Read the Gospels in 40 Days
The Picture-Story of the Lost Sheep
15 All the tax-gatherers and sinners were coming to hear Jesus. 2 The proud religious law-keepers and the teachers of the Law began to speak against Him. They said, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them a picture-story, saying, 4 “What if one of you had one hundred sheep and you lost one of them? Would you not leave the ninety-nine in the country and go back and look for the one which was lost until you find it? 5 When you find it, you are happy as you carry it back on your shoulders. 6 Then you would go to your house and call your friends and neighbors. You would say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven because of one sinner who is sorry for his sins and turns from them, than for ninety-nine people right with God who do not have sins to be sorry for.
The Picture-Story of the Lost Piece of Money
8 “What if a woman has ten silver pieces of money and loses one of them? Does she not light a lamp and sweep the floor and look until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together. She says to them, ‘Be happy with me. I have found the piece of money I had lost.’ 10 I tell you, it is the same way among the angels of God. If one sinner is sorry for his sins and turns from them, the angels are very happy.”
The Picture-Story of the Foolish Son Who Spent All His Money
11 And Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, let me have the part of the family riches that will be coming to me.’ Then the father divided all that he owned between his two sons. 13 Soon after that the younger son took all that had been given to him and went to another country far away. There he spent all he had on wild and foolish living. 14 When all his money was spent, he was hungry. There was no food in the land. 15 He went to work for a man in this far away country. His work was to feed pigs. 16 He was so hungry he was ready to eat the outside part of the ears of the corn the pigs ate because no one gave him anything.
17 “He began to think about what he had done. He said to himself, ‘My father pays many men who work for him. They have all the food they want and more than enough. I am about dead because I am so hungry. 18 I will get up and go to my father. I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am not good enough to be called your son. But may I be as one of the workmen you pay to work?”’
20 “The son got up and went to his father. While he was yet a long way off, his father saw him. The father was full of loving-pity for him. He ran and threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am not good enough to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to the workmen he owned, ‘Hurry! Get the best coat and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. 23 Bring the calf that is fat and kill it. Let us eat and be glad. 24 For my son was dead and now he is alive again. He was lost and now he is found. Let us eat and have a good time.’
25 “The older son was out in the field. As he was coming near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what was happening. 27 The servant answered, ‘Your brother has come back and your father has killed the fat calf. Your brother is in the house and is well.’ 28 The older brother was angry and would not go into the house. His father went outside and asked him to come in. 29 The older son said to his father, ‘All these many years I have served you. I have always obeyed what you said. But you never gave me a young goat so I could have a supper and a good time with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came back, you killed the fat calf. And yet he wasted your money with bad women.’
31 “The father said to him, ‘My son, you are with me all the time. All that I have is yours. 32 It is right and good that we should have a good time and be glad. Your brother was dead and now he is alive again. He was lost and now he is found.’”
The Picture-Story of the Boss Who Stole
16 Jesus said to His followers, “There was a rich man who put a boss over his houses and lands. Someone told him that his boss was not using his riches in a right way. 2 The rich man sent for the boss and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done with my things. You are not to be the boss of my houses and lands anymore.’
3 “The boss said to himself, ‘What will I do now? The owner of the houses and lands is taking my work away from me. I cannot dig in the ground for a living. I am too proud to ask for help. 4 I know what I will do. I will make it so that when I lose this work I will be able to go to the homes of my friends.’
5 “He sent for the people who owed the rich man. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe the owner?’ 6 The first man said, ‘One hundred barrels of oil.’ The boss said to him, ‘Take your bill. Sit down at once and change it to fifty.’ 7 He asked another one, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘One hundred bags of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and change it to eighty.’ 8 Then the rich man said that this sinful boss had been wise to plan for himself for the days ahead. For the people of the world are wiser in their day than the children of light.
9 “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by using the riches of the world that are so often used in wrong ways. So when riches are a thing of the past, friends may receive you into a home that will be forever. 10 He that is faithful with little things is faithful with big things also. He that is not honest with little things is not honest with big things. 11 If you have not been faithful with riches of this world, who will trust you with true riches? 12 If you have not been faithful in that which belongs to another person, who will give you things to have as your own? 13 No servant can have two bosses. He will hate the one and love the other. Or, he will be faithful to one and not faithful to the other. You cannot be faithful to God and to riches at the same time.”
Jesus Teaches That the Law Is Not Finished
14 The proud religious law-keepers heard all these things. They loved money so they made fun of Jesus. 15 Jesus said to them, “You are the kind of people who make yourselves look good before other people. God knows your hearts. What men think is good is hated in the eyes of God. 16 Until John came, you had the writings of the Law and of the early preachers. From that time until now the Good News of the holy nation of God has been preached. Everyone is pushing his way in. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one small part of a word in the Law to be of no more use.
18 “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman is not faithful in marriage and is guilty of sex sins.
The Rich Man and the Man Who Begged for Food
19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple linen clothes everyday. He lived like a king would live with the best of food. 20 There was a poor man named Lazarus who had many bad sores. He was put by the door of the rich man. 21 He wanted the pieces of food that fell from the table of the rich man. Even dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The poor man who asked for food died. He was taken by the angels into the arms of Abraham. The rich man died also and was buried. 23 In hell the rich man was in much pain. He looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus beside him. 24 He cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me. Send Lazarus. Let him put the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in much pain in this fire.’ 25 Abraham said, ‘My son, do not forget that when you were living you had your good things. Lazarus had bad things. Now he is well cared for. You are in pain. 26 And more than all this, there is a big deep place between us. No one from here can go there even if he wanted to go. No one can come from there.’
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Father, then I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 I have five brothers. Let him tell them of these things, or they will come to this place of much pain also.’ 29 Abraham said, ‘They have the Writings of Moses and of the early preachers. Let them hear what they say.’ 30 But the rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham. If someone goes to them from the dead, they will be sorry for their sins and turn from them.’ 31 Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and to the early preachers, they will not listen even if someone is raised from the dead.’”
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.