And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’

And Jesus responded and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate?

and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Lost Sheep

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to Him.

And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

I will set out and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

And the manager said to himself, ‘What am I to do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John came; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin.

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

And he said, “All these things I have kept since my youth.”

When the people saw this, they all began to complain, saying, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner!”

And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave; since you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.’

But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, since they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

And the chief priests and the scribes were trying to find a way to put Him to death, since they were afraid of the people.

And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, since he also was in Jerusalem at this time.

But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.”

But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.