Meeting Jesus

¹⁴Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom,

¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”

¹⁶Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.”

¹⁸Immediately they left their nets, and followed him.

¹⁹Going on a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.

²⁰Immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

¹Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.

²The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”

³He told them this parable:

⁴“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?

⁵When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

⁶When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

⁷I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁷For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

¹⁸He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God.

¹⁹This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil.

²⁰For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

²¹But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

¹Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

²He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹²Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

²⁵Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

²⁷He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

²⁸He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

²⁹But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

³¹By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

³²In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

³³But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,

³⁴came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

³⁵On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’

³⁶Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

³⁷He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

²Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

³You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

⁴Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

⁵I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

⁶If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

⁷If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

⁸“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

⁹Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.

¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

¹¹I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

¹²“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

¹³Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.

¹⁴They talked with each other about all of these things which had happened.

¹⁵While they talked and questioned together, Jesus himself came near, and went with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk, and are sad?”

¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things which have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people;

²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

²¹But we were hoping that it was he who would redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

²²Also, certain women of our company amazed us, having arrived early at the tomb;

²³and when they didn’t find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.

²⁴Some of us went to the tomb and found it just like the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

²⁵He said to them, “Foolish people, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?”

²⁷Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸They came near to the village where they were going, and he acted like he would go further.

²⁹They urged him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” He went in to stay with them.

³⁰When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them.

³¹Their eyes were opened and they recognized him; then he vanished out of their sight.

³²They said to one another, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³They rose up that very hour, returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them,

³⁴saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

³⁵They related the things that happened along the way, and how he was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.