The Things You Do Show What You Are (Lk. 6:43-45)

³³"If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good then it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it makes. ³⁴You snakes! You are evil people! How can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. ³⁵A good person has good things saved in his heart. And so he speaks the good things that come from his heart. But an evil person has evil saved in his heart. So he speaks the evil things that come from his heart. ³⁶And I tell you that people will have to explain about every careless thing they have said. This will happen on the day of judgment. ³⁷The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will make you right, but some of your words will make you guilty."

The Jewish Leaders Ask Jesus for Proof (Mk. 8:11-12; Lk. 11:29-32)

³⁸Then some of the Pharisees* and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, "Teacher, we want to see you do a miracle* as a sign (proof)." ³⁹Jesus answered, "Evil and sinful people are the ones that want to see a miracle for a sign (proof). But no miracle will be given as a sign to those people. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to the prophet* Jonah. ⁴⁰Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man* will be in the grave three days and three nights. ⁴¹And on the judgment day the men from Nineveh* will stand up with you people that live today, and they will show that you are wrong (guilty). Why? Because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their lives. And I tell you that I am greater than Jonah! ⁴²On the judgment day, the Queen of the South* will stand up with you people that live today, and she will show that you are wrong (guilty). Why? Because that queen traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon's wise teaching. And I tell you that I am greater than Solomon!

People Today Are Full of Evil (Lk. 11:24-26)

⁴³"When an evil spirit [from the devil] comes out of a person, that spirit travels through dry places looking for a place to rest. But that spirit finds no place to rest. ⁴⁴So the spirit says, 'I will go back to the home (person) I left.' When the spirit comes back to that person, the spirit finds that home (person) still empty. That home is swept clean and made neat. ⁴⁵Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. Then all the spirits go into that person and live there. And that person has even more trouble than he had before. It is the same way with the evil people that live today."

Jesus' Followers Are His Family (Mk. 3:31-35; Lk. 8:19-21)

⁴⁶While Jesus was talking to the people his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to Jesus. ⁴⁷A person told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you." ⁴⁸Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" ⁴⁹Then Jesus pointed to his followers and said, "See! These people are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰My true brother and sister and mother is any person that does the things my Father in heaven wants.

Pharisees The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. miracle(s) Amazing works done by God's power. prophet A person that spoke for God. Jonah's story is in the Old Testament book of Jonah. Son of Man A name Jesus used for himself. In Dan. 7:13-14, this is the name for the Messiah, the one God chose to save his people. Nineveh City where Jonah preached. Read Jonah 3. Queen of the South Queen of Sheba. She traveled 1000 miles to learn God's wisdom from Solomon. Read 1 Kings 10:1-13.