Study Desk

When his parents saw him, they wondered how this was possible. And his mother said, "Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you. We have been looking for you."

Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother was still thinking about all these things.

Then everyone will see how God will save his people!'"

John's answer to this was, "I baptize you in water, but there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who unties his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

He will come ready to clean the grain. He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he will put the good part into his barn. Then he will burn the useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped."

So Herod added another bad thing to all his other wrongs: He put John in jail.

The Scriptures say, ‘God will command his angels to take care of you.'

and to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness."

Then he said, "The truth is, a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown.

They were amazed at his teaching because he spoke with authority.

When the sun went down, the people brought their sick friends to Jesus. They had many different kinds of sicknesses. Jesus laid his hands on each sick person and healed them all.

The man immediately stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and walked home, praising God.

After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector sitting at his place for collecting taxes. His name was Levi. Jesus said to him, "Follow me!"

Then Levi gave a big dinner at his house for Jesus. At the table there were many tax collectors and some other people too.

But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then his friends will fast."

One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it.

Jesus looked around at all of them and then said to the man, "Hold out your hand." The man held out his hand, and it was healed.

The next morning he called his followers. He chose twelve of them and called them apostles. These are the ones he chose:

Jesus and the apostles came down from the mountain. Jesus stood on a flat place. A large crowd of his followers was there. Also, there were many people from all around Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon.

Jesus looked at his followers and said, "Great blessings belong to you who are poor. God's kingdom belongs to you.