Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
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At that time 1Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and 2they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
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But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, 3"Look, your disciples are doing 4what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."
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He said to them, 5"Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:
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how he entered the house of God and ate 6the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
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Or have you not read 7in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?
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I tell you, 8something greater than the temple is here.
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And if you had known 9what this means, 10'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.
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For 11the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."
A Man with a Withered Hand
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He went on from there and 12entered their synagogue.
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And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, 13"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--14so that they might accuse him.
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He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, 15if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
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Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And 18the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.
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But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God's Chosen Servant
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and 21ordered them not to make him known.
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22This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
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23"Behold, my 24servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. 25I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
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He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
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a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;
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26and in his name the Gentiles will hope."
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
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27Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.
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But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, 30"It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."
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31Knowing their thoughts, 32he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
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And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
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And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, 33by whom do 34your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
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But if it is 35by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then 36the kingdom of God has come upon you.
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Or 37how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed 38he may plunder his house.
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39Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
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40Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but 41the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
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And whoever speaks a word 42against the Son of Man 43will be forgiven, but 44whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in 45this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
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46"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, 47for the tree is known by its fruit.
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48You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, 49when you are evil? 50For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
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51The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
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I tell you, 52on the day of judgment 53people will give account for 54every careless word they speak,
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for 55by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
The Sign of Jonah
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Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, 56we wish to see a sign from you."
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But he answered them, 57"An evil and 58adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
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For 59just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, 60so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
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61The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and 62condemn it, for 63they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, 64something greater than Jonah is here.
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65The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, 66something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
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"When 67the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through 68waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
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Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
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Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and 69the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this 70evil generation."
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
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While he was still speaking to the people, behold, 71his mother and his 72brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.a
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But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"
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And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)