Matthew 11
1 When Jesus had finished giving these
instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns
throughout the region.
2 John the Baptist, who was in prison,
heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to
ask Jesus,
3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been
expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and
tell him what you have heard and seen—
5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers
are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is
being preached to the poor.
6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do
not turn away because of me. ’”
7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus
began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the
wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind?
8 Or were you expecting to see a man
dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in
palaces.
9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and
he is more than a prophet.
10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures
refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will
prepare your way before you.’
11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have
ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in
the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!
12 And from the time John the Baptist began
preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and
violent people are attacking it.
13 For before John came, all the prophets
and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.
14 And if you are willing to accept what I
say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.
15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen
and understand!
16 “To what can I compare this generation?
It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their
friends,
17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t
dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating
and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’
19 The Son of Man, on the other hand,
feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of
tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its
results.”
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns
where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of
their sins and turned to God.
21 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and
Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon,
their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in
burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be
better off on judgment day than you.
23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you
be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the
miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here
today.
24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better
off on judgment day than you.”
25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer:
“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things
from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the
childlike.
26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it
this way!
27 “My Father has entrusted everything to
me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the
Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you
who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you,
because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the
burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 12
1 At about that time Jesus was walking
through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they
began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them.
2 But some Pharisees saw them do it and
protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on
the Sabbath.”
3 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in
the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4 He went into the house of God, and he
and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only
the priests are allowed to eat.
5 And haven’t you read in the law of Moses
that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath?
6 I tell you, there is one here who is
even greater than the Temple!
7 But you would not have condemned my
innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to
show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’
8 For the Son of Man is Lord, even over
the Sabbath!”
9 Then Jesus went over to their synagogue,
10 where he noticed a man with a deformed
hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by
healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could
bring charges against him.)
11 And he answered, “If you had a sheep
that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of
course you would.
12 And how much more valuable is a person
than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Hold out your
hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other
one!
14 Then the Pharisees called a meeting to
plot how to kill Jesus.
15 But Jesus knew what they were planning.
So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick
among them,
16 but he warned them not to reveal who he
was.
17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah
concerning him:
18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.
He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will
proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not fight or shout or raise his
voice in public.
20 He will not crush the weakest reed or
put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
21 And his name will be the hope of all the
world.”
22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was
blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he
could both speak and see.
23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could
it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard about the
miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from
Satan, the prince of demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied,
“Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by
feuding will fall apart.
26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is
divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.
27 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.
28 But if I am casting out demons by the
Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
29 For who is powerful enough to enter the
house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even
stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me,
and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy
can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be
forgiven.
32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man
can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be
forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.
33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a
tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.
34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men
like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines
what you say.
35 A good person produces good things from
the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the
treasury of an evil heart.
36 And I tell you this, you must give an
account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.
37 The words you say will either acquit you
or condemn you.”
38 One day some teachers of religious law
and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a
miraculous sign to prove your authority.”
39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil,
adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will
give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the
great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the
heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
41 “The people of Nineveh will 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.
42 The queen of Sheba will also stand up
against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a
distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is
here—but you refuse to listen.
43 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it
goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the
person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and
in order.
45 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. That will be the experience of
this evil generation.”
46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his
mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and
your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”
48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are
my brothers?”
49 Then he pointed to his disciples and
said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.
50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in
heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
Matthew 13
1 Later that same day Jesus left the house
and sat beside the lake.
2 A large crowd soon gathered around him,
so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the
shore.
3 He told many stories in the form of
parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds.
4 As he scattered them across his field,
some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.
5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with
underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot
sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew
up and choked out the tender plants.
8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil,
and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as
much as had been planted!
9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen
and understand.”
10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why
do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
11 He replied, “You are permitted to
understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.
12 To those who listen to my teaching, more
understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But
for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will
be taken away from them.
13 That is why I use these parables, For
they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen
or understand.
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah
that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see
what I do, you will not comprehend.
15 For the hearts of these people are
hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their
eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot
understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they
see; and your ears, because they hear.
17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and
righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they
longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.
18 “Now listen to the explanation of the
parable about the farmer planting seeds:
19 The seed that fell on the footpath
represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand
it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in
their hearts.
20 The seed on the rocky soil represents
those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
21 But since they don’t have deep roots,
they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are
persecuted for believing God’s word.
22 The seed that fell among the thorns
represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is
crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is
produced.
23 The seed that fell on good soil
represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest
of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.
25 But that night as the workers slept, his
enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.
26 When the crop began to grow and produce
grain, the weeds also grew.
27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and
said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where
did they come from?’
28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer
exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the
wheat if you do.
30 Let both grow together until the
harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into
bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
31 Here is another illustration Jesus used:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it
becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and
make nests in its branches.”
33 Jesus also used this illustration: “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though
she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part
of the dough.”
34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations
like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without
using such parables.
35 This fulfilled what God had spoken
through the prophet: “I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things
hidden since the creation of the world. ”
36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus
went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the
weeds in the field.”
37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the
farmer who plants the good seed.
38 The field is the world, and the good
seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong
to the evil one.
39 The enemy who planted the weeds among
the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters
are the angels.
40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and
burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and
they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do
evil.
42 And the angels will throw them into the
fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the
sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and
understand!
44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it
again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.
46 When he discovered a pearl of great value,
he sold everything he owned and bought it!
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.
48 When the net was full, they dragged it
up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw
the bad ones away.
49 That is the way it will be at the end of
the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the
righteous,
50 throwing the wicked into the fiery
furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Do you understand all these things?”
“Yes,” they said, “we do.”
52 Then he added, “Every teacher of
religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”
53 When Jesus had finished telling these
stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country.
54 He returned to Nazareth, his hometown.
When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where
does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?”
55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the
carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph,
Simon, and Judas.
56 All his sisters live right here among
us. Where did he learn all these things?”
57 And they were deeply offended and
refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored
everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”
58 And so he did only a few miracles there
because of their unbelief.
Matthew 14
1 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of
Galilee, heard about Jesus,
2 he said to his advisers, “This must be
John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”
3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned
John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother
Philip).
4 John had been telling Herod, “It is
against God’s law for you to marry her.”
5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was
afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.
6 But at a birthday party for Herod,
Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him,
7 so he promised with a vow to give her
anything she wanted.
8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said,
“I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!”
9 Then the king regretted what he had
said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the
necessary orders.
10 So John was beheaded in the prison,
11 and his head was brought on a tray and
given to the girl, who took it to her mother.
12 Later, John’s disciples came for his
body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.
