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that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6 I tell you that someone greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’, you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9 Moving on from there, He went into their synagogue, 10 and a man was there who had a shrivelled hand. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 He said to them, “What man among you, if he has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and it was restored, as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
15 When Jesus became aware of this, He withdrew from there. A large crowd followed Him, and He healed them all, 16 and He warned them not to make Him known. 17 This was fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is My Servant whom I have chosen,
My beloved in whom My soul delights;
I will put My Spirit on Him,
and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out,
and no one will hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break,
and a smouldering wick He will not quench,
until He has led justice to victory.
21And in his name the Gentiles will hope”.
22 Then they brought to Jesus a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man could both speak and see. 23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man drives out demons.”
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 “Or, how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he can rob his house.
30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 31 So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you who are evil, say anything good? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of the good stored up in his heart brings forth good things, and the evil man out of the evil stored up in his heart brings forth evil things. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for miraculous sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but it finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house that I came from’. Then when it arrives it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there. Then the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will also be with this wicked generation.”
46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowd, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to talk with Him. 47 Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak with You.”
48 But He replied to the man who told Him, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”