New Testament in a Year
29 The Sign of Jonah.[a] As the crowd continued to increase in number, Jesus said to them, “This is an evil generation. It asks for a sign, but the only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the inhabitants of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 “On the day of judgment the queen of the south will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the farthest reaches of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 32 On the day of judgment, the men of Nineveh will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.
33 The Parable of the Lighted Lamp.[b]“No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a cellar or under a basket; rather, he places it upon a lampstand so that people may see the light when they come in.
34 The Lamp of the Body.“Your eyes are the lamp of your body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be filled with light. However, if your eyes are diseased, your whole body will be in darkness. 35 See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp illuminates you with its rays.”
37 Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees.[c] When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and took his place at table. 38 The Pharisee was surprised to see that he had not first washed[d] before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees cleanse the outside of a cup and dish, but you leave the inside full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside? 41 Let what is inside be given as alms to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes[e] of mint and rue and every garden herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced these without neglecting the others.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love to have the best seats in synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves[f] upon which people tread without realizing it.”
45 On hearing this, one of the lawyers said, “Teacher when you say such things you are insulting us too.” 46 He replied, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you impose burdens on people that are difficult to bear, but you yourselves do not lift a finger to be of assistance.
47 “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the Prophets whom your ancestors murdered. 48 By acting in this way you bear witness to and approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the Prophets, and you build their tombs.
49 “That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them Prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that this generation may be charged with the responsibility for the blood of all the Prophets shed since the foundation of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah[g] who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you blocked those from entering who were trying to go in.”
53 When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees were extremely hostile and they began to interrogate him about many things, 54 hoping to trap him in something he might say in reply.
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