Controversy Over Sabbath-Healing

Matt 12:9–13; Luke 6:6–10

3 And aHe entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they bwatched Him closely, whether He would cheal him on the Sabbath, so that they might 1accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, 2 “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the dhardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored 3as whole as the other.

Pharisees Counsel to Destroy Jesus

Matt. 12:14–16; Luke 6:11

6 eThen the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with fthe Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, gand from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how hmany things He was doing, came to Him. 9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed imany, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to jtouch Him. 11 kAnd the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, l“You are the Son of God.” 12 But mHe sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

Selection of the Twelve

Luke 6:12–16

13 nAnd He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, 4that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have 5power 6to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 7Simon, oto whom He gave the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

Opposition of His Friends

20 Then the multitude came together again, pso that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His qown people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, rfor they said, “He is out of His mind.”

Scribes Commit the Unpardonable Sin

Matt. 12:24–32; Luke 11:17–23

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, s“He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the truler of the demons He casts out demons.”

23 uSo He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 vNo one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

28 w“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—30 because they xsaid, “He has an unclean spirit.”

New Relationships are Defined

Matt. 12:46–50; Luke 8:19–21

31 yThen His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers 8are outside seeking You.”

33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the zwill of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

Parable of the Soils

Matt. 13:1–23; Luke 8:4–15

4 And aagain He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, band said to them in His teaching:

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds 1of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no 2crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

9 And He said 3to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

10 cBut when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to dknow the 4mystery of the kingdom of God; but to ethose who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that

f‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 gThe sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the hcares of this world, ithe deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, 5accept it, and bear jfruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Parable of the Lamp

Luke 8:16–18

21 kAlso He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 lFor there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 mIf anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. nWith the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 oFor whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Parable of the Growing Seed

26 And He said, p“The kingdom of God is as if a man should 6scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and qgrow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth ryields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately she puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Matt. 13:31–35

30 Then He said, t“To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

33 uAnd with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, vHe explained all things to His disciples.

The Sea is Stilled

Matt. 8:23–27; Luke 8:22–25

35 wOn the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, x“Teacher, ydo You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and zrebuked the wind, and said to the sea, a“Peace, 7be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? bHow 8is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”