27 And as Jesus pa.s.sed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." 28 When he had entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows it." 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

32 As they were going out, behold, a mute and demon-possessed man was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." 34 But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."

23.10 Jesus Preaches to, and is Rejected by, his own Countrymen

MK 6:1-6a

1 He went away from there and came to his own country, and his disciples followed him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to him, that such mighty works are performed by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 5 Now he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.

24.10 Preaching and Healing in Galilee

MK 6:6b

6 Then he went around the villages teaching.

24.20 The Calling of the Twelve Apostles

MK 3:13-19a

13 And he went up on the mountain, and called to him those he himself wanted. And they came to him. 14 Then he appointed twelve, that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons: 16 Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

LK 6:12-16

12 In those days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to G.o.d. 13 And when it was day, he called his disciples to himself; and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Part 3 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

24.30 The Sermon on the Mount

MT 5:1-16

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on a mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see G.o.d.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of G.o.d.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

25.10 A Level Place

LK 6:17-26

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of his disciples and a great mult.i.tude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and be healed of their diseases, 18 and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came from him and healed them all.

20 He lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of G.o.d.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

25 Woe to you who are full now, for you shall hunger.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

25.20 The Law and the Prophets

MT 5:17-20

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pa.s.s away, not an iota, not a dot, will by any means pa.s.s from the Law until all is accomplished.

19 Whoever then breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

25.30 You Shall not Kill

MT 5:21-26

21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be answerable to the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of h.e.l.l. 23 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go. First be reconciled to your brother; and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him to court, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.

25.31 You Shall not Commit Adultery

MT 5:27-32

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman l.u.s.tfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into h.e.l.l. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into h.e.l.l.

31 "It has also been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchast.i.ty, causes her to become an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

25.32 You Shall not Swear Falsely

MT 5:33-37

33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is G.o.d's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

25.33 Do Not Resist One Who is Evil

MT 5:38-42

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.

But if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

25.34 Love Your Enemies

MT 5:43-48

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

LK 6:27-36