The Life of Jesus

Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.

And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.

But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

He entered the house of God, took the consecrated bread and gave it to his companions, and ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat.”

Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

On another Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.

Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

And after looking around at all of them, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and it was restored.

But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with rage and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.

When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles:

Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot;

Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.

They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by unclean spirits were healed.

The entire crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.