Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Teaching about Divorce(A)
10 Then Jesus[a] left that place and went into the territory of Judea on the other side[b] of the Jordan. Crowds gathered around him as usual, and he began to teach them again as was his custom. 2 Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 “What did Moses command you?” he responded.
4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to divorce her.”[c]
5 But Jesus told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that he wrote this command for you. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God[d] made them male and female.’[e] 7 That’s why ‘a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’[f] So they’re no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”
10 Back in the house, the disciples asked him about this again. 11 So he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman[g] divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Jesus Blesses the Little Children(B)
13 Some people[h] were bringing little children to Jesus[i] to have him touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought[j] them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he became furious and told them, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these. 15 I tell all of you[k] with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 Then after he had hugged the children,[l] he tenderly blessed them as he laid his hands on them.
A Rich Man Comes to Jesus(C)
17 As Jesus[m] was setting out again,[n] a man ran up to him, knelt down in front of him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Never murder.’[o] ‘Never commit adultery.’[p] ‘Never steal.’[q] ‘Never give false testimony.’[r] ‘Never cheat.’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’”[s]
20 The man[t] replied to him, “Teacher, I have obeyed all of these since I was a young man.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then he told him, “You’re missing one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the money[u] to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” 22 Shocked at this statement, the man[v] went away sad, because he had many possessions.
Salvation and Reward(D)
23 Then Jesus looked around and told his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were startled by these words, but Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their wealth[w] to get into the kingdom of God! 25 It’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples[x] were utterly amazed and asked one another,[y] “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans it’s impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
28 Then Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “I tell all of you[z] with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the gospel 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much here in this world—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with persecution—as well as eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
32 Now Jesus and his disciples[aa] had been on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking ahead of them. They were astonished, and the others who followed were afraid.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time(E)
Once again, Jesus[ab] took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. 33 “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and the scribes, and they’ll condemn him to death. Then they’ll hand him over to the unbelievers,[ac] 34 and they’ll make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he’ll be raised.”
The Request of James and John(F)
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus[ad] and told him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.”
36 He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They asked him, “Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.”
38 But Jesus told them, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?”
39 They told him, “We can.”
Jesus told them, “You will drink from the cup that I’m going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized. 40 But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others.”
41 When the ten other disciples[ae] heard this, they began to be furious with James and John. 42 Jesus called his disciples[af] and told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers[ag] lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them. 43 That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to everyone, 45 because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus(G)
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus,[ah] his disciples, and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many people sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 So Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!”
So they called the blind man and told him, “Have courage! Get up. He’s calling you.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.
51 Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man told him, “Rabbouni,[ai] I want to see again.”
52 Jesus told him, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” At once the man[aj] could see again, and he began to follow Jesus[ak] down the road.
The King Enters Jerusalem(H)
11 When they came near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus[al] sent two of his disciples on ahead 2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you go into it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it along. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?,’ say, ‘The Lord needs it,’ and he will send it back here at once.”
4 So they went and found the colt outside in the street tied up next to a doorway. While they were untying it, 5 some men standing there asked them, “What are you doing untying that colt?” 6 The disciples[am] told them what Jesus had said, and the men[an] let them go.
7 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road, while others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting,
“Hosanna![ao]
How blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord![ap]
10 How blessed is the coming kingdom[aq]
of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”[ar]
11 Then Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the Temple and looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(I)
12 The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus[as] became hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves because it wasn’t the season for figs. 14 So he told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” Now his disciples were listening to this.
Confrontation in the Temple over Money(J)
15 When they came to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling and those who were buying in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. 16 He wouldn’t even let anyone carry a vessel through the Temple. 17 Then he began to teach them: “It is written, is it not, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer for all nations’?[at] But you’ve turned it into a hideout[au] for bandits!” 18 When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[av] would leave the city.
The Lesson from the Dried Fig Tree(K)
20 While they were walking along early the next morning, they saw the fig tree dried up to its roots. 21 Remembering what Jesus had said,[aw] Peter pointed out to him, “Rabbi,[ax] look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up!”
22 Jesus told his disciples,[ay] “Have faith in God! 23 I tell all of you[az] with certainty, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ if he doesn’t doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 That is why I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received[ba] it and it will be yours.
25 “Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. 26 But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”[bb]
Jesus’ Authority is Challenged(L)
27 Then they went into Jerusalem again. While Jesus[bc] was walking in the Temple, the high priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority to do them?”
29 Jesus told them, “I’ll ask you one question.[bd] Answer me, and then I’ll tell you by what authority I’m doing these things. 30 Was John’s authority to baptize[be] from heaven or from humans? Answer me.”
31 They began discussing this among themselves. “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he’ll say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From humans’…?” They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone really thought John was a prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”
The Parable about the Tenant Farmers(M)
12 Then Jesus[bf] began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad. 2 At the right time, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect from them a share of the produce from the vineyard. 3 But the farmers[bg] grabbed the servant,[bh] beat him, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 Again, the man[bi] sent another servant to them. They beat the servant[bj] over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then the man[bk] sent another, and that one they killed. So it was with many other servants.[bl] Some of these they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one more person to send,[bm] a son whom he loved. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those farmers told one another, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So they grabbed him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, execute the farmers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you ever read this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.[bn]
11 This was the Lord’s[bo] doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”[bp]
12 They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.
A Question about Paying Taxes(N)
13 Then they sent some Pharisees and some Herodians[bq] to him, intending to trap him in what he said. 14 They came and told him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Instead, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn’t we?”
15 Seeing through their hypocrisy, Jesus[br] replied to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
16 So they brought one. Then he asked them, “Whose face and name are on this?”
They told him, “Caesar’s.”
17 So Jesus told them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A Question about the Resurrection(O)
18 Then some Sadducees, who claim there is no resurrection, came to Jesus[bs] and asked him, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, he should marry the widow and have children for his brother.[bt] 20 There were seven brothers. The first one married and died without having children. 21 Then the second married her and died without having children, and so did the third. 22 None of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died, too. 23 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since all seven had married her?”[bu]
24 Jesus answered them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power? 25 When people[bv] rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven. 26 As for the dead being raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?[bw] 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment(P)
28 Then one of the scribes came near and heard the Sadducees[bx] arguing with one another. He saw how well Jesus[by] answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord[bz] our God is one Lord,[ca] 30 and you must love the Lord[cb] your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[cc] 31 The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’[cd] No other commandment is greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe told him, “Well said,[ce] Teacher! You have told the truth that ‘God[cf] is one, and there is no other besides him.’[cg] 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw how wisely the man[ch] answered, he told him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask him another question.
A Question about David’s Son(Q)
35 While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah[ci] is David’s son? 36 David himself said by the Holy Spirit,
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd kept listening to him with delight.
Jesus Denounces the Scribes(R)
38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses[cl] and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!”
The Widow’s Offering(S)
41 As Jesus[cm] sat facing the offering box, he watched how the crowd was dropping their money into it.[cn] Many rich people were dropping in large amounts. 42 Then a destitute widow came and dropped in two small copper coins,[co] worth about a cent.[cp] 43 He called his disciples and told them, “I tell all of you[cq] with certainty, this destitute widow has dropped in more than everyone who is contributing to the offering box, 44 because all of them contributed out of their surplus, but out of her poverty she has given everything she had to live on.”
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