While the people were filled with anticipation and they all wondered whether perhaps John could be the Christ,

where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished.

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering together to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses.

When Jesus perceived their hostile thoughts, he said to them, “Why are you raising objections within yourselves?

Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.

Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.

But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

So Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

When morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:

“Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets.

But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls.

For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’

Now there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them.

But the twelve understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what Jesus meant.

Then they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and had Jesus get on it.

So they began to question one another as to which of them it could possibly be who would do this.

Then one of them struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear.