The Father Revealed in the Son^(A)

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(B) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^{(C) 26} Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷ “All things have been committed to me^(D) by my Father.^(E) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.^(F)

²⁸ “Come to me,^(G) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^{(H) 29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(I) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^{(J) 30} For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”^(K)

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(L)(M)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain^(N) and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”^(O)

³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?^{(P) 4} He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.^{(Q) 5} Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath^(R) and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.^{(S) 7} If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’^[a](T) you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man^(U) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus,^(V) they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”^(W)

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?^{(X) 12} How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!^(Y) Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.^(Z)

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven^(A)

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,^(B) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^{(C) 4} Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.^{(D) 5} And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.^(E)

Causing to Stumble

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.^{(F) 7} Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!^{(G) 8} If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble,^(H) cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble,^(I) gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.^(J)

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep^(K)

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels^(L) in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ^[11] [a]

¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Dealing With Sin in the Church

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister^[b] sins,^[c] go and point out their fault,^(M) just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’^{[d](N) 17} If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church;^(O) and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.^(P)

Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers,^(A) my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged^(B) more strictly.^{(C) 2} We all stumble^(D) in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say^(E) is perfect,^(F) able to keep their whole body in check.^(G)