M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Priests Ask By What Authority He Does This. From Where Was John’s Authority?

20 And it came about on one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and announcing-the-good-news, that the chief priests and the scribes with the elders stood-near. ² And they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us, by what-kind-of ^[a] authority are You doing these things, or who is the one having given You this authority?” ³ And having responded, He said to them, “I also will ask you a thing, and you tell Me— ⁴ was the baptism of John from heaven, or from humans?” ⁵ And the ones reasoned with themselves, saying that “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say, ‘For what reason did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From humans’, all the people will stone us to death. For they are convinced that John is a prophet”. ⁷ And they answered that they did not know from where it was. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Nor am I telling you by what-kind-of authority I am doing these things”.

You Priests Are Like Farmers Who Killed The Owner’s Messengers And His Son

⁹ And He began to tell this parable to the people: “A certain man planted a vineyard and rented it to farmers, and went-on-a-journey for considerable periods-of-time. ¹⁰ And at harvest time, he sent-forth a slave to the farmers so that they would give to him from the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers sent him out empty-handed, having beaten him. ¹¹ And he proceeded to send another slave. But the ones, having beaten and dishonored that one also, sent him out empty-handed. ¹² And he proceeded to send a third. But the ones also threw out this one, having wounded him. ¹³ And the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will have-regard-for this one’. ¹⁴ But having seen him, the farmers were reasoning with one another, saying, ‘This one is the heir. Let us kill him in order that the inheritance may become ours’. ¹⁵ And having thrown him outside of the vineyard, they killed him. Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy these farmers, and give the vineyard to others”. And having heard it, they said, “May it never be!”

But As It Is Written, The Stone The Builders Rejected Became The Cornerstone

¹⁷ But the One, having looked-at them, said, “Then what is this having been written [in Ps 118:22]: ‘The stone which the ones building rejected, this became the head^[b] of the corner’? ¹⁸ Everyone having fallen upon that stone will be broken-to-pieces. And^[c] upon whomever it may fall, it will crush^[d] him”. ¹⁹ And the scribes and the chief priests sought to put their hands on Him at the very hour. And^[e] they feared the people. For they^[f] knew that He spoke this parable against them.

The Priests Try To Snare Jesus: Shall We Pay Taxes To Caesar?

²⁰ And having closely-watched Him, they sent forth spies pretending themselves to be righteous, in order that they might take-hold-of a statement of His, so as to hand Him over to the rule and the authority of the governor. ²¹ And they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly. And You do not receive^[g] the face, but You teach the way of God in accordance with truth. ²² Is it lawful that we should give a tribute^[h] to Caesar, or not?” ²³ But having perceived their craftiness, He said to them, ²⁴ “Show Me a denarius^[i]. Of whom does it have an image^[j] and inscription?” And the ones said, “Of Caesar”. ²⁵ And the One said to them, “Well-then^[k] give-back^[l] the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God”. ²⁶ And they were not able to take-hold-of a word of His in the presence of the people. And having marveled at His answer, they became silent.

Sadducees Question Jesus About The Resurrection of a Wife With Seven Husbands

²⁷ And having come to Him, some of the Sadducees— the ones denying that there is a resurrection— questioned Him, ²⁸ saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us [in Deut 25:5] that if a brother of someone dies having a wife, and this^[m] one is childless, that his brother should take the wife and raise-up-from her a seed^[n] for his brother. ²⁹ So there were seven brothers. And the first, having taken a wife, died childless. ³⁰ And the second. ³¹ And the third took her. And similarly, the seven also did not leave-behind children, and died. ³² Last, the woman also died. ³³ The woman, therefore, at the resurrection— of which of them does she become the wife? For the seven had her as wife”. ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “The sons of ^[o] this age marry and are given-in-marriage. ³⁵ But the ones having been considered-worthy to attain^[p] that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry, nor are they given-in-marriage. ³⁶ For they are not even still able to die, for they are angel-like^[q]. And they are sons^[r] of God, being sons of ^[s] the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed^[t] at the bush [in Ex 3:16]— when he calls the Lord the ‘God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob’. ³⁸ Now He is not God of dead ones, but of living ones. For to Him all are alive”. ³⁹ And having responded, some of the scribes said, “Teacher, You spoke well”. ⁴⁰ For they were no longer daring to ask Him anything.

Jesus Asks How The Messiah Can Be The Son of David Since David Calls Him His Lord

⁴¹ And He said to them, “How is it that they say that the Christ is David’s son? ⁴² For David himself says in the book of Psalms [110:1], ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Be sitting on My right side ⁴³ until I put Your enemies as a footstool of Your feet”’. ⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’. And how^[u] is He his son?”

Jesus Warns The Disciples To Beware of The Scribes

⁴⁵ And while all the people were listening, He said to His disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes— the ones delighting to walk around in robes, and loving greetings in the marketplaces and seats-of-honor in the synagogues and places-of-honor at the banquets; ⁴⁷ who are devouring^[v] the houses of the widows, and praying long for a pretense. These ones will receive greater condemnation”.

5 ¹ For we know that if our earthly house— our tent^[a]— is torn-down^[b], we have a building^[c] from God, a house not-made-by-human-hands, eternal, in the heavens.

We Do Indeed Groan In This Body And Would Prefer To Get Home To The Lord

² For indeed in this tent we are groaning, yearning to put-on-over^[d] ourselves our dwelling from heaven— ³ inasmuch^[e] as we, having taken-off ^[f] this tent, shall not be found naked^[g]. ⁴ For indeed we, the ones being in the tent^[h], are groaning, being burdened, because we do not want to take-off ^[i] our earthly tent, but to put on our heavenly dwelling over it, in order that the mortal may be swallowed-up by the life. ⁵ And the One having made us for this very thing is God, the One having given us His pledge: the Spirit. ⁶ So while always being confident^[j], and knowing that while being-at-home in the body we are away-from-home, from the Lord ⁷ (for we walk by faith, not by appearance^[k])— ⁸ yet we are confident^[l] and prefer rather to get-away-from-home, out of the body, and to get-at-home with the Lord.

Therefore We Are Ambitious To Please Him By Persuading People

⁹ Therefore^[m] we indeed are ambitious^[n] to be pleasing to Him— whether being at-home or being away-from-home. ¹⁰ For we all must appear^[o] before the judgment-seat of Christ in order that each one might receive-back^[p] the things done in^[q] the body, in-accordance-with the things which he practiced, whether good or bad. ¹¹ Therefore knowing the fear^[r] of the Lord, we are persuading^[s] people.

Now Our Heart Has Been Made Known To God, And I Hope To You. Boast In Us

Now^[t] we have been made known to God. And I hope that we also have been made known in your consciences. ¹² We are not again commending ourselves to you, but are giving you an opportunity for a boast about us, in order that you may have an answer for the ones boasting in appearance and not in heart. ¹³ For if we lost-our-senses, it is for God! If we are sound-minded, it is for you!

For The Love of Christ Controls Us As We Live a New Life For Him

¹⁴ For the love of ^[u] Christ controls^[v] us, we having determined this— that One died for all, therefore all died. ¹⁵ And He died for all so that the ones living might no longer be living for themselves, but for the One having died and been raised for them. ¹⁶ So then from now on, we regard^[w] no one based-on^[x] the flesh^[y]. Even though we have known Christ based on the flesh, nevertheless now we no longer are knowing Him thus. ¹⁷ So then if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation^[z]. The old things passed-away; behold, new things have come-into-being^[aa].

And God Gave Us This Ministry of Reconciliation As His Ambassadors

¹⁸ And all things are from God, the One having reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and having given us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ how that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself— not counting their trespasses against them, and^[ab] having placed the message of reconciliation in us. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, since^[ac] God is appealing through us.

We Are Begging People To Be Reconciled To God...

We are begging^[ad] on behalf of Christ: “Be reconciled to God! ²¹ He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”...