Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of costly aromatic oil from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head.

Right away, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. With him came a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and experts in the law and elders.

John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

He proclaimed, “One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals.

He was in the wilderness forty days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed.

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk’?

And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

but worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it produces nothing.

It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground –

But a suitable day came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee.

But many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived there ahead of them.

As Jesus came ashore he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.

He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five – and two fish.”

He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him?

A member of the crowd said to him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute.

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. And after looking around at everything, he went out to Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.

Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him.