Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Matthew, chapters 12 and 13, as well as the
Gospel of Mark, chapter 4. Matthew, chapter 12.
At that time Jesus went through the grain fields
on the Sabbath, and his disciples were hungry
and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
And when the Pharisees saw it, They said to him,
Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful
to do on the Sabbath. But he said to them, Have
you not read what David did when he was hungry,
he and those who were with him, how he entered
the house of God and ate the showbread, which
was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those
who were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath
the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath
and are blameless? yet i say to you that in this
place there is one greater than the temple but
if you had known what this means i desire mercy
and not sacrifice you would not have condemned
the guiltless for the son of man is lord even
of the sabbath now when he had departed from
there he went into their synagogue and behold
there was a man who had a withered hand and he
asked him saying is it lawful to heal on the
sabbath that they might accuse him Then he said
to them, What man is there among you who has
one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on a Sabbath,
will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how
much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore
it is lawful to do good on a Sabbath. Then he
said to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he
stretched it out, and it was restored as whole
as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and
plotted against him how they might destroy him.
But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew from there,
and great multitudes followed him, and he healed
them all. Yet he warned them not to make him
known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Behold my servant,
whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul
is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him,
and he will declare justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone
hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed
he will not break, and a smoking flax he will
not quench, till he sends forth justice to victory,
and in his name Gentiles will trust. Then one
was brought to him who was demon -possessed,
blind and mute, and he healed him, so that the
blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all
the multitudes were amazed and said, Could this
be the son of David? Now when the Pharisees heard
it, they said, This fellow does not cast out
demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the
demons. But Jesus knew their thoughts and said
to them, Every kingdom divided against itself
is brought to desolation, and every city or house
divided against itself will not stand. If Satan
casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.
How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast
out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons
cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God,
surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Or how can one enter a strong man's house and
plunder his goods, unless he first binds the
strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
He who is not with me is against me, and he who
does not gather with me scatters abroad. Therefore
I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be
forgiven men. But the blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a
word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven
him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit,
it will not be forgiven him, either in this age
or in the age to come. Either make the tree good,
and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad,
and its fruit bad. For a tree is known by its
fruit. Brood of vipers, how can you, being evil,
speak good things? For out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks. A good man, out of
the good treasure of his heart, brings forth
good things. And an evil man, out of the evil
treasure, brings forth evil things. But I say
to you, that for every idle word men may speak,
they will give an account of it in the day of
judgment. For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned. Then
some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying,
Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. But
he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous
generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will
be given to it except the sign of the prophet
Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of the great fish, so will
the Son of Man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh
will rise up in the judgment with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the
preaching of Jonah, and indeed a greater than
Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise
up in the judgment with this generation and condemn
it, for she came from the ends of the earth to
hear the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed a greater
than Solomon is here. When an unclean spirit
goes out of a man, He goes through dry places,
seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I
will return to my house from which I came. And
when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and
put in order. Then he goes and takes with him
seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
and they enter and dwell there. And the last
state of that man is worse than the first. So
shall it also be with this wicked generation.
While he was still talking to the multitudes,
behold, his mother and brothers stood outside,
seeking to speak with him. Then one said to him,
Look, your mother and your brothers are standing
outside seeking to speak with you. But he answered
and said to the one who told him, Who is my mother
and who are my brothers? And he stretched out
his hand toward his disciples and said, Here
are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does
the will of my Father in heaven is my brother.
and sister, and mother. Chapter 13 On the same
day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the
sea, and great multitudes were gathered together
to him, so that he got into a boat and sat, and
the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then
he spoke many things to them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed,
some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds
came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places
where they did not have much earth, and they
immediately sprang up because they had no depth
of earth. But when the sun was up, they were
scorched, and because they had no root, they
withered away. And some fell among thorns, and
the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others
fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some
a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who
has ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples
came and said to him, Why do you speak to them
in parables? He answered and said to them, Because
it has been given to you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven. But to them it has
not been given. For whoever has, to him more
will be given, and he will have abundance. But
whoever does not have, even what he has will
be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to
them in parables, because seeing they do not
see, and hearing they do not hear. nor do they
understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah
is fulfilled, which says, Hearing you will hear
and shall not understand, and seeing you will
see and not perceive. For the hearts of the people
have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed. Lest they should
see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
lest they should understand with their hearts
and turn, so that I should heal them. But blessed
are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for
they hear. For assuredly I say to you that many
prophets and righteous men desire to see what
you see and did not see it, and to hear what
you hear and did not hear it. Therefore hear
the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the
word of the kingdom and does not understand it,
then the wicked one comes and snatches away what
was sown in his heart. This is he who received
seed by the wayside, but he who received the
seed on stony places, this is he who hears the
word and immediately receives it with joy. yet
he has no root in himself but endures only for
a while. For when tribulation or persecution
arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Now he who received seed among the thorns is
he who heard the word, and the cares of this
world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the
word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received
seed on a good ground is he who hears the word
and understands it, and produces, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty. Another parable he put
forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
But while man slept, his enemy came and sowed
tares among the wheat and went his way. But when
the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then
the tares also appeared. So the servants of the
owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not
sow good seed in your field? How then does it
have tares? He said to them, An enemy has done
this. The servants said to him, Do you want us
then to go and gather them up? But he said, No,
lest while you gather up the tares, you also
uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together
until the harvest. And at the time of harvest,
I will say to the reapers, First gather together
the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them.
But gather the wheat into my barn. Another parable
he put forth to them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took
and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least
of all the seeds. But when it is grown, it is
greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so
that the birds of the air come and nest in its
branches. Another parable he spoke to them, The
kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman
took and hid in three measures of meal till it
was all leavened. All these things Jesus spoke
to the multitude in parables, and without a parable
he did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will
open my mouth in parables, I will utter things
kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into
the house, and his disciples came to him, saying,
Explain to us the parable of the tares of the
field. He answered and said to them, He who sows
the good seed is the son of man. The field is
the world. The good seeds are the sons of the
kingdom. But the tares are the sons of the wicked
one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers
are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire, so it will be at the
end of this age. The Son of Man will send out
His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom
all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace
of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of
teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who
has ears to hear, let him hear. Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and hid. And for joy over it,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys that
field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he
had found one pearl of great price, went and
sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was
cast into the sea. and gathered some of every
kind, which when it was full they drew to shore.
And they sat down and gathered the good into
vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be
at the end of the age. The angels will come forth,
separate the wicked from among the just, and
cast them into the furnace of fire. There will
be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus said
to them, Have you understood all these things?
They said to him, Yes, Lord. Then he said to
them, Therefore every scribe instructed concerning
the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who
brings out of his treasure things new and old.
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished
these parables, that he departed from there.
When he had come to his own country, he taught
them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished
and said, Where did this man get this wisdom
and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's
son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers
James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And his sisters,
are they not all with us? Where then did this
man get all these things? So they were offended
at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is
not without honor except in his own country and
in his own house. Now he did not do many mighty
works there because of their unbelief. And again
he began to teach by the sea, and a great multitude
was gathered to him, so that he got into a boat
and sat in it on the sea, and the whole multitude
was on the land facing the sea. Then he taught
them many things by parables, and said to them
in his teaching, Listen, behold, a sower went
out to sow, and it happened as he sowed that
some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds
of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on
stony ground, where it did not have much earth,
and immediately it sprang up because it had no
depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was
scorched, and because it had no root, it withered
away. And some seed fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded
no crop. But other seed fell on good ground,
and yielded a crop that sprang up. increased
and produced some thirtyfold, some sixty, and
some a hundred. And he said to them, He who has
ears to hear, let him hear. But when he was alone,
those around him with the twelve asked him about
the parable. And he said to them, To you it has
been given to know the mystery of the kingdom
of God. But to those who are outside, all things
come in parables, so that seeing they may see
and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and
not understand. lest they should turn and their
sins be forgiven them and he said to them do
you not understand this parable how then will
you understand all the parables the sower sows
the word and these are the ones by the wayside
where the word is sown when they hear satan comes
immediately and takes away the word that was
sown in their hearts These, likewise, are the
ones sown on stony ground, who, when they hear
the word immediately, receive it with gladness,
and they have no root in themselves, and so endure
only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation
or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately
they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among
thorns. They are the ones who hear the word and
the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of
riches and the desires for other things. Entering
in choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.
But these are the ones sown on good ground. Those
who hear the word accept it and bear fruit, some
thirtyfold, some sixty and some a hundred. Also
he said to them, Is a lamp brought to be put
under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be
set on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden
which will not be revealed, nor has anything
been kept secret but that it should come to light.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Then
he said to them, Take heed what you hear. With
the same measure you use, it will be measured
to you. And to you who hear, more will be given.
For whoever has, to him more will be given. But
whoever does not have, even what he has will
be taken away from him. And he said, The kingdom
of God is as if a man should scatter seed on
the ground, and should sleep by night and rise
by day, and the seed should sprout and grow.
He himself does not know how, for the earth yields
crops by itself, first the blade, then the head,
after that the full grain in the head. But when
the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the
sickle, because the harvest has come. Then he
said, To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?
Or with what parable shall we picture it? It
is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown
on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds
on earth. But when it is sown, it grows up and
becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out
large branches, so that the birds of the air
may nest under its shade. And with many such
parables he spoke the word to them as they were
able to hear it. But without a parable he did
not speak to them. And when they were alone,
he explained all things to his disciples. On
the same day, when evening had come, he said
to them, Let us cross over to the other side.
Now when they had left the multitude, they took
him along in the boat as he was. And other little
boats were also with him. And a great windstorm
arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that
it was already filling. But he was in the stern,
asleep on a pillow. And they awoke him and said
to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are
perishing? Then he arose and rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the
wind ceased, and there was a great calm. But
he said to them, Why are you so fearful? How
is it that you have no faith? And they feared
exceedingly and said to one another, Who can
this be that even the wind and the sea obey him?
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as
I did and I look forward to seeing you again
tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless
you and have a great day.