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Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

^1 (C1)One Sabbath while Jesus was passing through fields of standing grain, it happened that His disciples were ^(C2)picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. ^(VR1)2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what ^(F1)(C1)is unlawful on the Sabbath?" ^(VR1)3 Jesus replied to them, "Have you not even read in the Scriptures ^(C1)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him— ^(VR1)4 how he went into the house of God, and took and ate the ^(F1)consecrated bread, which ^(C1)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and how he also gave it to the men who were with him?" ^(VR1)5 Jesus was saying to them, "The Son of Man (the Messiah) is Lord even of the Sabbath."

^6 (C1)On another Sabbath He went into ^(C2)the synagogue and taught, and a man was present whose right hand was withered. ^(VR1)7 The scribes and the Pharisees ^(C1)were watching Him closely with malicious intent, to see if He would actually heal someone on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him.⁸ But He was ^(C1)aware of their thoughts, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward." So he got up and stood there.⁹ Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you directly: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?"¹⁰ After ^(C1)looking around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did, and his hand was fully restored.¹¹ But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with senseless rage and lacked spiritual insight, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

¹² Now at this time Jesus went off to ^(C1)the mountain to ^(C2)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.¹³ When day came, ^(C1)He called His disciples and selected twelve of them, whom He also named ^(F1)(C2)apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives): ^(VR1)14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and the brothers ^(F1)James and John; and Philip, and Bartholomew also called Nathanael;¹⁵ and ^(C1)Matthew (Levi, the tax collector) and Thomas; and ^(F1)James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;¹⁶ Judas also called Thaddaeus the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor to the Lord.

¹⁷ Then Jesus ^(C1)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was ^(C2)a large crowd of His disciples, and a vast multitude of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of ^(C3)Tyre and Sidon,¹⁸ who had come to listen to Him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by unclean spirits (demons) were being healed.¹⁹ All the people were trying to ^(C1)touch Him, because healing ^(C2)power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And looking toward His disciples, He began ^(F1)speaking: "^(C1)Blessed spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired are you who are poor in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant, for ^(C2)the kingdom of God is yours both now and forever. ^(VR1)21 "Blessed joyful, nourished by God's goodness are you who hunger now for righteousness, actively seeking right standing with God, for you will be completely satisfied. Blessed forgiven, refreshed by God's grace are you who weep now over your sins and repent, for you will laugh when the burden of sin is lifted.²² "^(C1)Blessed morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God's goodness are you when people hate you, and ^(C2)exclude you from their fellowship, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of your association with the Son of Man.²³ "Rejoice on that day and ^(C1)leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great absolutely inexhaustible; for their fathers used to treat the prophets ^(C2)in the same way.²⁴ "But ^(F1)woe (judgment is coming) to ^(C1)you who are rich and place your faith in possessions while remaining spiritually impoverished, for ^(C2)you are already receiving your comfort in full and there is nothing left to be awarded to you.²⁵ "Woe to you who are well-fed (gorged, satiated) now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now enjoying a life of self-indulgence, for you will mourn and weep and deeply long for God.²⁶ "Woe to you when all the people speak well of you and praise you, for their fathers used to treat the ^(C1)false prophets in the same way.

²⁷ "But I say to you who hear Me and pay attention to My words: ^(F1)(C1)Love that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for your enemies, make it a practice to do good to those who hate you,²⁸ bless and show kindness to those who curse you, ^(C1)pray for those who mistreat you.²⁹ "^(C1)Whoever ^(F1)strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one also simply ignore insignificant insults or losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity. Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. ^(VR1)30 "Give to everyone who asks of you. ^(F1)Whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.³¹ "^(C1)Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.³² "^(C1)If you only love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.³³ "If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.³⁴ "^(C1)If you lend money to those from whom you expect to receive it back, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount.³⁵ "But ^(C1)love that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for your enemies, and do good, and lend, ^(F1)expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be ^(C2)sons of ^(C3)the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked.³⁶ "Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your heavenly Father is merciful.

³⁷ "^(F1)(C1)Do not judge others self-righteously, and you will not be judged; do not condemn others when you are guilty and unrepentant, and you will not be condemned for your hypocrisy; ^(C2)pardon others when they truly repent and change, and you will be pardoned when you truly repent and change. ^(VR1)38 "Give, and it will be given to you. ^(C1)They will pour into your lap a ^(C2)good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over with no space left for more. For with the standard of measurement you use when you do good to others, it will be measured to you in return."

³⁹ He also told them a parable: "^(C1)Can a blind man guide another blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground?⁴⁰ "^(C1)A student is not superior to his teacher; but everyone, after he has been completely trained, will be like his teacher.⁴¹ "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice or consider the log that is in your own eye?⁴² "How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite (play actor, pretender), first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.⁴³ "^(C1)For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. ^(VR1)44 "^(C1)For each tree is known and identified by its own fruit. For figs are not picked from thorn bushes, nor is a cluster of grapes picked from a briar bush.⁴⁵ "^(C1)The intrinsically good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure stored in his heart; and the intrinsically evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil in his heart; ^(C2)for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.

A Secure Foundation

^46 (C1)"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not practice what I tell you?⁴⁷ "^(C1)Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them, I will show you whom he is like: ^(VR1)48 he is like a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock.⁴⁹ "But the one who has merely heard and has not practiced what I say, is like a foolish man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against it; and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."