M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

He exhorts people to cease from sin, to spend no more time in vice, to be sober, to be fit and ready to pray, to love each other, and to be patient in trouble – and to beware that no one suffer as an evil-doer, but only as Christian; and not to be ashamed.

4 Inasmuch as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. For he who suffers in the flesh, ceases from sin, ² that he henceforward should live as much time as remains in the flesh, not after the lusts or desires of men, but after the will of God. ³ For it is enough for us that we have spent the time that is past of our life after the will of the Gentiles, walking in wantonness, lusts, drunkenness; in eating, drinking, and in abominable idolatry.

⁴ And it seems to them a strange thing that you run not also with them to the same excess of disorder, and therefore they speak evil of you. ⁵ But they will give accounts to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead. ⁶ For to this purpose was the gospel preached to the dead: that they should be judged like other men in the flesh, but should live before God in the spirit.

⁷ The end of all things is at hand. Be therefore discreet and sober, so that you may be fit for prayer. ⁸ But above all things, have fervent love among you. For love covers the multitude of sins.

⁹ Be ready to take one another into your homes, and that without grudging. ¹⁰ As each one has received the gift, minister the same to one another, as good ministers of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him do so as though he spoke the words of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as of the ability that God gives to him, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and while the world stands. Amen.

¹² Dearly beloveds, be not troubled in this heat that has now come among you to try you, as if some strange thing had happened to you. ¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s passions, so that when his glory appears, you may be merry and glad. ¹⁴ If you are railed upon for the name of Christ, happy are you. For the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.

¹⁵ See that none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief or an evil-doer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in the matter. ¹⁷ For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. If it first begins at us, what shall the end be of those who do not believe the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous are scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him with well-doing, as to a faithful Creator.

He teaches his disciples to pray, drives out a devil, and rebukes the blasphemous Pharisees. They require signs and tokens. He eats with the Pharisee, and reproves the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, scribes, and hypocrites.

11 And it happened as he was praying in a certain place that when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Master, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. ² And he said to them, When you pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, even in earth as it is in heaven. ³ Give us our daily bread evermore. ⁴ And forgive us our sins, for even we forgive every person that trespasses against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

⁵ And he said to them, If any of you had a friend, and went to him at midnight and said to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ because a friend of mine has come from a journey to me and I have nothing to set before him, ⁷ and the man inside were to answer and say, Don’t trouble me; the door is now shut, and my servants are with me in the chamber; I cannot rise and give them to you – ⁸ I say to you, though he would not arise and give him a loaf because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he would rise and give him as many as he needed. ⁹ And so I say to you: ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

¹⁰ For everyone that asks, receives, and he that seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. ¹¹ If the son asks for bread from any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent for a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then who are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father of heaven give a holy spirit to those who desire it of him? 

¹⁴ And he was a casting out a devil that was dumb. And it followed, when the devil was gone out, the dumb man spoke. And the people were filled with wonder. ¹⁵ But some of them said, He casts out devils by the power of Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. ¹⁶ And others challenged him, seeking from him a sign from heaven.

¹⁷ But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided within itself will be brought to desolation, and one house will fall upon another. ¹⁸ So if Satan is divided within himself, how shall his kingdom endure? For you say that I cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub. ¹⁹ If I cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, without question the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²¹ When a strong man armed guards his house, that which he possesses is in peace. ²² But when one stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him his weapons in which he trusted, and divides up his goods. ²³ He who is not with me, is against me. And he who does not gather with me, scatters.

²⁴ When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And when he finds none, he says, I will return again to my house from which I came out. ²⁵ And when he comes back, he finds it swept and set in order. ²⁶ Then he goes and gets seven other spirits worse than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the end of that man is worse than the beginning.

²⁷ And it happened, as he spoke those things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said to him, Happy is the womb that bore you, and the paps that gave you suck. ²⁸ But he said, Yea, happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

²⁹ When the people were gathered thick together, he began and said, This is an evil nation. They seek a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of man be to this nation. ³¹ The queen of the south will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the end of the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn them, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.

³³ No man lights a candle and puts it in a concealed place, nor under a bushel, but on a candlestick, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The light of your body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is single, then is all your body full of light. But if your eye is bad, then shall all your body be full of darkness. ³⁵ Take heed therefore that the light which is in you be not darkness. ³⁶ For if all your body is lighted, having no part dark, then shall all be full of light, even as when a candle lights you with its brightness.

³⁷ And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him, and Jesus went in and sat down to food. ³⁸ When the Pharisee saw that, he was shocked that he had not first washed before dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward parts are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ O foolish men, did not he who made the outside also make that which is within? ⁴¹ But rather give alms of what you have, and behold, all is clean to you. ⁴² But woe is to you Pharisees. For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, but pass over justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, but yet not have left the others undone.

⁴³ Woe to you, Pharisees, for you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves that are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.

⁴⁵ Then one of the wise men of the law answered and said to him, Teacher, by so saying, you put us to rebuke also.

⁴⁶ Then he said, Woe is to you also, doctors of the law. For you load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and you yourselves do not touch the packs with one of your fingers. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! You build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them; ⁴⁸ truly you bear witness that you accept the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their sepulchres. ⁴⁹ Therefore the wisdom of God spoke: I will send them prophets and apostles, and some they will slay, and some persecute, ⁵⁰ so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the beginning of the world, may be required of this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Truly I say to you, it shall be required of this nation.

⁵² Woe to you, doctors of the law, for you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter in, and those who came in, you opposed.

⁵³ When he spoke this way to them, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to hound him, and to stop his mouth with many questions, ⁵⁴ laying wait for him, and attempting to catch something out of his mouth that they could use to accuse him.