That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.

          Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.

          Someone told Him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You."

                   He replied to him, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers" Pointing to His disciples, He said, "here are My mother and  My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

"When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'

        When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there.

                 And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom and now something greater than Solomon is here.

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

           He answered, " A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a hugh fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

                    The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and now something greater than Jonah is here.

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

           You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

                  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned."

 Whoever is not with me is against me and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

             Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

"Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house."

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."

          Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If satan drives out satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?

                And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

Then they brought Him [Jesus] a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.

          All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "Heres is my servant whom I have chosen,  the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him,and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

            He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He has brought justice through to victory.

                       In His name the nations will put their hope."

But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

        Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed Him and He healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about Him. 

Going on from that place, He [Jesus] went into their synagogue and a man with a shriveled hand was there.

          Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

                  He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.

          When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."

                    He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the House of God and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened  and I [Jesus] will give you rest.

            Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will  find rest for your souls.
                                  
                   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"All things have been committed to me [Jesus] by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children.

         Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

          "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles performed in you had be performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking and they say, 'He has a demon.'

            The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard,a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'

                    But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.'"

To what can I [Jesus] compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 'We played the pipe for you and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.'