9 "Really, what did you go to see? A prophet? Let me tell you that he is far more than a prophet. 10 John is the one about whom Scripture says, 'I'm sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way in front of you.'

11 "I can guarantee this truth: Of all the people ever born, no one is greater than John the Baptizer. Yet, the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. 12 From the time of John the Baptizer until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful people have been seizing it. 13 All the Prophets and Moses' Teachings prophesied up to the time of John. 14 If you are willing to accept their message, John is the Elijah who was to come. 15 Let the person who has ears listen!

16 "How can I describe the people who are living now? They are like children who sit in the marketplaces and shout to other children, 17 We played music for you, but you didn't dance.

We sang a funeral song, but you didn't show any sadness.'

18 "John came neither eating nor drinking, and people say, 'There's a demon in him!' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, 'Look at him! He's a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

"Yet, wisdom is proved right by its actions."

Jesus Warns Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum 20 Then Yeshua denounced the cities where he had worked most of his miracles because they had not changed the way they thought and acted. 21 "How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go down to hell! If the miracles that had been worked in you had been worked in Sodom, it would still be there today. 24 I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Sodom than for you."

Jesus Praises the Father and Invites Disciples to Come to Him 25 At that time Yeshua 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. 26 Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

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

28 "Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Place my yokea over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves 30 because my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

PHYSICIAN.

Though the Jews used physicians, they believed healing came ultimately from God. He was Yahweh Ropheka, the Lord Who Heals. What's more, their Divine Healer had given them a set of laws that included certain hygienic practices, which contributed to their health and staying power as a people. According to the Talmud, an authoritative collection of Jewish writings, every city had its own doctor whose practice was licensed by city officials. Even the temple in Jerusalem had its own physician, assigned to take care of the priests.

Jesus, the greatest of all physicians, performed more healings than any other kind of miracle. Nothing stumped him-not blindness, craziness, lameness, deafness, or even death. Every ailment yielded to his undeniable power, and every healing served as evidence that his kingdom was breaking into our fallen world. Scripture sees sickness and death as by-products of sin. And it was to solve the sin problem that Jesus came into the world.

While Jesus emphasized the importance of faith in the healing process, the Gospels do not support the teaching that a lack of healing always indicates a lack of faith. And though the New Testament sometimes directly links individual sin with sickness, it does not presume that every sickness is caused by individual sin. Rather, human beings become ill as the result of living in a fallen world. The Greek word for "physician" is iatros.

Praying to Our Physician Many people find it difficult to believe that Jesus continues to heal people today. Mindy Cavendish is not one of them. Born in South Korea, she was adopted by American parents who soon discovered that their little girl had a huge hole in her eardrum. Mindy's doctor indicated that she would have to wait until she was eight years old for surgery to repair it. Meanwhile, she would need surgeries to remove painful cysts that were forming deep in her ear canal. Aware that their little girl was in pain most of the time, her parents kept praying for a better solution.

One night Mindy awoke screaming in pain. Her mother carried her downstairs, where she happened to be watching the movie The Greatest Story Ever Told.

After watching the movie for a while, Mindy turned to her mother, who explains what happened next.

"Mommy, can Jesus still make people all better like He did in the movie?" I really didn't know, and I said so. Mindy folded her hands and bowed her little head. She prayed out loud: "God and Jesus, please fix my ear and make it better. I love you. Amen."

The next morning, we went to see Dr. Rodriguez for the pre-surgery visit. He looked in one ear, then the other, shook his head and said, "There is a brand new baby eardrum in there!" Well, the nurse had to look. Then the doctor had to lookagain! Pretty soon, people were coming in and out, looking in Mindy's ear. Dr. Rodriguez said, "I just don't know how this happened. Two days ago, there was no eardrum in here."

Mindy said, "I asked Jesus to fix my ear, and He did!"

I almost fell off my chair! Mindy smiled sweetly and told the doctor her ears didn't hurt anymore. The doctor ran hearing tests on both ears. Both were perfect. Then a huge tear rolled down his cheek! The doctor was crying! We had been given a miracle!a Since then, Mindy's ears have been perfect. Her speech improved gradually without further therapy. Last May, Mindy graduated from college summa cum laude with a degree in speech language pathology, becoming a healer herself.

Does Jesus still heal people? Ask Mindy Cavendish if you doubt it!

Jesus, you are the great Physician, the one who can heal both body and soul. Come today with your great mercy and your wonderful healing power.

Promises Associated with the Name PHYSICIAN.

However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their country. (2 Chronicles 7:14) The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings for you people who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves let out of a stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Worship-Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5 12 1 Then on a day of worship Yeshua walked through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain to eat.

2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing something that is not right to do on the day of worship."

3 Yeshua asked them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? 4 Haven't you read how he went into the house of God and ateb the bread of the presence? He and his men had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. 5 Or haven't you read in Moses' Teachings that on the day of worship the priests in the temple do things they shouldn't on the day of worship yet remain innocent? 6 I can guarantee that somethingc greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what 'I want mercy, not sacrifices' means, you would not have condemned innocent people.

8 "The Son of Man has authority over the day of worship."

Jesus Heals on the Day of Worship-Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11 9 Yeshua moved on from there and went into a synagogue. 10 A man with a paralyzed hand was there. The people asked Yeshua whether it was right to heal on a day of worship so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong.

11 Yeshua said to them, "Suppose one of you has a sheep. If it falls into a pit on a day of worship, wouldn't you take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Certainly, a human is more valuable than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the day of worship."

13 Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." The man held it out, and it became normal again, as healthy as the other.

14 The Pharisees left and plotted to kill Yeshua. 15 He knew about this, so he left that place.

Jesus Is God's Servant Many people followed him, and he cured all of them. 16 He also ordered them not to tell people who he was. 17 So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: 18 "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, whom I love, and in whom I delight.

I will put my Spirit on him, and he will announce justice to the nations.

19 He will not quarrel or shout, and no one will hear his voice in the streets.

20 He will not break off a damaged cattail.

He will not even put out a smoking wick until he has made justice victorious.

21 The nations will have hope because of him."

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul-Mark 3:20-30; Luke 11:14-23 22 Then some people brought Yeshua a man possessed by a demon. The demon made the man blind and unable to talk. Yeshua cured him so that he could talk and see.

23 The crowds were all amazed and said, "Can this man be the Son of David?" 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man can force demons out of people only with the help of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons."

25 Since Yeshua knew what they were thinking, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is ruined. And every city or household divided against itself will not last. 26 If Satan forces Satan out, he is divided against himself. How, then, can his kingdom last? 27 If I force demons out of people with the help of Beelzebul, who helps your followers force them out? That's why they will be your judges. 28 But if I force demons out with the help of God's Spirit, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 How can anyone go into a strong man's house and steal his property? First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through his house and steal his property.

30 "Whoever isn't with me is against me. Whoever doesn't gather with me scatters. 31 So I can guarantee that people will be forgiven for any sin or cursing. However, cursing the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this world or the next.

33 "Make a tree good, and then its fruit will be good. Or make a tree rotten, and then its fruit will be rotten. A person can recognize a tree by its fruit. 34 You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you. 35 Good people do the good things that are in them. But evil people do the evil things that are in them.

36 "I can guarantee that on judgment day people will have to give an account of every careless word they say. 37 By your words you will be declared innocent, or by your words you will be declared guilty."

The Sign of Jonah-Luke 11:29-32, 24-26 38 Then some experts in Moses' Teachings and Pharisees said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign."

39 He responded, "The people of an evil and unfaithful era look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up with you at the time of judgment and will condemn you, because they turned to God and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here!

43 "When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn't find any. 44 Then it says, 'I'll go back to the home I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and in order. 45 Then it 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. That is what will happen to the evil people of this day."

The True Family of Jesus-Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21 46 While Yeshua was still talking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside. They wanted to talk to him. 47 Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to talk to you."

48 He replied to the man speaking to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 Pointing with his hand at his disciples, he said, "Look, here are my mother and my brothers. 50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother."

A Story about a Farmer-Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15 13 1 That same day Yeshua left the house and sat down by the Sea of Galilee.

2 The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat. He sat in the boat while the entire crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then he used stories as illustrations to tell them many things.

He said, "Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. 4 Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn't deep. 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched. They withered because their roots weren't deep enough. 7 Other seeds were planted among thornbushes, and the thornbushes grew up and choked them. 8 But other seeds were planted on good ground and produced grain. They produced one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted. 9 Let the person who has ears listen!"

10 The disciples asked him, "Why do you use stories as illustrations when you speak to people?"

11 Yeshua answered, "Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you. But it has not been given to the crowd. 12 Those who understand these mysteries will be given more knowledge, and they will excel in understanding them. However, some people don't understand these mysteries. Even what they understand will be taken away from them. 13 This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they're blind. They hear, but they don't listen. They don't even try to understand. 14 So they make Isaiah's prophecy come true: 'You will hear clearly but never understand.

You will see clearly but never comprehend.

15 These people have become close-minded and hard of hearing.

They have shut their eyes so that their eyes never see.

Their ears never hear.

Their minds never understand.

And they never return to me for healing!'

16 "Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. 17 I can guarantee this truth: Many prophets and many of God's people longed to see what you see but didn't see it, to hear what you hear but didn't hear it.

18 "Listen to what the story about the farmer means. 19 Someone hears the word about the kingdom but doesn't understand it. The evil one comes at once and snatches away what was planted in him. This is what the seed planted along the road illustrates. 20 The seed planted on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. 21 Since he doesn't have any root, he lasts only a little while. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls from faith. 22 The seed planted among thornbushes is another person who hears the word. But the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of riches choke the word so that it can't produce anything. 23 But the seed planted on good ground is the person who hears and understands the word. This type produces crops. They produce one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted."

A Story about Weeds in the Wheat 24 Yeshua used another illustration. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. 25 But while people were asleep, his enemy planted weeds in the wheat field and went away. 26 When the wheat came up and formed kernels, weeds appeared.

27 "The owner's workers came to him and asked, 'Sir, didn't you plant good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?'

28 "He told them, 'An enemy did this.'

"His workers asked him, 'Do you want us to pull out the weeds?'

29 "He replied, 'No. If you pull out the weeds, you may pull out the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. When the grain is cut, I will tell the workers to gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned. But I'll have them bring the wheat into my barn.'"

Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast-Mark 4:30-34; Luke 13:18-21 31 Yeshua used another illustration. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field. 32 It's one of the smallest seeds. However, when it has grown, it is taller than the garden plants. It becomes a tree that is large enough for birds to nest in its branches."

33 He used another illustration. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough."

34 Yeshua used illustrations to tell the crowds all these things. He did not tell them anything without illustrating it with a story. 35 So what the prophet had said came true: "I will open my mouth to illustrate points.

I will tell what has been hidden since the world was made."

The Meaning of the Weeds in the Wheat 36 When Yeshua had sent the people away, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain what the illustration of the weeds in the field means."

37 He answered, "The one who plants the good seeds is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world. The good seeds are those who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The workers are angels. 40 Just as weeds are gathered and burned, so it will be at the end of time. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything in his kingdom that causes people to sin and everyone who does evil. 42 The angels will throw them into a blazing furnace. People will cry and be in extreme pain there. 43 Then the people who have God's approval will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!

Stories about a Treasure, a Merchant, and a Net 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. When a man discovered it, he buried it again. He was so delighted with it that he went away, sold everything he had, and bought that field.

45 "Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who was searching for fine pearls. 46 When he found a valuable pearl, he went away, sold everything he had, and bought it.

47 "Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea. It gathered all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, they pulled it to the shore. Then they sat down, gathered the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. 49 The same thing will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from people who have God's approval. 50 Then the angels will throw the evil people into a blazing furnace. They will cry and be in extreme pain there.

51 "Have you understood all of this?"

"Yes," they answered.

52 So Yeshua said to them, "That is why every student of Scripture who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure chest."

53 When Yeshua had finished these illustrations, he left that place.

Nazareth Rejects Jesus-Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:14-30 54 Yeshua went to his hometown and taught the people in the synagogue in a way that amazed them. People were asking, "Where did this man get this wisdom and the power to do these miracles? 55 Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary? Aren't his brothers' names James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 And aren't all his sisters here with us? Where, then, did this man get all this?" 57 So they took offense at him.

But Yeshua said to them, "The only place a prophet isn't honored is in his hometown and in his own house."

58 He didn't work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Recalling John's Death-Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:7-9 14 1 At that time Herod, ruler of Galilee, heard the news about Yeshua. 2 He said to his officials, "This is John the Baptizer! He has come back to life. That's why he has the power to perform these miracles."

3 Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison. Herod did this for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 John had been telling Herod, "It's not right for you to be married to her." 5 So Herod wanted to kill John. However, he was afraid of the people because they thought John was a prophet.

6 When Herod celebrated his birthday, Herodias' daughter danced for his guests. Herod was so delighted with her that 7 he swore he would give her anything she wanted.

8 Urged by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter."

9 The king regretted his promise. But because of his oath and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted. 10 He had John's head cut off in prison. 11 So the head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

12 John's disciples came for the body and buried it. Then they went to tell Yeshua.