Jesus as a Boy

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover ·Feast [festival; ^Cannual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; Ex. 12].

When he was twelve years old, they went to the ·feast [festival] ·as they always did [or according to Jewish custom].

After the feast days were over, they started home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t take the ·most important seat [place of honor], because someone more ·important [distinguished; honorable] than you may have been invited.

Instead, when you give a ·feast [banquet], invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

And get our ·fat [fattened; ^Cprepared for slaughter] calf and kill it [^Cpeople only occasionally ate meat; such a large animal indicates a major celebration] so we can have a feast and celebrate.

The older son was angry and ·would not [had no desire to] go in to the feast. So his father went out and ·begged [urged; encouraged] him to come in.

But the older son ·said to [answered] his father, ‘[^LLook; ^TBehold] I have served you like a slave for many years and have ·always obeyed [never disobeyed; ^Lnever neglected] your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to ·have at a feast [celebrate] with my friends.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus said, “There was a rich man who always dressed in ·the finest clothes [^Lpurple and fine linen] and ·lived in luxury [or feasted sumptuously] every day.

“Beware of the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They like to walk around wearing ·fancy clothes [or flowing robes], and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues [11:43] and [the place of highest honor] at ·feasts [banquets].

Be Ready All the Time

“·Be careful [Watch yourselves] not to ·spend your time [or become dulled by; ^Llet your hearts be weighed down by] ·feasting [carousing; debauchery], ·drinking [drunkenness], or worrying about worldly things. If you do, that day might come on you suddenly,

Judas Betrays Jesus

It was almost time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover Feast [^Ccelebrating God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; Ex. 12].

| Every year at the Passover Feast, Pilate had to release one prisoner to the people.|