How to increase your Faith

And the apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamore tree, Be plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say to him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meal? And will not rather say to him, Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself, and serve me, and afterward you shall eat and drink? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not So likewise you, when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, "We are unprofitable servants: we have only done that which was our duty to do".. Luke 17:5-10

Jesus hears that Lazarus is dead

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that said he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples said to him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone you; and you go there again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he does not stumble. because he sees the Light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no Light in him. These things he said and after that he said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleeps, he shall do well. However Jesus spoke of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking a rest in sleep. { Then said Jesus to them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent you may believe; nevertheless let us go to him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, to his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead

Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off (two miles) And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatever you will ask of God, God will give it to you, Jesus said to her, Your brother shall rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calls for you. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came to him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goes to the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man not to have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take you away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said to him, Lord, by this time he stinks: for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Said I not to you, that, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And I knew that you always hear me: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their way to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a Council (Sanhedrin ), and said, What do we do? for this man does many miracles. If we let him alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said to them, You know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spoke he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; And not for the nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. John 11:17-49

Jesus retires to Ephraim 

Then from that day forth they took counsel together to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went unto a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and continued there with his disciples.... John 11:50-54

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said to them, Go show yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Was no one found to give glory to God, save this foreigner ?. And he said to him, Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole.  Luke 17:11-19

 Jesus explains the Kingdom of God

And when he was asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, The kingdom of God is not coming with outward signs: Nor will they say, Lo here it is! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is ( an inner experience ) within you. And he said to the disciples, The days will come, when you shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: do not go after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that flashes out of the one part under heaven, to the other part; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected by this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark, and the Flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even so shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which is on the rooftop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said to him, Where, Lord? And he said to them, Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered.... Luke 17:20-37

Persistence in Prayer and Faith

And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she wearies me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find Faith on the earth?.

The Pharisee and the Publican

And he spoke this parable to certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you, that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto0heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.... Luke 18:1-14

 Jesus heals large crowds on their way to the Passover

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. ...Matthew 19:1,2