1. At another time, Jesus and His disciples were walking through the wheat fields on the sabbath and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and rubbed them in their hands and ate the grain.
2. But when the religious leaders saw this, they complained to Jesus saying, "Look at how Your disciples sin by doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."
3. So, He said to them, "How can it be that My disciples sin by working on the sabbath, and yet you make your entire living by working on the holy day? But these sins you speak of come from your traditions.
4. "And now I tell you that something greater than tradition has arrived.
5. "But if you ever knew God or the one whom He sent, then you would know that He requires compassion and not sacrifice. If you knew this, then you would not condemn the innocent. For the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
6. "And now the Son of Man is Lord, even of the sabbath."
7. Departing from there, He went into the Church, and a man was there whose hand was withered, and they questioned Jesus so they might entrap Him saying, "Is it lawful then to heal on the sabbath?" For the practice of healing was not permitted on that day.
8. And He said to them, "Who among you if they have a sheep and it falls into a ditch on the sabbath would not work to free it and bring it up? Is a man not as valuable as a sheep?
9. "So then, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath--to save a life or destroy it?" But they all remained silent.
10. Then He said to the man, "Get up and come forward." And he got up and came to Jesus.
11. Then Jesus looked with anger at all the people who were judging Him, and He grieved at the hardness of their hearts.
12. Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
13. The man stretched out his hand and immediately it was cured and made whole like his other hand.
14. But the religious people and their leaders were enraged, and the leaders went out and conspired against Him, scheming at the highest levels as to how they might destroy Him.
15. Jesus, aware of their motives, withdrew and many followed Him and He healed them all on that Sabbath.
16. And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!" but He warned them all to tell no one who He was.
17. Later, a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus and He healed him, so that the mute spoke and saw.
18. All the people were amazed and were asking, "Could this man be the Son of God?"
19. But when the religious leaders heard this, they said among themselves, "This man casts out demons by the power of Satan, the father of demons."
20. And Jesus, who knew their thoughts, said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is destroyed by itself, and any city or any house divided against itself will fall.
21. "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
22. "When a strong man guards his own house, his possessions are safe.
23. "But when someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, then he strips him of all his armor and steals all his possessions.
24. "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then can his kingdom stand? And if it is by Satan that I cast out demons, how is it that you religious leaders cast them out? Indeed, for this reason, they will be your judges.
25. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
26. "Know this: The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me, scatters.
27. "For this reason, I say to you that all sin and blasphemy a person does will be forgiven of that person, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. That person is guilty of an eternal sin.
28. "Whoever speaks against the Son of Man shall be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of Truth--will never be forgiven, not now and not in the future."
29. As Jesus set out to leave that area, a rich young ruler of the people ran up to Him and kneeled before Him, and asked, "Good Teacher, what can I do to inherit eternal life?"
30. And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except for God alone.
31. "But you know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud others; honor your father and mother."
32. And the man said to Him, "I have kept all of these commandments since I was a child."
33. And Jesus, looking at him, felt compassion for him and said, "There is one thing you lack that keeps you incomplete: Go and sell all you have and give it all away, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me."
34. At this, the young ruler felt sad and grieved as he left, for he was very wealthy.
35. And Jesus, looking around, said to His followers, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven.
36. "I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
37. His disciples were astonished and said to Him, "Then who can ever be saved?"
38. Jesus replied, "With mankind this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible."
39. Then Peter said to Him, "We have left everything and followed You; what will there be for us?"
40. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, no one who has left their home, or brothers and sisters, or mother, or children for My sake and the sake of the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age.
41. "They will gain houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and also persecutions; and in the age to come--eternal life.
42. "Surely, you will sit on thrones beside Me and judge the entire world. And if you hear My words and do them, the very stones of the earth will serve you.
43. "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."
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