Teaching About Divorce

19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from ^(A)Galilee and ^(B)entered ^(C)the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² And ^(D)large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ And Pharisees came up to him and ^(E)tested him by asking, ^(F)“Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” ⁴ He answered, ^(G)“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ^(H)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and ^(I)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ^(J)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” ⁷ They said to him, ^(K)“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” ⁸ He said to them, “Because of your ^(L)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ^9 (M)And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”^[a]

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ But he said to them, ^(N)“Not everyone can receive this saying, but only ^(O)those to ^(P)whom it is given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs ^(Q)for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^13 (R)Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples ^(S)rebuked the people, ¹⁴ but Jesus said, ^(T)“Let the little children ^(U)come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵ And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The Rich Young Man

^16 (V)And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to ^(W)have ^(X)eternal life?” ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. ^(Y)If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, ^(Z)“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother, and, ^(AA)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to him, ^(AB)“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be ^(AC)perfect, go, ^(AD)sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have ^(AE)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^22 (AF)When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, ^(AG)only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. ^24 (AH)Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^(AI)the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus ^(AJ)looked at them and said, ^(AK)“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ²⁷ Then Peter said in reply, “See, ^(AL)we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,^{[b] (AM)}when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me ^(AN)will also sit on twelve thrones, ^(AO)judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ^29 (AP)And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold^[c] and will ^(AQ)inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But ^(AR)many who are ^(AS)first will be last, and the last first.

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 ^(A)He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ And ^(B)he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into ^(C)a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for ^(D)I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried and came down and ^(E)received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it, they all ^(F)grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods ^(G)I give to the poor. And if I have ^(H)defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it ^(I)fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since ^(J)he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For ^(K)the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Parable of the Ten Minas

¹¹ As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because ^(L)they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. ¹² He said therefore, ^(M)“A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. ¹³ Calling ^(N)ten of his servants,^[a] he gave them ten minas,^[b] and said to them, ‘Engage in business ^(O)until I come.’ ¹⁴ But ^(P)his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ ¹⁵ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. ¹⁶ The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant!^[c] Because you have been ^(Q)faithful in a very little, ^(R)you shall have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ ²⁰ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in ^(S)a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are ^(T)a severe man. You take ^(U)what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ ²² He said to him, ^(V)‘I will condemn you with your own words, ^(W)you wicked servant! You knew that I was ^(X)a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ ²⁴ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you that ^(Y)to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But ^(Z)as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and ^(AA)slaughter them before me.’”

The Triumphal Entry

²⁸ And when he had said these things, ^(AB)he went on ahead, ^(AC)going up to Jerusalem. ^29 (AD)When he drew near to Bethphage and ^(AE)Bethany, at ^(AF)the mount that is called Olivet, he sent ^(AG)two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, ^(AH)on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it ^(AI)just as he had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ And as he rode along, they ^(AJ)spread their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—^(AK)the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice ^(AL)for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, ^(AM)“Blessed is ^(AN)the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and ^(AO)glory in the highest!” ^39 (AP)And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, ^(AQ)the very stones would cry out.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

^41 (AR)And when he drew near and saw the city, ^(AS)he wept over it, ⁴² saying, ^(AT)“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now ^(AU)they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For ^(AV)the days will come upon you, when your enemies ^(AW)will set up a barricade around you and ^(AX)surround you and hem you in on every side ^44 (AY)and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And ^(AZ)they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know ^(BA)the time of your ^(BB)visitation.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

^45 (BC)And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ^(BD)‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but ^(BE)you have made it a den of robbers.”

^47 (BF)And he was teaching daily in the temple. ^(BG)The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, ⁴⁸ but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and ^(A)flogged him. ^2 (B)And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that ^(C)I find no guilt in him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing ^(D)the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ^(E)“Behold the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, ^(F)“Take him yourselves and crucify him, for ^(G)I find no guilt in him.” ⁷ The Jews^[a] answered him, “We have a law, and ^(H)according to that law he ought to die because ^(I)he has made himself the Son of God.” ⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, ^(J)he was even more afraid. ^9 (K)He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, ^(L)“Where are you from?” But ^(M)Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, ^(N)“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore ^(O)he who delivered me over to you ^(P)has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on ^(Q)Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. ^(R)Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” ¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on ^(S)the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic^[b] Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was ^(T)the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.^[c] He said to the Jews, ^(U)“Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, ^(V)“Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ^16 (W)So he ^(X)delivered him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷ and ^(Y)he went out, ^(Z)bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ^18 (AA)There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. ¹⁹ Pilate ^(AB)also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this inscription, for ^(AC)the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” ²² Pilate answered, ^(AD)“What I have written I have written.”

^23 (AE)When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.^[d] But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, ²⁴ so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” ^(AF)This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

So the soldiers did these things, ^25 (AH)but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and ^(AI)the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ^(AJ)“Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to ^(AK)his own home.

The Death of Jesus

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now ^(AL)finished, said (^(AM)to fulfill the Scripture), ^(AN)“I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, ^(AO)so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ^(AP)“It is finished,” and he bowed his head and ^(AQ)gave up his spirit.

Jesus' Side Is Pierced

³¹ Since it was ^(AR)the day of Preparation, and ^(AS)so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was ^(AT)a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other ^(AU)who had been crucified with him. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out ^(AV)blood and water. ^35 (AW)He who saw it has borne witness—^(AX)his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—^(AY)that you also may believe. ^36 (AZ)For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ^(BA)“Not one of his bones ^(BB)will be broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, ^(BC)“They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Jesus Is Buried

^38 (BD)After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly ^(BE)for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ^39 (BF)Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus^[e] by night, came ^(BG)bringing a mixture of ^(BH)myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds^[f] in weight. ⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and ^(BI)bound it in ^(BJ)linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a ^(BK)garden, and ^(BL)in the garden a new tomb ^(BM)in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴² So because of the Jewish ^(BN)day of Preparation, ^(BO)since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.