Study Desk

Immediately Jesus, being fully aware [of their hostility] and knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this, said to them, "Why are you debating and arguing about these things in your hearts?

And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before them all, so that they all were astonished and they glorified and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

And it happened that Jesus was reclining at the table in Levi's house, and many tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] were eating with Him and His disciples; for there were many of them and they were following Him.

When the scribes [belonging to the sect] of the Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with the sinners [including non-observant Jews] and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, "Why does He eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting [as a ritual]; and they came and asked Jesus, "Why are John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not doing so?"

"But the days will come when the bridegroom is [forcefully] taken away from them, and they will fast at that time.

One Sabbath He was walking along [with His disciples] through the grainfields, and as they went along, His disciples began picking the heads of grain.

Then the Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians [to plot] against Him, as to how they might [fabricate some legal grounds to] put Him to death.

and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and [from the region] beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon; a vast number of people came to Him because they were hearing about all [the things] that He was doing.

And He told His disciples to have a small boat stand ready for Him because of the many people, so that they would not crowd Him;

Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and screamed out, "You are the Son of God!"

He went up on the hillside and called those whom He Himself wanted and chose; and they came to Him.

And He appointed twelve [disciples], so that they would be with Him [for instruction] and so that He could send them out to preach [the gospel as apostles—that is, as His special messengers, personally chosen representatives],

"I assure you and most solemnly say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and all the abusive and blasphemous things they say;

Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called for Him.

A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Look! Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You."

"And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown]."

so that THEY WILL CONTINUALLY LOOK BUT NOT SEE, AND THEY WILL CONTINUALLY HEAR BUT NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT TURN [from their rejection of the truth] AND BE FORGIVEN."

"These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away.