John's disciples brought him news about all these things. And John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying: Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? And when the men reached him, they said: John the Baptist sent us to you, saying: Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? In that time he healed many from diseases and afflictions and evil spirits, and he gave to many who were blind the joy of sight. He answered them and said: Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are made clean and deaf- mutes hear, the dead rise up, beggars are told good news; and blessed is he who does not go wrong where I am concerned. When the messengers of John went away, he began to speak to the multitudes about John: What did you come out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you come out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are in splendid clothing and luxury are in the houses of the kings. But what did you come out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he about whom it was written: Behold, I send forth my messenger before your face, who will make ready your way before you. I tell you, among men born of women there is none greater than John; but one who is a lesser one in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. (And all the people who listened, and the tax collectors, called God righteous, since they had been baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and the legalists rejected the will of God for themselves, since they had not been baptized by him.) To what shall I liken the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the public places who call to each other, who say: We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we lamented and you did not weep. For John came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say: He has a demon. The son of man came eating and drinking, and you say: See, this man is an eater and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. And wisdom is justified from all its children.
One of the Pharisees asked him to dine with him; and he went into the house of the Pharisee and reclined for dinner. And behold, there was a woman of the town who was a sinner; and when she learned that he was dining in the house of the Pharisee, she brought a jar of ointment and stood behind by his feet, weeping, and with her tears she began to wash his feet, and dried them with her hair and kissed his feet and anointed him with the ointment.
The Pharisee who had invited him saw this and said to himself: If this were a prophet, he would have known who she was and what sort of woman is handling him, that she is a sinner. Jesus spoke forth and said to him: Simon, I have something to say to you. He said: Speak, master. There were two who were in debt to a certain lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, the other fifty. When they could not repay him, he forgave both. Then which of them will love him more? Simon answered and said: I suppose the one whom he forgave the greater amount. He said: You judge rightly. Then turning to the woman he said to Simon: Do you see this woman? I came into your house, you did not give me water for my feet. But she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss. But she from the time when I came in did not leave off kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil; but she anointed my feet with ointment. In thanks for which, I tell you, her sins are forgiven, which are many, because she loved much. But one who is forgiven little loves little. And he said to her: Your sins are forgiven. And those who were dining with him began to say among themselves: Who is this who even forgives sins? But he said to the woman: Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.
•1 And it happened after this that he was traveling, city by city and village by village, preaching and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God; both himself and the twelve with him, and there were certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses, Mary who was called the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been driven, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susannah and many others. These ministered to them from their own possessions. And when a great multitude gathered and the people of the city came out also, he spoke to them through a parable: The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed it, some fell beside the way, and it was trodden down and the birds of the sky ate it. And some fell on the rock, and after growing it withered because it had no moisture. And some fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns grew together and stifled it. And some fell upon good soil and grew and bore fruit, a hundredfold. When he had told them this, he said: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. His disciples asked him what that parable was. And he said: To you it is given to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, so that though they have sight they may not see and though they have hearing they may not understand. But this is the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those who fall beside the way are those who hear, and then the devil comes and plucks the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are those who when they hear the word accept it with joy, and these have no root, who believe for the time and in the time of trial give way. What falls among the thorns, that means those who listened, and then as they go along they are stifled by concerns and money and the pleasures of life, and bring nothing to fulfillment. And what falls on the good soil, that means those who when they hear the word keep it fast in their good and worthy hearts, and bear fruit for their steadfastness.
No one lights a lamp and covers it with stuff or puts it under a bed, but one puts it on a stand, so that those who come in may see the light. For there is nothing hidden which will not be manifest, and nothing obscure which will not be known and come to light. Look to it how you listen. For when a man has, it will be given him, and if one has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.
His mother and his brothers came to see him, and they could not reach him because of the crowd. Word was brought to him: Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and wish to see you. He answered and said to them: My mother and my brothers are these people, who listen to the word of God and perform it.
It happened on one of these days that he went aboard a ship, he and his disciples, and said to them: Let us cross to the other side of the lake. And they put out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a great wind storm descended upon the lake, and they were filling, and in peril. They went to him and woke him, saying: Master, master, we are lost. But he woke, and reproved the wind and the waves on the water, and they stopped, and it fell calm. And he said to them: Where is your faith? And they were afraid, and wondered, saying to each other: Who is this who gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey him?
And they put in at the country of the Gerasenes, which is across from Galilee. And as he stepped ashore a man from the city met him, a man beset by demons; for some time he had worn no clothing, and would not stay in a house, but only among the tombs. When he saw Jesus he cried out aloud and threw himself down before him and said, in a great voice: What have I to do with you, Jesus son of the most high? I pray you, do not torture me. For he had been commanding the unclean spirit to go out of the man. For at many times it had seized upon him, and he had been bound in chains and shackles and kept under guard, and he would break his bonds and go driven by the demon into the desert. But Jesus asked him: What is your name? And he said: Legion; because many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to order them to vanish into the bottomless pit. But there was a considerable herd of swine feeding there on the hillside. And they begged him to give them leave to enter into these; and he gave them leave. And when the demons came forth from the man they entered into the swine, and the whole herd rushed over the cliff into the lake and were drowned. And when those who were herding them saw what had happened, they fled and brought the news to the city and the countryside. And they came out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and they saw the man, from whom the demons had gone forth, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind: and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the possessed man had been saved. And the whole population of the region of the Gerasenes asked him to go away from them, because they were constrained by a great fear; and he went to the ship and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone forth begged to be with him; but he dismissed him, saying: Go back to your house and describe what God has done for you. And he went through the whole city announcing what Jesus had done for him.