Read the Gospels in 40 Days
On Divorce
10 And from there he set out and[a] came to the region of Judea and the other side of the Jordan, and again crowds came together to him. And again, as he was accustomed to do,[b] he began to teach[c] them. 2 And they asked[d] him if it was permitted for a man to divorce his[e] wife, in order to[f] test him. 3 And he answered and[g] said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 So they said, “Moses permitted a man[h] to write a certificate of divorce and to send her[i] away.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “He wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart. 6 But from the beginning of creation ‘he made them male and female.[j] 7 Because of this a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife,[k] 8 and the two will become one flesh,’[l] so that they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
10 And in the house again the disciples began to ask[m] him about this. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and[n] marries another, she commits adultery.”
Little Children Brought to Jesus
13 And they were bringing young children to him so that he could touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when[o] Jesus saw it,[p] he was indignant, and said to them, “Let the young children come to me. Do not forbid them, for to such belongs[q] the kingdom of God. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a young child will never enter into it.” 16 And after[r] taking them[s] into his arms, he blessed them, placing his[t] hands on them.
A Rich Young Man
17 And as[u] he was setting out on his way, one individual ran up and knelt down before him and[v] asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?” 18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”[w] 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all that you have, and give the proceeds[x] to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” 22 But he looked gloomy at the statement and[y] went away sorrowful, because he had[z] many possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around and[aa] said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for[ab] those who possess wealth to enter into the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astounded at his words. But Jesus answered and[ac] said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were very astounded, saying to one another, “And who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and[ad] said, “With human beings it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields on account of me and on account of the gospel 30 who will not[ae] receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, together with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going on ahead of them. And they were astounded, but those who were following him[af] were afraid. And taking aside the twelve again, he began to tell them the things that were about to happen to him: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him,[ag] and after three days he will rise.”
A Request by James and John
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and[ah] said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want that I do[ai] for you?” 37 So they said to him, “Grant to us that we may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup that I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when they[aj] heard this,[ak] the ten began to be indignant about James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to himself and[al] said to them, “You know that those who are considered to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their people in high positions exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be the slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A Blind Man Healed at Jericho
46 And they came to Jericho. And as[am] he was setting out from Jericho along with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road. 47 And when he[an] heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many people warned him that he should be quiet. But he was crying out even more loudly,[ao] “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and[ap] said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man and[aq] said to him, “Have courage! Get up! He is calling you.” 50 And he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and[ar] came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered him and[as] said, “What do you want me to do[at] for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabboni,[au] that I may regain my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” And immediately he regained his sight and began to follow[av] him on the road.
The Triumphal Entry
11 And when they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village before you, and right away as you[aw] enter into it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.[ax] 3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say[ay] ‘The Lord has need of it, and will send it here again at once.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those who were standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 So they told them, just as Jesus had said, and they allowed them to take it.[az] 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and he sat on it. 8 And many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread[ba] leafy branches they[bb] had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went ahead and those who were following were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord![bc]
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”[bd]
11 And he went into Jerusalem to the temple, and after[be] looking around at everything, because[bf] the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
A Barren Fig Tree Cursed
12 And on the next day as[bg] they were departing from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And when he[bh] saw from a distance a fig tree that had leaves, he went to see if perhaps he would find anything on it. And when he[bi] came up to it he found nothing except leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 And he responded and[bj] said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you any more forever!”[bk] And his disciples heard it.[bl]
The Cleansing of the Temple
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered into the temple courts[bm] and[bn] began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple courts,[bo] and overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. 16 And he did not permit anyone to carry objects[bp] through the temple courts.[bq] 17 And he began to teach[br] and was saying to them, “Is it not written,
‘My house will be called a house of prayer
for all the nations,’[bs]
but you have made it a cave of robbers!” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it,[bt] and began considering[bu] how they could destroy him. For they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was astounded by his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
The Barren Fig Tree Withered
20 And as they[bv] passed by early in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 And Peter remembered and[bw] said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered!” 22 And Jesus answered and[bx] said to them, “Have faith in God! 23 Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 For this reason I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it,[by] and it will be done for you. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him,[bz] so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your sins.”[ca]
Jesus’ Authority Challenged
27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as[cb] he was walking in the temple courts,[cc] the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came up to him 28 and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority that you do these things?” 29 So Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer me!” 31 And they began to discuss[cd] this[ce] with one another, saying, “What should we say?[cf] If we say ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because they all looked upon John as truly a prophet.[cg] 33 And they replied to Jesus saying, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
The Parable of the Tenant Farmers in the Vineyard
12 And he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a trough for the winepress, and built a watchtower, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey. 2 And he sent a slave to the tenant farmers at the proper time, so that he could collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from the tenant farmers. 3 And they seized him and[ch] beat him[ci] and sent him[cj] away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent to them another slave, and that one they struck on the head and dishonored. 5 And he sent another, and that one they killed. And he sent[ck] many others, some of whom they beat and some of whom they killed. 6 He had one more, a beloved son. Last of all he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 And they seized and[cl] killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What[cm] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
this has become the cornerstone.[cn]
11 This came about from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”[co]
12 And they were seeking to arrest him, and they were afraid of the crowd, because they knew that he had told the parable with reference to them. And they left him and[cp] went away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 And they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him so that they could catch him unawares in a statement. 14 And when they[cq] came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you do not care what anyone thinks,[cr] because you do not regard the opinion of people[cs] but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” 15 But because he[ct] knew their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius so that I can look at it!”[cu] 16 So they brought one.[cv] And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
18 And Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and began to ask[cw] him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and he leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, that his brother should take the wife and father[cx] descendants for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife. And when he[cy] died, he did not leave descendants. 21 And the second took her, and he died without leaving descendants. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven did not leave descendants. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, whose[cz] wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife. 24 Jesus said to them, “Are you not deceived because of this, because you[da] do not know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 Now concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the bush[db] how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?[dc] 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment
28 And one of the scribes came up and[dd] heard them debating. When he[de] saw that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.’[df] 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[dg] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “That is true, Teacher. You have said correctly[dh] that he is one and there is no other except him. 33 And to love him from your[di] whole heart and from your[dj] whole understanding and from your[dk] whole strength, and to love your[dl] neighbor as yourself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And Jesus, when he[dm] saw that he had answered thoughtfully, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to put a question to him any longer.
David’s Son and Lord
35 And continuing, Jesus said while[dn] teaching in the temple courts,[do] “How can the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son? 36 David himself said by the Holy Spirit,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[dp]
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ and how is he his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him gladly.
Warning to Beware of the Scribes
38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces 39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets, 40 who devour the houses of widows and pray lengthy prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive more severe condemnation!”
A Poor Widow’s Offering
41 And he sat down opposite the contribution box and[dq] was observing how the crowd was putting coins into the contribution box. And many rich people were putting in many coins.[dr] 42 And one poor widow came and[ds] put in two small copper coins[dt] (that is, a penny).[du] 43 And summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all those who put offerings[dv] into the contribution box. 44 For they all contributed[dw] out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had, her whole means of subsistence.”
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