At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields; and His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
And when the Pharisees saw it they said to Him; «Behold, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath».
But He said to them; «Have you not read what David did when he was hungry he and those who were with him? How he entered in the house of God and the showbread of the Tabernacle table he ate, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that One greater than the temple there is in this place.
But if you had known what this means «I desire mercy and not sacrifice», you would not have condemned the guiltless. For Lord He is the Son of Man even of the Sabbath».
And departing from that place he went into their synagogue. And behold there was a man there who had a withered hand; and they asked Him saying; «Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?» that they might accuse Him.
Then He said to them; «Who is there the man among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, he will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much then more value is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good».
Then He said to the man; «Stretch out your hand»; and he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
But when Jesus knew it He withdrew from there; and followed Him great multitudes, and He healed them all, yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying;
«Behold, My Servant, whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom is well pleased My soul; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and justice to the nations He will declare;
He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear in the streets His voice. A bruised reed He will not break And smoking flax He will not quench, until He leads justice to victory; And in His name the nations will trust».
Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed blind and mute, and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw; And were amazed all the multitudes and said; «Could this be the Christ the Son of David?»
Now when the Pharisees heard it they said; «This fellow does not cast out the demons except by the authority of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons».
But Jesus knowing their thoughts He told them; «Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; How then will it stand his kingdom?
And if I by Beelzebub cast out the demons, your sons by whom do they cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out the demons, then has come upon you the kingdom of God.
Or how can one enter in the house of a strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to people;
and anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him neither in this age nor in the one which is to come.
Either make the tree good, and its fruit will be good, or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit will be corrupt; because by its fruit a tree is known.
You offsprings of vipers, how can you speak good things being evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment; for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned».
Then some answered of the scribes and Pharisees saying; «Teacher, we want to see a sign from You». And He answered and said to them; «An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
For just as he was, Jonah the prothet, in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will also be the Son of Man in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
The people of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
And when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says; «To my house I will return from which I came»; and when he comes he finds it empty and swept and put in order.
Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and become the last state of that man worse than the first. So shall it be also with this wicked generation».
While He was still talking to the multitudes behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him; «Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak with You».
But He answered and said to the one who told Him; «Who is My mother and who are My brothers?» And stretching out His hand toward His disciples He said; «Here are My mother and My brothers;
for whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he My brother and sister and mother is».