And when King Herod heard this, he and the entire city of Jerusalem were [very] upset.

Then a voice came out of heaven, saying, "This is my dearly loved Son. I am very pleased with Him."

After He had fasted forty days and nights, He was [very] hungry.

The devil took Him again, [this time] to a very high mountain and showed Him all the world's kingdoms, along with their splendor,

Be happy and very glad, for your reward in heaven will be great. For they persecuted the prophets [who lived] before you in the same way.

But if your eye sees things wrongly, [then] your whole body [i.e., your entire life] will be full of darkness [i.e., will not be lived properly]. If therefore, the light you have is [really] darkness [i.e., if you are not seeing life properly], that darkness will be very great [i.e., you cannot possibly live properly].

yet I tell you that even Solomon, clothed in his very finest royal robes, was never dressed [as luxuriously] as one of these flowers.

And Jesus said to the military officer, "Go on your way; since you have believed [in my power to heal], what you desired will be done for you." And the slave-boy was healed that [very] hour.

And He called to them, "Why are you [so] afraid? You have such little faith!" Then He stood up and sternly commanded the wind and the waves, and they became very calm.

When Jesus turned and saw her, He said, "Take courage, daughter, your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed that [very] moment.

Yes Father, you did this because it was very pleasing to you.

[Isa. 13:1ff] "Look, see my [i.e., God's] servant whom I have chosen; my dear One [i.e., Jesus] with whom my soul is very pleased: I will put my Holy Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim judgment to the [unconverted] Gentiles.

So, He did not perform very many supernatural deeds in that place because of the people's lack of faith.

Now King Herod became very distressed [over such a gruesome request]; but because he had [promised with] oaths and [to look good in front of] his party guests, he ordered John's head to be given [to her].

Then Jesus answered her, "O, woman, how great your faith is. May what you want be done for you." And her daughter was healed that very moment.

While he was still talking, suddenly a bright cloud engulfed them. Just then, a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, "This is my dearly loved Son, who is very pleasing to me; listen to Him."

And when the disciples heard [the voice], they fell [to the ground] on their faces and became very afraid.

and they will kill Him, but on the third day He will be raised up [from the dead]." And they were very grieved [when they heard this].

At that very time His disciples came to Jesus, asking, "Who then is the most important person in the kingdom of heaven?"

When his fellow-servants saw what he had done, they were very upset and went and told their master everything that had happened.

When the other ten apostles heard this, they became very upset with the two brothers.

But if that slave, with evil intent, should think to himself, 'My master will not be back very soon,'

a woman with an alabaster [i.e., stone] jar of very expensive perfume came to Him and poured it on His head as He reclined at the dinner table. [Note: See Matt. 23:6]

But when His disciples saw this they were very upset and said, "What is the reason for such waste?

Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this [very] night, before the rooster crows, you will deny [knowing] me three times."

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [i.e., James and John] with Him, and [soon] began to be grieved and very distressed.

[Then] Jesus said to the crowds at that very time, "Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs as [you would apprehend] a thief? I sat everyday teaching in the Temple, and you did not [come to] take me.

Then while he was seated in Pilate's courtroom of justice, Pilate's wife sent [word] to him, saying, "You should have nothing to do with that innocent man. For I was very troubled in a dream over him today." [Note: That is, she was troubled over a dream she had before waking up that morning].

And a voice called out from heaven, saying, "You are my dearly loved Son. I am very pleased with you."

Very early in the morning, [even] before daylight, Jesus woke up, left Simon's house [verse 29] and went out to a deserted place where He prayed.

It was because Herod was afraid of John, knowing he was a righteous and holy man, so he protected him. And Herod became very disturbed whenever he listened to John, yet he heard him gladly.

And the king became very distressed [over such a gruesome request], but because he had promised her with oaths, and [to keep from looking bad] in front of his party guests, he did not refuse her [request].

becoming [very] frightened when they saw Him. But He immediately spoke to them and said, "Take courage, and do not be afraid, it is I."

And He answered them, "Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites very well when he wrote [Isa. 29:13], 'These people honor me with their lips [i.e., by what they say], but their heart is far from [honoring] me.

Jesus then began teaching them that the Son of man must suffer very much, be rejected by the [Jewish] elders, leading priests, and experts in the law of Moses and be killed, but rise again [from the dead] after three days.

For he did not know what to say, because they [all] became very afraid.

Jesus answered them, "Elijah truly will come first and restore all things [i.e., to their proper perspective concerning the Messiah]. And it is [also] written [in the Scriptures] about the Son of man, that He would suffer very much and be rejected.

When the ten other apostles heard this, they became very upset with James and John.

When Jesus saw that this man answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not [very] far from the kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

For all of them threw in from their abundance, but being very poor, she threw in everything she had, even all she had to live on."

And while Jesus was in Bethany [Note: This was a small village fewer than two miles east of Jerusalem], sitting at the dinner table in the house of Simon, the man with an infectious skin disease [Note: This man had probably been healed by now], a woman with an alabaster [i.e., stone] jar of very expensive perfume came to Him, broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head.

And when they [i.e., the leading priests] realized this, they were very pleased and promised to give him money. So, Judas began looking for a convenient way to turn Jesus over to these Jewish leaders.

And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today, in fact this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny [knowing] me three times."

And very early on the first day of the week, after sunrise [i.e., on Sunday morning], they went to the grave site.

And when they looked up, they saw that the stone had [already been] rolled away, and it was very large.

But they had no children, because Elizabeth was unable to bear offspring due to their both being very old.

And Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is [also] very old."

Now the people who waited [outside] for Zacharias were very surprised that he was staying in the Temple so long.

But she became very troubled by what he said and wondered what such a greeting could mean.

[Suddenly] an angel from the Lord [was seen] standing near them and the glorious presence of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid.

And there was a woman prophet named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher [i.e., she was a descendant of one of Jacob's son]. (She was very old, having lived with her husband for [only] seven years after being married,

She came forward at that very time and thanked God [in prayer] and spoke about the child [Jesus] to everyone [in the Temple area] who was expecting the redemption of the people of Jerusalem [i.e., their liberation from sin].

When His parents [finally] saw Him, they were very surprised and His mother asked Him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your [step-] father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

and the Holy Spirit came down on Him in a physical form, as a dove, and a voice spoke out of heaven [saying], "You are my dearly loved Son. I am very pleased with you."

During the forty days He was being put to the test by the devil, He did not eat anything; then after it was over He was [very] hungry.

Now when the Lord saw her, He felt very sorry for her and said to her, "Do not cry."

At that very time Jesus was healing many people from diseases, those plagued with serious illnesses and those dominated by evil spirits. He [also] restored sight to many blind people.

Now Peter and those with him [i.e., James and John] had been very sleepy, but became wide awake when they saw the splendor of Jesus and the two men standing with Him.

At that very time Jesus rejoiced in [the power of] the Holy Spirit, and said [in prayer], "I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you concealed these things [i.e., His divine revelations] from those [claiming to be] wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babies [i.e., to simple, sincere, common people]. Yes, Father, this was pleasing to you.

For the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say at that very time."

"Consider how [wild] lilies grow; they do not work or weave, yet I tell you, even Solomon, clothed in his very finest royal robes, was never dressed [as luxuriously] as one of these [flowers].

Now there were some there at that very time who told Jesus about some people from Galilee whose blood Pilate [the Roman governor] had mixed with their sacrifices [i.e., he had them murdered while they were offering their sacrifices].

At that very time certain Pharisees came to Jesus saying, "Get out of here and go someplace else, for King Herod wants to kill you."

"The person who is trustworthy in regard to very small matters, [such as material possessions] is also [likely to be] trustworthy in regard to large matters, [such as spiritual values], and the person who does not do what is right in very small matters is also not [likely] to do what is right in large ones.

I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly. However, will the Son of man find [very many] believing people on the earth when He returns?"

And the ruler replied, "I have [already] been observing all of these commandments since I was [very] young."

But when the ruler heard these words, he became very sad for he was extremely rich.

And the gentleman replied, 'Well done, you are a good slave. Because you have proven trustworthy over a [relatively] very small matter, you will [now] have charge over ten towns.'

And they were very pleased, so agreed to give him money.

Now Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus for he had wanted to see Him for a long time. He had heard [things] about Jesus and [now] hoped to see Him perform a miracle.

So, Herod and Pilate became mutual friends that very day. (Now before this they had been enemies).

The one who has the bride is the groom; but the best man, who stands up with him and listens to him [take his vows], is very happy when he hears him speak. So, [now] my joy is complete [i.e. over hearing about Jesus' ministry].

But my testimony is greater than John's. For the deeds the Father has given me to complete, the very deeds I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.

They said to Jesus, "This woman was caught in the very act of sexual immorality.

You belong to your father the devil, and you are [always] wanting to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the [very] beginning [Note: This is probably a reference to Satan's influence on Adam, Eve and Cain in the Garden of Eden] and does not stand for the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he only speaks what is part of his nature, because he is a liar and the father of [all] liars.

Now it was before the Passover Festival [was to begin] and Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. Those [living] in the world, whom He had loved, and who were His own [disciples], He continued to love [dearly] to the very end [i.e., of His life on earth].

And if God is [so] glorified through Him [now], God will [also] glorify the Son in Himself very soon. [Note: Possibly this was a reference to Jesus returning to the Father's presence].

I will not speak with you very much anymore because the ruler of the world [i.e., Satan] is coming, and he has no control over me.

So, Pilate said to Him, "Are you a king, then?" Jesus answered, "You are [correct in] calling me a 'king.' This was the [very] purpose for which I was born and came into the world, that I should testify about the truth. Every person who wants [to know and obey] the truth listens to me."

"You people of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus from Nazareth was a man whom God [demonstrated] His approval of by powerful deeds, miracles and [supernatural] signs which He accomplished through Jesus in your very presence --- and you all know this!

You have made known to me what life is all about. You will make me completely happy by your very presence.'

Brothers, I would like to speak very plainly about the patriarch David [Note: A patriarch was the ruling father of the family]. He died and was buried and his grave can be seen today.

But the head priest and the Jewish sect of the Sadducees became very jealous,

"It was at that time that Moses was born, and he was a very handsome child. He was cared for in his father's home for three months

The godly men who buried Stephen's body mourned over his loss very deeply.

For I can see that your life is as bitter gall [i.e., very evil] and you are enslaved by [your] sins."

But as time went on, she became [very] sick and [eventually] died. Her body was washed [by the women attendants] and placed in an upstairs room [during the mourning process].

And since Lydda was very close to Joppa, the disciples [at Joppa], hearing that Peter was at Lydda [See verse 32], sent two men there to urge him, "Do not delay your coming [here] to us."

He was very devoted [to his religious principles] and had great respect for God, along with the members of his household. He gave [money] liberally to poor people and prayed to God regularly.

When he got there and saw how God was favoring the people [with salvation] he was very happy and [stayed on and] encouraged everyone to remain close to the Lord with a heartfelt purpose.

Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon [Note: These were seaport cities not under his jurisdiction]. They came to him as a group, having befriended Blastus, an officer of the king [Herod], and tried to arrange a peaceful relationship [with him] because the country was dependant on him for their food supply.

He was with a very intelligent magistrate, [a Roman official named] Sergius Paulus. This man called for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the message of God.

And when God removed him [from the throne of Israel] He raised up David to be their king. God said about him, 'I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man close to my heart [i.e., whom I loved very much] and he will do all that I want him to.'

"You brothers, descendants of Abraham's family and those of you who respect God very much, this message of salvation was intended for us.

But when the Jews saw the large crowds [gathered to hear the Gospel] they became very jealous and took sharp issue with the things Paul said, and [even] spoke against them.

This young man had a very good reputation among the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.

And she kept this up for a number of days. But Paul was very disturbed [over what she was doing] and [finally] turned [to her] and said to the spirit [in the girl], "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And the evil spirit did come out [of her] immediately.

When they heard [these charges], the crowds and [even] the city officials became very disturbed [by the situation stirred up by the Jews].

You are telling us some very unusual things and we would like to know what they mean."

He wanted these people to search for God in hope that, by groping for Him, they might [eventually] find Him, even though He is not [really] very far from [any of] us.