And Jesus opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be good, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing?

"Watch the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one hour unto his life?

"And why take you thought for clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Therefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

"Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or, ‘what shall we drink?’ or, ‘with what shall we be clothed?’ (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

"Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil of it.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again. And why look at the sawdust that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me pull out the sawdust out of your eye’; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?

"You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the sawdust out of your brother's eye.

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither throw…your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and tear you.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. …What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

"Therefore all things whatever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

"Enter you in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in it: Because small is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone that says unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.

"Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.’

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

"And everyone that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Then…Jesus entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. …When the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, imploring Jesus that he would come and heal his servant.

…When the elders came to Jesus, they summoned him earnestly…. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying…Lord, trouble not yourself: for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof: Therefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto you: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it."

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at the centurion, and turned...about, and said unto the people that followed him, "I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be thrown out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant cured that had been sick.

And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, "You Son of David, have mercy on us."

And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus said unto them "Believe you that I am able to do this?

They said unto him, "Yes, Lord."

Then touched Jesus their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it unto you." And the blind men’s eyes were opened; and Jesus strictly charged them, saying, "See that no man know it." But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

As the two men went out, behold, they brought to him a mute man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the mute man spoke: and the crowds marveled, saying, "It was never so seen in Israel."

But the Pharisees said, "He casts out devils through the prince of the devils."

And it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

Now when he came near to the gate of the city, look, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on the mother, and said unto her, "Weep not." And he came and touched the bier: and they that bore the body stood still. And Jesus said, "Young man, I say unto you, arise." And he, that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother.

And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, that a great prophet is risen up among us; and, that God has visited his people. And this rumor of Jesus went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Then was brought unto Jesus one possessed with a devil, blind, and mute: and he healed him, so that the blind and mute both spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, "Is not this the son of David?"

And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said," He has Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casts he out devils."

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

REFERENCES

Matthew 5:2; Matthew 6:19-34; Matthew 7:1-6, 7-29; Luke 7:1-9; Matthew 8:11-12; Luke 7:10; Matthew 9:27-34; Luke 7:11-17; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:22-23; Mark 3:22; Matthew 12:25-28.

CHAPTER 68