Jesus Gives Sight to a Blind Man^(A)

³⁵ As Yeshua came near Jericho, a blind man was sitting and begging by the road. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he tried to find out what was happening. ³⁷ The people told him that Yeshua from Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ Then the blind man shouted, “Yeshua, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ The people at the front of the crowd told the blind man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ Yeshua stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him. When the man came near, Yeshua asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said, “Lord, I want to see again.”

⁴² Yeshua told him, “Receive your sight! Your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ Immediately, he could see again. He followed Yeshua and praised God. All the people saw this, and they, too, praised God.

Zacchaeus Meets Jesus

19 Yeshua was passing through Jericho. ² A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was the director of tax collectors, and he was rich. ³ He tried to see who Yeshua was. But Zacchaeus was a small man, and he couldn’t see Yeshua because of the crowd. ⁴ So Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a fig tree to see Yeshua, who was coming that way.

⁵ When Yeshua came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down! I must stay at your house today.”

⁶ Zacchaeus came down and was glad to welcome Yeshua into his home. ⁷ But the people who saw this began to express disapproval. They said, “He went to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸ Later, at dinner, Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Lord, I’ll give half of my property to the poor. I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way.”

⁹ Then Yeshua said to Zacchaeus, “You and your family have been saved today. You’ve shown that you, too, are one of Abraham’s descendants. ¹⁰ Indeed, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost.”

A Story about a King

¹¹ Yeshua was getting closer to Jerusalem, and the people thought that the kingdom of God would appear suddenly. While Yeshua had the people’s attention, he used this illustration. ¹² He said, “A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king, and then he returned. ¹³ Before he left, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He said to his servants, ‘Invest this money until I come back.’

¹⁴ “The citizens of his own country hated him. They sent representatives to follow him and say to the person who was going to appoint him, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “After he was appointed king, he came back. Then he said, ‘Call those servants to whom I gave money. I want to know how much each one has made by investing.’

¹⁶ “The first servant said, ‘Sir, the coin you gave me has earned ten times as much.’

¹⁷ “The king said to him, ‘Good job! You’re a good servant. You proved that you could be trusted with a little money. Take charge of ten cities.’

¹⁸ “The second servant said, ‘The coin you gave me, sir, has made five times as much.’

¹⁹ “The king said to this servant, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰ “Then the other servant said, ‘Sir, look! Here’s your coin. I’ve kept it in a cloth for safekeeping because ²¹ I was afraid of you. You’re a tough person to get along with. You take what isn’t yours and harvest grain you haven’t planted.’

²² “The king said to him, ‘I’ll judge you by what you’ve said, you evil servant! You knew that I was a tough person to get along with. You knew that I take what isn’t mine and harvest grain I haven’t planted. ²³ Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’ ²⁴ The king told his men, ‘Take his coin away, and give it to the man who has ten.’

²⁵ “They replied, ‘Sir, he already has ten coins.’

²⁶ “‘I can guarantee that everyone who has something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don’t have much. ²⁷ Bring my enemies, who didn’t want me to be their king. Kill them in front of me.’”

The King Comes to Jerusalem^(B)

²⁸ After Yeshua had given this illustration, he continued on his way to Jerusalem.

Obey the Government

13 Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn’t been established by God. The governments which exist have been put in place by God. ² Therefore, whoever resists the government opposes what God has established. Those who resist will bring punishment on themselves.

³ People who do what is right don’t have to be afraid of the government. But people who do what is wrong should be afraid of it. Would you like to live without being afraid of the government? Do what is right, and it will praise you. ⁴ The government is God’s servant working for your good.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid. The government has the right to carry out the death sentence. It is God’s servant, an avenger to execute God’s anger on anyone who does what is wrong. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary for you to obey, not only because you’re afraid of God’s anger but also because of your own conscience.

⁶ That is also why you pay your taxes. People in the government are God’s servants while they do the work he has given them. ⁷ Pay everyone whatever you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay them. If you owe tolls, pay them. If you owe someone respect, respect that person. If you owe someone honor, honor that person.

⁸ Always think about Yeshua Christ. He was brought back to life and is a descendant of David. This is the Good News that I tell others. ⁹ I’m suffering disgrace for spreading this Good News. I have even been put into prison like a criminal. However, God’s word is not imprisoned. ¹⁰ For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive salvation from Christ Yeshua with glory that lasts forever. ¹¹ This is a statement that can be trusted:

¹⁴ Remind believers about these things, and warn them in the sight of God not to quarrel over words. Quarreling doesn’t do any good but only destroys those who are listening.

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker who isn’t ashamed to teach the word of truth correctly. ¹⁶ Avoid pointless discussions. People who pay attention to these pointless discussions will become more ungodly, ¹⁷ and what they say will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are like that. ¹⁸ They have abandoned the truth. They are destroying the faith of others by saying that people who have died have already come back to life.

¹⁹ In spite of all that, God’s people have a solid foundation. These words are engraved on it: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Whoever worships the Lord must give up doing wrong.”

²⁰ In a large house there are not only objects made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some objects are honored when they are used; others aren’t. ²¹ Those who stop associating with dishonorable people will be honored. They will be set apart for the master’s use, prepared to do good things.

Greeting

¹ From Jude, a servant of Yeshua Christ and brother of James.

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father, and who are kept safe for Yeshua Christ.

² May mercy, peace, and love fill your lives!

Warnings about False Teachers

³ Dear friends, I had intended to write to you about the salvation we share. But something has come up. It demands that I write to you and encourage you to continue your fight for the Christian faith that was entrusted to God’s holy people once for all time.

⁴ Some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. Not long ago they were condemned in writing for the following reason: They are people to whom God means nothing. They use God’s kindness^[a] as an excuse for sexual freedom and deny our only Master and Lord, Yeshua Christ.

⁵ I want to remind you about what you already know: The Lord once saved his people from Egypt. But on another occasion he destroyed those who didn’t believe. ⁶ He held angels for judgment on the great day. They were held in darkness, bound by eternal chains. These are the angels who didn’t keep their position of authority but abandoned their assigned place. ⁷ What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities near them is an example for us of the punishment of eternal fire. The people of these cities suffered the same fate that God’s people and the angels did, because they committed sexual sins and engaged in homosexual activities.

⁸ Yet, in a similar way, the people who slipped in among you are dreamers. They contaminate their bodies with sin, reject the Lord’s authority, and insult his glory. ⁹ When the archangel Michael argued with the devil, they were arguing over the body of Moses. But Michael didn’t dare to hand down a judgment against the devil. Instead, Michael said, “May the Lord reprimand you!”

¹⁰ Whatever these people don’t understand, they insult. Like animals, which are creatures of instinct, they use whatever they know to destroy themselves. ¹¹ How horrible it will be for them! They have followed the path of Cain. They have rushed into Balaam’s error to make a profit. They have rebelled like Korah and destroyed themselves.

¹² These people are a disgrace at the special meals you share with other believers. They eat with you and don’t feel ashamed. They are shepherds who care only for themselves. They are dry clouds blown around by the winds. They are withered, uprooted trees without any fruit. As a result, they have died twice. ¹³ Their shame is like the foam on the wild waves of the sea. They are wandering stars for whom gloomy darkness is kept forever.

¹⁴ Furthermore, Enoch, from the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about them. He said, “The Lord has come with countless thousands of his holy angels. ¹⁵ He has come to judge all these people. He has come to convict all these ungodly sinners for all the ungodly things they have done and all the harsh things they have said about him.”

¹⁶ These people complain, find fault, follow their own desires, say arrogant things, and flatter people in order to take advantage of them.

¹⁷ Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Yeshua Christ told you to expect: ¹⁸ “In the last times people who ridicule God will appear. They will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the people who cause divisions. They are concerned about physical things, not spiritual things.

Final Advice

²⁰ Dear friends, use your most holy faith to grow. Pray with the Holy Spirit’s help. ²¹ Remain in God’s love as you look for the mercy of our Lord Yeshua Christ to give you eternal life.

²² Show mercy to those who have doubts. ²³ Save others by snatching them from the fire of hell. Show mercy to others, even though you are afraid that you might be stained by their sinful lives.

²⁴ God can guard you so that you don’t fall and so that you can be full of joy as you stand in his glorious presence without fault. ²⁵ Before time began, now, and for eternity glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to the only God, our Savior, through Yeshua Christ our Lord. Amen.