Then ¹  Jesus ²  told this parable: “A man had a fig tree ³  planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

Then ¹  when Jesus ²  noticed how the guests ³  chose the places of honor, ⁴  he told them a parable. He said to them,

The experts in the law ¹  and the Pharisees ²  watched ³  Jesus ⁴  closely to see if ⁵  he would heal on the Sabbath, ⁶  so that they could find a reason to accuse him.

Then ¹  when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus ²  was dining ³  at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar ⁴  of perfumed oil. ⁵ 

As ¹  Jesus ²  stepped ashore, ³  a certain man from the town ⁴  met him who was possessed by demons. ⁵  For a long time this man ⁶  had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among ⁷  the tombs.

Now ¹  Jesus ²  was praying in a certain place. When ³  he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John ⁴  taught ⁵  his disciples.”

Then ¹  they arrested ²  Jesus, ³  led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. ⁴  But Peter was following at a distance.

Then ¹  Jesus ²  said to them, “When I sent you out with no money bag, ³  or traveler’s bag, ⁴  or sandals, you didn’t lack ⁵  anything, did you?” They replied, ⁶  “Nothing.”

When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law. ¹  Then ²  they led Jesus ³  away to their council ⁴ 

The next morning ¹  Jesus ²  departed and went to a deserted place. Yet ³  the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.

When ¹  the men came to Jesus, ²  they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ³  ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” ⁴ 

One ¹  day Jesus ²  got into a boat ³  with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So ⁴  they set out,

Meanwhile, ¹  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ²  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ³  the yeast of the Pharisees, ⁴  which is hypocrisy. ⁵ 

Now one ¹  day, as Jesus ²  was teaching the people in the temple courts ³  and proclaiming ⁴  the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law ⁵  with the elders came up ⁶ 

Now ¹  when the time came for their ²  purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary ³  brought Jesus ⁴  up to Jerusalem ⁵  to present him to the Lord

Herod said, “I had John ¹  beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus. ² 

But ¹  the twelve ²  understood none of these things. This ³  saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp ⁴  what Jesus meant. ⁵ 

But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ¹  should be done! ²  So come ³  and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”

As the sun was setting, all those who had any relatives ¹  sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. ²  He placed ³  his hands on every one of them and healed them.

As ¹  the crowds were increasing, Jesus ²  began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, ³  but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ⁴