Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 10.26, 27)
Turn from Your Sins or Die
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
The Lost Sheep
1 After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He said to them, “There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest. 3 Go! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.Whom to Fear
4 Don't take a purse or a beggar's bag or shoes; don't stop to greet anyone on the road. 5 Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace be with this house.’The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
6 If someone who is peace-loving lives there, let your greeting of peace remain on that person; if not, take back your greeting of peace.Humility and Hospitality
7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer you, for workers should be given their pay. Don't move around from one house to another.Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Matthew 10.32, 33; 12.32; 10.19, 20)
The Lost Coin
8 Whenever you go into a town and are made welcome, eat what is set before you, 9 heal the sick in that town, and say to the people there, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near you.’Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 But whenever you go into a town and are not welcomed, go out in the streets and say,The Lost Son
11 ‘Even the dust from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the Kingdom of God has come near you!’ 12 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to that town!The Unbelieving Towns
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago sat down, put on sackcloth, and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins!Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)
14 God will show more mercy on the Judgment Day to Tyre and Sidon than to you.The Parable of the Great Feast
15 And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell!” 16 Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 The seventy-two men came back in great joy. “Lord,” they said, “even the demons obeyed us when we gave them a command in your name!”The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31, 32; Mark 4.30-32)
18 Jesus answered them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Listen! I have given you authority, so that you can walk on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the Enemy, and nothing will hurt you.The Parable of the Yeast
20 But don't be glad because the evil spirits obey you; rather be glad because your names are written in heaven.”Jesus Rejoices
(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16, 17)
21 At that time Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit and said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen.Trust in God
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13, 14, 21-23)
22 “My Father has given me all things. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said to them privately, “How fortunate you are to see the things you see!The Return of the Evil Spirit
24 I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, but they could not, and to hear what you hear, but they did not.”The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Cost of Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37, 38)
25 A teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?” 26 Jesus answered him, “What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?”True Happiness
27 The man answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’” 28 “You are right,” Jesus replied; “do this and you will live.”The Demand for a Miracle
29 But the teacher of the Law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus answered, “There was once a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, stripped him, and beat him up, leaving him half dead.Jesus' Love for Jerusalem
31 It so happened that a priest was going down that road; but when he saw the man, he walked on by on the other side.Riches in Heaven
32 In the same way a Levite also came there, went over and looked at the man, and then walked on by on the other side.The Light of the Body
(Matthew 5.15; 6.22, 23)
33 But a Samaritan who was traveling that way came upon the man, and when he saw him, his heart was filled with pity.Worthless Salt
34 He went over to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them; then he put the man on his own animal and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.Watchful Servants
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he told the innkeeper, ‘and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.’” 36 And Jesus concluded, “In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbor toward the man attacked by the robbers?”Jesus Accuses the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law
(Matthew 23.1-36; Mark 12.38-40)
37 The teacher of the Law answered, “The one who was kind to him.” Jesus replied, “You go, then, and do the same.”Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him in her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching. 40 Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself Tell her to come and help me!”The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant
41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, 42 but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.”Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 10.26, 27)
Turn from Your Sins or Die
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
The Lost Sheep
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say this:‘Father:
May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come.
3 Give us day by day the food we need.
Whom to Fear
4 Forgive us our sins,for we forgive everyone who does us wrong.
And do not bring us to hard testing.’” 5 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Suppose one of you should go to a friend's house at midnight and say, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread.
The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
6 A friend of mine who is on a trip has just come to my house, and I don't have any food for him!’Humility and Hospitality
7 And suppose your friend should answer from inside, ‘Don't bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.’Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Matthew 10.32, 33; 12.32; 10.19, 20)
The Lost Coin
8 Well, what then? I tell you that even if he will not get up and give you the bread because you are his friend, yet he will get up and give you everything you need because you are not ashamed to keep on asking. 9 And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks.The Lost Son
11 Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish? 12 Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?The Unbelieving Towns
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)
14 Jesus was driving out a demon that could not talk; and when the demon went out, the man began to talk. The crowds were amazed,The Parable of the Great Feast
15 but some of the people said, “It is Beelzebul, the chief of the demons, who gives him the power to drive them out.” 16 Others wanted to trap Jesus, so they asked him to perform a miracle to show that God approved of him.The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 But Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long; a family divided against itself falls apart.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31, 32; Mark 4.30-32)
18 So if Satan's kingdom has groups fighting each other, how can it last? You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. 19 If this is how I drive them out, how do your followers drive them out? Your own followers prove that you are wrong!The Parable of the Yeast
20 No, it is rather by means of God's power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already come to you.Jesus Rejoices
(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16, 17)
21 “When a strong man, with all his weapons ready, guards his own house, all his belongings are safe.Trust in God
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13, 14, 21-23)
22 But when a stronger man attacks him and defeats him, he carries away all the weapons the owner was depending on and divides up what he stole. 23 “Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.The Return of the Evil Spirit
24 “When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can't find one, it says to itself, ‘I will go back to my house.’The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Cost of Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37, 38)
25 So it goes back and finds the house clean and all fixed up. 26 Then it goes out and brings seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in worse shape than at the beginning.”True Happiness
27 When Jesus had said this, a woman spoke up from the crowd and said to him, “How happy is the woman who bore you and nursed you!” 28 But Jesus answered, “Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”The Demand for a Miracle
29 As the people crowded around Jesus, he went on to say, “How evil are the people of this day! They ask for a miracle, but none will be given them except the miracle of Jonah. 30 In the same way that the prophet Jonah was a sign for the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this day.Jesus' Love for Jerusalem
31 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse the people of today, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and there is something here, I tell you, greater than Solomon.Riches in Heaven
32 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Jonah!The Light of the Body
(Matthew 5.15; 6.22, 23)
33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a bowl; instead, it is put on the lampstand, so that people may see the light as they come in.Worthless Salt
34 Your eyes are like a lamp for the body. When your eyes are sound, your whole body is full of light; but when your eyes are no good, your whole body will be in darkness.Watchful Servants
35 Make certain, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be bright all over, as when a lamp shines on you with its brightness.”Jesus Accuses the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law
(Matthew 23.1-36; Mark 12.38-40)
37 When Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and sat down to eat.Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
38 The Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus had not washed before eating. 39 So the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and plate, but inside you are full of violence and evil. 40 Fools! Did not God, who made the outside, also make the inside?The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant
41 But give what is in your cups and plates to the poor, and everything will be ritually clean for you. 42 “How terrible for you Pharisees! You give to God one tenth of the seasoning herbs, such as mint and rue and all the other herbs, but you neglect justice and love for God. These you should practice, without neglecting the others. 43 “How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the reserved seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. 44 How terrible for you! You are like unmarked graves which people walk on without knowing it.” 45 One of the teachers of the Law said to him, “Teacher, when you say this, you insult us too!” 46 Jesus answered, “How terrible also for you teachers of the Law! You put onto people's backs loads which are hard to carry, but you yourselves will not stretch out a finger to help them carry those loads. * 47 How terrible for you! You make fine tombs for the prophets—the very prophets your ancestors murdered. 48 You yourselves admit, then, that you approve of what your ancestors did; they murdered the prophets, and you build their tombs.Jesus the Cause of Division
49 For this reason the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and messengers; they will kill some of them and persecute others.’ 50 So the people of this time will be punished for the murder of all the prophets killed since the creation of the world, 51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the Holy Place. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will be punished for them all! 52 “How terrible for you teachers of the Law! You have kept the key that opens the door to the house of knowledge; you yourselves will not go in, and you stop those who are trying to go in!” 53 When Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to criticize him bitterly and ask him questions about many things,Understanding the Time
(Matthew 16.2, 3)
54 trying to lay traps for him and catch him saying something wrong.Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 10.26, 27)
Turn from Your Sins or Die
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
The Lost Sheep
1 As thousands of people crowded together, so that they were stepping on each other, Jesus said first to his disciples, “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees—I mean their hypocrisy. 2 Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. 3 So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.Whom to Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterward do anything worse. 5 I will show you whom to fear: fear God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw into hell. Believe me, he is the one you must fear!The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
6 “Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one sparrow is forgotten by God.Humility and Hospitality
7 Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Matthew 10.32, 33; 12.32; 10.19, 20)
The Lost Coin
8 “I assure you that those who declare publicly that they belong to me, the Son of Man will do the same for them before the angels of God. 9 But those who reject me publicly, the Son of Man will also reject them before the angels of God.Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 “Whoever says a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.The Lost Son
11 “When they bring you to be tried in the synagogues or before governors or rulers, do not be worried about how you will defend yourself or what you will say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”The Unbelieving Towns
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 A man in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)
14 Jesus answered him, “Friend, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?”The Parable of the Great Feast
15 And he went on to say to them all, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be.” 16 Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops.The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 He began to think to himself, ‘I don't have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do?The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31, 32; Mark 4.30-32)
18 This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. 19 Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself’The Parable of the Yeast
20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’”Jesus Rejoices
(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16, 17)
21 And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight.”Trust in God
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13, 14, 21-23)
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body. 23 Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes.The Return of the Evil Spirit
24 Look at the crows: they don't plant seeds or gather a harvest; they don't have storage rooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds!The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Cost of Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37, 38)
25 Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it? 26 If you can't manage even such a small thing, why worry about the other things?True Happiness
27 Look how the wild flowers grow: they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. 28 It is God who clothes the wild grass—grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't he be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!The Demand for a Miracle
29 “So don't be all upset, always concerned about what you will eat and drink. 30 (For the pagans of this world are always concerned about all these things.) Your Father knows that you need these things.Jesus' Love for Jerusalem
31 Instead, be concerned with his Kingdom, and he will provide you with these things.Riches in Heaven
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.The Light of the Body
(Matthew 5.15; 6.22, 23)
33 Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them.Worthless Salt
34 For your heart will always be where your riches are.Watchful Servants
35 “Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with your lamps lit, 36 like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast. When he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him at once.Jesus Accuses the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law
(Matthew 23.1-36; Mark 12.38-40)
37 How happy are those servants whose master finds them awake and ready when he returns! I tell you, he will take off his coat, have them sit down, and will wait on them.Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
38 How happy they are if he finds them ready, even if he should come at midnight or even later! 39 And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house. 40 And you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.”The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant
41 Peter said, “Lord, does this parable apply to us, or do you mean it for everyone?” 42 The Lord answered, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time. 43 How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home! 44 Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property. 45 But if that servant says to himself that his master is taking a long time to come back and if he begins to beat the other servants, both the men and the women, and eats and drinks and gets drunk, 46 then the master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. The master will cut him in pieces and make him share the fate of the disobedient. * 47 “The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but does not get himself ready and do it, will be punished with a heavy whipping. 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants, and yet does something for which he deserves a whipping, will be punished with a light whipping. Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given.Jesus the Cause of Division
49 “I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to receive, and how distressed I am until it is over! 51 Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division. 52 From now on a family of five will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 Fathers will be against their sons, and sons against their fathers; mothers will be against their daughters, and daughters against their mothers; mothers-in-law will be against their daughters-in-law, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law.”Understanding the Time
(Matthew 16.2, 3)
54 Jesus said also to the people, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, at once you say that it is going to rain—and it does. 55 And when you feel the south wind blowing, you say that it is going to get hot—and it does. 56 Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don't you know the meaning of this present time?Settle with Your Opponent
(Matthew 5.25, 26)
57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves the right thing to do? 58 If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, do your best to settle the dispute before you get to court. If you don't, you will be dragged before the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. 59 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.”Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 10.26, 27)
Turn from Your Sins or Die
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
The Lost Sheep
1 At that time some people were there who told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God. 2 Jesus answered them, “Because those Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did.Whom to Fear
4 What about those eighteen people in Siloam who were killed when the tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? 5 No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did.”The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
6 Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a man who had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went looking for figs on it but found none.Humility and Hospitality
7 So he said to his gardener, ‘Look, for three years I have been coming here looking for figs on this fig tree, and I haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it go on using up the soil?’Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Matthew 10.32, 33; 12.32; 10.19, 20)
The Lost Coin
8 But the gardener answered, ‘Leave it alone, sir, just one more year; I will dig around it and put in some fertilizer. 9 Then if the tree bears figs next year, so much the better; if not, then you can have it cut down.’”Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a synagogue.The Lost Son
11 A woman there had an evil spirit that had kept her sick for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free from your sickness!”The Unbelieving Towns
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 He placed his hands on her, and at once she straightened herself up and praised God.Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)
14 The official of the synagogue was angry that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, so he spoke up and said to the people, “There are six days in which we should work; so come during those days and be healed, but not on the Sabbath!”The Parable of the Great Feast
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Any one of you would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath. 16 Now here is this descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years; should she not be released on the Sabbath?”The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 His answer made his enemies ashamed of themselves, while the people rejoiced over all the wonderful things that he did.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31, 32; Mark 4.30-32)
18 Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? 19 It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and plants it in his field. The plant grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make their nests in its branches.”The Parable of the Yeast
20 Again Jesus asked, “What shall I compare the Kingdom of God with?Jesus Rejoices
(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16, 17)
21 It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.”Trust in God
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13, 14, 21-23)
22 Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching the people and making his way toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Sir, will just a few people be saved?” Jesus answered them,The Return of the Evil Spirit
24 “Do your best to go in through the narrow door; because many people will surely try to go in but will not be able.The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Cost of Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37, 38)
25 The master of the house will get up and close the door; then when you stand outside and begin to knock on the door and say, ‘Open the door for us, sir!’ he will answer you, ‘I don't know where you come from!’ 26 Then you will answer, ‘We ate and drank with you; you taught in our town!’True Happiness
27 But he will say again, ‘I don't know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wicked people!’ 28 How you will cry and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, while you are thrown out!The Demand for a Miracle
29 People will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God. 30 Then those who are now last will be first, and those who are now first will be last.”Jesus' Love for Jerusalem
31 At that same time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “You must get out of here and go somewhere else, because Herod wants to kill you.”Riches in Heaven
32 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell that fox: ‘I am driving out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall finish my work.’The Light of the Body
(Matthew 5.15; 6.22, 23)
33 Yet I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day; it is not right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.Worthless Salt
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!Watchful Servants
35 And so your Temple will be abandoned. I assure you that you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.’”Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 10.26, 27)
Turn from Your Sins or Die
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
The Lost Sheep
1 One Sabbath Jesus went to eat a meal at the home of one of the leading Pharisees; and people were watching Jesus closely. 2 A man whose legs and arms were swollen came to Jesus, 3 and Jesus spoke up and asked the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, “Does our Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?”Whom to Fear
4 But they would not say a thing. Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him away. 5 Then he said to them, “If any one of you had a child or an ox that happened to fall in a well on a Sabbath, would you not pull it out at once on the Sabbath itself”The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
6 But they were not able to answer him about this.Humility and Hospitality
7 Jesus noticed how some of the guests were choosing the best places, so he told this parable to all of them:Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Matthew 10.32, 33; 12.32; 10.19, 20)
The Lost Coin
8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place. It could happen that someone more important than you has been invited, 9 and your host, who invited both of you, would have to come and say to you, ‘Let him have this place.’ Then you would be embarrassed and have to sit in the lowest place.Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that your host will come to you and say, ‘Come on up, my friend, to a better place.’ This will bring you honor in the presence of all the other guests.The Lost Son
11 For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.” 12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors—for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did.The Unbelieving Towns
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)
14 and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death.”The Parable of the Great Feast
15 When one of the guests sitting at the table heard this, he said to Jesus, “How happy are those who will sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God!” 16 Jesus said to him, “There was once a man who was giving a great feast to which he invited many people.The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to tell his guests, ‘Come, everything is ready!’The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31, 32; Mark 4.30-32)
18 But they all began, one after another, to make excuses. The first one told the servant, ‘I have bought a field and must go and look at it; please accept my apologies.’ 19 Another one said, ‘I have bought five pairs of oxen and am on my way to try them out; please accept my apologies.’The Parable of the Yeast
20 Another one said, ‘I have just gotten married, and for that reason I cannot come.’Jesus Rejoices
(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16, 17)
21 The servant went back and told all this to his master. The master was furious and said to his servant, ‘Hurry out to the streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’Trust in God
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13, 14, 21-23)
22 Soon the servant said, ‘Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is room for more.’ 23 So the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full.The Return of the Evil Spirit
24 I tell you all that none of those who were invited will taste my dinner!’”The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Cost of Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37, 38)
25 Once when large crowds of people were going along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, 26 “Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.True Happiness
27 Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples. 28 If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.The Demand for a Miracle
29 If you don't, you will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will make fun of you. 30 ‘You began to build but can't finish the job!’ they will say.Jesus' Love for Jerusalem
31 If a king goes out with ten thousand men to fight another king who comes against him with twenty thousand men, he will sit down first and decide if he is strong enough to face that other king.Riches in Heaven
32 If he isn't, he will send messengers to meet the other king to ask for terms of peace while he is still a long way off.The Light of the Body
(Matthew 5.15; 6.22, 23)
33 In the same way,” concluded Jesus, “none of you can be my disciple unless you give up everything you have.Worthless Salt
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again.Watchful Servants
35 It is no good for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown away. Listen, then, if you have ears!”Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
A Warning against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 10.26, 27)
Turn from Your Sins or Die
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
The Lost Sheep
1 One day when many tax collectors and other outcasts came to listen to Jesus, 2 the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling, “This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!” 3 So Jesus told them this parable:Whom to Fear
4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them—what do you do? You leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost until you find it. 5 When you find it, you are so happy that you put it on your shouldersThe Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree
6 and carry it back home. Then you call your friends and neighbors together and say to them, ‘I am so happy I found my lost sheep. Let us celebrate!’Humility and Hospitality
7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent.Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Matthew 10.32, 33; 12.32; 10.19, 20)
The Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman who has ten silver coins loses one of them—what does she do? She lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and looks carefully everywhere until she finds it. 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, and says to them, ‘I am so happy I found the coin I lost. Let us celebrate!’Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 In the same way, I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.”The Lost Son
11 Jesus went on to say, “There was once a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons.The Unbelieving Towns
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living.Jesus and Beelzebul
(Matthew 12.22-30; Mark 3.20-27)
14 He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country, and he was left without a thing.The Parable of the Great Feast
15 So he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him out to his farm to take care of the pigs. 16 He wished he could fill himself with the bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat.The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 At last he came to his senses and said, ‘All my father's hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve!The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31, 32; Mark 4.30-32)
18 I will get up and go to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against God and against you. 19 I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers.”The Parable of the Yeast
20 So he got up and started back to his father. “He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him.Jesus Rejoices
(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16, 17)
21 ‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’Trust in God
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13, 14, 21-23)
22 But the father called to his servants. ‘Hurry!’ he said. ‘Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. 23 Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast!The Return of the Evil Spirit
24 For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ And so the feasting began.The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Cost of Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37, 38)
25 “In the meantime the older son was out in the field. On his way back, when he came close to the house, he heard the music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him, ‘What's going on?’True Happiness
27 ‘Your brother has come back home,’ the servant answered, ‘and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.’ 28 The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in.The Demand for a Miracle
29 But he spoke back to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders. What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends! 30 But this son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes, and when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him!’Jesus' Love for Jerusalem
31 ‘My son,’ the father answered, ‘you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours.Riches in Heaven
32 But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’”© 1992 American Bible Society