You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹ They answered him, ^(A)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(B)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now ^(C)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^(D)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.

^17 (A)From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ^(B)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^[a]

Repent or Perish

13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood ^(A)Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, ^(B)“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(C)repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in ^(D)Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(E)repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going ^(A)along the road, ^(B)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ And Jesus^[a] said to him, “Leave ^(C)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and ^(D)proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, ^(E)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, ^(F)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that ^(A)God has made him ^(B)both Lord and Christ, this Jesus ^(C)whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when ^(D)they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, ^(E)what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, ^(F)“Repent and ^(G)be baptized every one of you ^(H)in the name of Jesus Christ ^(I)for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive ^(J)the gift of the Holy Spirit.