But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.

But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.

I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak.

To the one who had said this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

So the slaves of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!

For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Instructed by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”

Now when Jesus heard this he went away from there privately in a boat to an isolated place. But when the crowd heard about it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dispersed the crowds.

When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear.

Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.”

He answered them, “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?