A Mute Man Speaks

^32 (A)As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. ³³ And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, ^(B)“He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

The Compassion of Jesus^(C)

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, ^(D)teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease ^[a]among the people. ^36 (E)But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were ^[b]weary and scattered, ^(F)like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, ^(G)“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ^38 (H)Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

²⁰ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is ^(C)fulfilled in your hearing.”

¹⁷ And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(A)

^14 (B)Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, ^(C)preaching the gospel ^[a]of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ^(D)“The time is fulfilled, and ^(E)the kingdom of God ^[b]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

³ For ^(A)I delivered to you first of all that ^(B)which I also received: that Christ died for our sins ^(C)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ^(D)according to the Scriptures,

¹³ He has delivered us from ^(A)the power of darkness ^(B)and ^[a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ^14 (C)in whom we have redemption ^[b]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

The Glorious Company

¹⁸ For you have not come ^[a]to ^(A)the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and ^[b]darkness and tempest,

^17 (A)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and ^(B)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For he who serves Christ in ^[a]these things ^(C)is acceptable to God and approved by men.

^19 (D)Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which ^(E)one may ^[b]edify another.

²⁰ For ^(A)the kingdom of God is not in word but in ^(B)power.