mary, known as Mary of Magdala, from whom seven devils had come out, Joanna the wife of Chusa, a steward of Herod's, Susanna and many others. These women provided for them out of their own resources. People were now gathering in large numbers, and as they made their way to him from one town after another, he said in a parable, a soar went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the footpath, where it was trampled on and the birds ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and after coming up withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thistles, and the thistles

grew up with it and choked it. And some of the seed fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundred and fold. As he said this, he called out, if you have years to hear, then hear. His disciples asked him what this parable meant, and he said, it has been granted to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but the others have only parables in order that they may look, but see nothing, here, but understand nothing. This is what the parable means. The seed is the word of God. Those along the footpath are the men who hear it, and then the devil comes and carries off the word from their hearts, for fear they should believe and be saved. The seed sown on rock

stands for those who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but have no root. They are believers for a while, but in the time of testing they desert. That which fell among thistles represents those who hear, but their further growth is choked by cares and wealth and the pleasures of life, and they bring nothing to maturity. But the seed in good soil represents those who bring a good and honest heart to the hearing of the word, hold it fast, and by their perseverance yield a harvest. Nobody lights a lamp and then covers it with a basin, or puts it under the bed, on the contrary. He puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who come in may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become public, nothing undercover that will not be made

known and brought into the open. Take care then how you listen. For the man who has will be given more, and the man who has not will forfeit even what he thinks he has. His mother and his brothers arrived, but could not get to him for the crowd. He was told, your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you. He replied, my mother and my brothers, they are those who hear the word of God, and act upon it. One day he got into a boat with his disciples and sent them, let us cross over to the other side of the lake, so they put out, and as they sailed along, he went to sleep. Then a heavy squall struck the lake. They began to ship water and were in grave danger. They went to him and roused him crying, master, master, we are sinking. He awoke,

and rebuked the wind and the turbulent waters. The storm subsided and all was calm. Where is your faith? He asked. In fear and astonishment they said to one another, who can this be? He gives his orders to wind and waves, and they obey him. So they landed in the country of Gurgacines, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped ashore, he was met by a man from the town who was possessed by devils. For a long time he had neither worn clothes nor lived in a house but stayed among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet shouting, what do you want with me? Jesus, son of the most high God, I implore you, do not torment me. For Jesus was already ordering the unclean spirit come out of the man. Many a

time it had seized him, and then for safety's sake they would secure him with chains and fetters, but each time he broke loose and with the devil in charge made off to the solitary places. Jesus asked him, what is your name? Legion, he replied. This was because so many devils had taken possession of him, and they begged him not to banish them to the abyss. There happened to be a large herd of pigs nearby feeding on the hill, and the spirits begged him to let them go into these pigs. He gave them leave. The devils came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed over the edge into the lake and were drowned. The men in charge of them saw what had happened, and taking to their heels they carried the news to the town and countryside,

and the people came out to see for themselves. When they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the devils had gone out, sitting at his feet clothed and in his right mind. They were afraid. The spectators told them how the madmen had been cured. Then the whole population of the girgocene district asked him to go for they were in the grip of a great fear, so he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the devils had gone out begged leave to go with him, but Jesus sent him away. Go back home, he said, and tell them everything that God has done for you. The man went all over the town, spreading the news of what Jesus had done for him. When Jesus returned, the people welcomed him for they were all expecting him.

Then a man appeared, Jairus was his name, and he was president of the synagogue. Throwing himself down at Jesus' feet, he begged him to come to his house because he had an only daughter about 12 years old who was dying. And while Jesus was on his way, he could hardly breathe for the crowds. Among them was a woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for 12 years, and nobody had been able to cure her. She came up from behind and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once her hemorrhage stopped. Jesus said, who was it that touched me? All disclaimed it, and Peter and his companion said, Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing upon you. But Jesus said, someone did touch me, for I felt that power had gone out from me. Then the woman, seeing that she was detected, came, trembling, and fell at his feet. Before all the

people she explained why she had touched him and how she had been instantly cured. He said to her, my daughter, your faith has cured you. Go in peace. While he was still speaking, a man came from the president's house with the message, your daughter is dead. Trouble the rabbi no further. But Jesus heard and interposed, do not be afraid, he said, only show faith, and she will be well again. On arrival at the house he allowed no one to go in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother, and all were weeping and lamenting for her. He said, weep no more. She is not dead, she is asleep. But they only laughed at him, well knowing that she was dead. But Jesus took hold of our hand and called her, get up, my child. Her spirit

returned, she stood up immediately, and he told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded, but he forbade them to tell anyone what had happened. He now called the twelve together and gave them power and authority to overcome all the devils and to cure diseases and sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Take nothing for the journey he told them, neither stick nor peck, neither bread nor money, nor are you each to have a second coat. When you are admitted to a house stay there and go on from there, as for those who will not receive you, when you leave their town, shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them. So they set out and travelled from village to village, and everywhere they told the good news and

healed the sick. Now Prince Herod Herod of all that was happening and did not know what to make of it. For some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, others again that one of the old prophets had come back to life. Herod said, as for John I beheaded him myself, but who is this I hear such talk about, and he was anxious to see him? On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done, and he took them with him and withdrew privately to a town called Beth-Sea-Edher. But the crows found out and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who were in need of healing. When evening was drawing on, the twelve approached him and said,

send these people away. Then they can go into the villages and farms round about to find food and lodging, for we are in a lonely place here. Give them something to eat yourselves, he replied. But they said, all we have is five loaves and two fishes, nothing more, unless perhaps we ourselves are to go and buy provisions for all this company that were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, make them sit down in groups of fifty or so. They did so and got them all seated. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute the people. They all ate to their hearts content, and when the scraps they left were picked up, they filled twelve great baskets. One day, when he was praying alone in the presence of

his disciples, he asked them, who do the people say I am? They answered, some say, John the Baptist, others, Elijah, others that one of the old prophets has come back to life. And you, he said, who do you say I am? Peter answered, God's Messiah. Then he gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. And he said, the Son of Man has to undergo great sufferings, and to be rejected by the elders, chief priests and doctors of the law, to be put to death, and to be raised again on the third day. And to all, he said, if anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind. Day after day, he must take up his cross and come with me. Whoever cares for his own

safety is lost. But if a man will let himself be lost for my sake, that man is safe. What will a man gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his true self? For whoever is ashamed of me and mine, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the Holy Angels. And I tell you this, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death before they have sinned the kingdom of God. About eight days after this conversation, he took Peter, John, and James with him, and went up into the hills to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, there were two men talking with him.

These were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure. The destiny, he was to fulfill in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter and his companions had been in a deep sleep. But when they awoke, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood beside him, and as these were moving away from Jesus, Peter said to him, Master, how good it is that we are here, shall we make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah? But he spoke without knowing what he was saying. The words were still on his lips when there came a cloud which cast a shadow over them. They were afraid as they entered the cloud, and from it came a voice, this is my son, my chosen, listen to him, when the voice had spoken, Jesus was seen to be alone. The disciples kept silence, and at that time told nobody anything of what they had seen.

Next day, when they came down from the hills, he was made by a large crowd. All at once, there was a shout from a man in the crowd, Master, look at my son, I implore you, my only child. From time to time, a spirit ceases him, gives a sudden scream and throws him into convulsions with thirming at the mouth, and it keeps on mulling him, and will hardly let him go. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not. Jesus answered, what an unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and endure you all, bring your son here. But before the boy could reach him, the devil dashed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy, and gave him back to his father,

and they were all struck with awe at the majesty of God. I made the general wonder and admiration at all he was doing. Jesus said to his disciples, what I now say is for you, ponder my words, the Son of Man is going to be given up into the power of men, but they did not understand what he said. It had been hidden from them so that they should not perceive its drift, and they were afraid to ask him what it meant. A dispute arose among them, which of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what was passing in their minds, so he took a child by the hand and stood him at his side and said, whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the least among you all, he is the greatest.

Master said, John, we saw man casting out devils in your name, but as he is not one of us, we tried to stop him. Jesus said to him, do not stop him, for he who is not against you is on your side. The Gospel according to Luke chapter 13 verse 51. As the time approached when he was to be taken up to heaven, he set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead.

They set out and went into a Samaritan village to make arrangements for him, but the villagers would not have him because he was making for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, may we call down fire from heaven to burn them up, but he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, a man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus answered, foxes have their holes, the birds, their roosts, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. To another he said, follow me, but the man replied, let me go and bury my father first. Jesus said, leave the dead to bury the dead.

You must go and announce the kingdom of God. Yet another said, I will follow you, sir, but let me first say goodbye to my people at home. To him, Jesus said, no one who sets his hand to the plough, and then keeps looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. After this, the Lord appointed a further 72 and sent them on a head in pairs to every town and place he was going to visit himself. He said to them, the crop is heavy, but laborers are scarce. You must therefore beg the owner to send laborers to harvest his crop. Be on your way, and look, I am sending you like lambs among wolves, curry, no purse or pack, and travel barefoot, exchange no greetings on the road. When you go into a house, let your first words be peace

to this house. If there is a man of peace there, your peace will rest upon him. If not, it will return and rest upon you. Stay in that one house, sharing their food and drink, for the worker earns his pay. Do not move from house to house. When you come into a town and they make you welcome, eat the food provided for you. Heal the sick there and say the kingdom of God has come close to you. When you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off to your shame. Only take note of this, the kingdom of God has come close. I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the great day than for their town. Alas for you, Coruscant. Alas for you, Beth

Sayada. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes, but it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernum, will you be exalted to the skies? No, brought down to the depths. Whoever listens to you, listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me. The 72 came back jubilant. In your name, Lord, they said, even the devils submit to us. He replied, I watched how Satan fell like lightning out of the sky. And now you see that I have given

you the power to trade under foot, snakes and scorpions, and all the forces of the enemy, and nothing will ever harm you, nevertheless. What you should rejoice over is not that the spirits submit to you, but that your names are enrolled in heaven. At that moment, Jesus exalted in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and wise and revealing them to the simple yes, Father. Such was thy choice. Then turning to his disciples, he said, everything is entrusted to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, or who the Father is but the Son, and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him. Turning to his disciples in private, he said,

happy the eyes that see what you are seeing. I tell you, many prophets and kings wish to see what you now see, yet never saw it, to hear what you hear, yet never heard it. On one occasion, a lawyer came forward to put this test question to him, master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said, what is written in the law? What is your reading of it? He replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. That is the right answers, and Jesus do that, and you will live. But he wanted to vindicate himself, so he said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor? Jesus replied, a man was on his way from Jerusalem down to Jericho when he fell in with

robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went off, leaving him half dead. It so happened that a priest was going down by the same road, but when he saw him, he went past on the other side. So to a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, went past on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was making the journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, was moved to pity. He went up and bandaged his wounds, bathing them with oil and wine. Then he lifted him onto his own beast, brought him to an inn and looked after him there. Next day, he produced two silver pieces and gave them to the innkeeper and said, look after him, and if you spend any more, I will repay you on my way back. Which of these three do you think was neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

He answered, the one who showed him kindness. Jesus said, go and do as he did. While they were on their way, Jesus came to a village where a woman named Martha made him welcome in her home. She had a sister, Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and stayed there listening to his words. Now Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to get on with the work by myself, tell her to come and lay in the hand. But the Lord answered, Martha, Martha, you are fretting and fussing about so many things, but one thing is necessary, the part that Mary has chosen is best, and it shall not be taken away from her.

Once in a certain place, Jesus was at prayer. When he ceased, one of his disciples said, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. He answered, when you pray, say, Father, thy name be hallowed, thy kingdom come, give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we too forgive all who have done as wrong, and do not bring us to the test. He added, suppose any of you has a friend who comes to him in the middle of the night and says, my friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine on a journey has turned up at my house, and I'm nothing to offer him, and he replies from inside, do not bother me. The door is shut up for the night. My children and I have gone to bed, and I cannot get up and give you what you want.

I tell you that even if he will not provide for him out of friendship, the very shamelessness of the request will make him get up and give him all he needs, and so I say to you, ask, and you will receive, seek, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened, for everyone who asks, receives, he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there a father among you who will offer his son a snake when he asks for a fish, or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you, then, bad as you are, know how to give your children what is good for them. How much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? He was driving out a devil which was dumb, and when the devil had come out, the dumb men began to

speak. The people were astonished, but some of them said it is by mealsibum, prince of devils, that he drives the devils out. Others, by way of a test, demanded of him a sign from heaven, but he knew what was in their minds and said, every kingdom divided against itself goes to ruin, and a divided household falls. Equally, if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? Since, as you would have it, I drive out the devils by mealsibum. If it is by mealsibum, that I cast out devils, by whom do your own people drive them out? If this is your argument, they themselves will refute you. But if it is by the finger of God, that I drive out the devils, then be sure the kingdom of God has already come upon you. When a strong man fully armed is on guard

over his castle, his possessions are safe, but when someone stronger comes upon him and overpowers him, he carries off the arms and armor on which the man had relied and divides the plunder. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it wanders over the deserts, seeking a resting place, and, finding none, it says, I will go back to the home I left. So it returns, and finds the house swept clean and tidy. Off it goes, and collects seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they all come in and settle down, and in the end, the man's plight is worse than before. While he was speaking thus, a woman in the crowd called out, happy the woman that carried you,

and the breasts that suckled you, he rejoined, no, happy are those who hear the word of God, and keep it. With the crowd's warming round him, he went on to say, this is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, and the only sign that will be given to it is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah was assigned to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation, at the judgment, when the man of this generation are on trial, the queen of the south will appear against them and ensure their condemnation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and what is here is greater than Solomon. The men of Nineveh will appear at the judgment, when the men of this generation are on trial, and ensure their condemnation, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and what is here is greater than Jonah.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar, but rather on the lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light, the lamp of your body is the eye. When your eyes are sound, you have light for your whole body, but when the eyes are bad, you are in darkness. See to it then that the light you have is not darkness. If you have light, for your whole body with no trace of darkness, it will all be as bright as when a lamp flashes its rays upon you. When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dinner. He came in and sat down. The Pharisee noticed with surprise that he had not begun by washing before the meal, but the Lord said to him, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of cup and plate,

but inside you there is nothing but greed and wickedness, you fools. Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? But let what is in the cup be given in charity, and all is clean. Alas, for you Pharisees, you pay tithes of mint and rue and every garden herb, but have no care for justice and the love of God. It is these you should have practiced, without neglecting the others. Alas, for you Pharisees, you love the seats of honor in synagogues and salutations in the market places. Alas, alas, you are like unmarked graves, over which man may walk without knowing it. In reply to this, one of the lawyers said, Master, when you say things like this, you are insulting us too. Jesus rejoined, yes, you lawyers.

It is no better with you, for you load men with intolerable burdens, and you will not put a single finger to the Lord. Alas, you build the tombs of the prophets, whom your fathers murdered, and so testify that you approve of the deeds your fathers did. They committed the murders and you provide the tombs. This is why the wisdom of God said, I will send them prophets and messengers, and some of these they will persecute and kill, so that this generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets, shamed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all. Alas, for you lawyers, you have taken away the key of knowledge,

you did not go in yourselves, and those who were on their way in, you stopped. After he had left the house, the lawyers and Pharisees began to assail him fiercely and to play him with a host of questions, laying snares to catch him with his own words. Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, pecked so close that they were treading on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples. Beware of the eleven of the

Pharisees, I mean their hypocrisy. There is nothing covered up that will not be uncovered. Nothing hidden that will not be made known. You may take it then, that everything you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the house-stops. To you who are my friends, I say, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. I will warn you whom to fear. Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell. Believe me, he is the one to fear. Are not sparrows five for tappens,

and yet not one of them is overlooked by God? More than that, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Have no fear, you are worth more than any number of sparrows. I tell you this, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God, but he who disowns me before men will be disown before the angels of God. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will receive forgiveness, but for him who slanders the Holy Spirit, there will be no forgiveness. When you are brought before synagogues and state authorities, do not begin worrying about how you will conduct your defence,

or what you will say, for when the time comes the Holy Spirit will instruct you what to say. A man in the crowd said to him, Master, tell my brother to divide the family property with me. He replied, My good man, who set me over you to judge or arbitrate? Then he said to the people, beware, be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when a man has more than enough, his wealth does not give him life, and he told them this parable. There was a rich man whose land yielded heavy crops. He debated with himself. What am I to do? I have not the space to store my produce. This is what I will do, said he. I will pull down my storehouses and build them bigger. I will collect in them all my corn and

other goods, and then say to myself, Man, you have plenty of good things laid by, enough for many years, take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. But God said to him, You fool, this very night you must surrender your life. You have made your money. Who will get it now? That is how it is with the man who amasses wealth for himself and remains a pauper in the sight of God. Therefore he said to his disciples, I bid you put away anxious thoughts about food to keep you alive and clothes to cover your body. Life is more than food. The body more than clothes. Think of the ravens. They neither so nor reap.

They have no storehouse or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth far more than the birds. Is there a man among you who, by anxious thought, can add a foot to his height? If then, you cannot do even a very little thing. Why are you anxious about the rest? Think of the lilies. They neither spin nor weave, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was not attired like one of these. But if that is how God clothes the grass, which is growing in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown on the stove, how much more will He clothes you? How little faith you have. And so you are not to set your mind on food and drink. You are not to worry.

For all these are things for the heathen to run after. But you have a father who knows that you need them. No, set your mind upon his kingdom, and all the rest will come to you as well. Have no fear little flock. For your father has chosen to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give in charity, provide for yourselves purses that do not wear out, and never failing wealth in heaven, where no thief can get near it, no moth destroyed. For where your wealth is, there will your heart be also. Be ready for action, with belts fastened and lamps alight, be like men who wait for their

masters return from a wedding party, ready to let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. Happy are those servants whom the master finds on the alert when he comes. I tell you this, he will buckle his belt, seat them at table, and come and wait on them. Even if it is the middle of the night or before dawn when he comes, happy they if he finds them alert. And remember, if the householder had known what time the burglar was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. Hold yourselves ready then, because the son of man is coming at the time you least expect him. Peter said, Lord, do you intend this parable specially for us, or is it for everyone? The Lord said, Well, who is the trusty and sensible man whom his master will appoint us

his churred to manage his servants and issue their rations at the proper time? Happy that servant who is found at his task when his master comes. I tell you this, he will be put in charge of all his master's property. But if that servant says to himself, the master is a long time coming and begins to bully the main servants and maids and eat and drink and get drunk, then the master will arrive on a day that servant does not expect at a time he does not know and will cut him in pieces. Thus he will find his place among the faithless. The servant who knew his master's wishes yet made no attempt to carry them out will be

flogged severely, but one who did not know them and earned a beating will be flogged less severely. Where a man has been given much, much will be expected of him, and the more a man has had entrusted to him the more he will be required to repay. I have come to set fire to the earth and how I wish it were already kindled. I have a baptism to undergo and how hampered I am until the ordeal is over. Do you suppose I came to establish peace on earth? No indeed. I have come to bring division, for from now on five members of a family will be divided three against two and two against three father against son and son against father mother against daughter

and daughter against mother mother against son's wife and son's wife against her mother-in-law He also said to the people, when you see cloud banking up in the west you say at once it is going to rain and rain it does. And when the wind is from the south you say there will be a heat wave and there is what hypocrites you are. You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky. How is it? You cannot interpret this fateful hour. And why can you not judge for yourselves what is the right course? While you are going with your opponent to court make an effort to settle with him while you are still on the way otherwise he may drag you before the judge and the judge

hand you over to the constable and the constable put you in jail. I tell you you will not come out till you have paid the last farthing. At that very time there were some people present who told him about the Galileans whose blood pilot had mixed with their sacrifices. He answered them, do you imagine that because these Galileans suffered this fate they must have been greater sinners than anyone else in Galilee? I tell you they were not but unless you repent you will all of you come to the same end. Or the eighteen people who were killed when the tower fell on them at Salon. Do you imagine they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? I tell you they were not but unless you repent you will all of you come

to the same end. He told them this parable a man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. So he said to the vine dresser, look here. For the last three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any, cut it down. Why should it go on using up the soil? But he replied, leave it sir, this one year while I dig round it and manure it and if it bears next season well and good, if not you shall have it down. One Sabbath he was teaching in a synagogue and there was a woman there possessed by a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent double and quite unable to stand up straight.

When Jesus saw her he called her and said, you are rid of your trouble. Then he laid his hands on her and at once she straightened up and began to praise God. But the president of the synagogue indignant with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath intervened and said to the congregation, there are six working days, come and be cured on one of them and not on the Sabbath. The Lord gave him his answer. What hypocrites you are he said, is there a single one of you who does not loose his ox or is donkey from the manger and take it out to water on the Sabbath? And here is this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who has been kept prisoner by Satan for eighteen long years. Was it wrong for her to be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath? At these words all his

opponents were covered with confusion while the mass of the people were delighted at all the wonderful things he was doing. What is the kingdom of God like he continued? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden and it grew to be a three and the birds came to roost among its branches. Again he said, what shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like yeast which a woman took and mixed with half a hundred weight of flour till it was all leavened. The reading was from the gospel according to Luke chapter 12 beginning at the first verse and continuing to the 21st verse of the 13th chapter of the gospel.