Then<n id="1" /> the experts in the law<n id="2" /> and the Pharisees began to think<n id="3" /> to themselves,<n id="4" /> &#8220;Who is this man<n id="5" /> who is uttering blasphemies?<n id="6" /> Who can forgive sins but God alone?&#8221;

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back.<n id="1" /> Then<n id="2" /> your reward will be great, and you will be sons<n id="3" /> of the Most High,<n id="4" /> because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.<n id="5" />

But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice<n id="1" /> is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When<n id="2" /> the river burst against that house,<n id="3" /> it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this,<n id="1" /> he said to himself, &#8220;If this man were a prophet,<n id="2" /> he would know who and what kind of woman<n id="3" /> this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.&#8221;

Then<n id="1" /> he said to them, &#8220;Where is your faith?&#8221;<n id="2" /> But they were afraid and amazed,<n id="3" /> saying to one another, &#8220;Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water,<n id="4" /> and they obey him!&#8221;p>

Jesus<n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;No one who puts his<n id="2" /> hand to the plow and looks back<n id="3" /> is fit for the kingdom of God.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<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" />

Then<n id="1" /> he said to them, &#8220;Watch out and guard yourself from<n id="2" /> all types of greed,<n id="3" /> because one&#8217;s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.&#8221;

Consider the ravens:<n id="1" /> They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds<n id="2" /> them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!

The Lord replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Who then is the faithful and wise manager,<n id="2" /> whom the master puts in charge of his household servants,<n id="3" /> to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?

It is like a mustard seed<n id="1" /> that a man took and sowed<n id="2" /> in his garden. It<n id="3" /> grew and became a tree,<n id="4" /> and the wild birds<n id="5" /> nested in its branches.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down<n id="1" /> first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose<n id="2" /> the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

But Jesus called for the children,<n id="1" /> saying, &#8220;Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God<n id="2" /> belongs to such as these.<n id="3" />

Then<n id="1" /> Jesus<n id="2" /> said to them, &#8220;I tell you the truth,<n id="3" /> there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers<n id="4" /> or parents or children for the sake of God&#8217;s kingdom

and said to him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Tell us: By what authority<n id="2" /> are you doing these things?<n id="3" /> Or who it is who gave you this authority?&#8221;

But Jesus<n id="1" /> looked straight at them and said, &#8220;Then what is the meaning of that which is written: &#8216;<b><i>The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstonei>b>&#8217;?<n id="2" />

and tell the owner of the house,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The Teacher says to you, &#8220;Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?&#8221;&#8217;

Then<n id="1" /> he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, &#8220;This is my body<n id="2" /> which is given for you.<n id="3" /> Do this in remembrance of me.&#8221;

Day after day when I was with you in the temple courts,<n id="1" /> you did not arrest me.<n id="2" /> But this is your hour,<n id="3" /> and that of the power<n id="4" /> of darkness!&#8221;p>