<t /><p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> someone from the crowd said to him, &#8220;Teacher, tell<n id="2" /> my brother to divide the inheritance with me.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jesus<n id="1" /> also said to the crowds, &#8220;When you see a cloud rising in the west,<n id="2" /> you say at once, &#8216;A rainstorm<n id="3" /> is coming,&#8217; and it does.

He<n id="1" /> was trying to get a look at Jesus,<n id="2" /> but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd appeared,<n id="1" /> and the man named Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He walked up<n id="2" /> to Jesus to kiss him.<n id="3" />

And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">The next morning<n id="1" /> Jesus<n id="2" /> departed and went to a deserted place. Yet<n id="3" /> the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.

He got into<n id="1" /> one of the boats, which was Simon&#8217;s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then<n id="2" /> Jesus<n id="3" /> sat down<n id="4" /> and taught the crowds from the boat.

But<n id="1" /> since they found<n id="2" /> no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof<n id="3" /> and let him down on the stretcher<n id="4" /> through the roof tiles<n id="5" /> right<n id="6" /> in front of Jesus.<n id="7" />

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed<n id="1" /> at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, &#8220;I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!&#8221;<n id="2" />

As he approached the town gate, a man<n id="1" /> who had died was being carried out,<n id="2" /> the only son of his mother (who<n id="3" /> was a widow<n id="4" />), and a large crowd from the town<n id="5" /> was with her.

Then<n id="1" /> Jesus asked,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Who was it who touched me?&#8221; When they all denied it, Peter<n id="3" /> said, &#8220;Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing<n id="4" /> against you!&#8221;

But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He<n id="1" /> welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God,<n id="2" /> and cured those who needed healing.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks<n id="2" /> and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Once<n id="1" /> when Jesus<n id="2" /> was praying<n id="3" /> by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them,<n id="4" /> &#8220;Who do the crowds say that I am?&#8221;<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">As<n id="1" /> he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out<n id="2" /> to him, &#8220;Blessed is the womb<n id="3" /> that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!&#8221;<n id="4" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">As<n id="1" /> the crowds were increasing, Jesus<n id="2" /> began to say, &#8220;This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign,<n id="3" /> but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.<n id="4" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Meanwhile,<n id="1" /> when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus<n id="2" /> began to speak first to his disciples, &#8220;Be on your guard against<n id="3" /> the yeast of the Pharisees,<n id="4" /> which is hypocrisy.<n id="5" />

When<n id="1" /> he said this all his adversaries were humiliated,<n id="2" /> but<n id="3" /> the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things<n id="4" /> he was doing.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> he came down with them and stood on a level place.<n id="2" /> And a large number<n id="3" /> of his disciples had gathered<n id="4" /> along with<n id="5" /> a vast multitude from all over Judea, from<n id="6" /> Jerusalem,<n id="7" /> and from the seacoast of Tyre<n id="8" /> and Sidon.<n id="9" /> They came to hear him and to be healed<n id="10" /> of their diseases,

Now the day began to draw to a close,<n id="1" /> so<n id="2" /> the twelve came and said to Jesus,<n id="3" /> &#8220;Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging<n id="4" /> and food, because we are in an isolated place.&#8221;<n id="5" />