True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’^(A) will enter the kingdom of heaven,^(B) but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.^{(C) 22} Many will say to me on that day,^(D) ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’^{(E) 23} Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’^(F)

The Wise and Foolish Builders^(G)

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice^(H) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(I) the crowds were amazed at his teaching,^{(J) 29} because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,^(A) not because you saw the signs^(B) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures^(C) to eternal life,^(D) which the Son of Man^(E) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal^(F) of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe^(G) in the one he has sent.”^(H)

¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.^{(A) 16} Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master,^(B) nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.^(C)

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸ “I am not referring to all of you;^(D) I know those I have chosen.^(E) But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture:^(F) ‘He who shared my bread^(G) has turned^[a](H) against me.’^[b](I)

¹⁹ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe^(J) that I am who I am.^{(K) 20} Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”^(L)

²¹ After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit^(M) and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”^(N)

²² His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³ One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved,^(O) was reclining next to him. ²⁴ Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

²⁵ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”^(P)

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas,^(Q) the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.^(R)

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” ²⁸ But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹ Since Judas had charge of the money,^(S) some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival,^(T) or to give something to the poor.^{(U) 30} As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.^(V)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve^(A)(B)

9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons^(C) and to cure diseases,^(D)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand^(A)(B)

¹⁰ When the apostles^(C) returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,^(D)

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^(A)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him,^(B) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^{(C) 69} We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”^(D)

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,^(E) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”^(F)

Faith and Deeds

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?^(A) Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.^{(B) 16} If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?^{(C) 17} In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.^(D)

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds,^(E) and I will show you my faith^(F) by my deeds.^{(G) 19} You believe that there is one God.^(H) Good! Even the demons believe that^(I)—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]?^(J)

The Parable of the Tenants^(A)

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted^(B) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.^(C) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.^{(D) 34} When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants^(E) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.^{(F) 36} Then he sent other servants^(G) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.^(H) Come, let’s kill him^(I) and take his inheritance.’^{(J) 39} So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”^(K) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,^(L) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you^(N) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^[b](O)

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.^(P)

¹¹ And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life,^(A) and this life is in his Son.^{(B) 12} Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.^(C)

Concluding Affirmations

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God^(D) so that you may know that you have eternal life.^(E)