Praying through the Bible

  The Parable of the Sower 13  That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2  And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.   3  And he told them many things in parables, saying:  “A sower went out to sow.   4  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,   6  but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.   7  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.   8  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.   9  He who has ears, [ a ]  let him hear.” The Purpose of the Parables 10  Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”   11  And he answered them,  “To you it has

 Matthew 12 Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath 12  At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”   3  He said to them,  “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4  how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?   5  Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?   6  I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.   7  And if you had known what this means,  ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.   8  For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” A Man with a Withered Hand 9  He went on from there and en

  Messengers from John the Baptist 11  When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2  Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples   3  and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”   4  And Jesus answered them,  “Go and tell John what you hear and see:   5  the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers [ a ]  are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.   6  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 7  As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John:  “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8  What then did you go out to see? A man [ b ]  dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.   9  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? [ c ]  Yes, I tell you,