Mark 9 — GNB — Biblija.net

² Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone. As they looked on, a change came over Jesus,

Troubles and Persecutions

³ and his clothes became shining white—whiter than anyone in the world could wash them. ⁴ Then the three disciples saw Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus. ⁵ Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Teacher, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ He and the others were so frightened that he did not know what to say. ⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow, and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my own dear Son—listen to him!” ⁸ They took a quick look around but did not see anyone else; only Jesus was with them. ⁹ As they came down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has risen from death.” ¹⁰ They obeyed his order, but among themselves they started discussing the matter, “What does this ‘rising from death’ mean?” ¹¹ And they asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?”

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

(Matthew 21.18, 19)

¹² His answer was, “Elijah is indeed coming first in order to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man will suffer much and be rejected?

Jesus Blesses Little Children

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹³ I tell you, however, that Elijah has already come and that people treated him just as they pleased, as the Scriptures say about him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit

The Awful Horror

¹⁴ When they joined the rest of the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them.

Jesus Goes to the Temple

¹⁵ When the people saw Jesus, they were greatly surprised, and ran to him and greeted him. ¹⁶ Jesus asked his disciples, “What are you arguing with them about?”

The Rich Man

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, because he has an evil spirit in him and cannot talk.

The Question about Rising from Death

¹⁸ Whenever the spirit attacks him, it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth, grits his teeth, and becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.” ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “How unbelieving you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me!”

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

²⁰ They brought him to Jesus. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a fit, so that he fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ “How long has he been like this?” Jesus asked the father. “Ever since he was a child,” he replied. ²² “Many times the evil spirit has tried to kill him by throwing him in the fire and into water. Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!” ²³ “Yes,” said Jesus, “if you yourself can! Everything is possible for the person who has faith.”

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ The father at once cried out, “I do have faith, but not enough. Help me have more!” ²⁵ Jesus noticed that the crowd was closing in on them, so he gave a command to the evil spirit. “Deaf and dumb spirit,” he said, “I order you to come out of the boy and never go into him again!” ²⁶ The spirit screamed, threw the boy into a bad fit, and came out. The boy looked like a corpse, and everyone said, “He is dead!”

The Question about Jesus' Authority

²⁷ But Jesus took the boy by the hand and helped him rise, and he stood up.

The Great Commandment

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn't we drive the spirit out?” ²⁹ “Only prayer can drive this kind out,” answered Jesus; “nothing else can.” ^*

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death

(Matthew 17.22, 23; Luke 9.43b-45)

³⁰ Jesus and his disciples left that place and went on through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples: “The Son of Man will be handed over to those who will kill him. Three days later, however, he will rise to life.”

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³² But they did not understand what this teaching meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ They came to Capernaum, and after going indoors Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they would not answer him, because on the road they had been arguing among themselves about who was the greatest.

The Request of James and John

The Question about the Messiah

³⁵ Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all.” ³⁶ Then he took a child and had him stand in front of them. He put his arms around him and said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes in my name one of these children, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not only me but also the one who sent me.”

Whoever Is Not against Us Is for Us

(Luke 9.49, 50)

Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law

(Matthew 23.1-36; Luke 20.45-47)

³⁸ John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man who was driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn't belong to our group.” ³⁹ “Do not try to stop him,” Jesus told them, “because no one who performs a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to say evil things about me. ⁴⁰ For whoever is not against us is for us.

The Widow's Offering

(Luke 21.1-4)

⁴¹ I assure you that anyone who gives you a drink of water because you belong to me will certainly receive a reward.

Temptations to Sin

(Matthew 18.6-9; Luke 17.1, 2)

⁴² “If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around the neck and be thrown into the sea. ⁴³ So if your hand makes you lose your faith, cut it off It is better for you to enter life without a hand than to keep both hands and go off to hell, to the fire that never goes out. ⁴⁵ And if your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off It is better for you to enter life without a foot than to keep both feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out! It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁸ There ‘the worms that eat them never die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.’ ⁴⁹ “Everyone will be purified by fire as a sacrifice is purified by salt. ⁵⁰ “Salt is good; but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? “Have the salt of friendship among yourselves, and live in peace with one another.”

Jesus Teaches about Divorce

The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

(Matthew 24.1, 2; Luke 21.5, 6)

¹ Then Jesus left that place, went to the province of Judea, and crossed the Jordan River. Crowds came flocking to him again, and he taught them, as he always did.

The Transfiguration

² Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him. “Tell us,” they asked, “does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”

Troubles and Persecutions

³ Jesus answered with a question, “What law did Moses give you?” ⁴ Their answer was, “Moses gave permission for a man to write a divorce notice and send his wife away.” ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you because you are so hard to teach. ⁶ But in the beginning, at the time of creation, ‘God made them male and female,’ as the scripture says. ⁷ ‘And for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one.’ So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹ No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together.” ¹⁰ When they went back into the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter. ¹¹ He said to them, “A man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against his wife.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

(Matthew 21.18, 19)

¹² In the same way, a woman who divorces her husband and marries another man commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹³ Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples scolded the people.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit

The Awful Horror

¹⁴ When Jesus noticed this, he was angry and said to his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Jesus Goes to the Temple

¹⁵ I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them, and blessed them.

The Rich Man

¹⁷ As Jesus was starting on his way again, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”

The Question about Rising from Death

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother.’”

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

²⁰ “Teacher,” the man said, “ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments.” ²¹ Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, “You need only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.” ²² When the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad, because he was very rich. ²³ Jesus looked around at his disciples and said to them, “How hard it will be for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!”

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, “My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.” ²⁶ At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked one another, “Who, then, can be saved?”

The Question about Jesus' Authority

²⁷ Jesus looked straight at them and answered, “This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God.”

The Great Commandment

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus said to them, “and I tell you that those who leave home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel, ^*

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death

(Matthew 17.22, 23; Luke 9.43b-45)

³⁰ will receive much more in this present age. They will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—and persecutions as well; and in the age to come they will receive eternal life. ³¹ But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.”

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³² Jesus and his disciples were now on the road going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of the disciples, who were filled with alarm; the people who followed behind were afraid. Once again Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and spoke of the things that were going to happen to him.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ “Listen,” he told them, “we are going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ who will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him; but three days later he will rise to life.”

The Request of James and John

The Question about the Messiah

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “there is something we want you to do for us.” ³⁶ “What is it?” Jesus asked them. ³⁷ They answered, “When you sit on your throne in your glorious Kingdom, we want you to let us sit with you, one at your right and one at your left.”

Whoever Is Not against Us Is for Us

(Luke 9.49, 50)

Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law

(Matthew 23.1-36; Luke 20.45-47)

³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You don't know what you are asking for. Can you drink the cup of suffering that I must drink? Can you be baptized in the way I must be baptized?” ³⁹ “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup I must drink and be baptized in the way I must be baptized. ⁴⁰ But I do not have the right to choose who will sit at my right and my left. It is God who will give these places to those for whom he has prepared them.”

The Widow's Offering

(Luke 21.1-4)

⁴¹ When the other ten disciples heard about it, they became angry with James and John.

Temptations to Sin

(Matthew 18.6-9; Luke 17.1, 2)

⁴² So Jesus called them all together to him and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. ⁴³ This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; ⁴⁴ and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

(Matthew 20.29-34; Luke 18.35-43)

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho, and as Jesus was leaving with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” they said. “Get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ So he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. “Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.” ⁵² “Go,” Jesus told him, “your faith has made you well.” At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road.

Jesus Teaches about Divorce

The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

(Matthew 24.1, 2; Luke 21.5, 6)

¹ As they approached Jerusalem, near the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, they came to the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead

The Transfiguration

² with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

Troubles and Persecutions

³ And if someone asks you why you are doing that, say that the Master needs it and will send it back at once.” ⁴ So they went and found a colt out in the street, tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, ⁵ some of the bystanders asked them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the crowd let them go. ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the animal, and Jesus got on. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches in the field and spread them on the road. ⁹ The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!” ¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem, went into the Temple, and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

(Matthew 21.18, 19)

¹² The next day, as they were coming back from Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

Jesus Blesses Little Children

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹³ He saw in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, so he went to see if he could find any figs on it. But when he came to it, he found only leaves, because it was not the right time for figs.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit

The Awful Horror

¹⁴ Jesus said to the fig tree, “No one shall ever eat figs from you again!” And his disciples heard him.

Jesus Goes to the Temple

¹⁵ When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Temple and began to drive out all those who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, ¹⁶ and he would not let anyone carry anything through the Temple courtyards.

The Rich Man

¹⁷ He then taught the people: “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.’ But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!”

The Question about Rising from Death

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the Law heard of this, so they began looking for some way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. ¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city.

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

²⁰ Early next morning, as they walked along the road, they saw the fig tree. It was dead all the way down to its roots. ²¹ Peter remembered what had happened and said to Jesus, “Look, Teacher, the fig tree you cursed has died!” ²² Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ²³ I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. ²⁵ And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done.”

The Question about Jesus' Authority

²⁷ They arrived once again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders came to him

The Great Commandment

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ and asked him, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things. ^*

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death

(Matthew 17.22, 23; Luke 9.43b-45)

³⁰ Tell me, where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?” ³¹ They started to argue among themselves: “What shall we say? If we answer, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³² But if we say, ‘From human beings...’” (They were afraid of the people, because everyone was convinced that John had been a prophet.)

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ So their answer to Jesus was, “We don't know.” Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”

Jesus Teaches about Divorce

The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

(Matthew 24.1, 2; Luke 21.5, 6)

¹ Then Jesus spoke to them in parables: “Once there was a man who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip.

The Transfiguration

² When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest.

Troubles and Persecutions

³ The tenants grabbed the slave, beat him, and sent him back without a thing. ⁴ Then the owner sent another slave; the tenants beat him over the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ The owner sent another slave, and they killed him; and they treated many others the same way, beating some and killing others. ⁶ The only one left to send was the man's own dear son. Last of all, then, he sent his son to the tenants. ‘I am sure they will respect my son,’ he said. ⁷ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and his property will be ours!’ ⁸ So they grabbed the son and killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard. ⁹ “What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do?” asked Jesus. “He will come and kill those tenants and turn the vineyard over to others. ¹⁰ Surely you have read this scripture?
‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.
¹¹ This was done by the Lord;
what a wonderful sight it is!’”

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

(Matthew 21.18, 19)

¹² The Jewish leaders tried to arrest Jesus, because they knew that he had told this parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

Jesus Blesses Little Children

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹³ Some Pharisees and some members of Herod's party were sent to Jesus to trap him with questions.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit

The Awful Horror

¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth, without worrying about what people think. You pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. Tell us, is it against our Law to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor? Should we pay them or not?”

Jesus Goes to the Temple

¹⁵ But Jesus saw through their trick and answered, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring a silver coin, and let me see it.” ¹⁶ They brought him one, and he asked, “Whose face and name are these?” “The Emperor's,” they answered.

The Rich Man

¹⁷ So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.” And they were amazed at Jesus.

The Question about Rising from Death

¹⁸ Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, came to Jesus and said, ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man's brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man's children.’

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

²⁰ Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children. ²¹ Then the second one married the woman, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother, ²² and then to the rest: all seven brothers married the woman and died without having children. Last of all, the woman died. ²³ Now, when all the dead rise to life on the day of resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.”

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ Jesus answered them, “How wrong you are! And do you know why? It is because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power. ²⁵ For when the dead rise to life, they will be like the angels in heaven and will not marry. ²⁶ Now, as for the dead being raised: haven't you ever read in the Book of Moses the passage about the burning bush? There it is written that God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

The Question about Jesus' Authority

²⁷ He is the God of the living, not of the dead. You are completely wrong!”

The Great Commandment

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ A teacher of the Law was there who heard the discussion. He saw that Jesus had given the Sadducees a good answer, so he came to him with a question: “Which commandment is the most important of all?” ²⁹ Jesus replied, “The most important one is this: ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. ^*

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death

(Matthew 17.22, 23; Luke 9.43b-45)

³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment more important than these two.”

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³² The teacher of the Law said to Jesus, “Well done, Teacher! It is true, as you say, that only the Lord is God and that there is no other god but he.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ And you must love God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength; and you must love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer on the altar animals and other sacrifices to God.” ³⁴ Jesus noticed how wise his answer was, and so he told him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” After this nobody dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

The Request of James and John

The Question about the Messiah

³⁵ As Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked the question, “How can the teachers of the Law say that the Messiah will be the descendant of David? ³⁶ The Holy Spirit inspired David to say:
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit here at my right side
until I put your enemies under your feet.’ ³⁷ David himself called him ‘Lord’; so how can the Messiah be David's descendant?” A large crowd was listening to Jesus gladly.

Whoever Is Not against Us Is for Us

(Luke 9.49, 50)

Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law

(Matthew 23.1-36; Luke 20.45-47)

³⁸ As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplace, ³⁹ who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts. ⁴⁰ They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!”

The Widow's Offering

(Luke 21.1-4)

⁴¹ As Jesus sat near the Temple treasury, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich men dropped in a lot of money;

Temptations to Sin

(Matthew 18.6-9; Luke 17.1, 2)

⁴² then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins, worth about a penny. ⁴³ He called his disciples together and said to them, “I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. ⁴⁴ For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had—she gave all she had to live on.”

Jesus Teaches about Divorce

The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

(Matthew 24.1, 2; Luke 21.5, 6)

¹ As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Look, Teacher! What wonderful stones and buildings!”

The Transfiguration

² Jesus answered, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.”

Troubles and Persecutions

³ Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private. ⁴ “Tell us when this will be,” they said, “and tell us what will happen to show that the time has come for all these things to take place.” ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and don't let anyone fool you. ⁶ Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people. ⁷ And don't be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. ⁸ Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth. ⁹ “You yourselves must watch out. You will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in the synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake to tell them the Good News. ¹⁰ But before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples. ¹¹ And when you are arrested and taken to court, do not worry ahead of time about what you are going to say; when the time comes, say whatever is then given to you. For the words you speak will not be yours; they will come from the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

(Matthew 21.18, 19)

¹² Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.

Jesus Blesses Little Children

The Question about Paying Taxes

¹³ Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit

The Awful Horror

¹⁴ “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) “Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.

Jesus Goes to the Temple

¹⁵ Someone who is on the roof of a house must not lose time by going down into the house to get anything to take along. ¹⁶ Someone who is in the field must not go back to the house for a cloak.

The Rich Man

¹⁷ How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies!

The Question about Rising from Death

¹⁸ Pray to God that these things will not happen in the winter! ¹⁹ For the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again.

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

²⁰ But the Lord has reduced the number of those days; if he had not, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, he has reduced those days. ²¹ “Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’—do not believe it. ²² For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible. ²³ Be on your guard! I have told you everything ahead of time.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, ²⁵ the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. ²⁶ Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

The Question about Jesus' Authority

²⁷ He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God's chosen people from one end of the world to the other.

The Great Commandment

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin. ^*

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death

(Matthew 17.22, 23; Luke 9.43b-45)

³⁰ Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³² “No one knows, however, when that day or hour will come—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father knows.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ Be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It will be like a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch.

The Request of James and John

The Question about the Messiah