Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Jesus Teaches About Divorce

10 Jesus left that place and went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again crowds of people came to him. As usual, he taught them.

² Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.”

⁵ “You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ (Genesis 1:27) ⁷ ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. ⁸ The two of them will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) They are no longer two, but one. ⁹ So no one should separate what God has joined together.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her. ¹² And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.”

Little Children Are Brought to Jesus

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on them to bless them. But the disciples told them to stop. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. ¹⁵ What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them to bless them.

Rich People and the Kingdom of God

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him. He fell on his knees before Jesus. “Good teacher,” he said, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God. ¹⁹ You know what the commandments say. ‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.’ ” (Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20)

²⁰ “Teacher,” he said, “I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “You are missing one thing,” he said. “Go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”

²² The man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he was very rich.

²³ Jesus looked around. He said to his disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter God’s kingdom! ²⁵ Is it hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It is even harder for someone who is rich to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed. They said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With people, this is impossible. But not with God. All things are possible with God.”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

²⁹ “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus replied. “Has anyone left home or family or fields for me and the good news? ³⁰ They will receive 100 times as much in this world. They will have homes and families and fields. But they will also be treated badly by others. In the world to come they will live forever. ³¹ But many who are first will be last. And the last will be first.”

Jesus Speaks a Third Time About His Coming Death

³² They were on their way up to Jerusalem. Jesus was leading the way. The disciples were amazed. Those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the 12 disciples to one side. He told them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said. “The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ They will make fun of him and spit on him. They will whip him and kill him. Three days later he will rise from the dead!”

James and John Ask Jesus for a Favor

³⁵ James and John came to Jesus. They were the sons of Zebedee. “Teacher,” they said, “we would like to ask you for a favor.”

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

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right hand in your glorious kingdom. Let the other one sit at your left hand.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup of suffering I drink? Or can you go through the baptism of suffering I must go through?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink. And you will go through the baptism I go through. ⁴⁰ But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or left hand. These places belong to those they are prepared for.”

⁴¹ The other ten disciples heard about it. They became angry at James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together. He said, “You know about those who are rulers of the Gentiles. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around. ⁴³ Don’t be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant. ⁴⁴ And anyone who wants to be first must be the slave of everyone. ⁴⁵ Even the Son of Man did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.”

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

⁴⁶ Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. They were leaving the city. A large crowd was with them. A blind man was sitting by the side of the road begging. His name was Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus means Son of Timaeus. ⁴⁷ He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. So he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many people commanded him to stop. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call for him.”

So they called out to the blind man, “Cheer up! Get up on your feet! Jesus is calling for you.” ⁵⁰ He threw his coat to one side. Then he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

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

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to be able to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus. “Your faith has healed you.” Right away he could see. And he followed Jesus along the road.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

11 As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. ² He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a donkey’s colt tied there. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here. ³ Someone may ask you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ If so, say, ‘The Lord needs it. But he will send it back here soon.’ ”

⁴ So they left. They found a colt out in the street. It was tied at a doorway. They untied it. ⁵ Some people standing there asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to. So the people let them go. ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats over it. Then he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road. Others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those in front and those in back shouted,

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard. He looked around at everything. But it was already late. So he went out to Bethany with the 12 disciples.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears Out the Temple Courtyard

¹² The next day as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany, they were hungry. ¹³ Not too far away, he saw a fig tree. It was covered with leaves. He went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ When Jesus reached Jerusalem, he entered the temple courtyard. He began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who were exchanging money. He also turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. ¹⁶ He would not allow anyone to carry items for sale through the temple courtyard. ¹⁷ Then he taught them. He told them, “It is written that the Lord said, ‘My house will be called a house where people from all nations can pray.’ (Isaiah 56:7) But you have made it a ‘den for robbers.’ ” (Jeremiah 7:11)

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard about this. They began looking for a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city.

The Dried-Up Fig Tree

²⁰ In the morning as Jesus and his disciples walked along, they saw the fig tree. It was dried up all the way down to the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you put a curse on has dried up!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus said. ²³ “What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone says to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea.’ They must not doubt in their heart. They must believe that what they say will happen. Then it will be done for them. ²⁴ So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it. Then it will be yours. ^25-26 And when you stand praying, forgive anyone you have anything against. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.”

The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples arrived again in Jerusalem. He was walking in the temple courtyard. Then the chief priests came to him. The teachers of the law and the elders came too. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “Who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ Was John’s baptism from heaven? Or did it come from human authority? Tell me!”

³¹ They talked to each other about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But what if we say, ‘From human authority’?” They were afraid of the people. Everyone believed that John really was a prophet.

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.”

The Story of the Renters

12 Jesus began to speak to the people using stories. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it. He dug a pit for a winepress. He also built a lookout tower. He rented the vineyard out to some farmers. Then he went to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the renters. He told the servant to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they grabbed the servant and beat him up. Then they sent him away with nothing. ⁴ So the man sent another servant to the renters. They hit this one on the head and treated him badly. ⁵ The man sent still another servant. The renters killed him. The man sent many others. The renters beat up some of them. They killed the others.

⁶ “The man had one person left to send. It was his son, and he loved him. He sent him last of all. He said, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the renters said to each other, ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come, let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him. They threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What will the owner of the vineyard do then? He will come and kill those renters. He will give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read what this part of Scripture says,

¹² Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest Jesus. They knew he had told the story against them. But they were afraid of the crowd. So they left him and went away.

Is It Right to Pay the Royal Tax to Caesar?

¹³ Later the religious leaders sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus. They wanted to trap him with his own words. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of honor. You don’t let other people tell you what to do or say. You don’t care how important they are. But you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay the royal tax to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew what they were trying to do. So he asked, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a silver coin. Let me look at it.” ¹⁶ They brought the coin. He asked them, “Whose picture is this? And whose words?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give back to God what belongs to God.”

They were amazed at him.

Marriage When the Dead Rise

¹⁸ The Sadducees came to Jesus with a question. They do not believe that people rise from the dead. ¹⁹ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us about a man who died and didn’t have any children. But he did leave a wife behind. That man’s brother must get married to the widow. He must provide children to carry on his dead brother’s name. ²⁰ There were seven brothers. The first one got married. He died without leaving any children. ²¹ The second one got married to the widow. He also died and left no child. It was the same with the third one. ²² In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³ When the dead rise, whose wife will she be? All seven of them were married to her.”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures. And you do not know the power of God. ²⁵ When the dead rise, they won’t get married. And their parents won’t give them to be married. They will be like the angels in heaven. ²⁶ What about the dead rising? Haven’t you read in the Book of Moses the story of the burning bush? God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.’ (Exodus 3:6) ²⁷ He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. You have made a big mistake!”

The Most Important Commandment

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard the Sadducees arguing. He noticed that Jesus had given the Sadducees a good answer. So he asked him, “Which is the most important of all the commandments?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “Here is the most important one. Moses said, ‘Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) ³¹ And here is the second one. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) There is no commandment more important than these.”

³² “You have spoken well, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one. There is no other God but him. ³³ To love God with all your heart and mind and strength is very important. So is loving your neighbor as you love yourself. These things are more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely. He said to him, “You are not far from God’s kingdom.” From then on, no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

³⁵ Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard. He asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶ The Holy Spirit spoke through David himself. David said,

³⁷ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ So how can he be David’s son?”

The large crowd listened to Jesus with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

³⁸ As he taught, he said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in long robes. They like to be greeted with respect in the market. ³⁹ They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. They also love to have the places of honor at dinners. ⁴⁰ They take over the houses of widows. They say long prayers to show off. God will punish these men very much.”

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹ Jesus sat down across from the place where people put their temple offerings. He watched the crowd putting their money into the offering boxes. Many rich people threw large amounts into them. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins. They were worth only a few pennies.

⁴³ Jesus asked his disciples to come to him. He said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. That poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave a lot because they are rich. But she gave even though she is poor. She put in everything she had. That was all she had to live on.”