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Jesus went about all the cities and the villages teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered (like sheep without a shepherd). Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God. When it was day, he went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted (his disciples). They went to him. From them he chose and appointed twelve that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach, and to have authority to heal sicknesses, and to cast out demons.
Now the names of the twelve (whom he also named apostles) are these:
- The first, Simon, who he gave the name Peter
- Andrew, his brother
- James the son of Zebedee
- John, his brother (he called them Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder),
- Philip
- Bartholomew
- Thomas
- Matthew the tax collector
- James the son of Alphaeus
- Judas the son of James, who was also called Lebbaeus orThaddaeus
- Simon the Canaanite, who was called the Zealot, and
- Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
He came down with them and stood on a level place (in a house) with a crowd of his disciples. A great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases (as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits)… and they were being healed. All the multitude sought to touch him (so that they could not so much as eat bread), for power came out of him and healed them all.
He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said,
“Blessed are you who are poor,
God’s Kingdom is yours.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
“Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.
“Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold your reward is great in heaven (for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets).
“But woe to you who are rich!
For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you, you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe, when men speak well of you,
for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.
“But I tell you who hear… love your enemies… do good to those who hate you… bless those who curse you… and pray for those who mistreat you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other… and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also. Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.
“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back… and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High (for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil).
“Therefore, be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful. Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged.
Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned.
Set free, and you will be set free.Give, and it will be given to you… good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”
He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone (when he is fully trained) will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye. For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil – for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them… I will show you who he is like: “He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation… against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell (and the ruin of that house was great).”
After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
Source Text Prioritization:__________________________________
- Matthew 9:35-10:4
- Mark 3:13-20
- Luke 6:12-7:1
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