Instructions

17 Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come!^{(A) 2} It would be better for him if a millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these ^[a]little ones to stumble [in sin and lose faith].^{(B) 3} Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him. ⁴ Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him [that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled].”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith [our ability to confidently trust in God and in His power].” ⁶ And the Lord said, “If you ^[b]have [confident, abiding] faith in God [even as small] as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree [which has very strong roots], ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea’; and [if the request was in agreement with the will of God] it would have obeyed you.^(C)

⁷ “Which of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat?’ ⁸ Will he not instead say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and appropriately clothe yourself [for service] and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you may eat and drink?’ ⁹ He does not thank the servant just because he did what he was ordered to do, does he? ¹⁰ So you too, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants [undeserving of praise or a reward, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have merely done what we ought to do.’”

Ten Lepers Cleansed

¹¹ While Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance; ¹³ and they raised their voices and called out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴ When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were [miraculously] healed and made clean.^{(D) 15} One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was a ^[c]Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten [of you] cleansed? Where are the [other] nine? ¹⁸ Was there no one found to return and to give thanks and praise to God, except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Jesus said to him, “Get up and go [on your way]. Your faith [your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power] has restored you to health.”

²⁰ Now having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed or with a visible display; ²¹ nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].”

Second Coming Foretold

²² Then He said to the disciples, “The time will come when you will long to see [even] one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ They will say to you, ‘Look [the Messiah is] there!’ or ‘Look [He is] here!’ Do not go away [to see Him], and do not run after them. ²⁴ For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part ^[d]of the sky, gives light to the other part ^[e]of the sky, so [visible] will the Son of Man be in His day. ²⁵ But first He must suffer many things and be repudiated and rejected and considered unfit [to be the Messiah] by this [unbelieving] generation. ²⁶ And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the ^[f]time of [the second coming of] the Son of Man: ²⁷ the people were ^[g]eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, [they were indifferent to God] until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.^{(E) 28} It was the same as it was in the days of Lot. People were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building [carrying on business as usual, without regard for their sins]; ²⁹ but on the [very] day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone (burning sulfur) from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.^{(F) 31} On that day, whoever is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, must not come down [and go inside] to take them out; and likewise whoever is in the field must not turn back. ³² Remember [what happened to] Lot’s wife [when she looked back]!^{(G) 33} Whoever seeks to save his ^[h]life will [eventually] lose it [through death], and whoever loses his life [in this world] will keep it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God].^{(H) 34} I tell you, on that night [when Messiah comes again] there will be two [sleeping] in one bed; the ^[i]one (the non-believer) will be taken [away in judgment] and the ^[j]other (the believer) will be left. ³⁵ There will be two women grinding [at the mill] together; the ^[k]one (the non-believer) will be taken [away in judgment] and the other (the believer) will be left. ^36 [l][Two men will be in the field; ^[m]one will be taken and the other will be left.”] ³⁷ And they asked Him, “Where, Lord?” He answered, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will be gathered.”