Read the Bible with me!

[boatsnguitars]

So, here's the idea: I'll post a few chapters of the NT (starting with Matthew) and we can comment, then I'll post the next few chapters until we are all done reading the Bible. Sound fun? I've kept it out of the "safe space" so anyone can comment and critique. After this, we can all claim to have read the Bible (which I suspect many here haven't - you know who you are).

So, to start I will introduce the Gospel according to someone who claims it's according to Matthew by pasting a brief description from Early Christian Writings:
https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/matthew.html

Information on Gospel of Matthew
It is the near-universal position of scholarship that the Gospel of Matthew is dependent upon the Gospel of Mark. This position is accepted whether one subscribes to the dominant Two-Source Hypothesis or instead prefers the Farrer-Goulder hypothesis.

It is also the consensus position that the evangelist was not the apostle Matthew. Such an idea is based on the second century statements of Papias and Irenaeus. As quoted by Eusebius in Hist. Eccl. 3.39, Papias states: "Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could." In Adv. Haer. 3.1.1, Irenaeus says: "Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome and laying the foundations of the church." We know that Irenaeus had read Papias, and it is most likely that Irenaeus was guided by the statement he found there. That statement in Papias itself is considered to be unfounded because the Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek and relied largely upon Mark, not the author's first-hand experience.

Herman N. Ridderbos writes (Matthew, p. 7):

This means, however, that we can no longer accept the traditional view of Matthew's authorship. At least two things forbid us to do so. First, the tradition maintains that Matthew authored an Aramaic writing, while the standpoint I have adopted does not allow us to regard our Greek text as a translation of an Aramaic original. Second, it is extremely doubtful that an eyewitness like the apostle Matthew would have made such extensive use of material as a comparison of the two Gospels indicates. Mark, after all, did not even belong to the circle of the apostles. Indeed Matthew's Gospel surpasses those of the other synoptic writers neither in vividness of presentation nor in detail, as we would expect in an eyewitness report, yet neither Mark nor Luke had been among those who had followed Jesus from the beginning of His public ministry.

J. C. Fenton argues (The Gospel of Saint Matthew, p. 12):

It is usually thought that Mark's Gospel was written about A.D. 65 and that the author of it was neither one of the apostles nor an eyewitness of the majority of the events recorded in his Gospel. Matthew was therefore dependent on the writing of such a man for the production of his book. What Matthew has done, in fact, is to produce a second and enlarged edition of Mark. Moreover, the changes which he makes in Mark's way of telling the story are not those corrections which an eyewitness might make in the account of one who was not an eyewitness. Thus, whereas in Mark's Gospel we may be only one remove from eyewitnesses, in Matthew's Gospel we are at one remove further still.

Francis Write Beare notes (The Gospel according to Matthew, p. 7):

But the dependence of the book upon documentary sources is so great as to forbid us to look upon it as the work of any immediate disciple of Jesus. Apart from that, there are clear indications that it is a product of the second or third Christian generation. The traditional name of Matthew is retained in modern discussion only for convenience.

The author is an anonymous Jewish-Christian. Eduard Schweizer writes (The Good News according to Matthew, p. 16):

The Jewish background is plain. Jewish customs are familiar to everyone (see the discussion of 15:5), the debate about the law is a central question (see the discussion of 5:17-20), and the Sabbath is still observed (see the discussion of 24:20). The dispute with the Pharisees serves primarily as a warning to the community (see the introduction to chapters 24-25); but a reference to leading representatives of the Synagogue is not far below the surface. Above all, the method of learned interpretation of the Law, which "looses" and "binds," was still central for Matthew and his community (see the discussion of 16:19; 18:18). Preservation of sayings, such as 23:2-3, which support the continued authority of Pharisaic teaching, and above all the special emphasis placed on the requirement not to offend those who still think in legalistic terms (see the discussion of 17:24-27), shows that dialogue with the Jewish Synagogue had not broken off. On the other hand, a saying like 27:25 shows that the Christian community had conclusively split with the Synagogues, even though hope for the conversion of Jews was not yet totally dead.

Schweizer joins most scholars in favor of a Syrian provenance for the Gospel of Matthew (op. cit., pp. 15-16):

As the place of origin, Syria is still the most likely possibility. On the one hand, an association with Palestinian Judaism and its interpretation of the Law is clearly discernable; on the other hand, a full recognition of the gentile world and the admission of pagans into the post-Easter community are accepted facts. The destruction of Jerusalem plays some role; but it was not experienced firsthand, and the exodus of Christians from Jerusalem is perceptible only in the tradition borrowed from Mark, not in Matthew himself. . . But Syria is suggested by the major role assigned to Peter, esepcially his authoritative interpretation of Jesus' commands as referring to new situations (see the discussion of 16:9); for according to Acts 12:17 Peter had left Jerusalem. He was certainly in Syrian Antioch, as we know from Galatians 2:1 ff.

Larry Swain has summarized the evidence by which we locate Matthew in Antioch (e-mail correspondence):

Patristic testimony re: Jerusalem, while deemed incorrect has a negative value of demonstrating that noone thought Matthew came from anywhere else except the East.
It is doubtful that it would have been accepted so early and so widely unless one of the larger, more important churches sponsored it. Since Rome, Ephesus, Alexandria, and Jerusalem all have very important reasons against them, that leaves Antioch.
Peter's status in Matthew accords with his standing in Antioch, said to be the first bishop there. Not a strong argument on its own, but it fits the pattern.
Antioch had both a large Jewish population as well as being the site of the earliest Gentile missions, Matthew more than the other gospels reflects this duality.
Only in Antioch did the official stater equal 2 didrachmae, Matt 17.24-7.
The two texts which seem to refer to Matthean tradition (in the one case to the text of Matthew in the other case possibly to the text, but more likely to M material) are the letters of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and the Didache whose provenance is also Syria or northern Palestine thus placing Matthew fairly firmly in those areas at the end of the first century.
We know that in the third century there was a school in Antioch which claimed to go back to ancient times which had several OT textual traditions available, if the tradition is true, then this accords with both the Matthean citations of the OT as well as the "Matthean School" tradition; particularly since members of this Antioch school are said to have known Hebrew and Greek, which again points out a strong parallel with the author of Matthew.
There are some strong similarities between the Lucianic text of the Hebrew Bible and Matthew's citations of OT texts in some instances. Lucian lived and worked in Antioch and is believed to have worked with an Ur-Lucianic text, i. e. one of the above mentioned OT traditions to which author Matthew had access.
One of the concerns within the Matthean text is a conservative approach to the Torah which again accords well with Antioch as well as Palestine
The text also seems to be concerned to react against some of the material coming out of Yavneh, which again places it in an area which Yavneh had some influence, thus northern Palestine and Syria, and Antioch.
The community described in Matthew has usually been understood as a wealthy one, which rules out Palestine after the war of 70.
To set the terminus ad quem, Ignatius of Antioch and other early writers show dependence on the Gospel of Matthew. Dependence on Mark sets a terminus a quo for the dating of Matthew, which should be assumed to have been written at least a decade after the gospel upon which it relies. Several indications in the text also confirm that Matthew was written c. 80 CE or later.

J.C. Fenton summarizes the evidence for the dating of Matthew as follows (op. cit., p. 11):

The earliest surviving writings which quote this Gospel are probably the letters of Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, who, while being taken as prisoner from the East to Rome about A.D. 110, wrote to various churches in Asia in Asia Minor and to the church at Rome. Ignatius refers to the star which appeared at the time of the birth of Jesus, the answer of Jesus to John the Baptist, when he was baptized, and several sayings of Jesus which are recorded only in this Gospel (12:33, 15:13, 19:12). It seems almost certain that Ignatius, and possibly the recipients of his letters also, knew this Gospel, and thus that it was written before A.D. 110. But how long before?

Here we cannot be so certain. But it is possible that we can find evidence that Matthew was writing after the war between the Romans and the Jews which ended in the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem in A.D. 70. See, for example, 22:7: The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city; and compare also 21:41, 27:25. Similarly, Matthew's Gospel contains a strongly anti-Jewish note running through it, from the teaching not to do as the hypocrites do in Chapter 6, to the Woes on the scribes and Pharisees in Chapter 23; and this may point to a date after c. A.D. 85 when the Christians were excluded from the Jewish synagogues. It is worth noting here that Matthew often speaks of their synagogues (4:23, 9:35, 10:17, 12:9, 13:54), as if to distinguish Christian meetings and meeting places from those of the Jews, from which the Christians had now been turned out.

Beare offers the following to date the Gospel of Matthew (op. cit., pp. 7-8):

It is generally agreed that it was written after the fall of Jerusalem to the armies of Titus (AD 70), and the widespread acquaintance with it which is exhibited in all the Christian literature of the second century makes it difficult to place its composition any later than the opening decade of that century. If the Sermon on the Mount can be regarded in any sense as 'the Christian answer to Jamnia. . . a kind of Christian mishnaic counterpart to the formulation taking place there' (Davies, Setting, p. 315), this would indicate a date a few years before or after the turn of the century.

Concerning the knowledge of the fall of Jerusalem that the author evinces, Schweizer writes concerning Matthew 22:7 (op. cit., p. 418):

The wrath of the host is mentioned by both evangelists, but it is impossible to conceive of the king coming with his army not only to slay those who had been invited but to burn down their city (not "cities"), and doing all this while the feast stands ready for the newly invited. The parable deals with ordinary citizens, who buy fields and use oxen, not with men who rule entire cities. After his punishment, furthermore, the verdict of the king in verse 8 is pointless. Verses 6-7 are thus clearly an interpolation in the narrative, which earlier passed directly from verse 5 to the wrath of the king (beginning of vs. 7), and then to verse 8. Here the events of A.D. 70 - the taking and burning of Jerusalem by Roman armies - have colored the language of the parable.

There is one final piece of evidence that may establish the terminus a quo for the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 23:35, Jesus is made to say, "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar." In the parallel verse of Luke 11:51, the reference is to the Zechariah (son of Jehoiada) whose murder is recounted in 2 Chr 24:20-22, which is the last murder recounted in the Old Testament and which also caught the eye of the rabbinic writers for being such. Q theorists consider the Lucan form to be primary (Kloppenborg, Excavating Q, pp. 81-2); the author of Matthew has understood the identification to refer to one Zechariah, son of Barachias. The murder of this individual occurred in 67 or 68 and is described in Josephus, Jewish Wars 4.335. Unfortunately, it is also possible that this refers to the OT prophet of the same name.

There is widespread agreement that Ignatius betrays knowledge of Mt 3:15 in Smyrn. 1:1. This example of certain dependence is offered by Wolf-Dietrich Kohler, Georg Werner Kummel, Clayton N. Jefford, and the Biblia Patristica. Of this, Massaux writes (The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature before Saint Irenaeus, v. 1, p. 89):

. . . (τον χυριον ημων) . . . βεβαπτισμενον υπο Ιωαννου, ινα πληρωθη πασα διχαιοσνη υπ αυτου.

. . . Our Lord was . . . baptized by John in order that all due observance might be fulfilled by him; . . .

Undoubtedly, this passage recalls Mt. 3:15: Christ responds to the Baptist who is astonished to see him come to him in order to be baptized: αφεσ αρτι ουτως γαρ πρεπον εστιν ημιν πληρωσαι πασαν διχαιοσυνην.

Of all the evangelists, only Mt. furnishes this motive for the baptism of Jesus: it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness. The same words of Ignatius are found in Mt. The use of the phrase ινα πληρωθη πασα διχαιοσυνη corresponds so typically to the character of the first gospel, where διχαιοσυνη plays such an important role that it would be unreasonable to refer to another writing.

Moreover, the apocryphal gospels give a totally different motive for the baptism of Jesus. So it is that, according to Jerome, the Gospel according to the Hebrews notes a certain reticence on the part of Jesus to be baptized, since he is not a sinner. In the Gospel according to the Ebionites, the sequence of words is different, and the word διχαιοσυνη is missing. The Predicatio Pauli, on the other hand, mentions that, urged by his mother and almost against his will, Christ allowed himself to be baptized. Let me add finally then, when Eph. 18:2 states that the motive for Christ's baptism is the purification of the water by his Passion, Ignatius himself confirms my point of view. Indeed, if he did [not] show a literary dependence on Mt. in the text which I am analyzing, I do not see why he would give here a different motive from the one he states in Eph. 18:2.

Ignatius also shows knowledge of Mt 10:16 in Polyc. 2:2. Massaux argues (op. cit., pp. 90-91):

Φρονιμος γινου ως οφις εν απασιν χαι αχεραιος εις αει ως η περιστερα.

In all things be wise as the serpent and at all times be as simple as the dove.

Only one single text in the entire New Testament, Mt. 10:16, uses these two comparisons and joins them as does Ignatius of Antioch: γινεσθε ουν φρονιμοι Ως οι οφεις χαι αχεραιοι ως αι περιστεραι.

All of Mt.'s terms are present in the text of Ignatius, who merely changed the Matthean phrase to the singular as the context demanded - he is writing to Polycarp - and inserted εν απασιν in the first clause and εις αει in the second.

The passage is lacking in Lk. 10:3, which is parallel to Mt.'s narrative in which the metaphor is inserted.

There are two passages in Ignatius that show knowledge of Mt 15:13, and these are Trall. 11:1 and Phld. 3:1. Massaux states (op. cit., p. 88): "Of the evangelists, only Mt. recalls this saying of Christ. I find here, as I did in Ignatius, the word φυτεια related to the Father."

Other passages in which there are allusions to Matthew in the letters of Ignatius are: Eph. 5:2 (Mt 18:19-20), 6:1 (Mt 10:40; 21:33-41), 10:3 (Mt 13:25), 11:1 (Mt 3:7), 14:2 (Mt 12:33), 15:1 (Mt 23:8), 16:2 (Mt 3:12), 17:1 (Mt 26:6-13), 19 (Mt 2:2, 9); Magn. 5:2 (Mt 22:19), 8:2 (Mt 5:11-12), 9:1 (Mt 27:52); Trall. 9:1 (Mt 11:19); Rom 9:3 (Mt 10:41-42, 18:5); Phld. 2:1-2 (Mt 7:15), 6:1 (Mt 23:27), 7:2 (Mt 16:17), Sm. proem (Mt 12:18), 6:1 (Mt 19:12), 6:2 (Mt 6:28); Pol. 1:1 (Mt 7:25), 1:2-3 (Mt 8:17).

Thus, Kummel argues to date the Gospel of Matthew in the last two decades of the first century (Introduction to the New Testament, pp. 119-120): "Even if, indeed, Mk and Mt originated in different regions, precisely in his reworking of Mk Mt shows so clear a development of community relationships and theological reflection (see, e.g., 18:15 ff and 28:19) that a date of writing shortly after Mk seems less likely than a time between 80 and 100. A date of origin after 100 is excluded by Mt's having been used by Ignatius."

[boatsnguitars]

9:1And he entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. 9:2And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven. 9:3And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 9:4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 9:5For which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and walk? 9:6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy bed, and go up unto thy house. 9:7And he arose, and departed to his house. 9:8But when the multitudes saw it, they were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority unto men.

9:9And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

9:10And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and sinners? 9:12But when he heard it, he said, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. 9:13But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

9:14Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 9:15And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast. 9:16And no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made. 9:17Neither do men put new wine into old wine-skins: else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins perish: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved.

9:18While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 9:19And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 9:20And behold, a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: 9:21for she said within herself, If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. 9:22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 9:23And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult, 9:24he said, Give place: for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 9:25But when the crowd was put forth, he entered in, and took her by the hand; and the damsel arose. 9:26And the fame hereof went forth into all that land.

9:27And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. 9:28And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 9:29Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. 9:30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 9:31But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land.

9:32And as they went forth, behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. 9:33And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 9:34But the Pharisees said, By the prince of the demons casteth he out demons.

9:35And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. 9:36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. 9:37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 9:38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest.

10:1And he called unto him his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all manner of sickness.

10:2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 10:3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 10:4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

10:5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: 10:6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 10:7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 10:8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. 10:9Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; 10:10no wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. 10:11And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth. 10:12And as ye enter into the house, salute it. 10:13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 10:14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. 10:15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

10:16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 10:17But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in theirs synagogues they will scourge you; 10:18yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 10:19But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. 10:20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. 10:21And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 10:22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. 10:23But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

10:24A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. 10:25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household! 10:26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 10:27What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops. 10:28And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 10:29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father: 10:30but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 10:31Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 10:32Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 10:33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

10:34Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 10:35For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: 10:36and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 10:37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 10:38And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. 10:39He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

10:40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 10:41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward: and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 10:42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

11:1And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities. 11:2Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples 11:3and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? 11:4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see: 11:5the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. 11:6And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.

11:7And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? 11:8But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in king's houses. 11:9But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 11:10This is he, of whom it is written,

Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,

Who shall prepare thy way before thee.

11:11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 11:12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. 11:13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 11:14And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come. 11:15He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 11:16But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their fellows 11:17and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not mourn. 11:18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 11:19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! And wisdom is justified by her works.

11:20Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. 11:21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 11:22But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 11:23And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day. 11:24But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

11:25At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: 11:26yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. 11:27All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him. 11:28Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 11:29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 11:30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

[Data]

I won't stop you from doing a thread on the OT. Do the Satanic Bible, do the Bacon Bible, the Klingon Bible, the LolCat Bible, The Pidgin English Bible, the Word on the Street Bible, the Aussie Bible, the Hippie Bible.. I will not stop you!

[Sigh]

Okay. If we can't argue there isn't any point in anything on forums like this. People want something to argue about. You've got to have things to argue about, like bypasses. You've got to have bypasses. Just ask Arthur Dent or the Vogons. So, if I have time . . . . never mind. I've an idea.

[boatsnguitars]

12:1At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat. 12:2But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath. 12:3But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him; 12:4how he entered into the house of God, and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests? 12:5Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 12:6But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here. 12:7But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 12:8For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.

12:9And he departed thence, and went into their synagogue: 12:10and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. 12:11And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12:12How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day. 12:13Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other. 12:14But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

12:15And Jesus perceiving it withdrew from thence: and many followed him; and he healed them all, 12:16and charged them that they should not make him known: 12:17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

12:18Behold, my servant whom I have chosen;

My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased:

I will put my Spirit upon him,

And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.

12:19He shall not strive, nor cry aloud;

Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets.

12:20A bruised reed shall he not break,

And smoking flax shall he not quench,

Till he send forth judgment unto victory.

12:21And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.

12:22Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. 12:23And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? 12:24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. 12:25And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 12:26and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 12:27And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 12:28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 12:29Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 12:30He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 12:31Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 12:32And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. 12:33Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. 12:34Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 12:35The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 12:36And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 12:37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

12:38Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. 12:39But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: 12:40for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 12:41The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. 12:42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 12:43But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. 12:44Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 12:45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.

12:46While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him. 12:47And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee. 12:48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 12:49And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! 12:50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

13:1On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 13:2And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach. 13:3And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; 13:4and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them: 13:5and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth: 13:6and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 13:7And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them: 13:8and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 13:9He that hath ears, let him hear.

13:10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 13:11And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 13:12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. 13:13Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 13:14And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,

By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;

And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:

13:15For this people's heart is waxed gross,

And their ears are dull of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed;

Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart,

And should turn again,

And I should heal them.

13:16But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 13:17For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not. 13:18Hear then ye the parable of the sower. 13:19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. 13:20And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; 13:21yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. 13:22And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 13:23And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

13:24Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: 13:25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 13:26But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 13:27And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? 13:28And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 13:29But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. 13:30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.

13:31Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 13:32which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.

13:33Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

13:34All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them: 13:35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.

13:36Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 13:37And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 13:38and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 13:39and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. 13:40As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. 13:41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 13:42and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 13:43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear.

13:44The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

13:45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: 13:46and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

13:47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 13:48which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. 13:49So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, 13:50and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

13:51Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea. 13:52And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

13:53And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

13:54And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 13:55Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? 13:56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 13:57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house. 13:58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

14:1At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus, 14:2and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore do these powers work in him. 14:3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 14:4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 14:5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 14:6But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. 14:7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask. 14:8And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. 14:9And the king was grieved; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat with him, he commanded it to be given; 14:10and he sent and beheaded John in the prison. 14:11And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. 14:12And his disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

14:13Now when Jesus heard it, he withdrew from thence in a boat, to a desert place apart: and when the multitudes heard thereof, they followed him on foot from the cities. 14:14And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 14:15And when even was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert, and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. 14:16But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. 14:17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 14:18And he said, Bring them hither to me. 14:19And he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 14:20And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 14:21And they that did eat were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

14:22And straightway he constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side, till he should send the multitudes away. 14:23And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when even was come, he was there alone. 14:24But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 14:25And in the fourth watch of the night he came unto them, walking upon the sea. 14:26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear. 14:27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 14:28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto the upon the waters. 14:29And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. 14:30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. 14:31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 14:32And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. 14:33And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

14:34And when they had crossed over, they came to the land, unto Gennesaret. 14:35And when the men of that place knew him, they sent into all that region round about, and brought unto him all that were sick, 14:36and they besought him that they might only touch the border of his garment: and as many as touched were made whole.