Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Teaching about Divorce(A)
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,[a] he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side[b] of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man[c] to divorce his wife for any reason?”
4 He answered them, “Haven’t you read that the one who made[d] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’[e] 5 and said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?[f] 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”
7 They asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order us ‘to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her’?”[g]
8 He told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way. 9 I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”[h]
10 His disciples asked him, “If that is the relationship of a man with his wife, it’s not worth getting married!”
11 “Not everyone can accept this saying,” he replied, “except those to whom celibacy[i] has been granted, 12 because some men are celibate from birth,[j] while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from[k] heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Jesus Blesses the Little Children(B)
13 Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought[l] them. 14 Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from[m] heaven belongs to people like these.” 15 When he had laid his hands on them, he went on from there.
A Rich Man Comes to Jesus(C)
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus.[n] “Teacher,”[o] he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?”
17 Jesus[p] asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.[q] If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”
18 The young man[r] asked him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You must not murder,[s] you must not commit adultery,[t] you must not steal,[u] you must not give false testimony,[v] 19 honor your father and mother,’[w] and, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’”[x]
20 The young man told him, “I have kept all of these.[y] What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money[z] to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.
Salvation and Reward(D)
23 Then Jesus told his disciples, “I tell all of you[aa] with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from[ab] heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.
26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27 “Look!” Peter replied. “We have left everything and followed you. So what will we get?”
28 Jesus told them, “I tell all of you[ac] with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much[ad] and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The Workers in the Vineyard
20 “The kingdom from[ae] 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 one denarius[af] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock,[ag] he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. 4 He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So off they went. He went out again about noon[ah] and about three o’clock[ai] and did the same thing. 6 About five o’clock[aj] he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’ 7 They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with[ak] the first.’ 9 Those who were hired at five o’clock[al] came, and each received a denarius.
10 “When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner, 12 ‘These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we’ve been working all day,[am] enduring the scorching heat!’
13 “But he told one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn’t you? 14 Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you.[an] 15 I am allowed to do what I want with my own money,[ao] am I not? Or are you envious[ap] because I’m generous?’
16 “In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen.”[aq]
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time(E)
17 When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples[ar] aside and told them as they were walking along, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. 19 Then they will hand him over to unbelievers[as] to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”
The Request of James and John(F)
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus[at] with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. 21 He asked her, “What do you want?”
She told him, “Promise[au] that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”
22 Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”[av]
They told him, “We can.”
23 He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called the disciples[aw] and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers[ax] lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. 26 That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. 28 That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men(G)
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.[ay] 30 When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord,[az] Son of David!” 31 When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They told him, “Lord, we want to be able to see!”[ba] 34 Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and at once they could see again. So they followed him.
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