Part 26

When an unclean spirit leaves a man, he walks through barren places. He seeks rest but can find none. Then the unclean spirit says, I will return to the house out of which I came. When he goes back, he finds it swept and garnished. So he goes and gathers together seven spirits more wicked than himself. They enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

As He spoke these things, a woman in the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the breasts that nursed thee. But He said, Yes, but it is better to say, Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.

The crowd drew closer together. Jesus said to them, This is an evil generation. They seek a sign but no sign will be given except the sign of Jonas the prophet.

As Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment of this generation. She will condemn them for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve will rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, one greater than Jonas is here.

No one with a lighted candle, puts it in a secret place or under a bushel. It is put on a candlestick so those who come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye. When your eye is single, your whole body is also full of light. But when your eye is evil, your body is full of darkness.

Take heed, therefore, that the light that is in you be not darkness. If thy whole body is full of light, with no dark parts, the whole shall be full of light, and, like the bright shining of a candle, it gives off the light.

Later, a Pharisee who had invited Him to dinner marvelled that He had not first washed before sitting at the meal. Jesus said to him, You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the platter clean; but inside they are full of poison and wickedness. Fools, did not He who made what is on the outside, make what is inside also? Give of what you have, then all things will be clean to you.

But woe to you, Pharisees! You tithe mint and rue and all kinds of herbs, and ignore judgment and the love of God. These you ought to have done without ignoring the others also.

Woe to you, Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are as empty as graves that others walk over and do not see.

One of the lawyers said, Master, in saying this you reproach us also. Jesus said, Woe to you also, ye lawyers! You load men with unbearable burdens and you yourselves do not so much as lay a finger on one of these burdens.

Woe to you! You build shrines to the prophets and your fathers killed them. You bear witness that you sanction the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them and you build their shrines.

The wisdom of God said: I will send them prophets and apostles. Some of them they shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation. The blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple shall be required of this generation.

Woe to you, lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You entered not in yourselves but prevented any others from entering in. And, as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge and provoke Him to speak of many things. They were laying in wait and trying to catch something He said that they could use against Him.

12 Later, Jesus drew His disciples together and taught them saying, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; nor hidden that shall not be known. Therefore, whatever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have whispered shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. My friends, Be not afraid of those who kill the body because, after that, there is no more they can do. But I will forewarn you who to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has power to cast you into hell. Yes, fear him.

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins and not one of them is forgotten by God? Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered by Him. Fear not, then, because you are of more value than many sparrows.

Also, I tell you, Whoever confesses me before men, the Son of man will also confess before the angels of God. But he that denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.

Now, when they bring you to the synagogues, and before magistrates and powers, take no thought how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. The Holy Spirit shall tell you what to say on the spot.

One of the group said, Master, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Jesus replied, Who made me a judge or a divider over you? Take heed, and beware of covetousness. A man's life does not consist of the abundance of things he possesses.

Then Jesus spoke a parable to them. He said, The ground of a rich man yielded a plentiful harvest. He wondered and said, What shall I do? I have no room to store my fruit. Finally he said, I will pull down my barns and build larger ones and there will I store my fruit and all my goods. I will say to my soul, Thou has enough goods laid up to last many years. It is time to take ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Thou fool, tonight thy soul shall be required of thee; then to whom shall all those things belong which thou has stored away? So it is with whoever lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Jesus said to His disciples, Therefore, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; or for the body, what ye shall put on. Life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Consider the ravens. They neither sow nor reap. They have no storehouse or barn. God feeds them. How much better than the fowls are ye? And who of you, by thinking or reasoning, can add to his stature one cubit? If you are not able to do that which is so little, why take thought for the rest?

Consider the lilies and how they grow! They toil not, they spin not; and yet, I say to you, Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. If God, then, so clothes the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow cast into the oven; how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Seek not what ye shall eat or drink. Neither be of a doubtful mind. For these same things do all the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that ye have need of these things. Instead, seek ye the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves with purses that do not wear out, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, nor moth corrupts. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Let your loins be girded about and your lights kept burning. Be like those who wait for their lord to return from the wedding that, when he comes and knocks, they are ready to welcome him instantly. Blessed are those servants, who, when the lord comes, He finds ready and waiting.

And consider this, if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not suffered his house to be broken into. So, be ready because the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.

Then Peter said to Him, Lord, will you speak more about this parable to us, or even to all? The Lord said, Who, then, is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household to justly give out the portions of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, shall find already doing so. I tell you, he will make him ruler over all that he has.

But if a servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming; and so begins to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink to excess; the lord of that servant will come in a day when the servant does not look for him and at an hour when he is not aware. His lord will cast him aside and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. That servant, who knew his lord's will but did not prepare or act according to his lord's will, shall be beaten with many stripes.