Conditions To Be a Disciple^[a]

²⁵ Renunciation of Everything for Jesus.^[b] Great crowds were accompanying Jesus on his journey, and he turned to them and said, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,^[c] wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

^28 [d]“Which one of you, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has sufficient funds for its completion? ²⁹ Otherwise, if he has laid the foundation and then finds himself unable to finish the work, all who see it will ridicule him, saying, ³⁰ ‘There goes the man who started to build but was unable to complete the work.’

³¹ “Or what king marching into battle against another king will not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand soldiers he can defeat the enemy coming to oppose him with twenty thousand? ³² If he cannot, then, while the enemy is still a long distance away, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, any one of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be my disciple.

³⁴ The Simile of Salt.^[e]“Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, what can be done to make it salty once again? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the soil nor for the dungheap. Thus, it can only be thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Salvation—Joy and Torment of God^[f]

Chapter 15

This Man Receives Sinners.^{[g] 1} Now the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus, ² and the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep.^{[h] 3} Therefore, he told them this parable: ⁴ “Which one of you, if you have a hundred sheep and lose one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he does find it, he lays it on his shoulders joyfully. ⁶ Then, when he returns home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin.^{[i] 8} “Or again, what woman who has ten silver coins^[j] and loses one will not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching thoroughly until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I lost.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

¹¹ The Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.^[k] Then he said: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that I will inherit.’ And so the father divided the property between them.

¹³ “A few days later the younger son gathered together everything he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent it all, a severe famine afflicted that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.^{[l] 16} He would have willingly filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more food than they can consume, while here I am, dying of hunger. ¹⁸ I will depart from this place and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired workers.” ’

²⁰ “So he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the finest robe we have and put it on him. Place a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and now he has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now the elder son had been out in the fields, and as he returned and drew near the house, he could hear the sounds of music and dancing. ²⁶ He summoned one of the servants and inquired what all this meant. ²⁷ The servant replied, ‘Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ The elder son then became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him, ²⁹ but he said to his father in reply, ‘All these years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never once disobeyed your orders. Even so, you have never even given me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours returns after wasting his inheritance from you on prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him.’

³¹ “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are with me always, and everything I have is yours. ³² But it was only right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and now he has been found.’ ”

Chapter 16

Riches and Poverty^[m]

The Parable of the Crafty Steward.^{[n] 1} Jesus also said to his disciples: “There was a rich man who had a steward, and he was informed that this steward was squandering his property. ² Therefore, he summoned him and said, ‘What are these reports that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’

³ “Then the steward said to himself, ‘What am I going to do, now that my master is dismissing me from being steward? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am too ashamed to beg. ⁴ What I must do is to make sure that people will welcome me into their homes once I am removed from being steward.’

⁵ “Then he summoned his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ When he was told, ‘One hundred jars of olive oil,’ he said to the man, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and change the number to fifty.’ ⁷ Then he asked another, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ When he was told, ‘One hundred measures of wheat,’ he said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ ⁸ The master commended the crafty steward because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.^[o]

Application of the Parable.^{[p] 9} “And I tell you: use your worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that, when it has been exhausted, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted in small matters can also be trusted in great ones, but whoever is dishonest in small matters will also be dishonest in great ones. ¹¹ Therefore, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not shown yourself to be trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you anything of your own?

¹³ “No servant can serve two masters. For you will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Teachings concerning Justice and the Judaic Law

¹⁴ A Saying against the Pharisees.^[q] The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You people pretend to be upright when you wish to impress others, but God knows what is in your hearts. That which is highly esteemed in the eyes of men is detestable in the sight of God.

¹⁶ Sayings about the Law.“The Law and the Prophets were in effect until John. From that time the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is trying to force his way in.^{[r] 17} It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one letter of the Law to be discarded.^[s]

¹⁸ Sayings about Divorce.^[t]“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus: A Warning

¹⁹ The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.^[u]“There was a rich man who used to dress in purple garments and the finest linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who would have been grateful to be fed with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

²² “Now the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In the netherworld,^[v] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham, far off, and Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received many good things, while Lazarus suffered greatly. Now he is being comforted while you are in agony. ²⁶ Moreover, between us and you a great chasm has been established, so that no one who wishes to do so can pass from our side to yours, nor can anyone pass from your side to ours.’

²⁷ “ ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘to send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ to warn my five brothers, lest they too end up in this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham responded, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹ Abraham answered, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

Various Episodes and Instructions

Chapter 17

Warning against Giving Scandal.^{[w] 1} Jesus said to his disciples, “Scandals are bound to occur, but woe to the man through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were fastened around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. ³ Be on your guard!

The Need To Forgive.^[x] “If your brother should sin, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ Even if he wrongs you seven times a day, and comes back to you seven times to say, ‘I am sorry,’ you must forgive him.”

Faith Knows How To Make Miracles.^{[y] 5} The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” ⁶ The Lord replied, “If you had faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Unprofitable Servants.^{[z] 7} “Which of you, when your servant returns from plowing or tending sheep in the fields, would say to him, ‘Come right away and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Would you not rather say, ‘Prepare my dinner, put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink, and then afterward you yourself may eat and drink’? ⁹ Would you be grateful to that servant for doing what he was commanded? ¹⁰ So should it be with you. When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have only done our duty.’ ”

I Am the Resurrection^[a]

Chapter 11

Death of Lazarus.^{[b] 1} In Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha, a certain man named Lazarus had fallen ill. ² This Mary was the woman who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was ill. ³ And so the sisters sent this message to him, “Lord, the one you love is ill.”

⁴ When Jesus heard this, he said,

⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So after learning that Lazarus was ill, he remained for two more days in the place where he was. ⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “Let us return to Judea.” ⁸ His disciples said to him, “Rabbi, just a short time ago the Jews were trying to stone you. Why do you want to go back there?” ⁹ Jesus answered,

¹¹ After saying this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples responded, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ Jesus, however, had been speaking about the death of Lazarus, but they thought that he was speaking of ordinary sleep.

¹⁴ Finally, Jesus told them in plain words, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. Let us go to him.” ¹⁶ Then Thomas (who was called “the Twin”^[c]) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go so that we may die with him.”

¹⁷ The Kingdom and the Promise of the Resurrection.^[d] When Jesus arrived, he learned that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.^{[e] 18} Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles distant, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them^[f] for the loss of their brother.

²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went forth to meet him, while Mary remained at home. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will grant you whatever you ask of him.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus then said to her,

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied. “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is to come into the world.”

²⁸ When she had said this, she went back and took her sister Mary aside, telling her privately, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” ²⁹ As soon as she heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ For Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews who were in the house consoling her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, assuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

³² Mary came to the place where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and beheld the Jews who were with her also weeping, he became deeply moved in spirit and angry. ³⁴ He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus began to weep, ³⁶ causing the Jews to say, “See how greatly he loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them remarked, “He opened the eyes of the blind man. Why could he not have done something to prevent this man’s death?”