Bible in 90 Days

A Sign From Heaven

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and, as a test, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But he answered them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather because the sky is red.’ ³ In the morning you say, ‘It will be stormy weather today because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times! ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” He left them and went away.

Watch Out for the Teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵ When his disciples came to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread along. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷ They were discussing this among themselves and said, “It is because we did not bring any bread.”

⁸ Since Jesus knew what they were saying, he said, “You of little faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you brought no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many basketfuls you picked up? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many basketfuls you picked up? ¹¹ How is it that you do not understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

¹² Then they understood that he was not warning them about the yeast in bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Jesus Is the Christ

¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ He said to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell^[a] will not overpower it.^{[b] 19} I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be^[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

²¹ From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised again.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “May you receive mercy, Lord! This will never happen to you.”

²³ But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a snare^[d] to me because you are not thinking the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ In fact whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ After all, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what can a person give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father together with his angels, and then he will repay everyone according to his actions. ²⁸ Amen I tell you: Some who are standing here will certainly not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

17 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James; and he led them up onto a high mountain by themselves. ² There he was transfigured in front of them. His face was shining like the sun. His clothing became as white as the light. ³ Just then, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them. Just then, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down and were terrified. ⁷ Jesus approached and as he touched them, he said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” ⁸ When they opened their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus alone. ⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

¹⁰ His disciples asked him, “Then why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ Jesus answered them, “Yes, Elijah is coming and will restore all things,^{[e] 12} but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him. Instead they did to him whatever they desired. In the same way the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy With a Demon

¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt in front of him. ¹⁵ “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son because he has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to cure him.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “O unbelieving and perverse generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of the boy, and he was cured from that hour.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why were we unable to drive it out?”

²⁰ He said to them, “Because of your little faith.^[f] Amen I tell you: If you have faith like a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”^[g]

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection Again

²² While they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³ They will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed.

A Coin in a Fish’s Mouth

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax^[h] came to Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.”

When he came into the house, Jesus spoke first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls or a tax? From their own sons or from others?”

²⁶ Peter said to him, “From others.”

Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. ²⁷ But, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that you pull up. When you open its mouth, you will find a silver coin.^[i] Take that coin and give it to them for me and for you.”

Who Is the Greatest?

18 At that time the disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² Jesus called a little child, had him stand in the middle of them, ³ and said, “Amen I tell you: Unless you are turned and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever receives a little child like this one in my name receives me.

⁶ “But, if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,^[j] it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of temptations to sin. Temptations must come, but woe to that person through whom the temptation comes!

⁸ “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin,^[k] cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire with two hands or two feet. ⁹ If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to be thrown into hell fire with two eyes. ¹⁰ See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man came to save what was lost.^[l]

The Lost Sheep

¹² “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away? ¹³ If he finds it—Amen I tell you—he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away. ¹⁴ In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.

Show Your Brother His Sin

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter^[m] may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’^{[n] 17} If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector. ¹⁸ Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be^[o] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. ²⁰ In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.”

The Unmerciful Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? As many as seven times?”

²² Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but I tell you as many as seventy-seven times.^{[p] 23} For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle them, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^[q] was brought to him. ²⁵ Because the man was not able to pay the debt, his master ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, children, and all that he owned to repay the debt.

²⁶ “Then the servant fell down on his knees in front of him, saying, ‘Master, be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’ ²⁷ The master of that servant had pity on him, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii.^[r] He grabbed him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

²⁹ “So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead he went off and threw the man into prison until he could pay back what he owed.

³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very distressed. They went and reported to their master everything that had taken place.

³² “Then his master called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt when you begged me to. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His master was angry and handed him over to the jailers until he could pay back everything he owed.

³⁵ “This is what my heavenly Father will also do to you unless each one of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

Marriage and Divorce

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. ³ Some Pharisees came in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

⁴ He answered, “Haven’t you read that from the beginning their Maker ‘made them male and female,’^{[s] 5} and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’?^{[t] 6} So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

⁷ They asked him, “Then why did Moses command a man to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

⁸ Jesus said to them, “Because of your hard hearts, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but it was not that way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the grounds of her sexual immorality, and marries another woman is committing adultery.”^[u]

¹⁰ His disciples said to him, “If this is the relationship of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

¹¹ But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For example, there are eunuchs who were born that way, and others who were castrated by people, and others who decided to remain unmarried because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”

Jesus Loves Little Children

¹³ Then some people brought little children to Jesus to have him place his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”^{[v] 15} After he placed his hands on them, he left that place.

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁶ There was a man who came to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing should I do that I may have eternal life?”

¹⁷ Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good. But if you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” the man asked him.

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”^[w]

²⁰ The young man said to him, “I have kept all these. What am I still lacking?”

²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ²² But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had many possessions. ²³ Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen I tell you: It will be very hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Then Peter answered, “Look, we have left everything and followed you! What then will we have?”

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Amen I tell you: In the renewal, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ Everyone who has left homes or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, because of my name, will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

The Workers in the Vineyard

20 “Indeed the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing to pay the workers a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ He also went out about the third hour^[x] and saw others standing unemployed in the marketplace. ⁴ To these he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ So they went. ⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same thing. ⁶ When he went out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing unemployed. He said to them, ‘Why have you stood here all day unemployed?’

⁷ “They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“He told them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ ⁸ When it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last group and ending with the first.’

⁹ “When those who were hired around the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ When those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But they each received a denarius too. ¹¹ After they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner: ¹² ‘Those who were last worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not make an agreement with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last one hired the same as I also gave to you. ¹⁵ Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶ In the same way, the last will be first, and the first, last.”

Again Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

¹⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside; and on the way he said to them, ¹⁸ “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law, and they will condemn him to death. ¹⁹ They will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, flog, and crucify him. On the third day he will be raised.”

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking something of him. ²¹ He said to her, “What do you want?”

She said to him, “Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and one on your left hand.”

²² But Jesus answered, “You^[y] do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

They said to him, “We are.”

²³ He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not for me to give; rather these places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers.

²⁵ But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It will not be that way among you. Instead whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” ³¹ The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?”

³³ They told him, “Lord, open our eyes.”

³⁴ Jesus was moved with compassion and touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight, and they followed him.

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Immediately you will find a donkey tied there along with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁶ The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their outer clothing on them, and he sat on it. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them out on the road. ⁹ The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting,

¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, asking, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses His Father’s House

¹² Jesus entered the temple courts^[ac] and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^[ad] but you are making it a den of robbers!”^[ae]

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonders he performed and heard the children calling out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant. ¹⁶ They said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?”

“Yes,” Jesus told them, “Have you never read,

The Withered Fig Tree

¹⁸ As he returned to the city early in the morning, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “May there never be fruit from you again!”

Immediately the fig tree withered away. ²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

²¹ Jesus answered them, “Amen I tell you: If you have faith, and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it would be done. ²² Whatever you ask for in prayer, as you believe, you will receive.”

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

²³ When Jesus went into the temple courts, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him while he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things?” and “Who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer it, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

They discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd, since they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”

He said to them, “Then I will not tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Two Sons

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ He came to the second and said the same thing. The second son answered, ‘I will go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Amen I tell you: The tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, but you did not believe him. However, the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him. Even when you saw this, you did not change your mind and believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

³³ “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it out to some tenant farmers and went away on a journey. ³⁴ When the time approached to harvest the fruit, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. ³⁵ The tenant farmers seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Then the landowner sent even more servants than the first time. The tenant farmers treated them the same way. ³⁷ Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. ³⁸ But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’ ³⁹ They took him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰ So when the landowner comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”

⁴¹ They told him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end. Then he will lease out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his fruit when it is due.”

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

⁴³ “That is why I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruit. ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds because the people regarded him as a prophet.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables. He said, ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent out his servants to summon those who were invited to the wedding banquet, but they did not want to come.

⁴ “Then he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet!’

⁵ “But those who were invited paid no attention and went off, one to his own farm, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized the king’s servants, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷ As a result, the king was very angry. He sent his army and killed those murderers and burned their town.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ So go to the main crossroads and invite as many as you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰ Those servants went out to the roads and gathered together everyone they found, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. ¹³ Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and plotted together how to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accord with the truth. You are not concerned about gaining anyone’s approval because you are not swayed by appearances. ¹⁷ So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus knew their evil purpose and said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.”

They brought him a denarius.

²⁰ He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied to him.

Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away.

The God of the Living

²³ That same day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him a question: ²⁴ “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother should marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’^{[ah] 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one died after he married her, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ It was the same with the second brother, the third, and all the way to the seventh. ²⁷ Last of all, the woman died. ²⁸ So then, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since they all married her?”

²⁹ “You are mistaken,” Jesus replied, “since you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ In fact, in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage. Instead they are like the angels of God in heaven. ³¹ And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you never read what was spoken to you by God: ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?^[ai] He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

³³ When the crowds heard his answer, they were amazed at his teaching.

Love God and Your Neighbor

³⁴ When they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees met together. ³⁵ One of them who was an expert in the law asked him a question, trying to trap him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{[aj] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[ak] 40} All the Law and the Prophets depend^[al] on these two commandments.”

David’s Son and David’s Lord

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: ⁴² “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”

They said to him, “The Son of David.”

⁴³ He said to them, “Then how can David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

⁴⁵ “So if David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

⁴⁶ No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Do Not Do As They Do

23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. ² He said, “The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So practice and observe whatever they tell you. But do not do as they do, because they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy loads, burdens that are hard to carry, and place them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to help them. ⁵ They do all their works to be seen by people. They make their phylacteries^[an] wide and lengthen the fringes of their garments. ⁶ They love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ the greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ‘Rabbi’ by people. ⁸ But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ Also do not call anyone on earth your ‘Father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ And you are not to be called ‘leaders,’ for you have one Leader, the Christ. ¹¹ But the greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Woes and Warnings

¹³ “But woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven right in front of people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor do you permit those who are trying to enter to do so.^{[ao] 15} Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel the sea and the land to make one convert, and then when he is converted, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! After all, which is greater: the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! After all, which is greater: the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ Also, whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven, swears by God’s throne and by him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give ten percent of your mint, dill, and cumin, but you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. You should have done these things and not failed to do the other things. ²⁴ Blind guides, you strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of a cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish so that the outside may become clean too.

²⁷ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of uncleanness. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape being condemned to hell?

³⁴ “Look, this is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and experts in the law. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. ³⁵ As a result, you will be held responsible for all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Amen I tell you: All these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will certainly not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”^[ap]

The Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World

24 As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, his disciples came up to him to call his attention to the temple buildings. ² Then he replied to them, “Do you see all of these things? Amen I tell you: Not one stone here will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

³ While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

⁴ Jesus answered them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ Because many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many people. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because all these things must happen; but that is not yet the end. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains. ⁹ Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will put you to death. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰ Then many will fall away from faith. They will betray each other and hate each other. ¹¹ Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But whoever endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the abomination that causes desolation, that was spoken of through the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ The one on the housetop should not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ The one who is in the field should not return to get his clothes. ¹⁹ How terrible it will be for those who are pregnant or are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not take place in the winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For at that time there will be great distress, unlike any that has happened since the beginning of the world until now, and unlike any that will happen again. ²² If those days were not shortened, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.

²³ “At that time if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive even the elect, if it were possible.

²⁵ “See, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they tell you, ‘Look! There he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out there, or ‘Look! Here he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ Just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines as far as the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. ²⁸ Wherever the carcass may be, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ “Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And at that time all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³² “Learn this lesson from the fig tree. When its branch has become tender and produces leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the doors. ³⁴ Amen I tell you: This generation^[aq] will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Be Ready!

³⁶ “No one knows when that day and hour will be, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man returns. ³⁸ In fact, in the days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the very day that Noah entered the ark. ³⁹ And they did not realize what was coming until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man returns.

⁴⁰ “At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴² So be alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But understand this: If the master of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ You also need to be ready for this reason: The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he returns. ⁴⁷ Amen I tell you: He will put him in charge of all that he has. ⁴⁸ But if that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will return on a day when he does not expect it and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ The master will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; ⁴ but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. ⁵ While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later, the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’ ¹³ Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “You see, the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[ar] to another two talents, and to still another one talent, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The servant who had received the five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same way, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents. He said, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

²¹ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

²² “The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.’

²³ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

²⁴ “Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed. ²⁵ Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “His master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers so that when I came I would get my money back with interest. ²⁸ Take the talent away from him and give it to the servant who has the ten talents. ²⁹ Because everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ³⁰ Throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Jesus Will Judge the World

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. ³⁶ I was lacking clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or lacking clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will answer them, ‘Amen I tell you: Just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you did not give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, lacking clothes and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not take care of me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will also answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or lacking clothes or sick or in prison and did not serve you?’

⁴⁵ “At that time he will answer them, ‘Amen I tell you: Just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ ⁴⁶ And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “You know that after two days it will be the Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas. ⁴ They plotted together how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the Festival, or else there might be a riot among the people.”

Mary Anoints Jesus

⁶ When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman approached him holding an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. ⁸ But when his disciples saw this, they were upset and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Jesus was aware of this and said to them, “Why are you causing trouble for this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹ You are always going to have the poor with you, but you are not always going to have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Amen I tell you: Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas Plans to Betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From that time on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Jesus Celebrates the Passover

¹⁷ On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”

¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus commanded them and prepared the Passover. ²⁰ When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.^[as]

One Will Betray Jesus

²¹ As they were eating, he said, “Amen I tell you: One of you will betray me.”

²² They were very sad and began to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I, Lord?”

²³ He replied, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”

²⁵ Judas, who betrayed him, replied, “Surely, not I, Rabbi?”

He said to him, “Yes, you are the one.”^[at]

The Lord’s Supper

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples. He said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” ²⁷ Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you, ²⁸ for this is my blood of the new^[au] testament,^[av] which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” ³⁰ After they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’^{[aw] 32} But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

³³ Peter answered him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Amen I tell you: Tonight before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”

³⁵ Peter said to him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.

Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and distressed. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death. Stay here, and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, were you not able to stay awake with me for one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass from me^[ax] unless I drink it, may your will be done.” ⁴³ Again he returned and found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time. He said the same words as before. ⁴⁵ Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise. Let us go. Look, my betrayer is near.”

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴⁷ While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly Judas (one of the Twelve) arrived. With him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign: “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately he went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”

Then they advanced, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. ⁵¹ Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, because all who take the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you not realize that I could call on my Father, and at once he would provide me with more than twelve legions^[ay] of angels? ⁵⁴ But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that same time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs as if I were a robber? Day after day I was sitting in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.