Chronological
The Denouncing of the Scribes and Pharisees(A)
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do their works. For they speak, but do nothing. 4 They fasten heavy loads that are hard to carry and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
5 “They do all their works to be seen by men. They make their Scripture boxes broad and lengthen the tassels on their prayer shawls. 6 They love the places of honor at feasts, and the prominent seats in the synagogues, 7 and greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ‘Rabbi’ by men.
8 “But do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Nor be called teachers, for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 For he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven against men. For you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and for pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is obligated.’ 19 You blind fools! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 But he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. 24 You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and greed. 26 You blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may also be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have partaken with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
33 “You serpents! You generation of vipers! How can you escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city, 35 that on you may come 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 temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come on this generation.
The Lament Over Jerusalem(B)
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’[a]”
The Question of Jesus’ Authority(A)
20 One day, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up to Him, 2 and said to Him, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Who is he who gave You this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I will also ask you one thing. Answer Me: 4 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”
5 They debated with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”
7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
8 Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Vineyard and the Vinedressers(B)
9 He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to vinedressers, and went to a distant country for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the vinedressers so they might give him some fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again, he sent another servant. But they beat him also, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 Once again, he sent a third. And they wounded him also and drove him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him when they see him.’
14 “But when the vinedressers saw him, they debated among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill these vinedressers and will give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard this, they said, “May it not be so!”
17 He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’[a]?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken. But he on whom it falls will be crushed to powder.”[b]
19 The chief priests and the scribes tried to lay their hands on Him that same hour, but they feared the people. For they perceived that He had told this parable against them.
The Question of Paying Taxes(C)
20 They watched Him and sent out spies who pretended to be righteous men, that they might seize Him in His words to hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So they asked Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach rightly. And You do not show partiality, but You truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
23 He perceived their craftiness and said to them, “Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius.[c] Whose image and inscription does it have?”
They said, “Caesar’s.”
25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
26 They could not catch Him in His words before the people. And they marveled at His answer and were silent.
The Question About the Resurrection(D)
27 Some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, then this man should take the wife and raise up children for his brother.[d] 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless. 30 The second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 And then the third took her, and in like manner, all seven died and left no children. 32 Last of all, the woman died also. 33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”
34 Jesus answered them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 For they cannot die any more, for they are equal to the angels and are the sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 Now, at the bush, even Moses pointed out that the dead are raised when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[e] 38 For He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. For to Him all live.”
39 Some of the scribes said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 After that they dared not ask Him any question at all.
The Question About David’s Son(E)
41 Then Jesus said to them, “How do they say that Christ is David’s Son? 42 David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
43 until I make Your enemies
Your footstool.”[f]’
44 David therefore calls Him ‘Lord.’ How is He then his Son?”
The Denouncing of the Scribes(F)
45 Then as all the people heard, He said to His disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes who desire to walk in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the prominent seats in the synagogues and the seats of honor at banquets, 47 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering(G)
21 He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts in the treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow putting in two mites,[g] 3 and He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For all these out of their abundance have put in their gifts for God. But she out of her poverty has put in all the living she had.”
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold(H)
5 As some spoke of how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts, He said, 6 “As for these things which you see, the days will come when not one stone shall be left on another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs and Persecutions(I)
7 They asked Him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when this is about to happen?”
8 He said, “Beware lest you be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. 9 When you hear of wars and commotions, do not be afraid. For these things must first take place, but the end will not be at hand.”
10 Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 Great earthquakes will occur in various places, and there will be famines and pestilence. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all these things, they will seize you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13 It will turn out as a testimony for you. 14 Therefore resolve in your hearts beforehand not to practice your defense. 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your opponents will be able to neither refute nor resist. 16 You will be betrayed by parents and brothers and relatives and friends. And they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake, 18 but not a hair of your head shall perish. 19 In your endurance you will gain your souls.
The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold(J)
20 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation has drawn near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter it. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive to all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The Coming of the Son of Man(K)
25 “There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth. For the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”
The Lesson of the Fig Tree(L)
29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are sprouting leaves already, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 So in like manner, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 “Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
Exhortation to Watch
34 “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts become burdened by excessiveness and drunkenness and anxieties of life, and that Day comes on you unexpectedly. 35 For as a snare it will come on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Therefore watch always and pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 Each day He was teaching in the temple, and each night He went out and stayed on the mountain called the Mount of Olives. 38 And all the people came early in the morning to hear Him in the temple.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.