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

Just then some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus.

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?”

Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.

Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry –

The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a reason to accuse him.

After looking around at them all, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man did so, and his hand was restored.

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

When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.

Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.”

Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.

Now Jesus’ mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.”

Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

But I tell you most certainly, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the kingdom of God.”

As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.