Hi friends. I'm Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles. So here's how this works. I'm going to read three chapters to you today. We read three a day, get through all four books in 30 days. You can listen as I read. You can watch on YouTube. You can

read along in your own Bible. I'll just read you these chapters and then I'll pray. And that is it.

Today is day 25 and I'll be reading Matthew chapters 12 through 14 from the new living translation, and we're on page 163 of the let's read the gospel's guided journal.

Matthew 12.

At about that time, Jesus was walking through some grain fields on the Sabbath.

His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of

grain and eating them. But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, look, your disciples are

breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath. Jesus said to them, haven't you read in the scriptures

what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and he and his companions

broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat.

And haven't you read in the law of Moses that the priest on duty in the temple may work on the Sabbath?

I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the temple, but you would not have condemned

my innocent disciples

if you knew the meaning of the scripture. I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.

For the son of man is Lord even over the Sabbath. Then Jesus went over to their synagogue where

he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, does the law permit a person to work by

healing on the Sabbath? They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.

And he answered, if you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you work to

pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Yes, the law

permits a person to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, hold out your hand. So the man

held out his hand and it was restored just like the other one. Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot

how to kill Jesus. But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area and many people

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