1At that time, on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through a grain field. His followers were hungry and began to pick heads of grain and eat them.
2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look, your followers are doing something that is not allowed on the Sabbath day.”
3But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4He went into God’s house and ate the sacred bread, which neither he nor his companions were allowed to eat, but only the priests.
5Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple do work that breaks the Sabbath regulations, and yet they are innocent?
6But I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.
7If you had understood what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned innocent people.
8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9Jesus left that place and went into their synagogue.
10There was a man there with a shriveled hand. They asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” They asked this to have a reason to accuse him.
11He said to them, “Which one of you, if he has a single sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will not take hold of it and pull it out?
12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.”
13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched it out, and it was restored, just as healthy as the other one.
14But the Pharisees left and made plans against Jesus, trying to figure out how to kill him.
15When Jesus realized this, he left that place. Large crowds followed him, and he healed all of them.
16He ordered them not to tell anyone who he was,
17so that what Isaiah the prophet said would come true:
18“Look, here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved one, in whom I am well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will announce justice to the nations.
19He will not argue or shout; no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20He will not break a bent reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory.
21The nations will put their hope in his name.”
22Then people brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him, so the man could both speak and see.
23All the crowds were amazed and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24But when the Pharisees heard about it, they said, “This man can only drive out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.”
25Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or family that is divided against itself will not last.
26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How, then, can his kingdom last?
27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own followers drive them out? So they will be your judges.
28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.
29Or how can someone break into a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
30“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not help me gather is scattering.
31That is why I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and insult, but insulting the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33“Either make a tree good and its fruit good, or make a tree rotten and its fruit rotten, because a tree is known by its fruit.
34You are like a brood of poisonous snakes! How can you—evil as you are—say anything good? For what you say comes from what is in your heart.
35Good people bring out good things from the good stored in their hearts, and evil people bring out evil things from the evil stored in their hearts.
36I tell you that on the Day of Judgment, people will have to account for every careless word they speak.
37For your words will be used to declare you innocent, and your words will be used to declare you guilty.”
38Then some of the teachers of the law and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see you perform a miraculous sign.”
39But he answered them, “An evil and unfaithful generation looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
41At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because they turned from their sins when Jonah preached; and look, someone greater than Jonah is here.
42At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and look, someone greater than Solomon is here.
43When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes through dry places looking for rest, but doesn’t find it.
44Then it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left,’ and when it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.
45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there. So, the person's final condition is worse than the first. This is also how it will be for this evil generation.”
46While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
47Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48But he answered the person who told him, “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?”
49Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers!
50For whoever does what my Father in heaven wants, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother.”