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Teaching about Prayer
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
The Model Prayer
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
A Friend Comes at Midnight
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’
for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’
and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Jesus and the Prince of Demons
One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed,
A House Divided Cannot Stand
And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.
He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.
But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive?
If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.
And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe —
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.
until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit Returns
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.
And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.
Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother — the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”
Keeping the Word
And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
The Sign of Jonah
As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.
For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here — but you refuse to repent.
The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
The Lamp of the Body
“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness.
Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.
Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”
If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Woe to the Pharisees and Lawyers
And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.
And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.
His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.
When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy — full of greed and wickedness!
Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?
Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.
Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”
Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”
“Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.
And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.
Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!
In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’
“As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world —
that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.