Monday, July 20

¹At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them. ²But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” ³He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry— ⁴how he entered the house of God and ate the sacred bread, which was against the law for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? ⁵Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? ⁶I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

⁹Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue. ¹⁰A man was there who had a withered hand. And they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they could accuse him. ¹¹He said to them, “Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and it was restored, as healthy as the other. ¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate him.

¹⁵Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great crowds followed him, and he healed them all. ¹⁶But he sternly warned them not to make him known. ¹⁷This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I take great delight. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory.

²¹And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

²²Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see. ²³All the crowds were amazed and said, “Could this one be the Son of David?” ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this they said, “He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons!” ²⁵Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you. ²⁹How else can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. ³⁰Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ³¹For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

³³“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. ³⁵The good person brings good things out of his good treasury, and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury. ³⁶I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. ³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”