Read the Gospels in 40 Days

19 Jesus came to the city of Jericho and was passing through it.

² A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was the head tax collector, and he was a rich man.

³ He wanted to see who Jesus was but he could not see him because he was a short man and there were many people around him.

⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed into a tree to see Jesus, for he was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up. He said, `Zacchaeus, come down right now. I must stay at your house today.'

⁶ So Zacchaeus came down right then. He was glad to have Jesus come in his house.

⁷ When all the people saw this, they did not like it. They said, `He has gone to visit a bad man.'

⁸ Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, `Look, Lord, I will give to the poor people half of all I have. And if I have cheated anyone, I will give him back four times as much as I took.'

⁹ Jesus said to him, `The head of this house has been saved today! He also is a son of Abraham.

¹⁰ The Son of Man came to look for and to save those who are lost.'

¹¹ While they were listening to this, he started to tell them a story. He did so because they were near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God would begin right away.

¹² So he said, `A man who belonged to a respected family went to a country far away. He went to get power to rule. Then he was going to come back.

¹³ Before he left, he called ten of his servants. He gave each of them some money. He said, "Go and trade with this money until I come back."

¹⁴ `His people hated him. They chose some men and sent them after him to tell the king, "We do not want this man to rule over us."

¹⁵ But he was given the power to rule and came back. Then he called the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to know how much money each one had made by trading.

¹⁶ The first one came to him and said, "Sir, your money has made ten times more money."

¹⁷ `The ruler said, "You have done well. You are a good servant. You will rule over ten cities because you have done well with a very small thing."

¹⁸ The second one came to him and said, "Sir, your money has made five times more money."

¹⁹ The ruler said, "You will rule over five cities."

²⁰ `Then another servant came and said, "Sir, here is your money. I hid it in a cloth and kept it.

²¹ I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take in where you put nothing out. You gather where you did not plant."

²² `The ruler said "You bad servant! I will judge you by your own words. You knew that I was a hard man! You knew that I take in where I put nothing out. You knew that I gather where I did not plant.

²³ Why did you not put my money in the bank? Then when you came home I would have had my money with interest."

²⁴ `Some men were standing there. He said to them, "Take the money from him. Give it to the man who has ten times as much."

²⁵ They said, "Sir, he has ten times as much already!"

²⁶ The ruler said, "I tell you. Anyone who has some will get more. But he who does not have anything, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.

²⁷ But where are those people who hate me and did not want me to rule over them? Bring them here and kill them right here in front of me." '

²⁸ When Jesus had said this, he went on ahead of them towards Jerusalem.

²⁹ He came near Bethphage and Bethany by the hill called the Mount of Olives. Then he sent two of his disciples ahead.

³⁰ He said, `Go into the village in front of you. As soon as you go in, you will find an animal tied up. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it and bring it to me.

³¹ If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?" tell him, "The Lord needs it." '

³² They went and found it just as Jesus had said.

³³ When they were untying the animal, the men who owned it asked them, `Why are you untying the animal?'

³⁴ They said, `The Lord needs it.'

³⁵ They brought it to Jesus and laid their coats on it. Then they put Jesus on it.

³⁶ As he was riding along, people spread their coats on the road.

³⁷ He came near the top of the hill called the Mount of Olives. Then all the people who believed in him began to be happy. They sang out loudly, and praised God in a loud voice for all the big works they had seen.

³⁸ They said, `God bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven where God is praised!'

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees who were among the people said to Jesus, `Teacher, tell your disciples to stop saying that.'

⁴⁰ Jesus answered, `I tell you, if they do not speak like this the stones will call out.'

⁴¹ When Jesus came near, he saw the city. His heart was very sad and he cried.

⁴² He said, `I wish you knew today what things would give you peace! But now you do not see what they are.

⁴³ The time will come when the people who hate you will put a wall all around you. They will shut you up and keep you in on every side.

⁴⁴ They will break you down to the ground. They will kill the people within you. They will not leave one stone of your houses on top of another. That will happen because you did not know the time when God was ready to help you.'

⁴⁵ Jesus went into the temple. He began to drive out the people who were buying and selling in the temple.

⁴⁶ He said to them, `It is written, "My house shall be a place where people talk with God." But you have made it a place for people who steal!'

⁴⁷ He taught in the temple every day. The chief priests, scribes and the leaders of the people wanted to kill him.

⁴⁸ But they did not find any way they could do it. All the people stayed around to hear what Jesus said.

20 One day Jesus was teaching the people in the temple. He was telling them God's good news. The chief priests and the scribes came to him with the leaders.

² They said to him, `Tell us what right you have to do these things. Who gave you the right to do them?'

³ He answered, `I will ask you a question also. Tell me this.

⁴ Who gave John the right to baptise people? Did God or did men give it to him?'

⁵ They talked it over together. They said, `If we say, "God gave John the right to do it," he will say, "Then why did you not believe him?"

⁶ But if we say, "Men gave him the right to do it," then the people will kill us with stones. They believe that John was a prophet of God.'

⁷ So they answered Jesus, `We do not know who gave him the right to do it.'

⁸ Then Jesus said to them, `Neither will I tell you what right I have to do these things.'

⁹ Then Jesus began to tell the people this story. `A man planted a farm. He let some men use the farm. They paid him money for the rent. Then he went to a country far away and stayed a long time.

¹⁰ `At harvest time the owner sent one of his servants to the men who used the farm. He wanted to have some fruit from the farm. But the men beat the servant and sent him away without any fruit.

¹¹ So he sent another servant. They beat this one also, and did wrong things to him. And they sent him away without any fruit.

¹² He sent a servant the third time. They hurt this one also and threw him out of the farm.

¹³ `Then the man who owned the farm said, "What shall I do? I will send my dear son. Maybe they will respect him."

¹⁴ `But when the men saw him they said to each other, "This is the one who will have everything when his father dies. Let us kill him. Then everything will belong to us."

¹⁵ They dragged him off the farm and killed him. `What will the man who owned the farm do to them?

¹⁶ He will come back and kill those men. And he will give the farm to other men to use.' When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they said, `May it not be so!'

¹⁷ `But Jesus looked right at them. He said, `What about this writing then? "The stone which the builders would not use is now the chief corner stone."

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But if that stone falls on anyone, it will crush him.'

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests wanted to catch Jesus right then but they feared the people. They understood that he had told this story against them.

²⁰ So they watched for a chance to catch him. And they sent men to spy on him. These men acted as if they were good men. They did this because they wanted to catch him in something that he said. They wanted to give him over to the ruler who would judge and punish him.

²¹ So they asked Jesus, `Teacher, we know that you talk and teach what is right. You do not fear any person. But you teach the true way of God.

²² Is it right to pay money as taxes to Caesar or is it not?'

²³ He knew they were trying to get him into trouble.

²⁴ So he said, `Show me a piece of money. Whose picture and name are on it?' They said, `Caesar's'

²⁵ Then he said to them, `So give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.'

²⁶ They were not able to catch him in anything he said in front of the people. They were surprised at his answer and they could not say anything.

²⁷ Some of the Sadducees came to Jesus. (They say that people do not rise from death.)

²⁸ They came to ask Jesus a question. `Teacher,' they said, `Moses gave us this law: "If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, then his brother must marry the wife and raise a family for his brother."

²⁹ There were seven brothers. The first one married. He died and left no children.

³⁰ The second one married the wife.

³¹ Then the third one married her. All seven brothers married her. They all had no children and they died.

³² Last of all, the woman died also.

³³ Now then, when people rise from death, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.'

³⁴ Jesus said to them, `Men and women in this world marry.

³⁵ But men and women who are good enough to have a place in the next world and to be raised from death do not marry.

³⁶ They cannot die again. They are like angels. They are God's children because they have been raised from death.

³⁷ Even Moses showed that people do rise from death. It is in his book where we read about the small tree which burned. Moses says that the Lord is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

³⁸ He is not the God of dead people, but of living people. All people are alive to him.'

³⁹ Some of the scribes said to him, `Teacher, what you say is right.'

⁴⁰ After that, people were afraid to ask him any more questions.

⁴¹ But Jesus asked them, `How can people say that Christ is David's son?

⁴³ David himself says in the book of the Psalms, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit beside me until I make you master over your enemies."

⁴⁴ So David calls Christ his Lord. How can Christ be David's son?'

⁴⁵ Then Jesus talked to his disciples while all the people could hear him.

⁴⁶ He said, `Take care. Do not let the scribes fool you. They like to walk about dressed in long gowns. They want people to greet them in the market. They want to have the front seats in the meeting houses. They want to sit in the best places at feasts.

⁴⁷ They take away the homes of women whose husbands are dead. They cover up their wrong ways by talking to God a long time. They will be punished more!'