²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^(A) Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father.^(B) No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”^(C)

²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”^(D)

The Father Revealed in the Son^(A)

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(B) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^{(C) 26} Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷ “All things have been committed to me^(D) by my Father.^(E) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.^(F)

²⁸ “Come to me,^(A) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^{(B) 29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(C) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^{(D) 30} For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”^(E)

At the Home of Martha and Mary

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha^(A) opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary,^(B) who sat at the Lord’s feet^(C) listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care^(D) that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried^(E) and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a](F) Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer^(G)(H)

11 One day Jesus was praying^(I) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,^(J) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[f] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.^(N)

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;^(O) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[g] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

²⁷ As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”^(A)

²⁸ He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God^(B) and obey it.”^(C)

The Sign of Jonah^(D)

²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,^(E) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.^{(F) 30} For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;^(G) and now something greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;^(H) and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body^(I)

³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.^{(J) 34} Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,^[a] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,^[b] your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

³⁷ When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.^{(K) 38} But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.^(L)

³⁹ Then the Lord^(M) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.^{(N) 40} You foolish people!^(O) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,^(P) and everything will be clean for you.^(Q)

⁴² “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth^(R) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.^(S) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.^(T)

⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.^(U)

⁴⁴ “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,^(V) which people walk over without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law^(W) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.^(X)

⁴⁷ “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.^{(Y) 49} Because of this, God in his wisdom^(Z) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’^{(AA) 50} Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel^(AB) to the blood of Zechariah,^(AC) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.^(AD)

⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”^(AE)

⁵³ When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, ⁵⁴ waiting to catch him in something he might say.^(AF)

Warnings and Encouragements^(AG)

12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be^[c] on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.^{(AH) 2} There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.^{(AI) 3} What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

⁴ “I tell you, my friends,^(AJ) do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.^{(AK) 6} Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.^(AL) Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.^(AM)

⁸ “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.^{(AN) 9} But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned^(AO) before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man^(AP) will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.^(AQ)

¹¹ “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,^{(AR) 12} for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”^(AS)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” ¹⁵ Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”^(AT)

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool!^(AU) This very night your life will be demanded from you.^(AV) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’^(AW)

²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”^(AX)