Lord of the Sabbath
One Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through fields of grain with his disciples. The disciples were hungry, so they began picking the grain heads and eating them as they walked. Some Pharisees saw what was happening and confronted Jesus. "Look at this," they said. "Your followers are breaking the law by doing work on the Sabbath." Jesus answered them directly. "Haven't you read the scriptures about what David did when he and his men were starving? David went into God's house and ate the sacred bread that was set apart for God—bread that only the priests were supposed to eat. Yet David and his men ate it anyway. And haven't you also read in the Law that the priests themselves work in the temple every Sabbath, technically breaking the Sabbath rules, yet they are not guilty of any wrongdoing?" Jesus continued, "I'm telling you that someone greater than the temple itself is standing here with you. If you truly understood what God meant when he said 'I want mercy, not religious ceremonies,' you would not be accusing innocent people of wrongdoing. The Son of Man has authority over the Sabbath—he is Lord of the Sabbath."
Healing on the Sabbath
Jesus left that place and went into their synagogue. There was a man there whose hand was shriveled and useless. The religious leaders wanted to find a reason to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing, so they asked him, "Is it against the law to heal someone on the Sabbath day?" Jesus answered them, "If any of you owned a sheep and it fell into a deep hole on the Sabbath, wouldn't you grab it and pull it out? A person is worth much more than a sheep! So yes, it is right to do good things on the Sabbath." Then Jesus turned to the man and said, "Hold out your hand." The man stretched out his hand, and instantly it was completely healed and worked perfectly, just like his other hand. The Pharisees left the synagogue and began making plans together about how they could kill Jesus.
God's Chosen Servant
When Jesus realized what was happening, he left that place and went somewhere else. But large crowds of people followed him wherever he went, and he healed every single person who was sick. However, he strictly warned all of them not to tell anyone who he was or spread news about him. This happened exactly as God had planned it, fulfilling the words that the prophet Isaiah had spoken long ago. Isaiah had written: "Look, here is my servant, the one I have chosen. He is my beloved son, and I am completely pleased with him. I will place my Spirit upon him, and he will announce what is right and just to all the nations of the world. He will not argue loudly or shout in anger. No one will hear him yelling in the public streets. When he finds a damaged reed that is bent and broken, he will not snap it in half and throw it away. When he sees a lamp wick that is barely glowing and about to go out, he will not blow it out, but will carefully tend it until it burns bright again. He will continue this gentle work until justice and righteousness win completely. People from every nation on earth will place their trust and hope in his name."
Jesus and Beelzebul
Someone brought a man to Jesus who had a demon inside him. This man couldn't see or speak because of the demon. Jesus healed him completely, and suddenly the man could both see and talk. The crowds who witnessed this were amazed beyond words. They began asking each other, "Could this man actually be the Son of David we've been waiting for?" When the Pharisees heard what people were saying, they responded harshly: "This man only casts out demons because he gets his power from Beelzebul, the ruler of all demons." Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking. He turned to them and said, "Any kingdom that fights against itself will destroy itself and fall apart. Any city or family that is divided and fighting within itself cannot survive. If Satan is casting out Satan, then he is fighting against himself. How could his kingdom possibly stand strong? And if I'm casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, then tell me—where do your own followers get their power when they cast out demons? They will be the ones to judge whether you're right or wrong about this. But if I'm actually casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then God's kingdom has come right here among you. "Think about it this way: How can anyone break into a strong man's house and steal his belongings unless they first tie up that strong man? Only after the strong man is bound can the thief ransack his house. The person who isn't working with me is working against me. The person who isn't helping me gather people together is scattering them apart. "This is why I'm telling you something very serious: People can be forgiven for every kind of sin and even for speaking evil words against God. But speaking evil against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven—not in this life and not in the life to come. "You have to understand this: Make a tree healthy and it will produce good fruit. Make a tree diseased and it will produce bad fruit. You can always tell what kind of tree you're dealing with by looking at the fruit it produces. You bunch of poisonous snakes! How can you say anything good when evil fills your hearts? Your mouth speaks whatever fills your heart to overflowing. A good person brings out good things from the good treasure stored up inside them, while an evil person brings out evil things from the evil treasure stored up inside them. "I'm telling you that on judgment day, people will have to give an account for every thoughtless word they've spoken. Your own words will either declare you innocent or prove you guilty."
The Sign of Jonah
Some of the religious teachers and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove who you are." Jesus answered them, "An evil and unfaithful generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Just as Jonah spent three days and three nights inside the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. "When the final judgment comes, the people of Nineveh will stand up and condemn this generation. They turned away from their sins when Jonah preached to them, and now someone far greater than Jonah stands before you. The Queen of the South will also rise up at the judgment and condemn this generation. She traveled from the far ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and now someone far greater than Solomon is here with you."
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
When an evil spirit leaves a person, it wanders through dry, empty places looking for somewhere to rest, but it cannot find any place to settle. So the spirit decides, "I will go back to the home I came from." When it returns, it discovers that the person is like an empty house that has been swept clean and organized, but no one is living there. Then the evil spirit goes out and finds seven other spirits that are even more wicked than itself. All eight spirits enter the person and make their home there. Now that person ends up in a much worse condition than before the first spirit ever left. This is exactly what will happen to this evil generation.
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
While Jesus was still talking to the crowds of people, his mother and brothers arrived and stood outside where he was teaching. They wanted to speak with him. Someone in the crowd noticed them and told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside. They want to talk to you." Jesus looked at the person who had spoken and asked, "Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?" Then he pointed toward his disciples who were sitting nearby and said, "Look—here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother."