And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Love for Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

Prayer

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

Anyone who speaks a word 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.

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.

Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

“Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,