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Teaching about Prayer
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,
‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’
for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’
and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus and the Prince of Demons
One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed,
Jesus and Beelzebul
Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”
Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.
But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.
You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive?
And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.
And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe —
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;
until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.
but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.
And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.
Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother — the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”
True Blessedness
As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
The Sign of Jonah
As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.
The Sign of Jonah
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here — but you refuse to repent.
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The Light in You
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness.
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.
Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”
If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.
The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and wickedness!
And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?
You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?
So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.
Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”
One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”
“Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.
And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.
Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.
But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!
So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.
Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’
“As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world —
so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,
from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.
“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.
As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,