Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Teachings on divorce

10 Jesus left the region, and went to the districts of Judaea across the Jordan. A large crowd gathered around him, and once more, as his custom was, he taught them.

² Some Pharisees approached him with a question. “Is it permitted,” they asked, “for a man to divorce his wife?” They said this to trap him.

³ “Well,” answered Jesus, “what did Moses command you?”

⁴ “Moses permitted us,” they replied, “to write a notice of separation and so to complete the divorce.”

⁵ “He gave you that command,” said Jesus, “because you are hardhearted. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation

“There you are, then: they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ What God has joined, humans must not split up.”

¹⁰ When they were back indoors, the disciples asked him about this.

¹¹ “Anyone who divorces his wife,” said Jesus, “and marries someone else commits adultery against her. ¹² And if she divorces her husband and marries someone else she commits adultery.”

¹³ People brought children to Jesus for him to touch them. The disciples reprimanded them. ¹⁴ But Jesus was angry when he saw it, and said to them, “Let the children come to me! Don’t stop them! The kingdom of God belongs to people like that. ¹⁵ I’m telling you the truth: anyone who doesn’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never get into it.”

¹⁶ And he hugged them, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

The rich young ruler

¹⁷ As he was setting out on the road, a man ran up and knelt down in front of him.

“Good teacher,” he asked, “what should I do to inherit the life of the age to come?”

¹⁸ “Why call me ‘good’?” replied Jesus. “No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments:

²⁰ “Teacher,” he said, “I’ve kept all of them since I was little.”

²¹ Jesus looked hard at him, and loved him.

“One more thing,” he said. “Go away, and whatever you possess—sell it, and give it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven! Then: come and follow me.”

²² At that, his face fell, and he went off sadly. He was very wealthy.

²³ Jesus looked slowly around. Then he said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were astonished at what he was saying. So Jesus repeated once more, “Children, it’s very hard to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom.”

²⁶ They were totally amazed, and said to each other, “So who then can be saved?”

²⁷ “It’s impossible for mortals,” Jesus said, looking hard at them, “but it’s not impossible for God. All things are possible for God.”

²⁸ “Look here,” Peter started up, “we’ve left everything and followed you.”

²⁹ “I’ll tell you the truth,” replied Jesus. “No one who has left a house, or brothers or sisters, or mother or father, or children, or lands, because of me and the gospel, ³⁰ will fail to receive back a hundred times more in the present age: houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands—with persecutions!—and finally the life of the age to come. ³¹ But plenty of people at the front will end up at the back, and the back at the front.”

The request of James and John

³² They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and the people following were afraid.

Again he took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “Look,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem. The son of man will be handed over to the chief priests and the legal experts, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the pagans. ³⁴ They will taunt him and spit at him and flog him and kill him—and after three days he will rise again.”

³⁵ James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him.

“Teacher,” they said, “we want you to grant us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” asked Jesus.

³⁷ “Grant us,” they said, “that when you’re there in all your glory, one of us will sit at your right, and the other at your left.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you’re asking for!” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I’m going to drink? Can you receive the baptism I’m going to receive?”

³⁹ “Yes,” they said, “we can.”

“Well,” said Jesus, “you will drink the cup I drink; you will receive the baptism I receive. ⁴⁰ But sitting at my right hand or my left—that’s not up to me. It’s been assigned already.”

⁴¹ When the other ten disciples heard, they were angry with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them to him.

“You know how it is in the pagan nations,” he said. “Think how their so-called rulers act. They lord it over their subjects. The high and mighty ones boss the rest around. ⁴³ But that’s not how it’s going to be with you. Anyone who wants to be great among you must become your servant. ⁴⁴ Anyone who wants to be first must be everyone’s slave. ⁴⁵ Don’t you see? The son of man didn’t come to be waited on. He came to be the servant, to give his life ‘as a ransom for many.’ ”

Jesus heals a blind beggar

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples and a substantial crowd were leaving the town, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out: “Son of David! Jesus! Take pity on me!”

⁴⁸ Lots of people told him crossly to be quiet. But he shouted out all the louder, “Son of David—take pity on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus came to a stop. “Call him,” he said.

So they called the blind man.

“Cheer up,” they said, “and get up. He’s calling you.”

⁵⁰ He flung his cloak aside, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

Jesus saw him coming. ⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

“Teacher,” the blind man said, “let me see again.”

⁵² “Off you go,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved you.” And immediately he saw again, and he followed him on the way.

The triumphal entry

11 So they approached Jerusalem. They got as far as Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, when Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead with a specific task.

² “Go to the village over there,” he said to them, “and as soon as you enter it you will find a colt tied up—one that nobody has ever ridden before. Untie it and bring it here. ³ And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing that?’ then say, ‘The master needs it, and he will return it at once.’ ”

⁴ They went off and found the colt tied up beside a door, out in the street; and they untied it.

⁵ Some of the bystanders said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ⁶ They gave the answer Jesus had told them, and they let them carry on. ⁷ So they brought the colt to Jesus and laid their cloaks on it, and he mounted it. ⁸ Several people spread out their cloaks in the road. Others did the same with foliage that they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those in front, and those coming behind, shouted out, “Hosanna! Welcome in the Lord’s name! ¹⁰ Here comes the kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem, went into the Temple, and looked all round. It was already getting late, and he returned to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus cleanses the Temple

¹² The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ From some distance away he saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and hoped to find some fruit on it; but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves. (It wasn’t yet the season for figs.)

¹⁴ He addressed the tree directly. “May no one ever eat fruit from you again,” he said. And his disciples heard.

¹⁵ They came into Jerusalem. Jesus went into the Temple and began to drive out the traders, those who bought and sold in the Temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers. ¹⁶ He permitted no one to carry any vessel through the Temple. ¹⁷ He began to teach: “Isn’t this what’s written,” he said,

“But you’ve made it a brigands’ den!”

¹⁸ The chief priests and the legal experts heard, and looked for a way to get rid of him. But they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, they went back out of the city.

²⁰ As they were returning, early in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots.

²¹ “Look, Teacher!” said Peter to Jesus, remembering what had happened before. “The fig tree you cursed has withered.”

²² “Have faith in God,” replied Jesus. ²³ “I’m telling you the truth: if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be off with you—get yourself thrown into the sea,’ if they have no doubt in their heart, but believe that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ That’s why I’m telling you, everything that you request in prayer, everything you ask God for, believe that you receive it, and it will happen for you.

²⁵ “And when you are standing there praying, if you have something against someone else, forgive them—so that your father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

The authority of Jesus is questioned

²⁷ Once more they went into Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple he was approached by the chief priests, the legal experts and the elders.

²⁸ “By what right do you do these things?” they asked. “Who gave you the right to do them?”

²⁹ “I have one question for you, too,” replied Jesus, “and if you tell me the answer I shall tell you by what right I do these things. ³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven, or was it a human invention? What’s your answer?”

³¹ “Well now,” they muttered to each other, “if we say it was from heaven, he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say it was a human invention . . .” They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone regarded John as a prophet.

³³ “We don’t know,” they said to Jesus.

“Nor will I tell you,” replied Jesus, “by what right I do these things.”

The parable of the tenants

12 Jesus began to speak to them with parables.

“Once upon a time,” he began, “there was a man who planted a vineyard. He built a fence around it, dug out a wine-press, built a watchtower, and then let it out to tenant farmers. He himself went abroad. ² When the time came he sent a slave to the farmers to collect from them his portion of the vineyard’s produce. ³ They seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

⁴ “So again he sent another slave to them. This one they beat about the head, and treated shamefully. ⁵ He sent another, and they killed him. He sent several more; they beat some and killed others.

⁶ “He had one more to send: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the tenant farmers said to themselves, ‘This is the heir! Come on—let’s kill him, and we’ll get the inheritance!’ ⁸ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “So what will the vineyard owner do? He will come and destroy those tenants, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Or haven’t you read the scripture which says,

¹² They tried to find a way of arresting him, because they realized he had directed the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd. They left him and went away.

On paying taxes to Caesar

¹³ They sent some Pharisees to Jesus, and some Herodians, to try to trick him into saying the wrong thing.

¹⁴ “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity; you don’t regard anybody as special. You don’t bother about the outward show people put up; you teach God’s way truly.

“Well then: is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Should we pay it, or shouldn’t we?”

¹⁵ He knew the game they were playing. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he said. “Bring me a tribute-coin; let me look at it.”

¹⁶ They brought one to him.

“This image,” he asked, “whose is it? And whose is this superscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

¹⁷ “Well then,” said Jesus, “give Caesar back what belongs to Caesar—and give God back what belongs to God!”

They were astonished at him.

Marriage and the resurrection

¹⁸ Some Sadducees approached Jesus (Sadducees, by the way, deny the resurrection).

¹⁹ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that ‘if a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife but no child, the brother should take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’ ²⁰ Well now: there were once seven brothers. The first married a wife, and died without children. ²¹ The second married the widow, and died without children. The third did so as well, ²² and so did all seven, still without leaving children. Finally the woman died too. ²³ So: when they rise again in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven had her, after all.”

²⁴ “Where you’re going wrong,” replied Jesus, “is that you don’t know the scriptures, or God’s power. ²⁵ When people rise from the dead, they don’t marry, nor do people give them in marriage. They are like angels in heaven.

²⁶ “However, to show that the dead are indeed to be raised, surely you’ve read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, what God says to Moses? ‘I am Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God and Jacob’s God’? ²⁷ He isn’t the God of the dead, but of the living. You are completely mistaken.”

The most important commandment

²⁸ One of the legal experts came up, and overheard the discussion. Realizing that Jesus had given a splendid answer, he put a question of his own.

“Which commandment,” he asked, “is the first one of all?”

²⁹ “The first one,” replied Jesus, “is this: ‘Listen, Israel: the Lord your God, the Lord is one; ³⁰ and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your understanding, and with all your strength.’ ³¹ And this is the second one: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these ones.”

³² “Well said, Teacher,” answered the lawyer. “You are right in saying that ‘he is one and that there is no other beside him,’ ³³ and that ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the intelligence, and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’ is worth far more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ Jesus saw that his answer came out of deep understanding.

“You are not far from God’s kingdom,” he said to him.

After that, nobody dared put any more questions to him.

David’s son and the widow’s mite

³⁵ By way of response to it all, Jesus began to teach in the Temple.

“Why do the experts say,” he asked, “that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself, inspired by the holy spirit, said:

³⁷ “David himself calls him ‘Lord’; how then can he be his son?”

The whole crowd listened to him with delight.

³⁸ During his teaching, he said, “Beware of the lawyers! They like to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the market-places. ³⁹ They take the chief seats in the synagogue, and the best places at dinner parties. ⁴⁰ They devour the property of widows, and make long prayers without meaning them. They will receive all the more condemnation.”

⁴¹ As he sat opposite the Temple treasury, he watched the crowd putting money into the alms boxes. Lots of rich people put in substantial amounts. ⁴² Then there came a single poor widow, who put in two tiny coins, together worth a single penny.

⁴³ Jesus called his disciples.

“I’m telling you the truth,” he said. “This poor widow just put more into the treasury than everybody else. ⁴⁴ You see, all the others were contributing out of their wealth; but she put in everything she had, out of her poverty. It was her whole livelihood.”