Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath Day

¹One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through the grainfields. His disciples began to break off some heads of grain. They rubbed them in their hands and ate them. ² Some of the Pharisees said, “It is against the Law to do this on the Sabbath day. Why are you doing it?”

³ Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you ever read about what David did? He and his men were hungry. ⁴ He entered the house of God and took the holy bread. He ate the bread that only priests were allowed to eat. David also gave some to his men.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”

⁶ On another Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching. A man whose right hand was weak and twisted was there. ⁷ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were trying to find fault with Jesus. So they watched him closely. They wanted to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He spoke to the man who had the weak and twisted hand. “Get up and stand in front of everyone,” he said. So the man got up and stood there.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “What does the Law say we should do on the Sabbath day? Should we do good? Or should we do evil? Should we save life? Or should we destroy it?”

¹⁰ He looked around at all of them. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand had been made as good as new. ¹¹ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry. They began to talk to one another about what they might do to Jesus.

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles

¹² On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles. Here are their names.

Jesus Gives Blessings and Warnings

¹⁷ Jesus went down the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there. A large number of other people were there too. They came from all over Judea, including Jerusalem. They also came from the coastland around Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had all come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well. ¹⁹ Everyone tried to touch Jesus. Power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰ Jesus looked at his disciples. He said to them,

²³ “The prophets of long ago were treated the same way. When these things happen to you, be glad and jump for joy. You will receive many blessings in heaven.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But here is what I tell you who are listening. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Bless those who call down curses on you. And pray for those who treat you badly. ²⁹ Suppose someone slaps you on one cheek. Let them slap you on the other cheek as well. Suppose someone takes your coat. Don’t stop them from taking your shirt as well. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, don’t ask to get it back. ³¹ Do to others as you want them to do to you.

³² “Suppose you love those who love you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And suppose you do good to those who are good to you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And suppose you lend money to those who can pay you back. Should anyone praise you for that? Even a sinner lends to sinners, expecting them to pay everything back. ³⁵ But love your enemies. Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will receive a lot in return. And you will be children of the Most High God. He is kind to people who are evil and are not thankful. ³⁶ So have mercy, just as your Father has mercy.

Be Fair When You Judge Other People

³⁷ “If you do not judge other people, then you will not be judged. If you do not find others guilty, then you will not be found guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.”

³⁹ Jesus also gave them another example. He asked, “Can a blind person lead another blind person? Won’t they both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ The student is not better than the teacher. But everyone who is completely trained will be like their teacher.

⁴¹ “You look at the bit of sawdust in your friend’s eye. But you pay no attention to the piece of wood in your own eye. ⁴² How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take the bit of sawdust out of your eye’? How can you say this while there is a piece of wood in your own eye? You pretender! First take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see clearly to take the bit of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³ “A good tree doesn’t bear bad fruit. And a bad tree doesn’t bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ You can tell each tree by the kind of fruit it bears. People do not pick figs from thorns. And they don’t pick grapes from bushes. ⁴⁵ A good man says good things. These come from the good that is stored up in his heart. An evil man says evil things. These come from the evil that is stored up in his heart. A person’s mouth says everything that is in their heart.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and still don’t do what I say? ⁴⁷ Some people come and listen to me and do what I say. I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man who builds a house. He digs down deep and sets it on solid rock. When a flood comes, the river rushes against the house. But the water can’t shake it. The house is well built. ⁴⁹ But here is what happens when people listen to my words and do not obey them. They are like a man who builds a house on soft ground instead of solid rock. The moment the river rushes against that house, it falls down. It is completely destroyed.”