Read the Gospels in 40 Days

The loving mercy of God is openly seen in the parables of the hundredth sheep and of the son that was lost.

15 Then all the publicans and sinners sought him out, in order to hear him. ² And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, He receives sinners into his company, and eats with them. ³ Then Jesus put forth this similitude to them, saying, ⁴ What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the countryside and go after the one that is lost until he finds him? ⁵ And when he has found him, he puts him on his shoulders with joy. ⁶ And as soon as he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost! ⁷ I say to you that likewise there will be joy in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

⁸ Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one, does not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and search diligently till she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost. ¹⁰ Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.

¹¹ And he said, A certain man had two sons, ¹² and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the goods that belongs to me. And he divided the substance of his wealth between them. ¹³ And not long after, the younger son gathered all that he had together, and took his journey into a far country. And there he wasted his goods with riotous living. ¹⁴ And when he had spent all that he had, there arose a great dearth throughout all that same land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ And he went and attached himself to a citizen of that same country, who sent him to his field to keep his swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his belly with the pods that the swine ate, but no man gave to him.

¹⁷ Then he came to himself and said, How many hired servants at my father’s have bread enough, and I am dying of hunger? ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

²⁰ And he arose and went to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. ²² But his father said to his servants, Bring forth that best garment and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring here the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. ²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is now found. And they began to be merry.

²⁵ The elder brother was in the field, and when he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing, ²⁶ and called one of his servants and asked what those things meant. ²⁷ And the servant said to him, Your brother is come, and your father had the fatted calf killed, because he has received him safe and sound.

²⁸ And the elder brother was angry and would not go in. Then his father came out and entreated him. ²⁹ He answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years I have served you, and not once broken your commandment, and yet you never gave me so much as a kid to make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this your son comes, who has devoured your goods with harlots, you have for his pleasure killed the fatted calf!

³¹ And the father said to him, Son, you were always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found.

The parable of the wicked mammon. Not one tittle of God’s word shall perish. Of the rich man and poor Lazarus.

16 And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward that was accused of wasting his goods. ² And he summoned him and said to him, How is it that I hear this of you? Give accounts of your stewardship, for you may no longer be steward.

³ The steward said within himself, What can I do? For my master will take away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig, and to beg I am ashamed. ⁴ I know what to do, so that when I am put out of the stewardship, people may receive me into their houses.

⁵ Then he called all his master’s debtors, and said to the first, How much do you owe to my master? ⁶ And he said, A hundred tons of oil. And the steward said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. ⁷ Then he said to another, What do you owe? And he said, A hundred quarters of wheat. The steward said to him, Take your bill and write eighty.

⁸ And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For among their own, the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. ⁹ And I say also to you, make friends for yourselves with the wicked mammon, so that when you depart this world, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

¹⁰ He who is faithful in that which is least, the same is faithful in much. And he who is unfaithful in the least is unfaithful also in much. ¹¹ So then, if you have not been faithful in the wicked mammon, who will believe you in that which is true? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in another man’s business, who will give you your own?

¹³ No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will lean to the one and neglect the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.

¹⁴ All these things the Pharisees also heard, who were covetous; and they mocked him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men, is abominable in the sight of God.

¹⁶ The law and the prophets reigned until the time of John; and since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone strives to go in.

¹⁷ Sooner can heaven and earth perish, than one tittle of the law can pass away. ¹⁸ Whosoever forsakes his wife and marries another, breaks matrimony, and every man who marries her that is divorced from her husband, commits adultery also.

¹⁹ There was a certain rich man that was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared deliciously every day. ²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus who lay at his gate, full of sores, ²¹ longing to be relieved of hunger with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Nevertheless, the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried; ²³ and being in hell, in torments, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am tormented in this flame.

²⁵ But Abraham said to him, Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your pleasure, and contrariwise Lazarus pain. Now therefore he is comforted, and you are punished. ²⁶ Beyond all this, between all you and us there is a great space set, so that those who would desire to go from here to you cannot, and none may come from there to us.

²⁷ Then he said, I pray you therefore, Father, send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brethren, to warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹ Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.

³⁰ And he said, Nay, Father Abraham, but if one came to them from the dead, they would repent.

³¹ He said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe though one rose from death again.