The Demand for a Miracle
The Transfiguration
Who Is the Greatest?
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
1 Some Pharisees and Sadducees who came to Jesus wanted to trap him, so they asked him to perform a miracle for them, to show that God approved of him. 2 But Jesus answered, “When the sun is setting, you say, ‘We are going to have fine weather, because the sky is red.’ 3 And early in the morning you say, ‘It is going to rain, because the sky is red and dark.’ You can predict the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs concerning these times! 4 How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of Jonah.” So he left them and went away.The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When the disciples crossed over to the other side of the lake, they forgot to take any bread.Temptations to Sin
(Mark 9.42-48; Luke 17.1, 2)
6 Jesus said to them, “Take care; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They started discussing among themselves, “He says this because we didn't bring any bread.” 8 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he asked them, “Why are you discussing among yourselves about not having any bread? What little faith you have! 9 Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand men? How many baskets did you fill?The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 And what about the seven loaves for the four thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? 11 How is it that you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? Guard yourselves from the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then the disciples understood that he was not warning them to guard themselves from the yeast used in bread but from the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.Peter's Declaration about Jesus
Jesus Blesses Little Children
(Mark 10.13-16; Luke 18.15-17)
13 Jesus went to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi, where he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 “Some say John the Baptist,” they answered. “Others say Elijah, while others say Jeremiah or some other prophet.”When Someone Sins
15 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10.17-31; Luke 18.18-30)
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 “Good for you, Simon son of John!” answered Jesus. “For this truth did not come to you from any human being, but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven.Prohibiting and Permitting
18 And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” 20 Then Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Mark 8.31—9.1; Luke 9.22-27)
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, “I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.”Jesus Speaks Again about His Death
(Mark 9.30-32; Luke 9.43b-45)
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “God forbid it, Lord!” he said. “That must never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned around and said to Peter, “Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because these thoughts of yours don't come from God, but from human nature.”Payment of the Temple Tax
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me. 25 For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. 26 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life. 27 For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his deeds. 28 I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Son of Man come as King.”The Demand for a Miracle
The Transfiguration
Who Is the Greatest?
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and the brothers James and John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. 2 As they looked on, a change came over Jesus: his face was shining like the sun, and his clothes were dazzling white. 3 Then the three disciples saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. 4 So Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how good it is that we are here! If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 While he was talking, a shining cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased—listen to him!”Temptations to Sin
(Mark 9.42-48; Luke 17.1, 2)
6 When the disciples heard the voice, they were so terrified that they threw themselves face downward on the ground. 7 Jesus came to them and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don't be afraid!” 8 So they looked up and saw no one there but Jesus. 9 As they came down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Don't tell anyone about this vision you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from death.”The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 Then the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?” 11 “Elijah is indeed coming first,” answered Jesus, “and he will get everything ready. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come and people did not recognize him, but treated him just as they pleased. In the same way they will also mistreat the Son of Man.”Peter's Declaration about Jesus
Jesus Blesses Little Children
(Mark 10.13-16; Luke 18.15-17)
13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 When they returned to the crowd, a man came to Jesus, knelt before him,When Someone Sins
15 and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son! He is an epileptic and has such terrible attacks that he often falls in the fire or into water.The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10.17-31; Luke 18.18-30)
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” 17 Jesus answered, “How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me!”Prohibiting and Permitting
18 Jesus gave a command to the demon, and it went out of the boy, and at that very moment he was healed. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, “Why couldn't we drive the demon out?” 20 “It was because you do not have enough faith,” answered Jesus. “I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!’ and it will go. You could do anything!”Jesus Speaks Again about His Death
(Mark 9.30-32; Luke 9.43b-45)
22 When the disciples all came together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be handed over to those 23 who will kill him; but three days later he will be raised to life.” The disciples became very sad.Payment of the Temple Tax
24 When Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?” 25 “Of course,” Peter answered. When Peter went into the house, Jesus spoke up first, “Simon, what is your opinion? Who pays duties or taxes to the kings of this world? The citizens of the country or the foreigners?” 26 “The foreigners,” answered Peter. “Well, then,” replied Jesus, “that means that the citizens don't have to pay. 27 But we don't want to offend these people. So go to the lake and drop in a line. Pull up the first fish you hook, and in its mouth you will find a coin worth enough for my Temple tax and yours. Take it and pay them our taxes.”The Demand for a Miracle
The Transfiguration
Who Is the Greatest?
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, asking, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” 2 So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them, 3 and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. 4 The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 And whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this, welcomes me.Temptations to Sin
(Mark 9.42-48; Luke 17.1, 2)
6 “If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the deep sea. 7 How terrible for the world that there are things that make people lose their faith! Such things will always happen—but how terrible for the one who causes them! 8 “If your hand or your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life without a hand or a foot than to keep both hands and both feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See that you don't despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of my Father in heaven. 12 “What do you think a man does who has one hundred sheep and one of them gets lost? He will leave the other ninety-nine grazing on the hillside and go and look for the lost sheep.Peter's Declaration about Jesus
Jesus Blesses Little Children
(Mark 10.13-16; Luke 18.15-17)
13 When he finds it, I tell you, he feels far happier over this one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost.Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 In just the same way your Father in heaven does not want any of these little ones to be lost.When Someone Sins
15 “If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back.The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10.17-31; Luke 18.18-30)
16 But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that ‘every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,’ as the scripture says. 17 And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.Prohibiting and Permitting
18 “And so I tell all of you: what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. 19 “And I tell you more: whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them.”Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Mark 8.31—9.1; Luke 9.22-27)
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?”Jesus Speaks Again about His Death
(Mark 9.30-32; Luke 9.43b-45)
22 “No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven, 23 because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts.Payment of the Temple Tax
24 He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt. 26 The servant fell on his knees before the king. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay you everything!’ 27 The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go. 28 “Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he said. 29 His fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’ 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything. 32 So he called the servant in. ‘You worthless slave!’ he said. ‘I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to. 33 You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.’ 34 The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount.” 35 And Jesus concluded, “That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”The Demand for a Miracle
The Transfiguration
Who Is the Greatest?
Jesus Teaches about Divorce
1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him by asking, “Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes?” 4 Jesus answered, “Haven't you read the scripture that says that in the beginning the Creator made people male and female?The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 And God said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.’Temptations to Sin
(Mark 9.42-48; Luke 17.1, 2)
6 So they are no longer two, but one. No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together.” 7 The Pharisees asked him, “Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?” 8 Jesus answered, “Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives because you are so hard to teach. But it was not like that at the time of creation. 9 I tell you, then, that any man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries some other woman.”The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 His disciples said to him, “If this is how it is between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 Jesus answered, “This teaching does not apply to everyone, but only to those to whom God has given it. 12 For there are different reasons why men cannot marry: some, because they were born that way; others, because men made them that way; and others do not marry for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Let him who can accept this teaching do so.”Peter's Declaration about Jesus
Jesus Blesses Little Children
(Mark 10.13-16; Luke 18.15-17)
13 Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and to pray for them, but the disciples scolded the people.Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
14 Jesus said, “Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”When Someone Sins
15 He placed his hands on them and then went away.The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10.17-31; Luke 18.18-30)
16 Once a man came to Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me concerning what is good?” answered Jesus. “There is only One who is good. Keep the commandments if you want to enter life.”Prohibiting and Permitting
18 “What commandments?” he asked. Jesus answered, “Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; 19 respect your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 20 “I have obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else do I need to do?”Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Mark 8.31—9.1; Luke 9.22-27)
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, 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.”Jesus Speaks Again about His Death
(Mark 9.30-32; Luke 9.43b-45)
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich. 23 Jesus then said to his disciples, “I assure you: it will be very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of heaven.Payment of the Temple Tax
24 I repeat: 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were completely amazed. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked. 26 Jesus looked straight at them and answered, “This is impossible for human beings, but for God everything is possible.” 27 Then Peter spoke up. “Look,” he said, “we have left everything and followed you. What will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “You can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life. 30 But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first.© 1992 American Bible Society