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

A Sinful Woman Receives Forgiveness 36 One of the Pharisees invited Yeshua to eat with him. Yeshua went to the Pharisee's house and was eating at the table.

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

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

40 Yeshua spoke up, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

Simon replied, "Teacher, you're free to speak."

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

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

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

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

50 Yeshua said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!"

Women Who Supported Jesus 8 1 After this, Yeshua traveled from one city and village to another. He spread the Good News about God's kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him. 2 Also, some women were with him. They had been cured from evil spirits and various illnesses. These women were Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Joanna, whose husband Chusa was Herod's administrator; Susanna; and many other women. They provided financial support for Yeshua and his disciples.

A Story about a Farmer-Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20 4 When a large crowd had gathered and people had come to Yeshua from every city, he used this story as an illustration: 5 "A farmer went to plant his seeds. Some seeds were planted along the road, were trampled, and were devoured by birds. 6 Others were planted on rocky soil. When the plants came up, they withered because they had no moisture. 7 Others were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up with them and choked them. 8 Others were planted on good ground. When they came up, they produced a hundred times as much as was planted."

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

9 His disciples asked him what this story meant. 10 Yeshua answered, "Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given directly to you. But it is given to others in stories. When they look, they don't see, and when they hear, they don't understand.

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

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

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

The True Family of Jesus-Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35 19 His mother and his brothers came to see him. But they couldn't meet with him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told Yeshua, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you."

21 He answered them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do what God's word says."

Jesus Calms the Sea-Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41 22 One day Yeshua and his disciples got into a boat. He said to them, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." So they started out. 23 As they were sailing along, Yeshua fell asleep.

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

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

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

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Man-Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20 26 They landed in the region of the Gerasenes across from Galilee. 27 When Yeshua stepped out on the shore, a certain man from the city met him. The man was possessed by demons and had not worn clothes for a long time. He would not stay in a house but lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Yeshua, he shouted, fell in front of him, and said in a loud voice, "Why are you bothering me, Yeshua, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!" 29 Yeshua ordered the evil spirit to come out of the man. (The evil spirit had controlled the man for a long time. People had kept him under guard. He was chained hand and foot. But he would break the chains. Then the demon would force him to go into the desert.) 30 Yeshua asked him, "What is your name?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jairus' Daughter and a Woman with Chronic Bleeding-Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43 40 When Yeshua came back, a crowd welcomed him. Everyone was expecting him.

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

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

45 Yeshua asked, "Who touched me?"

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

46 Yeshua said, "Someone touched me. I know power has gone out of me."

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

48 Yeshua told her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace!"

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

50 When Yeshua heard this, he told the synagogue leader, "Don't be afraid! Just believe, and she will get well."

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

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

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve-Matthew 10:5-42; Mark 6:7-13 9 1 Yeshua called the twelve apostles together and gave them power and authority over every demon and power and authority to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to spread the message about the kingdom of God and to cure the sick.

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

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

Rumors about Jesus-Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29 7 Herod the ruler heard about everything that was happening. He didn't know what to make of it. Some people were saying that John had come back to life. 8 Others said that Elijah had appeared, and still others said that one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life.

9 Herod said, "I had John's head cut off. Who is this person I'm hearing so much about?" So Herod wanted to see Yeshua.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand-Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; John 6:1-14 10 The apostles came back and told Yeshua everything they had done. He took them with him to a city called Bethsaida so that they could be alone. "But the crowds found out about this and followed him. He welcomed them, talked to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who were sick.

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

13 Yeshua replied, "You give them something to eat."

They said to him, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish. Unless we go to buy food for all these people, that's all we have." 14 (There were about five thousand men.) Then he told his disciples, "Have them sit in groups of about fifty." 15 So they did this.

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

Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus-Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30 18 Once when Yeshua was praying privately and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

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

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

Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, whom God has sent."

21 He ordered them not to tell this to anyone.

Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life-Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-33 22 Yeshua said that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and the experts in Moses' Teachings. He would be killed, but on the third day he would come back to life.

What It Means to Follow Jesus-Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-9:1 23 He said to all of them, "Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. 24 Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them. 25 What good does it do for people to win the whole world but lose their lives by destroying them? 26 If people are ashamed of me and what I say, the Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes in the glory that he shares with the Father and the holy angels.

27 "I can guarantee this truth: Some people who are standing here will not die until they see the kingdom of God."

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus-Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13 28 About eight days after he had said this, Yeshua took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a mountain to pray. 29 While Yeshua was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly, both Moses and Elijah were talking with him. 31 They appeared in heavenly glory and were discussing Yeshua's approaching death and what he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.

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

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

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

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy-Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29 37 The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Yeshua. 38 A man in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son. He's my only child. 39 Whenever a spirit takes control of him, he shrieks, goes into convulsions, and foams at the mouth. After a struggle, the spirit goes away, leaving the child worn out. 40 I begged your disciples to force the spirit out of him, but they couldn't do it."

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

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

Yeshua ordered the evil spirit to leave. He cured the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 Everyone was amazed to see God's wonderful power.

The Son of Man Again Foretells His Betrayal-Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32 Everyone was amazed at all the things that Yeshua was doing. So he said to his disciples, 44 "Listen carefully to what I say. The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people."

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

Greatness in the Kingdom-Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37 46 A discussion started among them about who would be the greatest. 47 Yeshua knew what they were thinking. So he took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. Whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. The one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest."

Using the Name of Jesus-Mark 9:38-41 49 John replied, "Master, we saw someone forcing demons out of a person by using the power and authority of your name. We tried to stop him because he was not one of us."

50 Yeshua said to him, "Don't stop him! Whoever isn't against you is for you."

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

55 But he turned and corrected them.a 56 So they went to another village.

What It Takes to Be a Disciple-Matthew 8:19-22 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to Yeshua, "I'll follow you wherever you go."

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

59 He told another man, "Follow me!"

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

60 But Yeshua told him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. You must go everywhere and tell about the kingdom of God."

61 Another said, "I'll follow you, sir, but first let me tell my family goodbye."

62 Yeshua said to him, "Whoever starts to plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God."

Jesus Sends Disciples to Do Mission Work 10 1 After this, the Lord appointed 70b other disciples to go ahead of him to every city and place that he intended to go. They were to travel in pairs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

21 In that hour the Holy Spirit filled Yeshua with joy. 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. Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

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

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

A Story about a Good Samaritan 25 Then an expert in Moses' Teachings stood up to test Yeshua. He asked, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26 Yeshua answered him, "What is written in Moses' Teachings? What do you read there?"

27 He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.'"

28 Yeshua told him, "You're right! Do this, and life will be yours."

29 But the man wanted to justify his question. So he asked Yeshua, "Who is my neighbor?"

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

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