Study Desk

"^(C1)Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as ^(C2)wary as serpents, and as ^(C3)innocent as doves.

"But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the ^(C1)courts and flog you ^(C2)in their synagogues;

and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

"^(C1)But when they hand you over, ^(C2)do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour.

"For ^(C1)it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking ^(F1)in you.

"Now ^(C1)brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and ^(C2)children will rise up against parents and ^(F1)cause them to be put to death.

"And ^(C1)you will be hated by all because of My name, but ^(C2)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

"But whenever they ^(C1)persecute you in ^(F1)one city, flee to the ^(F2)next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel ^(C2)until the Son of Man comes.

"^(C1)A ^(F1)disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

"It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. ^(C1)If they have called the head of the house ^(F1)(C2)Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

"So do not ^(C1)fear them, ^(C2)for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

"^(C1)What I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim ^(C2)on the housetops.

"And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather ^(C1)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^(F1)(C2)hell.

"^(C1)Are two sparrows not sold for an ^(F1)assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

"But ^(C1)even the hairs of your head are all counted.

"So do not fear; ^(C1)you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

"Therefore, ^(C1)everyone who ^(F1)confesses Me before people, I will also confess ^(F2)him before My Father who is in heaven.

"But ^(C1)whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

"^(C1)Do not think that I came to ^(F1)bring peace on the earth; I did not come to ^(F1)bring peace, but a sword.

"For I came to ^(C1)TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW;

and ^(C1)A PERSON'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

"^(C1)The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

"And ^(C1)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

"^(C1)The one who has found his ^(F1)life will lose it, and the one who has lost his ^(F1)life on My account will find it.

"^(C1)The one who ^(F1)receives you ^(F1)receives Me, and ^(C2)the one who ^(F1)receives Me ^(F1)receives Him who sent Me.

"^(C1)The one who ^(F1)receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and the one who ^(F1)receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person's reward.

"And ^(C1)whoever gives one of these ^(F1)little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

^(C1)When Jesus had finished ^(F1)giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there ^(C2)to teach and ^(F2)preach in their cities.

^(C1)Now while in prison, ^(C2)John heard about the works of Christ, and he sent word by his disciples,

and said to Him, "Are You ^(C1)the Coming One, or are we to ^(F1)look for someone else?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see:

^(C1)those who are BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the ^(C2)POOR HAVE THE ^(F1)GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.

"And blessed is ^(F1)any person who ^(C1)does not ^(F2)take offense at Me."

As these disciples of John were going away, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into ^(C1)the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

"^(F1)But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings' ^(F2)palaces!

"^(F1)But what did you go out to see? ^(C1)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.

"This is the one about whom it ^(F1)is written: '^(C1)BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER ^(F2)AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.'

"Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

"And ^(C1)from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force.

"For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

"And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is ^(C1)Elijah who ^(F1)was to come.

"^(C1)The one who has ears to hear, ^(F1)let him hear.

"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children,

and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not ^(F1)mourn.'

"For John came neither ^(C1)eating nor ^(C2)drinking, and they say, '^(C3)He has a demon!'

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a ^(F1)heavy drinker, ^(C1)a friend of tax collectors and ^(F2)sinners!' And yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

Then He began to reprimand the cities in which most of His ^(F1)(C1)miracles were done, because they did not repent.

"^(C1)Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, ^(C2)Bethsaida! For if the ^(F1)miracles that occurred in you had occurred in ^(C3)Tyre and ^(C3)Sidon, they would have repented long ago in ^(F2)(C4)sackcloth and ashes.

"Nevertheless I say to you, ^(C1)it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on ^(C2)the day of judgment than for you.

"And you, ^(C1)Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be ^(C2)brought down to ^(C3)Hades! For if the ^(F1)miracles that occurred in you had occurred in ^(C4)Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

"Nevertheless I say to you that ^(C1)it will be more tolerable for the land of ^(C2)Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you."

^(F1)(C1)At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, ^(C2)Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(C3)You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants.

"Yes, ^(C1)Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight.

"^(C1)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father ^(C2)except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.

"^(C1)Come to Me, all ^(F1)who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

"Take My yoke upon you and ^(C1)learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and ^(C2)YOU WILL FIND ^(F1)REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

"For ^(C1)My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light."

^(F1)(C1)At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to ^(C2)pick the heads of grain and eat.

Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what ^(C1)is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!"

But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions—

how he entered the house of God, and ^(C1)they ate the ^(F1)consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?

"Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple ^(F1)violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent?

"But I say to you that something ^(C1)greater than the temple is here.

"But if you had known what this ^(F1)means: '^(C1)I DESIRE ^(F2)COMPASSION, ^(F3)RATHER THAN SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned ^(F4)the innocent.

"For ^(C1)the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

^(C1)Departing from there, He went into their synagogue.

And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned ^(F1)Jesus, asking, "^(C1)Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"—so that they might bring charges against Him.

But He said to them, "^(C1)What man ^(F1)is there among you who ^(F2)has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

"^(C1)How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do ^(F1)good on the Sabbath."

Then He ^(*)said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" ^(C1)He stretched it out, and it was restored to ^(F1)normal, like the other.

But the Pharisees went out and ^(F1)(C1)conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

But Jesus, ^(F1)aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and ^(C1)He healed them all,

and ^(C1)warned them not to ^(F1)tell who He was.

This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

"^(C1)BEHOLD, MY ^(F1)SERVANT WHOM I ^(F2)HAVE CHOSEN; ^(C2)MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL ^(F3)DELIGHTS; ^(C3)I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, ^(C1)AND HE WILL PROCLAIM ^(F4)JUSTICE TO THE ^(F5)GENTILES.

-"^(C1)HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

-"^(C1)A BENT REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A DIMLY BURNING WICK HE WILL NOT EXTINGUISH, UNTIL HE ^(F1)LEADS ^(F2)JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

-"^(C1)AND IN HIS NAME THE ^(F1)GENTILES WILL HOPE."