¹⁶ Other people wanted to test Jesus. They asked him to give them a sign from heaven.

The Empty Man

²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But that spirit finds no place to rest. So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ ²⁵ When the spirit comes back to that person, it finds that home swept clean and made neat. ²⁶ Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. Then all the evil spirits go into that person and live there. And he has even more trouble than he had before.”

People Who Are Truly Blessed

²⁷ When Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out. She said to Jesus, “Your mother is blessed because she gave birth to you and nursed you.”

²⁸ But Jesus said, “Those who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who are truly blessed.”

Give Us Proof!

²⁹ The crowd grew larger. Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. But they will have no sign—only the sign of Jonah.^{[a] 30} Jonah was a sign for those people who lived in Nineveh. In the same way the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this time. ³¹ On the Judgment Day the Queen of the South^[b] will stand up with the men who live now. She will show that they are guilty because she came from far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is here! ³² On the Judgment Day the men of Nineveh will stand up with the people who live now. And they will show that you are guilty, because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And I tell you that someone greater than Jonah is here!

Be a Light to the World

³³ “No one takes a light and puts it under a bowl or hides it. Instead, he puts the light on a lampstand so that the people who come in can see. ³⁴ Your eye is a light for the body. If your eyes are good, then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are evil, then your whole body will be full of darkness. ³⁵ So be careful! Don’t let the light in you become darkness. ³⁶ If your whole body is full of light, and none of it is dark, then you will shine bright, as when a lamp shines on you.”

Jesus’ True Family

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone in to tell him to come out. ³² Many people were sitting around Jesus. They said to him, “Your mother and brothers^[a] are waiting for you outside.”

³³ Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ³⁴ Then Jesus looked at those sitting around him. He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ My true brother and sister and mother are those who do the things God wants.”

Jesus’ True Family

¹⁹ Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. There was such a crowd that they could not get to him. ²⁰ Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

²¹ Jesus answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God’s teaching and obey it!”