Historical

He teaches his disciples to be humble and harmless, to avoid occasions of inducement to sin, and to forgive one another their offences.

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ² Jesus called a child to him, and set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become as children, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever therefore humbles himself like this child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever receives such a child in my name, receives me. ⁶ But whoever hurts one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe be to the world because of offences. However, it cannot be avoided but that offences will come. Nevertheless, woe be to the man by whom the offence comes.

⁸ And so if your hand or your foot causes you to offend, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed than for you, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. ⁹ And if also your eye causes you to offend, tear it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ Yea, and the Son of man has come to save that which is lost. ¹² What do you think: if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go and seek that one which has gone astray? ¹³ If it happens that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. ¹⁴ In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵ Moreover, if your brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between him and you alone. If he hears you, you have redeemed your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not hear you, then take along with you one or two others, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. ¹⁷ If he does not hear them, tell it to the congregation. If he does not hear the congregation, take him as a heathen man and as a publican. ¹⁸ Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree in earth about any manner of thing, whatsoever they desire, it shall be given them by my Father who is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

²¹ Then Peter came to him and said, Master, how often should I forgive my brother if he sins against me? Seven times?

²² Jesus said to him, I say to you, not seven times, but seventy times seven times. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is likened to a certain king who wished to take accounts from his servants. ²⁴ And when he had begun the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. ²⁵ Because he had nothing to pay with, his master ordered him to be sold, and his wife and his children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ The servant fell down and besought him, saying, Sir, give me respite, and I will pay it every whit. ²⁷ Then the lord had pity on that servant and released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ And that same servant went out and found one of his fellows who owed him 100 denarii, and laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe! ²⁹ And his fellow servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. ³⁰ But he would not, and went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt.

³¹ When the other servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and went and told their lord all that had happened. ³² Then his lord called the man and said to him, O evil servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Was it not right also that you should have had compassion on your fellow, just as I had pity on you? ³⁴ And his lord was angry, and delivered him to the jailers till he should pay all that was due to him. ³⁵ So likewise shall my heavenly Father do with you, unless you forgive with your hearts each one his brother’s trespasses.

Christ gives answer concerning marriage, accepts the young children, and teaches not to be full of cares, nor to love worldly riches.

19 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished those sayings, he left Galilee, and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. ² And crowds of people followed him, and he healed them there. ³ Then the Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any reason at all? ⁴ He answered and said to them, Have you not read how it was that he who made man at the beginning made them man and woman, ⁵ and said, For this thing shall a man leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and the two shall be one flesh? ⁶ So then, now they are not two, but one flesh. Let not man therefore put apart that which God has joined together.

⁷ Then they said to him, Why did Moses direct to give a testimonial of divorce and to put her away? ⁸ He said to them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives. But from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ I say therefore to you, whoever puts away his wife (unless it be for fornication) and marries another, breaks wedlock. And whoever marries her who is divorced, commits adultery.

¹⁰ Then Jesus’ disciples said to him, If this is the case between man and wife, then it is not good to marry. ¹¹ He said to them, Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. ¹² Some are chaste who were so born from their mother’s womb. And others are chaste who were made so by men. And others are chaste who have made themselves chaste for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who can receive it, let him receive it.

¹³ Then young children were brought to him so that he could put his hands on them and pray. And the disciples rebuked the people. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, Allow the children, and do not forbid them to come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. ¹⁵ And when he had put his hands on them, he departed from there.

¹⁶ And a man came and said to Jesus, Good Teacher, what good thing should I do so that I may have eternal life? ¹⁷ He said to him, Why do you call me good? There is none good but one, and that is God. But if you would enter into life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸ The other asked him, Which? And Jesus said, Break no wedlock. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. ¹⁹ Honour father and mother. And love your neighbour as yourself.

²⁰ The young man said to him, I have observed all these things from my youth. What do I yet lack? ²¹ And Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, and follow me.

²² When the young man heard these words, he went away grieved, for he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And moreover I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁵ When his disciples heard that, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶ Jesus regarded them and said to them, With men it is not possible, but with God all things are possible.

²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to him, Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What will we have?

²⁸ Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, when the Son of man sits in the seat of his majesty, you who have followed me in the new birth shall sit also upon twelve seats and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And whosoever gives up houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, the same shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ³⁰ Many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Christ teaches by a similitude that God is debtor to no man, and how he is always calling people to his work. He teaches his disciples to be lowly, and gives two blind men their sight.

20 For the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. ² And he agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day, and sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place, ⁴ and said to them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and whatever is right, I will give you. And they went their way.

⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. ⁶ And he went out about the eleventh hour and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here idle all the day? ⁷ They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and whatever is right, that you will receive.

⁸ When evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the labourers and give them their wages, beginning at the last till you come to the first.

⁹ And those who were hired about the eleventh hour came and received every man a denarius. ¹⁰ Then came the first, supposing that they would receive more, but they likewise received every man a denarius. ¹¹ And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house, ¹² saying, These last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day.

¹³ He answered to one of them, saying, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take that which is your due, and go your way. I want to give to the last one as much as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do as I please with what belongs to me? Is your eye evil because I am good?

¹⁶ In like manner the last may be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.

¹⁷ And Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and took the twelve disciples apart along the way and said to them, ¹⁸ Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, ¹⁹ and will deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified; and the third day he will rise again.

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s children came to him with her sons, doing reverence to him and desiring a certain thing of him. ²¹ He said to her, What would you like? She answered him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand and the other on your left hand, in your kingdom.

²² Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I must drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I must be baptized with?

They answered to him, That we are.

²³ And he said to them, You shall drink of my cup, and shall be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized with. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.

²⁴ And when the ten heard about this, they were indignant at the two brethren. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the lords of the Gentiles have dominion over them, and those who are great exercise power over them. ²⁶ It shall not be this way among you, but whosoever would be great among you, let him minister to you, ²⁷ and whoever would be chief, let him be your servant – ²⁸ even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many.

²⁹ And as they departed from Jericho, crowds of people followed Jesus. ³⁰ And two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard Jesus pass by, cried out, saying, Lord Son of David, have mercy on us! ³¹ And the people admonished them to hold their peace. But they cried out all the more, saying, Have mercy on us, Lord Son of David!

³² Then Jesus stood still and called them, and said, What do you want me to do for you? ³³ They said to him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened! ³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight. And they followed him.