The Gospel Of MatthewOf The Vivid Englsih Translation Of The New Testament
|
| ||
Note: This web version of the Gospel of Matthew of the Vivid English Translation of the New Testament does not contain the many footnotes. The footnotes are included in the PDF version for downloading.
An Overview Of The Gospel Of Matthew
The Writer Of The Gospel Of Matthew:
The writer of the Gospel of Matthew did not identify himself by name.
The ancient church unanimously credited this gospel to the apostle Matthew. No other writer has ever been suggested as its author. Beginning with the most ancient evidence Matthew was regarded as the author of the first gospel, which was accepted as inspired Scripture. The Epistle of Barnabas, dated A.D. 130, regarded this gospel as Scripture and Matthew as its author. The letters of Ignatius and Polycarp from the first half of the second century indicate that the congregations were familiar with the Gospel of Matthew at that early date. Clement of Alexandria in the second century was also knowledgeable of this gospel. The work entitled The Didache, dated during the first half of the second century, used Matthew 6:9 to encourage Christians not to pray like the hypocrites but to pray the Lord’s Prayer. The Didache also quoted Matthew 7:6, was familiar with Matthew 28:19, and shows it was knowledgeable of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel.
Some have alleged that Matthew’s gospel was originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek by an unknown translator. This hypothesis stems from a statement made by Papias around A.D. 125 that Matthew had written sayings of the Lord, logia, in the Hebrew language. Perhaps Matthew did write a Hebrew document with a collection of Jesus’ sayings. This, however, does not mean that document was necessarily what we now know as the Gospel of Matthew. If the apostle Matthew did indeed write a Hebrew Gospel as alleged, being an apostle his Hebrew Gospel would have certainly been used and circulated within the ancient church. Yet no one in ancient antiquity ever saw such a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew. The effort to prove on the basis of linguistic evidence that Matthew’s gospel was translated from a Hebrew original into the present Greek text has proven to be unsuccessful. Linguistic scholars have indicated the Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew reads like a Greek original.
The hypothesis that asserts the Gospel of Matthew was originally only Matthew’s collection of the Lord’s sayings, which the church then embellished into its present form, and which was later translated by an unknown translator, rejects the gospel as a unified composition in its entirety and written by a single inspired author, namely Matthew. This hypothesis turns the gospel into a collection of sayings and embellishments written by a number of writers, of which we have a translation rather than an inspired Greek text. This hypothesis will be afforded no credibility by anyone who believes in the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, which have been preserved and handed down to us in their present forms.
As for the person of Matthew, before his becoming a disciple and apostle of Jesus, he was a tax collector in Capernaum. He was also known by the name of Levi (see Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). Being a tax collector, Matthew must have had to bear the scorn of the Jews, who despised the tax collectors for collecting taxes for the Romans and for over taxing them so that the tax collectors could enrich themselves at their expense. The Jews branded the tax collectors as “sinners” and treated them as outcasts who were to be avoided at all costs (see Matthew 9:10, 11; Mark 2:15, 16; Luke 5:30) Perhaps Matthew deserved the treatment he received as an outcast from the Jews. To have become a tax collector, he may have had to abandon the Lord and the faith of the Old Testament Israel with its promises of the Messiah, in order to commit himself to a materialistic life of enriching himself at the expense of others. Matthew is therefore likely to have experienced Jesus’ call to be his disciple and apostle as an act of sheer, divine grace. He by grace was afforded the opportunity to repent of a self-serving life to turn to God to receive his saving grace in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, Matthew left everything behind (see Luke 5:28) to follow Jesus, whom he thought might be the long-promised and awaited Messiah. Having experienced Jesus’ grace in calling him, despite his being an outcast “sinner”, Matthew was eager to introduce other “sinners” to the grace of Jesus. Matthew quickly gave a dinner in Jesus’ honor for his friends and fellow tax collectors (see Luke 5:27-29). There Jesus told the self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the law that he had come to call, not the righteous, but the “sinners” to repentance (see Luke 5:30-32; Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:14-17).
Little else is known about the life and work of the apostle Matthew from the Scriptures. From Mark 2:14 we learn that he was the son of Alphaeus. Matthew referred to himself only once in his gospel after his account of Jesus’ calling him. Matthew included himself in the list of the apostles as “Matthew the tax collector” (see Matthew 10:3). Aside from Matthew’s being called by Jesus and the dinner he gave in Jesus’ honor, the other gospels and the Book of Acts only mention him by name in the lists of the apostles (see Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).
For Whom The Gospel Of Matthew Was Written:
Matthew wrote his gospel for Jewish Christians and Jews who were familiar with the Old Testament, that they may know Jesus was the Messianic King foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures. It is evident this was the case, because Matthew’s gospel contains more quotations of and allusions to the Old Testament than any other book of the New Testament.
Date The Gospel Of Matthew Was Written:
The tradition handed down from the ancient church is that Matthew’s gospel was the first of the gospels to have been written. The actual date of its writing is unknown. A date of A.D. 50 to 60 has been suggested as a probable date. The gospel itself contains no internal evidence that would make it possible to determine the date when it was written.
An early date of A.D. 50 to 60 is a good probability in light of what is known about the Gospel of John. The manner in which the apostle John wrote his gospel makes him indirectly a credible witness to such a possible early date. John wrote his gospel in Ephesus around A.D. 85. It is apparent that by that time he was quite familiar with the contents of the three synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and that he accepted them as Scripture.; for he wrote his gospel in a manner that supposed and required his readers’ previous knowledge with those synoptic gospels. John skipped much of the material covered in the three synoptic gospels and filled in the blanks and the gaps that the other three gospels did not cover. Based on this manner in which John wrote his gospel in A.D. 85, the Gospel of Matthew, as well as those of Mark and Luke, must have been written prior to that date.
Place Where The Gospel Of Matthew Was Written:
The place where Matthew wrote his gospel is unknown. The suggestion, that since he wrote his gospel for Jewish Christians and Jews, he must have written it in Palestine, is at best a guess.
Purpose Of The Gospel Of Matthew:
Matthew’s gospel is a powerful book attesting to God’s call to repentance and grace in Jesus Christ. Having experienced firsthand the amazing grace of God in Christ’s calling him to repentance and faith for salvation, Matthew presented in his gospel the Lord’s call as a call to complete commitment. As a disciple of Jesus one must totally embrace Jesus as the Messianic King and his gospel of forgiveness, as well as be committed to separating himself from all evil so his righteousness may exceed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.
Matthew’s purpose was to present Jesus Christ of Nazareth to Jewish Christians and Jews as the Messianic King whose coming was foretold in the Old Testament. In Matthew 1:1 Matthew declared that Jesus is the Son of David, meaning the King whose kingship and throne would have no end, and who would build en everlasting house for the Lord, which is the Holy Christian Church (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:6, 7). In the same opening verse of his gospel Matthew further declared that Jesus is the son of Abraham, meaning the promised Messiah and heir in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Genesis 12:3).
Having declared Jesus is the Messianic King promised in the Old Testament, Matthew’s purpose was to declare that Jesus established his everlasting kingdom: First, through his preaching and teaching (see Matthew 4:17-16:20); Second, by means of his suffering and death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead (see Matthew 16:21-28:20).
Placement Of The Gospel Of Matthew In The New Testament Canon:
The placement of Matthew’s gospel first in the New Testament canon is fitting. Matthew’s gospel links the New Testament to the Old Testament. It bridges the 400-year gap of the intertestamental period between the close of the Old Testament and the dawning of the New Testament era of Christ the Messiah. It includes Jesus’ declaration that he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, a designation for the Old Testament (see Matthew 5:17). It shows that Christianity did not replace the religion of the Old Testament Israel but fulfilled it and carried it forward. Christ is presented as the consummation of Israel’s history and the fulfillment of the Old Testament’s prophecies. Matthew made this evident by quoting from or alluding to more Old Testament prophecies than any other book of the New Testament. It has been said Matthew’s gospel contains 50 or 60 or more such quotations and allusions.
Matthew’s gospel appearing before the other three gospels also harmonizes with the tradition that his gospel was the first gospel to be written.
Theme Of The Gospel Of Matthew:
Jesus Is The Messianic King
The Writer Of The Gospel Of Matthew:
The writer of the Gospel of Matthew did not identify himself by name.
The ancient church unanimously credited this gospel to the apostle Matthew. No other writer has ever been suggested as its author. Beginning with the most ancient evidence Matthew was regarded as the author of the first gospel, which was accepted as inspired Scripture. The Epistle of Barnabas, dated A.D. 130, regarded this gospel as Scripture and Matthew as its author. The letters of Ignatius and Polycarp from the first half of the second century indicate that the congregations were familiar with the Gospel of Matthew at that early date. Clement of Alexandria in the second century was also knowledgeable of this gospel. The work entitled The Didache, dated during the first half of the second century, used Matthew 6:9 to encourage Christians not to pray like the hypocrites but to pray the Lord’s Prayer. The Didache also quoted Matthew 7:6, was familiar with Matthew 28:19, and shows it was knowledgeable of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel.
Some have alleged that Matthew’s gospel was originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek by an unknown translator. This hypothesis stems from a statement made by Papias around A.D. 125 that Matthew had written sayings of the Lord, logia, in the Hebrew language. Perhaps Matthew did write a Hebrew document with a collection of Jesus’ sayings. This, however, does not mean that document was necessarily what we now know as the Gospel of Matthew. If the apostle Matthew did indeed write a Hebrew Gospel as alleged, being an apostle his Hebrew Gospel would have certainly been used and circulated within the ancient church. Yet no one in ancient antiquity ever saw such a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew. The effort to prove on the basis of linguistic evidence that Matthew’s gospel was translated from a Hebrew original into the present Greek text has proven to be unsuccessful. Linguistic scholars have indicated the Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew reads like a Greek original.
The hypothesis that asserts the Gospel of Matthew was originally only Matthew’s collection of the Lord’s sayings, which the church then embellished into its present form, and which was later translated by an unknown translator, rejects the gospel as a unified composition in its entirety and written by a single inspired author, namely Matthew. This hypothesis turns the gospel into a collection of sayings and embellishments written by a number of writers, of which we have a translation rather than an inspired Greek text. This hypothesis will be afforded no credibility by anyone who believes in the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, which have been preserved and handed down to us in their present forms.
As for the person of Matthew, before his becoming a disciple and apostle of Jesus, he was a tax collector in Capernaum. He was also known by the name of Levi (see Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). Being a tax collector, Matthew must have had to bear the scorn of the Jews, who despised the tax collectors for collecting taxes for the Romans and for over taxing them so that the tax collectors could enrich themselves at their expense. The Jews branded the tax collectors as “sinners” and treated them as outcasts who were to be avoided at all costs (see Matthew 9:10, 11; Mark 2:15, 16; Luke 5:30) Perhaps Matthew deserved the treatment he received as an outcast from the Jews. To have become a tax collector, he may have had to abandon the Lord and the faith of the Old Testament Israel with its promises of the Messiah, in order to commit himself to a materialistic life of enriching himself at the expense of others. Matthew is therefore likely to have experienced Jesus’ call to be his disciple and apostle as an act of sheer, divine grace. He by grace was afforded the opportunity to repent of a self-serving life to turn to God to receive his saving grace in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, Matthew left everything behind (see Luke 5:28) to follow Jesus, whom he thought might be the long-promised and awaited Messiah. Having experienced Jesus’ grace in calling him, despite his being an outcast “sinner”, Matthew was eager to introduce other “sinners” to the grace of Jesus. Matthew quickly gave a dinner in Jesus’ honor for his friends and fellow tax collectors (see Luke 5:27-29). There Jesus told the self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the law that he had come to call, not the righteous, but the “sinners” to repentance (see Luke 5:30-32; Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:14-17).
Little else is known about the life and work of the apostle Matthew from the Scriptures. From Mark 2:14 we learn that he was the son of Alphaeus. Matthew referred to himself only once in his gospel after his account of Jesus’ calling him. Matthew included himself in the list of the apostles as “Matthew the tax collector” (see Matthew 10:3). Aside from Matthew’s being called by Jesus and the dinner he gave in Jesus’ honor, the other gospels and the Book of Acts only mention him by name in the lists of the apostles (see Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).
For Whom The Gospel Of Matthew Was Written:
Matthew wrote his gospel for Jewish Christians and Jews who were familiar with the Old Testament, that they may know Jesus was the Messianic King foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures. It is evident this was the case, because Matthew’s gospel contains more quotations of and allusions to the Old Testament than any other book of the New Testament.
Date The Gospel Of Matthew Was Written:
The tradition handed down from the ancient church is that Matthew’s gospel was the first of the gospels to have been written. The actual date of its writing is unknown. A date of A.D. 50 to 60 has been suggested as a probable date. The gospel itself contains no internal evidence that would make it possible to determine the date when it was written.
An early date of A.D. 50 to 60 is a good probability in light of what is known about the Gospel of John. The manner in which the apostle John wrote his gospel makes him indirectly a credible witness to such a possible early date. John wrote his gospel in Ephesus around A.D. 85. It is apparent that by that time he was quite familiar with the contents of the three synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and that he accepted them as Scripture.; for he wrote his gospel in a manner that supposed and required his readers’ previous knowledge with those synoptic gospels. John skipped much of the material covered in the three synoptic gospels and filled in the blanks and the gaps that the other three gospels did not cover. Based on this manner in which John wrote his gospel in A.D. 85, the Gospel of Matthew, as well as those of Mark and Luke, must have been written prior to that date.
Place Where The Gospel Of Matthew Was Written:
The place where Matthew wrote his gospel is unknown. The suggestion, that since he wrote his gospel for Jewish Christians and Jews, he must have written it in Palestine, is at best a guess.
Purpose Of The Gospel Of Matthew:
Matthew’s gospel is a powerful book attesting to God’s call to repentance and grace in Jesus Christ. Having experienced firsthand the amazing grace of God in Christ’s calling him to repentance and faith for salvation, Matthew presented in his gospel the Lord’s call as a call to complete commitment. As a disciple of Jesus one must totally embrace Jesus as the Messianic King and his gospel of forgiveness, as well as be committed to separating himself from all evil so his righteousness may exceed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.
Matthew’s purpose was to present Jesus Christ of Nazareth to Jewish Christians and Jews as the Messianic King whose coming was foretold in the Old Testament. In Matthew 1:1 Matthew declared that Jesus is the Son of David, meaning the King whose kingship and throne would have no end, and who would build en everlasting house for the Lord, which is the Holy Christian Church (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:6, 7). In the same opening verse of his gospel Matthew further declared that Jesus is the son of Abraham, meaning the promised Messiah and heir in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Genesis 12:3).
Having declared Jesus is the Messianic King promised in the Old Testament, Matthew’s purpose was to declare that Jesus established his everlasting kingdom: First, through his preaching and teaching (see Matthew 4:17-16:20); Second, by means of his suffering and death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead (see Matthew 16:21-28:20).
Placement Of The Gospel Of Matthew In The New Testament Canon:
The placement of Matthew’s gospel first in the New Testament canon is fitting. Matthew’s gospel links the New Testament to the Old Testament. It bridges the 400-year gap of the intertestamental period between the close of the Old Testament and the dawning of the New Testament era of Christ the Messiah. It includes Jesus’ declaration that he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, a designation for the Old Testament (see Matthew 5:17). It shows that Christianity did not replace the religion of the Old Testament Israel but fulfilled it and carried it forward. Christ is presented as the consummation of Israel’s history and the fulfillment of the Old Testament’s prophecies. Matthew made this evident by quoting from or alluding to more Old Testament prophecies than any other book of the New Testament. It has been said Matthew’s gospel contains 50 or 60 or more such quotations and allusions.
Matthew’s gospel appearing before the other three gospels also harmonizes with the tradition that his gospel was the first gospel to be written.
Theme Of The Gospel Of Matthew:
Jesus Is The Messianic King
Headings throughout The Following Gospel of Matthew:
The headings are not merely section headings. The headings and subheadings make up an outline of the book. They are included in the body of the text so the reader can see them as he reads the book without having to page over to a separate outline.
The headings are not merely section headings. The headings and subheadings make up an outline of the book. They are included in the body of the text so the reader can see them as he reads the book without having to page over to a separate outline.
The Gospel According To Matthew
Part 1: The Introduction of the Gospel of Jesus, the Messianic King
Matthew 1:1-4:16
Matthew 1:1-4:16
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ Matthew 1:1-17
1
¶ A book of the origin of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.
¶ 2 Abraham fathered Isaac,
And Isaac fathered Jacob,
And Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,
3 And Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
And Perez fathered Hezron,
And Hezron fathered Aram,
4 And Aram fathered Amminadab,
And Amminadab fathered Nahshon,
And Nahshon fathered Salmon,
5 And Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,
And Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,
And Obed fathered Jesse,
6 And Jesse fathered David the king.
¶ And David fathered Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
7 And Solomon fathered Rehoboam,
And Rehoboam fathered Abijah,
And Abijah fathered Asa,
8 And Asa fathered Jehoshaphat,
And Jehoshaphat fathered Joram,
And Joram fathered Uzziah,
9 And Uzziah fathered Jotham,
And Jotham fathered Ahaz,
And Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,
10 And Hezekiah fathered Manasseh,
And Manasseh fathered Amos,
And Amos fathered Josiah,
11 And Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
¶12 And after the deportation to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel,
And Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,
13 And Zerubbabel fathered Abiud,
And Abiud fathered Eliakim,
And Eliakim fathered Azor,
14 And Azor fathered Zadok,
And Zadok fathered Achim,
And Achim fathered Eliud,
15 And Eliud fathered Eleazar,
And Eleazar fathered Matthan,
And Matthan fathered Jacob,
16 And Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
¶ 17 So all the generations from Abraham up to David are fourteen generations, and from David up to the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon up to Christ are fourteen generations.
1
¶ A book of the origin of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.
¶ 2 Abraham fathered Isaac,
And Isaac fathered Jacob,
And Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,
3 And Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
And Perez fathered Hezron,
And Hezron fathered Aram,
4 And Aram fathered Amminadab,
And Amminadab fathered Nahshon,
And Nahshon fathered Salmon,
5 And Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,
And Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,
And Obed fathered Jesse,
6 And Jesse fathered David the king.
¶ And David fathered Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
7 And Solomon fathered Rehoboam,
And Rehoboam fathered Abijah,
And Abijah fathered Asa,
8 And Asa fathered Jehoshaphat,
And Jehoshaphat fathered Joram,
And Joram fathered Uzziah,
9 And Uzziah fathered Jotham,
And Jotham fathered Ahaz,
And Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,
10 And Hezekiah fathered Manasseh,
And Manasseh fathered Amos,
And Amos fathered Josiah,
11 And Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
¶12 And after the deportation to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel,
And Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,
13 And Zerubbabel fathered Abiud,
And Abiud fathered Eliakim,
And Eliakim fathered Azor,
14 And Azor fathered Zadok,
And Zadok fathered Achim,
And Achim fathered Eliud,
15 And Eliud fathered Eleazar,
And Eleazar fathered Matthan,
And Matthan fathered Jacob,
16 And Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
¶ 17 So all the generations from Abraham up to David are fourteen generations, and from David up to the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon up to Christ are fourteen generations.
The Conception and Birth of Jesus Christ Matthew 1:18-25
¶ 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner: After his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wishing to expose her to disgrace, wanted to divorce her secretly.
20 And after he reflected on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which was begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “And she will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus, for he himself will save his people from their sins.”
22 Now all this has happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN WILL BE WITH CHILD AND WILL BEAR A SON,
AND THEY WILL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,”
which is, when translated, “God with us.”
24 And after Joseph awakened from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and he took his wife;
25 but he continued not to have relations with her until she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus.
¶ 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner: After his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wishing to expose her to disgrace, wanted to divorce her secretly.
20 And after he reflected on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which was begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “And she will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus, for he himself will save his people from their sins.”
22 Now all this has happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN WILL BE WITH CHILD AND WILL BEAR A SON,
AND THEY WILL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,”
which is, when translated, “God with us.”
24 And after Joseph awakened from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and he took his wife;
25 but he continued not to have relations with her until she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus.
The Visit of the Wise Men Matthew 2:1-12
2
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 Now when Herod the king heard this, he became troubled and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And gathering together all the chief priests and the experts in the law of the people, he began inquiring from them where the Christ was to be born.
5 And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE RULERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU WILL COME A RULER,
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ ”
¶ 7 Thereafter Herod, having secretly called the Magi, ascertained from them the time the star appeared,
8 and when he sent them to Bethlehem he said, “Go, make a careful search for the infant; and as soon as you have found him, report to me, in order that I also may come and worship him.”
9 And after they heard the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen in the east proceeded to go before them until it came and stood over the place where the infant was.
10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced very much with great joy.
11 And when they went into the house, they saw the infant with Mary his mother, and falling down, they began worshipping him, and when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him – gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their country by another way.
2
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 Now when Herod the king heard this, he became troubled and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And gathering together all the chief priests and the experts in the law of the people, he began inquiring from them where the Christ was to be born.
5 And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE RULERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU WILL COME A RULER,
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ ”
¶ 7 Thereafter Herod, having secretly called the Magi, ascertained from them the time the star appeared,
8 and when he sent them to Bethlehem he said, “Go, make a careful search for the infant; and as soon as you have found him, report to me, in order that I also may come and worship him.”
9 And after they heard the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen in the east proceeded to go before them until it came and stood over the place where the infant was.
10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced very much with great joy.
11 And when they went into the house, they saw the infant with Mary his mother, and falling down, they began worshipping him, and when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him – gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their country by another way.
The Escape to Egypt Matthew 2:13-15
¶ 13 Now when they had gone away, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up! Take the infant and his mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the infant to kill him.”
14 So he got up and took the infant and his mother during the night and withdrew into Egypt,
15 and was there until the death of Herod, in order that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”
¶ 13 Now when they had gone away, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up! Take the infant and his mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod intends to search for the infant to kill him.”
14 So he got up and took the infant and his mother during the night and withdrew into Egypt,
15 and was there until the death of Herod, in order that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”
Herod Slaughters the Babies of Bethlehem Matthew 2:16-18
¶ 16 Then when Herod saw that he had been made a fool by the Magi he became violently enraged, and gave the orders and killed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its surrounding areas from two years old and under, according to the time which he ascertained from the Magi.
17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH,
WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING;
RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN,
AND SHE KEPT REFUSING TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT.”
The Return from Egypt to Nazareth Matthew 2:19-23
¶ 19 Now when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying, “Get up! Take the young child and his mother and go into the land of Israel, for those seeking the life of the young child have died.”
21 So he got up and took the young child and his mother and went into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then having been warned in a dream, he withdrew into the district of Galilee,
23 and he went and settled in a city called Nazareth, in order that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
The Preaching of John the Baptist Matthew 3:1-12
3
1 Now in those days John the Baptist comes forth preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 saying, “Keep repenting! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3 For this is the one who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
“A VOICE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD,
CONTINUE TO MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS FOR HIM!’ ”
4 Now John, he always wore his garment made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. And his food continued to be locusts and wild honey.
5 At that time Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan customarily went out to him,
6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River while confessing their sins.
¶ 7 Now when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 “Therefore, produce fruit worthy of repentance!
9 “And do not think to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that out of these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham!
10 “And already the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I myself baptize you with water for repentance; but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. As for him, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 “His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean his threshing floor, and will gather up his grain into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”
¶ 16 Then when Herod saw that he had been made a fool by the Magi he became violently enraged, and gave the orders and killed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its surrounding areas from two years old and under, according to the time which he ascertained from the Magi.
17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH,
WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING;
RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN,
AND SHE KEPT REFUSING TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT.”
The Return from Egypt to Nazareth Matthew 2:19-23
¶ 19 Now when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying, “Get up! Take the young child and his mother and go into the land of Israel, for those seeking the life of the young child have died.”
21 So he got up and took the young child and his mother and went into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then having been warned in a dream, he withdrew into the district of Galilee,
23 and he went and settled in a city called Nazareth, in order that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
The Preaching of John the Baptist Matthew 3:1-12
3
1 Now in those days John the Baptist comes forth preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 saying, “Keep repenting! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3 For this is the one who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
“A VOICE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD,
CONTINUE TO MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS FOR HIM!’ ”
4 Now John, he always wore his garment made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. And his food continued to be locusts and wild honey.
5 At that time Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan customarily went out to him,
6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River while confessing their sins.
¶ 7 Now when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 “Therefore, produce fruit worthy of repentance!
9 “And do not think to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that out of these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham!
10 “And already the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I myself baptize you with water for repentance; but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. As for him, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 “His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean his threshing floor, and will gather up his grain into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus Matthew 3:13-17
¶ 13 Thereafter Jesus comes forth from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.
14 But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 But answering, Jesus said to him, “Permit it now, for in this manner it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted him.
16 Now after Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon him.
17 And behold, a voice came from out of heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus Matthew 4:1-11
4
1 Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he then became hungry.
3 And when the tempter approached, he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But answering, he said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON THE BASIS OF BREAD ALONE, BUT ON THE BASIS OF EVERY WORD PROCEEDING OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ ”
¶ 5 Then the devil took him along into the holy city, and stood him on the highest point of the temple,
6 and he says to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU AND THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP IN THEIR HANDS, SO YOU DO NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’ ”
7 Jesus declared to him, “Again it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’ ”
¶ 8 Again the devil took him along to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,
9 and he said to him, “All these things I will give to you if you fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus says to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ ”
11 At that time the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry Matthew 4:12-16
In Matthew's Gospel The Second Year of Jesus’ Ministry Begins Here
¶ 12 Now, when Jesus heard that John had been handed over to be put in prison, he withdrew into Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth he came and settled in Capernaum, which was located beside the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 in order that what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
15 “LAND OF ZEBULUN AND LAND OF NAPHTALI,
THE WAY BY THE SEA, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN,
GALILEE OF THE GENTILES,
16 “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE LIVING IN DARKNESS
SAW A GREAT LIGHT,
AND ON THOSE LIVING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH
A LIGHT DAWNED.”
¶ 13 Thereafter Jesus comes forth from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.
14 But John tried to prevent him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 But answering, Jesus said to him, “Permit it now, for in this manner it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted him.
16 Now after Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon him.
17 And behold, a voice came from out of heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus Matthew 4:1-11
4
1 Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he then became hungry.
3 And when the tempter approached, he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But answering, he said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON THE BASIS OF BREAD ALONE, BUT ON THE BASIS OF EVERY WORD PROCEEDING OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ ”
¶ 5 Then the devil took him along into the holy city, and stood him on the highest point of the temple,
6 and he says to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU AND THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP IN THEIR HANDS, SO YOU DO NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’ ”
7 Jesus declared to him, “Again it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’ ”
¶ 8 Again the devil took him along to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,
9 and he said to him, “All these things I will give to you if you fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus says to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ ”
11 At that time the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry Matthew 4:12-16
In Matthew's Gospel The Second Year of Jesus’ Ministry Begins Here
¶ 12 Now, when Jesus heard that John had been handed over to be put in prison, he withdrew into Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth he came and settled in Capernaum, which was located beside the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 in order that what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
15 “LAND OF ZEBULUN AND LAND OF NAPHTALI,
THE WAY BY THE SEA, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN,
GALILEE OF THE GENTILES,
16 “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE LIVING IN DARKNESS
SAW A GREAT LIGHT,
AND ON THOSE LIVING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH
A LIGHT DAWNED.”
Part 2: First Major Discourse – on Repentance and Discipleship Matthew Chapters 5-7
Introduction to the First Discourse: Jesus Calls People to Repent and Calls Four Disciples Matthew 4:17-25
¶ 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Keep repenting! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
¶ 18 Now while walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, throwing a circular casting-net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 And he says to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 And at once they left the nets and followed him.
21 And when he went on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And at once they left the boat and their father and followed him.
¶ 23 And Jesus began going around in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24 And his fame spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all those who were sick with various kinds of diseases, and suffering with intense pain, and who were demon possessed, and who were epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
25 And great multitudes followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from the other side of the Jordan.
¶ 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Keep repenting! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
¶ 18 Now while walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, the one who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, throwing a circular casting-net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 And he says to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 And at once they left the nets and followed him.
21 And when he went on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And at once they left the boat and their father and followed him.
¶ 23 And Jesus began going around in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24 And his fame spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all those who were sick with various kinds of diseases, and suffering with intense pain, and who were demon possessed, and who were epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
25 And great multitudes followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from the other side of the Jordan.
First Major Discourse: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount Matthew Chapters 5-7
Jesus Teaches The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12
5
1Now when he saw the multitudes, he went up into the mountain. And after he sat down, his disciples came to him,
2 and he opened his mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn,
For they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek,
For they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they will be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful,
For they will be shown mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they will be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have endured persecution because of righteousness,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people heap insults on you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.
12 “Keep rejoicing and exulting!
For great is your reward in heaven. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples Are Salt and Light Mathew 5:13-16
¶ 13 “You disciples, are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, with what will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be cast out and trampled under foot by people.
¶ 14 “You are the light of the world. A city lying on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under that bushel basket but on the lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 “In the same way let your light shine before people, in order that they may see your morally good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus Teaches about the Fulfillment of the Law Matthew 5:17-20
¶ 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one nib of a letter will ever pass away from the law until everything is fulfilled.
19 “Therefore, whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them, this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will absolutely not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus Teaches about Anger Matthew 5:21-26
¶ 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people of ancient times, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’
22 “But as for me, I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You empty-head!’ will be answerable to the highest ruling council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be guilty enough to go into the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your sacrificial gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother is holding something against you,
24 “leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go first, become reconciled to your brother, and thereafter come and offer your gift.
25 “Make friends quickly with your legal opponent while you are with him on the way, lest the legal opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the guard, and you be thrown into prison.
26 “Truly I say to you, you will in no way come out from there until you have paid back the last penny.”
Jesus Teaches about Adultery Matthew 5:27-30
¶ 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’
28 “But as for me, I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 “So if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish and not your whole body go away into hell.”
Jesus Teaches about Divorce Matthew 5:31, 32
¶ 31 “And it was said, ‘WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE.’
32 “But as for me, I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of illicit sexual intercourse, makes her to be adulterated, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced is adulterated.”
Jesus Teaches about Oaths Matthew 5:33-37
¶ 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the people of ancient times, ‘YOU SHALL NOT BREAK YOUR OATH, BUT YOU SHALL KEEP YOUR OATHS TO THE LORD.’
34 “But as for me, I say to you not to make an oath at all; neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
35 “nor by the earth, for it is the footstool for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
36 “Do not swear by your head, for you are not able to make one hair white or black.
37 “But let your word be, ‘Yes, yes,’ or ‘No, no;’ for anything more than these is from the evil one.”
Jesus Teaches about Revenge Matthew 5:38-42
¶ 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’
39 “But as for me, I say to you not to resist the evil person; on the contrary, whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 “And if the person wants to sue you and to take your undershirt, let him have your cloak as well.
41 “And whoever will force you to go one mile, go two with him.
42 “Give to the person who asks you, and do not turn away from the person who wants to borrow from you.”
Jesus Teaches To Love Your Enemies Matthew 5:43-48
¶ 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’ and hate your enemy.
44 “But as for me, I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 “in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise upon the wicked and the good and he sends rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Are not even the tax collectors doing the same thing?
47 “And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Are not even the heathen doing the same thing?
48 “Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Jesus Teaches The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12
5
1Now when he saw the multitudes, he went up into the mountain. And after he sat down, his disciples came to him,
2 and he opened his mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn,
For they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek,
For they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they will be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful,
For they will be shown mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they will be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have endured persecution because of righteousness,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people heap insults on you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.
12 “Keep rejoicing and exulting!
For great is your reward in heaven. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples Are Salt and Light Mathew 5:13-16
¶ 13 “You disciples, are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, with what will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be cast out and trampled under foot by people.
¶ 14 “You are the light of the world. A city lying on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under that bushel basket but on the lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 “In the same way let your light shine before people, in order that they may see your morally good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus Teaches about the Fulfillment of the Law Matthew 5:17-20
¶ 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one nib of a letter will ever pass away from the law until everything is fulfilled.
19 “Therefore, whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them, this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will absolutely not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus Teaches about Anger Matthew 5:21-26
¶ 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people of ancient times, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’
22 “But as for me, I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You empty-head!’ will be answerable to the highest ruling council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be guilty enough to go into the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your sacrificial gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother is holding something against you,
24 “leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go first, become reconciled to your brother, and thereafter come and offer your gift.
25 “Make friends quickly with your legal opponent while you are with him on the way, lest the legal opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the guard, and you be thrown into prison.
26 “Truly I say to you, you will in no way come out from there until you have paid back the last penny.”
Jesus Teaches about Adultery Matthew 5:27-30
¶ 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’
28 “But as for me, I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 “So if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish and not your whole body go away into hell.”
Jesus Teaches about Divorce Matthew 5:31, 32
¶ 31 “And it was said, ‘WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE.’
32 “But as for me, I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of illicit sexual intercourse, makes her to be adulterated, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced is adulterated.”
Jesus Teaches about Oaths Matthew 5:33-37
¶ 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the people of ancient times, ‘YOU SHALL NOT BREAK YOUR OATH, BUT YOU SHALL KEEP YOUR OATHS TO THE LORD.’
34 “But as for me, I say to you not to make an oath at all; neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
35 “nor by the earth, for it is the footstool for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
36 “Do not swear by your head, for you are not able to make one hair white or black.
37 “But let your word be, ‘Yes, yes,’ or ‘No, no;’ for anything more than these is from the evil one.”
Jesus Teaches about Revenge Matthew 5:38-42
¶ 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’
39 “But as for me, I say to you not to resist the evil person; on the contrary, whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 “And if the person wants to sue you and to take your undershirt, let him have your cloak as well.
41 “And whoever will force you to go one mile, go two with him.
42 “Give to the person who asks you, and do not turn away from the person who wants to borrow from you.”
Jesus Teaches To Love Your Enemies Matthew 5:43-48
¶ 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’ and hate your enemy.
44 “But as for me, I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 “in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise upon the wicked and the good and he sends rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Are not even the tax collectors doing the same thing?
47 “And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Are not even the heathen doing the same thing?
48 “Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Jesus Teaches about Giving to the Poor Matthew 6:1-4
6
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness before people to be noticed by them. Otherwise, you have no reward by the side of your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Therefore when you give a donation to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.
3 “But when you give a donation to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 “in order that your giving to the poor may be in secret. And your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Jesus Teaches about Prayer Matthew 6:5-15
¶ 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners praying, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.
6 “But when you pray, go into your inner room, and after you close the door pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “Moreover, when you pray, do not babble as the heathen do, for they think that they will be listened to because of their many words.
8 “Consequently, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.
9 “Therefore continue to pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
10 Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11” Give us today our daily bread,
12 “And forgive us our debts, even as we forgive our debtors.
13 “And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
14 “For if you forgive people their sins, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you;
15 “But if you do not forgive people their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins.”
Jesus Teaches about Fasting Matthew 6:16-18
¶ 16 “Moreover, when you are fasting, do not be like the hypocrites who fast with a gloomy expression, for they disfigure their faces in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.
17 “But when you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 “in order that you may not be seen fasting by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Jesus Teaches about Treasure in Heaven Matthew 6:19-24
¶ 19 “Stop storing up treasure for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 “Rather keep storing up treasure for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in nor steal.
21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
¶ 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Consequently, if your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 “But if your eye is wicked, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
¶ 24 “No one is able to be a slave to two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be a slave to God and to Money!”
Jesus Teaches to Seek First the Kingdom of God and Not Worry Matthew 6:25-34
¶ 25 “For this reason I say to you, stop worrying about your life – what you will eat or what you will drink, nor for your body – what you will wear! Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the sky. They do not sow, neither do they reap, nor do they gather into barns, and yet your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 “And who of you is able by worrying to add one hour to his time of life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothing? Observe well the lilies of the field how they grow; they do not work hard nor spin.
29 “But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his splendor clothed himself like one of these.
30 “And if God so clothes the grass of the field that exists today and tomorrow is cast into a furnace, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?
31 “So do not begin to worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, “With what shall we clothe ourselves?’
32 “For all the pagans continue to diligently seek after these things; for your Father who is in heaven knows that you have need of all these things.
33 “But keep seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not begin worrying about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself; each day has enough trouble of its own.”
6
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness before people to be noticed by them. Otherwise, you have no reward by the side of your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Therefore when you give a donation to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.
3 “But when you give a donation to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 “in order that your giving to the poor may be in secret. And your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Jesus Teaches about Prayer Matthew 6:5-15
¶ 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners praying, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.
6 “But when you pray, go into your inner room, and after you close the door pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “Moreover, when you pray, do not babble as the heathen do, for they think that they will be listened to because of their many words.
8 “Consequently, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.
9 “Therefore continue to pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
10 Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11” Give us today our daily bread,
12 “And forgive us our debts, even as we forgive our debtors.
13 “And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
14 “For if you forgive people their sins, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you;
15 “But if you do not forgive people their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins.”
Jesus Teaches about Fasting Matthew 6:16-18
¶ 16 “Moreover, when you are fasting, do not be like the hypocrites who fast with a gloomy expression, for they disfigure their faces in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.
17 “But when you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 “in order that you may not be seen fasting by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Jesus Teaches about Treasure in Heaven Matthew 6:19-24
¶ 19 “Stop storing up treasure for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 “Rather keep storing up treasure for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in nor steal.
21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
¶ 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Consequently, if your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 “But if your eye is wicked, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
¶ 24 “No one is able to be a slave to two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be a slave to God and to Money!”
Jesus Teaches to Seek First the Kingdom of God and Not Worry Matthew 6:25-34
¶ 25 “For this reason I say to you, stop worrying about your life – what you will eat or what you will drink, nor for your body – what you will wear! Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the sky. They do not sow, neither do they reap, nor do they gather into barns, and yet your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 “And who of you is able by worrying to add one hour to his time of life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothing? Observe well the lilies of the field how they grow; they do not work hard nor spin.
29 “But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his splendor clothed himself like one of these.
30 “And if God so clothes the grass of the field that exists today and tomorrow is cast into a furnace, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?
31 “So do not begin to worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, “With what shall we clothe ourselves?’
32 “For all the pagans continue to diligently seek after these things; for your Father who is in heaven knows that you have need of all these things.
33 “But keep seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not begin worrying about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself; each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Jesus Teaches about Judging Others Matthew 7:1-6
7
1 “Stop judging others, so you will not be judged.
2 “For in the way you judge others, you will be judged, and with what measure you measure to others, it will be measured out to you.
3 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, yet you do not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when behold, the wooden beam is in your own eye?
5 “You hypocrites! First take the wooden beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.”
Jesus Promises Prayers Will Be Answered Matthew 7:7-12
¶ 7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks it will be opened.
9 “Or what man is there among you, whom if his son will ask for bread, will give him a stone?
10 “Or if he will also ask for a fish, will give him a snake?”
11 “If you, then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.
12 “Therefore, whatever you wish people would do to you, you also keep doing the same things to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus Says to Enter through the Narrow Gate Matthew 7:13, 14
¶ 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads into destruction, and there are many who are entering through it.
14 “How narrow the gate and confined the way that leads into life, and there are few who are finding it.”
Jesus Teaches a Tree Is Known by Its Fruit Matthew 7:15-23
¶ 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are devouring wolves.
16 “By their fruits you will recognize them. Surely people do not gather grapes from brier bushes or figs from thistle plants, do they?
17 “In the same way every good tree produces morally good fruits, but a rotten tree produces wicked fruits.
18 “A good tree is not able to produce wicked fruits, nor is a rotten tree able to produce morally good fruits.
19 “Every tree not producing morally good fruit is cut down and is thrown into the fire.
20 “So by their fruits you will recognize them.”
¶ 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’
23 “And then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you! Depart from me you who practice lawlessness!’ ”
Jesus Teaches about the Wise and the Foolish Builders Matthew 7:24-29
¶ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and practices them will be like a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
25 “And the rain poured down and the rivers flooded and the winds blew and beat against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not practice them will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
27 “And the rain poured down and the rivers flooded and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and its fall was horrendous.”
¶ 28 And it happened when Jesus finished these words, the multitudes continued to be struck with astonishment at his teaching,
29 for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as their experts in the law.
7
1 “Stop judging others, so you will not be judged.
2 “For in the way you judge others, you will be judged, and with what measure you measure to others, it will be measured out to you.
3 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, yet you do not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when behold, the wooden beam is in your own eye?
5 “You hypocrites! First take the wooden beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.”
Jesus Promises Prayers Will Be Answered Matthew 7:7-12
¶ 7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks it will be opened.
9 “Or what man is there among you, whom if his son will ask for bread, will give him a stone?
10 “Or if he will also ask for a fish, will give him a snake?”
11 “If you, then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.
12 “Therefore, whatever you wish people would do to you, you also keep doing the same things to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus Says to Enter through the Narrow Gate Matthew 7:13, 14
¶ 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads into destruction, and there are many who are entering through it.
14 “How narrow the gate and confined the way that leads into life, and there are few who are finding it.”
Jesus Teaches a Tree Is Known by Its Fruit Matthew 7:15-23
¶ 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are devouring wolves.
16 “By their fruits you will recognize them. Surely people do not gather grapes from brier bushes or figs from thistle plants, do they?
17 “In the same way every good tree produces morally good fruits, but a rotten tree produces wicked fruits.
18 “A good tree is not able to produce wicked fruits, nor is a rotten tree able to produce morally good fruits.
19 “Every tree not producing morally good fruit is cut down and is thrown into the fire.
20 “So by their fruits you will recognize them.”
¶ 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’
23 “And then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you! Depart from me you who practice lawlessness!’ ”
Jesus Teaches about the Wise and the Foolish Builders Matthew 7:24-29
¶ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and practices them will be like a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
25 “And the rain poured down and the rivers flooded and the winds blew and beat against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not practice them will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
27 “And the rain poured down and the rivers flooded and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and its fall was horrendous.”
¶ 28 And it happened when Jesus finished these words, the multitudes continued to be struck with astonishment at his teaching,
29 for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as their experts in the law.
Part 3: Second Major Discourse – on Ministry Matthew Chapter 10
Introduction to the Second Major Discourse: The Ministry Jesus Conducted Matthew 8:1-9:38
Jesus Cleanses a Leper Matthew 8:1-4
8
1 Now when he came down from the mountain, large multitudes followed him.
2 And behold, a leper approached and began kneeling down to worship him, saying “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed!” And at once his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus says to him, “See to it that you tell no one! But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant Matthew 8:5-13
¶ 5 Now when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him, pleading with him
6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying in the house paralyzed, being terribly tormented.”
7 And Jesus says to him, “Indeed I will come and heal him.”
8 “And the centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not fit to have you come in under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured.
9 “For I myself am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 Now when Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found so great a faith with anyone in Israel!
11 “And I say to you that many will come from east and west and will recline at the feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outermost darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be to you as you have believed.” And his servant was cured in that very hour.
Jesus Heals Many People Matthew 8:14-17
¶ 14 And when Jesus came into Peter’s house he saw his mother-in-law lying and suffering with a fever.
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and began to serve him.
16 Then when evening came, the people began bringing to him many who were demon-possessed; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
17 in order that what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
“HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES
AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”
Jesus Teaches the Cost of Discipleship Matthew 8:18-22
¶ 18 Now when Jesus saw a multitude around him, he gave orders to depart to the shore on the other side.
19 And one expert in the law approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 And Jesus says to him, “The foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21 Then another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, permit me to first go away and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus says to him, “Start following me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms the Storm Matthew 8:23-27
¶ 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, pounding waves of a fierce storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves. But as for him, he kept sleeping.
25 And his disciples came to him and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 And he says to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And it became completely calm!
27 Then the men became astonished, saying, “What kind of a man is this? For even the winds and the sea obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Demon—Possessed Men Matthew 8:28-34
¶ 28 And when he came to the shore on the other side, into the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one was able to pass through that way.
29 And behold, they started shrieking, “Leave us alone, Son of God! Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
30 Now far away from them a herd of many pigs was feeding.
31 And the demons kept begging him, saying, “If you are casting us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 And he said to them, “Get going!” So when they came out, they went into the pigs. And behold, the whole herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea, and died in the water.
33 Then those who were tending the pigs fled, and they went into the city and reported everything, especially the things about the men who were demon-possessed.
34 And behold, the whole city went out to meet with Jesus, and when they saw him, they pleaded that he would leave their district.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper Matthew 8:1-4
8
1 Now when he came down from the mountain, large multitudes followed him.
2 And behold, a leper approached and began kneeling down to worship him, saying “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed!” And at once his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus says to him, “See to it that you tell no one! But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant Matthew 8:5-13
¶ 5 Now when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him, pleading with him
6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying in the house paralyzed, being terribly tormented.”
7 And Jesus says to him, “Indeed I will come and heal him.”
8 “And the centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not fit to have you come in under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured.
9 “For I myself am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 Now when Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found so great a faith with anyone in Israel!
11 “And I say to you that many will come from east and west and will recline at the feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outermost darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be to you as you have believed.” And his servant was cured in that very hour.
Jesus Heals Many People Matthew 8:14-17
¶ 14 And when Jesus came into Peter’s house he saw his mother-in-law lying and suffering with a fever.
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and began to serve him.
16 Then when evening came, the people began bringing to him many who were demon-possessed; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
17 in order that what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
“HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES
AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”
Jesus Teaches the Cost of Discipleship Matthew 8:18-22
¶ 18 Now when Jesus saw a multitude around him, he gave orders to depart to the shore on the other side.
19 And one expert in the law approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 And Jesus says to him, “The foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21 Then another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, permit me to first go away and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus says to him, “Start following me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms the Storm Matthew 8:23-27
¶ 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, pounding waves of a fierce storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves. But as for him, he kept sleeping.
25 And his disciples came to him and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 And he says to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And it became completely calm!
27 Then the men became astonished, saying, “What kind of a man is this? For even the winds and the sea obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Demon—Possessed Men Matthew 8:28-34
¶ 28 And when he came to the shore on the other side, into the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one was able to pass through that way.
29 And behold, they started shrieking, “Leave us alone, Son of God! Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
30 Now far away from them a herd of many pigs was feeding.
31 And the demons kept begging him, saying, “If you are casting us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 And he said to them, “Get going!” So when they came out, they went into the pigs. And behold, the whole herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea, and died in the water.
33 Then those who were tending the pigs fled, and they went into the city and reported everything, especially the things about the men who were demon-possessed.
34 And behold, the whole city went out to meet with Jesus, and when they saw him, they pleaded that he would leave their district.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic Matthew 9:1-8
9
1 And having gotten into a boat, he crossed over the sea and came to his own city.
2 And behold, some men were bringing to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Be of good cheer, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 And behold, some of the experts in the law said among themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 And when Jesus saw their thoughts, he said, “Why are you thinking wicked thoughts in your hearts?
5 “For what is easier: To say, ‘Your sins are forgiven?’ or to say, ‘Get up and start walking?’
6 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority upon the earth to forgive sins” (at that time he says to the paralytic) “Get up! Pick up your stretcher and go to your home.”
7 And he got up and went away to his home.
8 And when the crowds saw this, they became afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Jesus Calls Matthew Matthew 9:9-13
¶ 9 And as Jesus went away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he says to him, “Start following me.” And he stood up and started following him.
10 And it happened while he was reclining at the table in the house: behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began reclining at the table with Jesus and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they began saying to his disciples, “Why is your teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 Now when he heard this, he said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick.
13 “So go and learn what it means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting Matthew 9:14-17
¶ 14 Then the disciples of John approached him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “The bridegroom’s attendants cannot be sad as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
16 “Moreover, no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse.
17 “Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine is poured out and the wineskins are ruined; rather they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman Matthew 9:18-26
¶ 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold a synagogue official came and began kneeling down to pay reverence to him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand upon her, and she will live.”
19 And Jesus got up and began to follow him, and his disciples.
20 And behold, a woman suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years approached from behind and touched the tassel of his garment.
21 For she was saying within herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be healed.”
22 Then when Jesus turned around and saw her, he said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.
23 And when Jesus came into the house of the synagogue official and saw the flute-players and the crowd wailing noisily,
24 he began to say, “Leave! For the girl has not died but is sleeping!” And they began laughing at him.
25 But when the crowd had been sent out, he went in and took hold of her hand, and the girl arose.
26 And this news went out into that entire land.
Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute Matthew 9:27-34
¶ 27 As Jesus went away from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 And when he went into the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They say to him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done to you.”
30 And their eyes were opened! And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See to it! Let no one know about this!”
31 But they went out and spread the news about him in that entire land.
¶ 32 Now as they were going out, behold, some men brought a mute, demon-possessed man to him.
33 And after the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds were astonished, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said again and again, “With the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons!”
Jesus Says More Workers Are Needed Matthew 9:35-38
¶ 35 And Jesus continued going around all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness.
36 Then when he saw the crowds, he had compassion upon them, because they were being wearied and thrown down exhausted like sheep not having a shepherd.
37 At that time he says to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
38 “Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
9
1 And having gotten into a boat, he crossed over the sea and came to his own city.
2 And behold, some men were bringing to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Be of good cheer, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 And behold, some of the experts in the law said among themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 And when Jesus saw their thoughts, he said, “Why are you thinking wicked thoughts in your hearts?
5 “For what is easier: To say, ‘Your sins are forgiven?’ or to say, ‘Get up and start walking?’
6 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority upon the earth to forgive sins” (at that time he says to the paralytic) “Get up! Pick up your stretcher and go to your home.”
7 And he got up and went away to his home.
8 And when the crowds saw this, they became afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Jesus Calls Matthew Matthew 9:9-13
¶ 9 And as Jesus went away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he says to him, “Start following me.” And he stood up and started following him.
10 And it happened while he was reclining at the table in the house: behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began reclining at the table with Jesus and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they began saying to his disciples, “Why is your teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 Now when he heard this, he said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick.
13 “So go and learn what it means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting Matthew 9:14-17
¶ 14 Then the disciples of John approached him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “The bridegroom’s attendants cannot be sad as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
16 “Moreover, no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse.
17 “Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine is poured out and the wineskins are ruined; rather they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman Matthew 9:18-26
¶ 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold a synagogue official came and began kneeling down to pay reverence to him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand upon her, and she will live.”
19 And Jesus got up and began to follow him, and his disciples.
20 And behold, a woman suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years approached from behind and touched the tassel of his garment.
21 For she was saying within herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be healed.”
22 Then when Jesus turned around and saw her, he said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.
23 And when Jesus came into the house of the synagogue official and saw the flute-players and the crowd wailing noisily,
24 he began to say, “Leave! For the girl has not died but is sleeping!” And they began laughing at him.
25 But when the crowd had been sent out, he went in and took hold of her hand, and the girl arose.
26 And this news went out into that entire land.
Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute Matthew 9:27-34
¶ 27 As Jesus went away from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 And when he went into the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They say to him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done to you.”
30 And their eyes were opened! And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See to it! Let no one know about this!”
31 But they went out and spread the news about him in that entire land.
¶ 32 Now as they were going out, behold, some men brought a mute, demon-possessed man to him.
33 And after the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds were astonished, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said again and again, “With the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons!”
Jesus Says More Workers Are Needed Matthew 9:35-38
¶ 35 And Jesus continued going around all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness.
36 Then when he saw the crowds, he had compassion upon them, because they were being wearied and thrown down exhausted like sheep not having a shepherd.
37 At that time he says to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
38 “Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
The Second Major Discourse on Ministry Matthew 10
Jesus Commissions His Twelve Apostles Matthew 10:1-15
10
1 And after he summoned his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: First, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, and James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,
3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus,
4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
¶ 5 These Twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans.
6 “But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 “Now as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the demons; freely you received, freely give.
9 “Do not procure gold or silver or copper coin for your money belts,
10 “or a knapsack for the journey or two undershirts or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.
11 “And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it; and remain there until you leave.
12 “And as you enter the house greet it;
13 “And on the one hand, if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 “And whoever does not receive you or listen to your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city.”
Jesus Warns the Apostles of Coming Persecutions Matthew 10:16-23
¶ 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be keen as the snakes and innocent as the doves.
17 “And always beware of men; for they will hand you over to local councils, and they will flog you in their synagogues;
18 “and you will be brought before governors and kings on account of me for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 “Now whenever they deliver you up, do not be concerned about how or what you shall say; for it will be given to you in that very hour what you shall say.
20 “For you are not the ones speaking but the Spirit of your Father is the one speaking in you.
21 “And brother will betray brother into death and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.
22 “And you will go on being hated by all because of my name; but the one who has endured to the end – this one will be saved!
23 “Now whenever they persecute you in this city, start to flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall in no way finish getting to the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”
Jesus Teaches the Apostles the Meaning of Discipleship Matthew 10:24-39
¶ 24 “A disciple is not superior to the teacher nor is a slave superior to his master.
25 “It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If people have called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call the members of his household Beelzebub!”
¶ 26 “Therefore do not be afraid of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or secret that will not be made known.
27 “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered into your ear, proclaim aloud upon the rooftops.
28 “And stop being afraid of those who kill the body, but who are unable to kill the soul; but rather always be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell!
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And not one of them will fall to the ground without the will and consent of your Father.
30 “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 “So stop being afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows!
¶ 32 “Therefore everyone who will confess me before men, indeed I will confess him before my Father who is in heaven.
33 “But whoever will disown me before men, indeed I will disown him before my Father who is in heaven.
¶ 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth; I did not come to bring peace but a sword!
35 “For I came to turn
‘A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER
AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER
AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW
36 ‘AND A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD’.
37 “The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and the one who loves son or daughter more then me is not worthy of me.
38 “And the one who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
39 “The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus Teaches the Apostles about Rewards Matthew 10:40-42
¶ 40 “The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives him who sent me.
41 “ The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones to drink only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall absolutely not lose his reward!”
Jesus Commissions His Twelve Apostles Matthew 10:1-15
10
1 And after he summoned his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: First, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, and James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,
3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus,
4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
¶ 5 These Twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans.
6 “But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 “Now as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the demons; freely you received, freely give.
9 “Do not procure gold or silver or copper coin for your money belts,
10 “or a knapsack for the journey or two undershirts or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.
11 “And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it; and remain there until you leave.
12 “And as you enter the house greet it;
13 “And on the one hand, if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 “And whoever does not receive you or listen to your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city.”
Jesus Warns the Apostles of Coming Persecutions Matthew 10:16-23
¶ 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be keen as the snakes and innocent as the doves.
17 “And always beware of men; for they will hand you over to local councils, and they will flog you in their synagogues;
18 “and you will be brought before governors and kings on account of me for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 “Now whenever they deliver you up, do not be concerned about how or what you shall say; for it will be given to you in that very hour what you shall say.
20 “For you are not the ones speaking but the Spirit of your Father is the one speaking in you.
21 “And brother will betray brother into death and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.
22 “And you will go on being hated by all because of my name; but the one who has endured to the end – this one will be saved!
23 “Now whenever they persecute you in this city, start to flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall in no way finish getting to the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”
Jesus Teaches the Apostles the Meaning of Discipleship Matthew 10:24-39
¶ 24 “A disciple is not superior to the teacher nor is a slave superior to his master.
25 “It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If people have called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call the members of his household Beelzebub!”
¶ 26 “Therefore do not be afraid of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or secret that will not be made known.
27 “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered into your ear, proclaim aloud upon the rooftops.
28 “And stop being afraid of those who kill the body, but who are unable to kill the soul; but rather always be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell!
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And not one of them will fall to the ground without the will and consent of your Father.
30 “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 “So stop being afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows!
¶ 32 “Therefore everyone who will confess me before men, indeed I will confess him before my Father who is in heaven.
33 “But whoever will disown me before men, indeed I will disown him before my Father who is in heaven.
¶ 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth; I did not come to bring peace but a sword!
35 “For I came to turn
‘A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER
AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER
AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW
36 ‘AND A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD’.
37 “The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and the one who loves son or daughter more then me is not worthy of me.
38 “And the one who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
39 “The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus Teaches the Apostles about Rewards Matthew 10:40-42
¶ 40 “The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives him who sent me.
41 “ The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones to drink only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall absolutely not lose his reward!”
Part 4: Third Major Discourse: Due to People’s Spiritual Blindness, Jesus Teaches Them in Parables
Matthew Chapter 13
Matthew Chapter 13
Introduction to the Third Major Discourse: Matthew 11:1-12:50
Jesus Answers John’s Question and Rebukes the Jews’ Spiritual Ignorance Matthew 11:1-19
11
1 And it happened when Jesus finished giving orders to his twelve disciples, he went from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
¶ 2 Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by means of his disciples a message
3 and said to him, “Are you the one who was to come or are we to expect another?”
4 And answering, Jesus said to them, “Go and report to John the things which you are hearing and seeing:
5 “the blind are receiving sight and the crippled are walking around, the lepers are being cleansed and the deaf are hearing, and the dead are being raised and the poor are having the gospel preached to them.
6 “And blessed is the man who is not caused to fall on account of me.”
7 Now as these men were going, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed being shaken by the wind?
8 “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!
9 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet!
10 “This is he about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY AHEAD OF YOU.’
11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is of least importance in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven forces its way ahead, and forceful persons eagerly claim it.
13 “For all the prophets and the law foretold future events until John;
14 “And if you are willing to accept it, he himself is the Elijah who was intended to come.
15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
¶ 16 “Now to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the others,
17 “and say, ‘We played the flute for you and yet you did not dance; we sang a funeral song and yet you did not mourn.’
18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by her works.”
Jesus Pronounces Woes on Unrepentant Cities and Invites the Weary to Come to Him Matthew 11:20-30
¶ 20 Then he began to scold the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent:
21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that had been performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
23 “And you, Capernaum! You will not be exalted up to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to hell! For if the miracles that had been performed in you had been performed in Sodom, they would have remained to this day.
24 “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
¶ 25 At that time Jesus continued and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes.
26 “Yes, Father, for so it was pleasing in your sight.
27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father. And no one really knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone really know the Father except the Son and to whomever the Son may want to reveal him.
28 “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees for Their Blind Sabbath Traditions Matthew 12:1-21
12
1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. Now his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck the heads of grain and to eat them.
2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!”
3 But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry and the men with him?
4 “How he went into the house of God and ate the sacred breads, which were not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
5 “Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and are innocent?
6 “Now I say to you that something greater than the temple is here!
7 “Now if you had known what it means, ‘I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
¶ 9 And going on from there, he went into their synagogue.
10 And behold, a man having a paralyzed hand is there. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” – in order that they might accuse him.
11 And he said to them, “What man among you will have one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not take hold of it and lift it up?
12 “So how much more is a man worth than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 At that time he says to the man, “Stretch out your hand.“ And he stretched it out – and it was restored as healthy as the other!
14 But the Pharisees went out and formed a plot against him that they might kill him.
¶ 15 Then Jesus, realizing this, withdrew from there. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them all,
16 and he warned them not to make him known,
17 in order that what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
18 “BEHOLD MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN,
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL IS WELL PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE WILL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS.
19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL NOR CRY OUT,
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
20 “A SHATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
21 “AND IN HIS NAME THE NATIONS WILL HOPE”
Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees for Not Seeing He Casts Out Demons by the Holy Spirit Matthew 12:22-37
¶ 22 Then a demon-possessed man was brought to him who was blind and mute; and he healed him, so that the mute man was speaking and seeing
23 And all the crowds began to be amazed and kept saying, “This man is not the Son of David, is he?”
24 Now when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not cast out the demons except with Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons!”
25 And knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 “And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
27 “And if I cast out the demons with Beelzebub, with whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
28 “But if I cast out the demons with the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 “Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and carry off his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house!
30 “The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters!
31 “For this reason I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven!
32 “And whoever will say a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven to him; but whoever will speak against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven to him, neither in this age nor in the age to come.”
¶ 33 “Either make the tree morally good and its fruit morally good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 “You brood of vipers, how are you able to say good things when you are wicked? For out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks!
35 “The good person brings out of the good treasure good things, but the wicked person brings out of the wicked treasure wicked things.
36 “Moreover, I say to you that for every careless utterance that people will say, they will give an account for it on the day of judgment.
37 “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Spiritually Blind Scribes and Pharisees Demand a Sign Matthew 12:38-45
¶ 38 At that time some of the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to speak to him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”
39 And answering, he said to them, “A wicked and adulterous generation clamors for a miraculous sign, but a miraculous sign will not be given to it except the miraculous sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 “For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented in response to the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here!
42 “The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here!”
¶ 43 “Now whenever the unclean spirit comes out of the man, it goes through waterless places looking for a resting place, but it does not find one.
44 “It then says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came out.’ And when it comes, it finds the house standing empty, having been swept clean and put in order.
45 “Then it goes and takes along with itself seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So it will be also with this wicked generation.”
Jesus Declares His Disciples Are His True Family Matthew 12:46-50
¶ 46 While he is still speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak with him.
47 And someone said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you.”
48 But he answered and said to the man who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Behold my mother and my brothers!
50 “For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus Answers John’s Question and Rebukes the Jews’ Spiritual Ignorance Matthew 11:1-19
11
1 And it happened when Jesus finished giving orders to his twelve disciples, he went from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
¶ 2 Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by means of his disciples a message
3 and said to him, “Are you the one who was to come or are we to expect another?”
4 And answering, Jesus said to them, “Go and report to John the things which you are hearing and seeing:
5 “the blind are receiving sight and the crippled are walking around, the lepers are being cleansed and the deaf are hearing, and the dead are being raised and the poor are having the gospel preached to them.
6 “And blessed is the man who is not caused to fall on account of me.”
7 Now as these men were going, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed being shaken by the wind?
8 “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!
9 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet!
10 “This is he about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY AHEAD OF YOU.’
11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is of least importance in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven forces its way ahead, and forceful persons eagerly claim it.
13 “For all the prophets and the law foretold future events until John;
14 “And if you are willing to accept it, he himself is the Elijah who was intended to come.
15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
¶ 16 “Now to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the others,
17 “and say, ‘We played the flute for you and yet you did not dance; we sang a funeral song and yet you did not mourn.’
18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by her works.”
Jesus Pronounces Woes on Unrepentant Cities and Invites the Weary to Come to Him Matthew 11:20-30
¶ 20 Then he began to scold the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent:
21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that had been performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
23 “And you, Capernaum! You will not be exalted up to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to hell! For if the miracles that had been performed in you had been performed in Sodom, they would have remained to this day.
24 “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
¶ 25 At that time Jesus continued and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes.
26 “Yes, Father, for so it was pleasing in your sight.
27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father. And no one really knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone really know the Father except the Son and to whomever the Son may want to reveal him.
28 “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees for Their Blind Sabbath Traditions Matthew 12:1-21
12
1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. Now his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck the heads of grain and to eat them.
2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!”
3 But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry and the men with him?
4 “How he went into the house of God and ate the sacred breads, which were not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
5 “Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and are innocent?
6 “Now I say to you that something greater than the temple is here!
7 “Now if you had known what it means, ‘I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
¶ 9 And going on from there, he went into their synagogue.
10 And behold, a man having a paralyzed hand is there. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” – in order that they might accuse him.
11 And he said to them, “What man among you will have one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not take hold of it and lift it up?
12 “So how much more is a man worth than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 At that time he says to the man, “Stretch out your hand.“ And he stretched it out – and it was restored as healthy as the other!
14 But the Pharisees went out and formed a plot against him that they might kill him.
¶ 15 Then Jesus, realizing this, withdrew from there. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them all,
16 and he warned them not to make him known,
17 in order that what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
18 “BEHOLD MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN,
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL IS WELL PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE WILL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS.
19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL NOR CRY OUT,
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
20 “A SHATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
21 “AND IN HIS NAME THE NATIONS WILL HOPE”
Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees for Not Seeing He Casts Out Demons by the Holy Spirit Matthew 12:22-37
¶ 22 Then a demon-possessed man was brought to him who was blind and mute; and he healed him, so that the mute man was speaking and seeing
23 And all the crowds began to be amazed and kept saying, “This man is not the Son of David, is he?”
24 Now when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not cast out the demons except with Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons!”
25 And knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 “And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
27 “And if I cast out the demons with Beelzebub, with whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
28 “But if I cast out the demons with the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 “Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and carry off his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house!
30 “The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters!
31 “For this reason I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven!
32 “And whoever will say a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven to him; but whoever will speak against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven to him, neither in this age nor in the age to come.”
¶ 33 “Either make the tree morally good and its fruit morally good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 “You brood of vipers, how are you able to say good things when you are wicked? For out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks!
35 “The good person brings out of the good treasure good things, but the wicked person brings out of the wicked treasure wicked things.
36 “Moreover, I say to you that for every careless utterance that people will say, they will give an account for it on the day of judgment.
37 “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Spiritually Blind Scribes and Pharisees Demand a Sign Matthew 12:38-45
¶ 38 At that time some of the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to speak to him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”
39 And answering, he said to them, “A wicked and adulterous generation clamors for a miraculous sign, but a miraculous sign will not be given to it except the miraculous sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 “For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented in response to the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here!
42 “The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here!”
¶ 43 “Now whenever the unclean spirit comes out of the man, it goes through waterless places looking for a resting place, but it does not find one.
44 “It then says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came out.’ And when it comes, it finds the house standing empty, having been swept clean and put in order.
45 “Then it goes and takes along with itself seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So it will be also with this wicked generation.”
Jesus Declares His Disciples Are His True Family Matthew 12:46-50
¶ 46 While he is still speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak with him.
47 And someone said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you.”
48 But he answered and said to the man who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Behold my mother and my brothers!
50 “For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Third Major Discourse: Jesus Teaches the People in Parables Matthew 13:1-58
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Sower and the Seed Matthew 13:1-9
13
1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he began sitting beside the sea.
2 And large multitudes gathered to him, with the result that, having stepped into a boat, he was sitting down, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he said many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4 “And while he was sowing, some seed fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
5 “But other seed fell upon the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6 “But after the sun rose, it was scorched by the heat, and because it had no root, it withered.
7 “Moreover, other seed fell among the thorn-plants, and the thorn-plants grew up and choked them.
8 “But other seed fell upon the good ground and began producing a crop – the one a hundredfold, the other sixty, and the other thirty.
9”The one who has ears, let him hear!”
Jesus Explains Why He Teaches the People in Parables Matthew 13:10-17
¶ 10 And the disciples came and said to him, “Why are you teaching them in parables?”
11 And he answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted.
12 “For whoever has, it will be given to him, and he will be caused to have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13 “For this reason I am teaching them in parables, for though seeing they do not see and though hearing they do not hear nor understand.
14 “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,
‘INDEED YOU WILL HEAR AND YET YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND,
AND WHILE SEEING YOU WILL SEE AND YET YOU WILL NEVER PERCEIVE;
15 ‘FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE WAS MADE DULL,
AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY WERE HARD OF HEARING,
AND THEY CLOSED THEIR EYES
LEST AT ANY TIME THEY MIGHT PERCEIVE WITH THEIR EYES
AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS.
AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,
AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’
16 “Now blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear.
17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men longed to see the things you are seeing and yet they did not see them, and to hear the things which you are hearing and yet did not hear them.”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower and the Seed Matthew 13:18-23
¶ 18 “As for you, then, hear what the parable of the sower means:
19 “When anyone, no matter who, hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what had been sown in his heart; this is the person who was sown beside the path.
20 “Now the person who was sown upon the rocky ground, this person is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 “but he has no root within himself but is only temporary, and when oppression or persecution arise because of the word, he immediately falls away.
22 “Now the person who was sown among the thorn-plants, this person is the one who hears the word and yet the worry of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.
23 “ But the person who was sown upon the good ground, this person is the one who hears the word and understands it, who by all means, then, bears fruit and produces – one a hundredfold, the other sixty, and the other thirty.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat Matthew 13:24-30
¶ 24 Jesus put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 “But while the men were sleeping his enemy came and was resowing weeds among the wheat and went away.
26 “Now when the stalks sprouted and produced heads of grain, at that time the weeds also appeared.
27 “Then the slaves of the master of the house came forward and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How, then, does it have weeds?’
28 “And he said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’ And the slaves say to him, ‘So do you wish that we go and gather them up?’
29 “But he says, ‘No, lest while gathering up the weeds you uproot the wheat with them.
30 ‘Permit both of them to grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “First gather up the weeds and bind them into bundles to burn them up. Then gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
Jesus Teaches the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast Matthew 13:31-35
¶ 31 Jesus put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32 “Indeed, it is the smallest of all the seeds, yet, when it has grown up, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, with the result that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
¶ 33 He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of flour until it leavened the whole bushel of dough.”
¶ 34 All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes, and without a parable he was saying nothing to them,
35 in order that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
“I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES,
I WILL UTTER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HIDDEN FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD.”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat Matthew 13:36-43
¶ 36 Then after he sent the multitudes away, he went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37 Then answering, he said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 “The field is the world. And the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. And the weeds are the sons of the wicked one,
39 “and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “Consequently, just as the weeds are gathered up and burned up in fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41 “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather up out of his kingdom all the things that cause sin and those who practice lawlessness,
42 “and they will cast them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus Teaches the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price Matthew 13:44-46
¶ 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that has been hidden in the field, which when a man found it, he hid, and because of his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
¶ 45 “Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchantman seeking excellent pearls.
46 “And when he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sells everything he has and bought it.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Net Matthew 13:47-52
¶ 47 “Again the kingdom of heaven is like a large dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered up some of every kind of fish.
48 “When it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach and sat down and gathered the good fish into baskets, but the bad fish they threw out.
49 “It will be in the same way at the end of the age; the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous
50 “and throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
¶ 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They say to him, “Yes.”
52 Then he said to them, “For this reason every expert in the law who has been made a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a master of the house who brings out of his storehouse things new and old.”
Jesus Teaches at Nazareth and Is Rejected Matthew 13:53-58
¶ 53 And it happened when Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
54 And when he came into his hometown, he began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that they were being struck with astonishment and saying, “From where did this man get this wisdom and miraculous powers?
55 “Is this man not the son of the carpenter? Is his mother not named Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 “And his sisters, are they not all with us? So from where did this man get all these things?”
57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and household.”
58 And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Sower and the Seed Matthew 13:1-9
13
1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he began sitting beside the sea.
2 And large multitudes gathered to him, with the result that, having stepped into a boat, he was sitting down, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he said many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4 “And while he was sowing, some seed fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
5 “But other seed fell upon the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6 “But after the sun rose, it was scorched by the heat, and because it had no root, it withered.
7 “Moreover, other seed fell among the thorn-plants, and the thorn-plants grew up and choked them.
8 “But other seed fell upon the good ground and began producing a crop – the one a hundredfold, the other sixty, and the other thirty.
9”The one who has ears, let him hear!”
Jesus Explains Why He Teaches the People in Parables Matthew 13:10-17
¶ 10 And the disciples came and said to him, “Why are you teaching them in parables?”
11 And he answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted.
12 “For whoever has, it will be given to him, and he will be caused to have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13 “For this reason I am teaching them in parables, for though seeing they do not see and though hearing they do not hear nor understand.
14 “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,
‘INDEED YOU WILL HEAR AND YET YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND,
AND WHILE SEEING YOU WILL SEE AND YET YOU WILL NEVER PERCEIVE;
15 ‘FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE WAS MADE DULL,
AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY WERE HARD OF HEARING,
AND THEY CLOSED THEIR EYES
LEST AT ANY TIME THEY MIGHT PERCEIVE WITH THEIR EYES
AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS.
AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,
AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’
16 “Now blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear.
17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men longed to see the things you are seeing and yet they did not see them, and to hear the things which you are hearing and yet did not hear them.”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower and the Seed Matthew 13:18-23
¶ 18 “As for you, then, hear what the parable of the sower means:
19 “When anyone, no matter who, hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what had been sown in his heart; this is the person who was sown beside the path.
20 “Now the person who was sown upon the rocky ground, this person is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 “but he has no root within himself but is only temporary, and when oppression or persecution arise because of the word, he immediately falls away.
22 “Now the person who was sown among the thorn-plants, this person is the one who hears the word and yet the worry of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.
23 “ But the person who was sown upon the good ground, this person is the one who hears the word and understands it, who by all means, then, bears fruit and produces – one a hundredfold, the other sixty, and the other thirty.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat Matthew 13:24-30
¶ 24 Jesus put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 “But while the men were sleeping his enemy came and was resowing weeds among the wheat and went away.
26 “Now when the stalks sprouted and produced heads of grain, at that time the weeds also appeared.
27 “Then the slaves of the master of the house came forward and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How, then, does it have weeds?’
28 “And he said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’ And the slaves say to him, ‘So do you wish that we go and gather them up?’
29 “But he says, ‘No, lest while gathering up the weeds you uproot the wheat with them.
30 ‘Permit both of them to grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “First gather up the weeds and bind them into bundles to burn them up. Then gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
Jesus Teaches the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast Matthew 13:31-35
¶ 31 Jesus put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32 “Indeed, it is the smallest of all the seeds, yet, when it has grown up, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, with the result that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
¶ 33 He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of flour until it leavened the whole bushel of dough.”
¶ 34 All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes, and without a parable he was saying nothing to them,
35 in order that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
“I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES,
I WILL UTTER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HIDDEN FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD.”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat Matthew 13:36-43
¶ 36 Then after he sent the multitudes away, he went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37 Then answering, he said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 “The field is the world. And the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. And the weeds are the sons of the wicked one,
39 “and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “Consequently, just as the weeds are gathered up and burned up in fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41 “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather up out of his kingdom all the things that cause sin and those who practice lawlessness,
42 “and they will cast them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus Teaches the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price Matthew 13:44-46
¶ 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that has been hidden in the field, which when a man found it, he hid, and because of his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
¶ 45 “Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchantman seeking excellent pearls.
46 “And when he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sells everything he has and bought it.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Net Matthew 13:47-52
¶ 47 “Again the kingdom of heaven is like a large dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered up some of every kind of fish.
48 “When it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach and sat down and gathered the good fish into baskets, but the bad fish they threw out.
49 “It will be in the same way at the end of the age; the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous
50 “and throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
¶ 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They say to him, “Yes.”
52 Then he said to them, “For this reason every expert in the law who has been made a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a master of the house who brings out of his storehouse things new and old.”
Jesus Teaches at Nazareth and Is Rejected Matthew 13:53-58
¶ 53 And it happened when Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
54 And when he came into his hometown, he began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that they were being struck with astonishment and saying, “From where did this man get this wisdom and miraculous powers?
55 “Is this man not the son of the carpenter? Is his mother not named Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 “And his sisters, are they not all with us? So from where did this man get all these things?”
57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and household.”
58 And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Part 5: Fourth Major Discourse: The Training of the Twelve Matthew Chapter 18
Introduction to the Fourth Major Discourse: Four Retirements to Train the Twelve Matthew 14:1-17:27
The First Retirement Matthew 14:1-15:20
Death of John the Baptist Matthew 14:1-12
14
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus,
2 and he said to his attendants, “This man is John the Baptist; he himself has been raised from the dead, and for this reason the miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 For when Herod arrested John, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias the wife of Philip his brother.
4 For John had repeatedly told him, “It is not lawful for you to have her!”
5 And although he wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the multitude, because they continued to consider him a prophet.
6 Now when a birthday celebration of Herod took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in their midst and pleased Herod,
7 for which reason he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 And having been incited by her mother -- “Give me,” she says, “here, upon a platter, the head of John the Baptist!”
9 And although the king became sad, because of his oaths and those reclining together at the feast, he ordered it to be given to her,
10 and he sent the order and beheaded John in the prison.
11 And his head was brought on a platter, and it was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
12 And his disciples came and took the body away and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand Matthew 14:13-21
In Matthew's Gospel The Third Year of Jesus’ Ministry Begins Here
¶ 13 Now when Jesus heard this about John, he withdrew from there by boat to a deserted place by himself. And when the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the cities.
14 And when Jesus came on shore, he saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 Now when it became evening, the disciples came to him, saying, “This place is deserted and the hour has already become late; send the crowds away, in order that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They have no need to go away; you give them food to eat.”
17 But they say to him, “We have nothing here except five loaves of bread and two fish.”
18 Then he said, “Bring them here to me.”
19 And after he commanded the crowds to recline on the grass, when he took the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and gave thanks and broke them and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
20 And all ate and were satisfied; and they picked up what was left over of the pieces – twelve large baskets full.
21 Now those who were eating were about five thousand men besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water Matthew 14:22-36
¶ 22 And immediately he compelled the disciples to embark into the boat and to go on ahead of him to the shore on the other side, while he sent the crowds away.
23 And after he sent the crowds away he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. Now when it became evening, he was there alone.
24 And the boat was already a great distance from the land, being pounded by the waves, for the wind was against it.
25 Then during the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking upon the sea.
26 Now when the disciples saw him walking upon the sea, they became terrified, saying, “It’s a ghost!” And they screamed from fear.
27 Immediately Jesus said to them, “Take courage! It is I! Stop being afraid!”
28 Answering him, Peter said, “Lord, if you are you, command me to come to you upon the water!”
29 Then he said, “Come!” And after Peter climbed down from the boat, he walked upon the water and came to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind, he became frightened; and when he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him, and he says to him, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?”
32 And after they climbed up into the boat, the wind stopped.
33 Then those in the boat knelt down and worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
¶ 34 And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent word into that whole surrounding region, and they brought to him all who were sick,
36 and again and again they pleaded with him that they might only touch the tassel of his robe; and as many as touched it were healed.
Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees’ Traditions Matthew 15:1-20
15
1 Then Pharisees and experts in the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 And answering, he said to them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4 “For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘The one who curses father or mother, let him surely be put to death.’
5 “But as for you, you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever assistance you might have received from me is a sacrificial gift to God,” ’
6 “and you say, ‘He shall in no way honor his father.’ And so you invalidate the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying,
8 ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME;
9 ‘AND THEY WORSHIP ME IN VAIN,
TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.’ ”
¶ 10 And after he called the crowd to himself, he said to them, “Listen and understand!
11 “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth – this defiles the person!”
12 At that time, after the disciples came forward, they say to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this teaching?”
13 Then answering, he said, “Every plant which my Father who is in heaven did not plant will be uprooted.
14 “Leave them; they are blind leaders of the blind. And when the blind lead the blind, they both will fall into a pit.”
15 Then Peter spoke up and said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 And he said, “Are you disciples still without understanding?
17 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and is discharged into a latrine?
18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile the person.
19 “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies.
20 “These things are what defile the person, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”
The Second Retirement to Tyre and Sidon Matthew 15:21-28
¶ 21 And Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the districts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from those regions came out and began calling out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly possessed by a demon!”
23 But he did not answer a word to her. And when his disciples approached, they kept pleading with him, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting from behind us.”
24 And answering, he said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 But when she came, she began kneeling down to worship him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 Then answering, he said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little pet dogs.”
27 But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the little pet dogs eat from the crumbs that keep falling from the table of their masters.”
28 At that time Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was cured from that very hour.
The Third Retirement to the Region of the Ten Cities Matthew 15:29-16:4
Jesus Heals the Crowds Matthew 15:29-31
¶ 29 And when Jesus passed over from there, he came along the Sea of Galilee. And after he went up into the mountain, he began to sit there.
30 And large crowds came to him, bringing with them those who were lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others, and they laid them at his feet, and he healed them,
31 with the result that the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled in sound body, and the lame walking around, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand Matthew 15:32-39
¶ 32 Then Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I feel compassion for the multitude, for they are already remaining with me three days and they have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they become exhausted on the way.”
33 And the disciples say to him, “Where in an uninhabited desert are there so many loaves of bread for us to satisfy so great a multitude?”
34 And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 And after he instructed the multitude to lie down on the ground,
36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after he gave thanks, he broke them and continued to give them to the disciples, and the disciples continued to give them to the crowds.
37 And all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the pieces – seven hampers full.
38 Now those who ate were four thousand men besides women and children.
39 And after he sent the crowds away, he got into the boat, and he came into the region of Magadan.
The First Retirement Matthew 14:1-15:20
Death of John the Baptist Matthew 14:1-12
14
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus,
2 and he said to his attendants, “This man is John the Baptist; he himself has been raised from the dead, and for this reason the miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 For when Herod arrested John, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias the wife of Philip his brother.
4 For John had repeatedly told him, “It is not lawful for you to have her!”
5 And although he wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the multitude, because they continued to consider him a prophet.
6 Now when a birthday celebration of Herod took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in their midst and pleased Herod,
7 for which reason he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 And having been incited by her mother -- “Give me,” she says, “here, upon a platter, the head of John the Baptist!”
9 And although the king became sad, because of his oaths and those reclining together at the feast, he ordered it to be given to her,
10 and he sent the order and beheaded John in the prison.
11 And his head was brought on a platter, and it was given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
12 And his disciples came and took the body away and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand Matthew 14:13-21
In Matthew's Gospel The Third Year of Jesus’ Ministry Begins Here
¶ 13 Now when Jesus heard this about John, he withdrew from there by boat to a deserted place by himself. And when the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the cities.
14 And when Jesus came on shore, he saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 Now when it became evening, the disciples came to him, saying, “This place is deserted and the hour has already become late; send the crowds away, in order that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They have no need to go away; you give them food to eat.”
17 But they say to him, “We have nothing here except five loaves of bread and two fish.”
18 Then he said, “Bring them here to me.”
19 And after he commanded the crowds to recline on the grass, when he took the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and gave thanks and broke them and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
20 And all ate and were satisfied; and they picked up what was left over of the pieces – twelve large baskets full.
21 Now those who were eating were about five thousand men besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water Matthew 14:22-36
¶ 22 And immediately he compelled the disciples to embark into the boat and to go on ahead of him to the shore on the other side, while he sent the crowds away.
23 And after he sent the crowds away he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. Now when it became evening, he was there alone.
24 And the boat was already a great distance from the land, being pounded by the waves, for the wind was against it.
25 Then during the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking upon the sea.
26 Now when the disciples saw him walking upon the sea, they became terrified, saying, “It’s a ghost!” And they screamed from fear.
27 Immediately Jesus said to them, “Take courage! It is I! Stop being afraid!”
28 Answering him, Peter said, “Lord, if you are you, command me to come to you upon the water!”
29 Then he said, “Come!” And after Peter climbed down from the boat, he walked upon the water and came to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind, he became frightened; and when he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him, and he says to him, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?”
32 And after they climbed up into the boat, the wind stopped.
33 Then those in the boat knelt down and worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
¶ 34 And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent word into that whole surrounding region, and they brought to him all who were sick,
36 and again and again they pleaded with him that they might only touch the tassel of his robe; and as many as touched it were healed.
Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees’ Traditions Matthew 15:1-20
15
1 Then Pharisees and experts in the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 And answering, he said to them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4 “For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘The one who curses father or mother, let him surely be put to death.’
5 “But as for you, you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever assistance you might have received from me is a sacrificial gift to God,” ’
6 “and you say, ‘He shall in no way honor his father.’ And so you invalidate the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying,
8 ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME;
9 ‘AND THEY WORSHIP ME IN VAIN,
TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.’ ”
¶ 10 And after he called the crowd to himself, he said to them, “Listen and understand!
11 “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth – this defiles the person!”
12 At that time, after the disciples came forward, they say to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this teaching?”
13 Then answering, he said, “Every plant which my Father who is in heaven did not plant will be uprooted.
14 “Leave them; they are blind leaders of the blind. And when the blind lead the blind, they both will fall into a pit.”
15 Then Peter spoke up and said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 And he said, “Are you disciples still without understanding?
17 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and is discharged into a latrine?
18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile the person.
19 “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies.
20 “These things are what defile the person, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”
The Second Retirement to Tyre and Sidon Matthew 15:21-28
¶ 21 And Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the districts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from those regions came out and began calling out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly possessed by a demon!”
23 But he did not answer a word to her. And when his disciples approached, they kept pleading with him, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting from behind us.”
24 And answering, he said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 But when she came, she began kneeling down to worship him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 Then answering, he said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little pet dogs.”
27 But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the little pet dogs eat from the crumbs that keep falling from the table of their masters.”
28 At that time Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was cured from that very hour.
The Third Retirement to the Region of the Ten Cities Matthew 15:29-16:4
Jesus Heals the Crowds Matthew 15:29-31
¶ 29 And when Jesus passed over from there, he came along the Sea of Galilee. And after he went up into the mountain, he began to sit there.
30 And large crowds came to him, bringing with them those who were lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others, and they laid them at his feet, and he healed them,
31 with the result that the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled in sound body, and the lame walking around, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand Matthew 15:32-39
¶ 32 Then Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I feel compassion for the multitude, for they are already remaining with me three days and they have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they become exhausted on the way.”
33 And the disciples say to him, “Where in an uninhabited desert are there so many loaves of bread for us to satisfy so great a multitude?”
34 And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 And after he instructed the multitude to lie down on the ground,
36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after he gave thanks, he broke them and continued to give them to the disciples, and the disciples continued to give them to the crowds.
37 And all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the pieces – seven hampers full.
38 Now those who ate were four thousand men besides women and children.
39 And after he sent the crowds away, he got into the boat, and he came into the region of Magadan.
you Jesus Rejects a Demand for a Sign Matthew 16:1-4
16
1 And when the Pharisees and the Sadducees came forward, tempting him, they asked him to show them a miraculous sign out of heaven.
2 But answering, he said to them, “When evening has come, you say, ‘Fair weather,’ for the sky is red;
3 “And early in the morning you say, ‘Stormy weather today,’ for the sky is red and overcast. To be sure, you know how to distinguish the appearance of the sky, and yet you cannot distinguish the signs of the times.
4 “A wicked and adulterous generation clamors for a miraculous sign, but no miraculous sign will be given to it except the miraculous sign of Jonah.” And he left them and went away.
The Fourth Retirement Matthew 16:5-17:21
Jesus Warns His Disciples about the Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 16:5-12
¶ 5 And when the disciples went to the shore on the other side, they forgot to take bread.
6 And Jesus said to them, “Always take care and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 Then they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said this because we did not take any bread.”
8 Now understanding this, Jesus said, “Why do you discuss among yourselves, you men of little faith, that you have no bread?
9 “Do you not yet understand, nor remember, the five loaves for the five thousand and how many large baskets full you collected?
10 “Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many hampers full you collected?
11 “How is it possible that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about loaves of bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”
12 At that time they comprehended that he did not say to beware of the yeast of loaves of bread but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter’s Confession of Faith Matthew 16:13-20
¶ 13 Now when Jesus went into the district of Ceasarea Philippi, he questioned his disciples, saying, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and other ones Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He says to them, “But as for you, who do you say I am?”
16 Then answering, Simon Peter said, “You, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
17 And answering, Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father who is in heaven.
18 “And I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.
19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
20 At that time he gave orders to the disciples that they should not tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection Matthew 16:21-23
¶ 21 From that time Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and experts in the law and be killed and be raised on the third day.
22 And after Peter took him aside, he began to rebuke him severely, saying, “May God be gracious to you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”
23 But he turned around and said to Peter “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block for me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God but on the things of men.”
Jesus States the Cost of Discipleship Matthew 16:24-28
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me.
25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26 “For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his own soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?
27 “For the Son of Man is destined to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and at that time he will pay back each one according to his deeds.
28 “Truly I say to you that there are some who are standing here who will in no way taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Jesus’ Transfiguration Matthew 17:1-13
17
1 And after six days Jesus takes along Peter and James and John his brother, and leads them up into a high mountain by themselves.
2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him.
4 Then Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah!”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a radiant cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice was heard from out of the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Keep listening to him!”
6 And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and became extremely afraid.
7 And Jesus approached, and when he touched them, he said, “Get up, and stop being afraid.”
8 Then lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
¶ 9 And while they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Then answering, he said, “To be sure, Elijah is coming and will restore all things;
12 “but I am telling you that Elijah already came, and yet they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they wished. In the same way also the Son of Man is destined to suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy Matthew 17:14-21
¶ 14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came to him, kneeling down before him
15 and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and he suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and many times into the water.
16 “And I brought him to your disciples, and they were unable to heal him.”
17 Then answering, Jesus said, “O unbelieving and perverted generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”
18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured from that very hour.
19 At that time the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why were we unable to cast it out?”
20 Then he says to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you had faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there!’ and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus Returns to Galilee and Again Foretells His Death Matthew 17:22-23
¶ 22 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is destined to be betrayed into the hands of men,
23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they became extremely grieved.
Jesus Instructs Peter on the Temple Tax Matthew 17:24-27
¶ 24 Now when they came to Capernaum, those collecting the two drachma temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two drachma temple tax?”
25 He says, “Yes.” And after he came into the house, Jesus spoke before him, saying,” What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or a poll-tax? From their own sons or from the strangers?”
26 And when he said, “From the strangers,” Jesus said to him, “So the sons are exempt.
27 “Now lest we offend them, go to the sea and throw in a fishhook and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
The Fourth Major Discourse to Train the Twelve Matthew 18:1-35
Jesus Teaches Who Is Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 18:1-6
18
1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 And having summoned a child, he stood him in the midst of them
3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Consequently, whoever will humble himself like this child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him that a large millstone that is worked by donkey-power be hung around his neck and he be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Jesus Warns His Disciples about Stumbling Blocks Matthew 18:7-9
¶ 7 “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For the stumbling blocks must come; however, woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes.
8 “Now if your hand or your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 “And if your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes to be thrown into the fire of hell.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Lost Sheep Matthew 18:10-14
¶ 10 “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
11 “For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
¶ 12 “What do you think? If a certain man has one hundred sheep and one of them has wandered away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and look for the sheep that is wandering about?
13 “And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than the ninety-nine sheep that have not wandered away.
14 “In the same way it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Win over an Erring Brother Matthew 18:15-20
¶ 15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 “But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, in order that every word may be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses.
17 “But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he also refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as the heathen and the tax collector.
18 “Truly I say to you, everything that you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and everything that you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning any matter that they may ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
20 “For where there are two or three who have gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Matthew 18:21-35
¶ 21 At that time Peter came forward and said to him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you as many as seven times but as many as seventy-seven times.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 “When he began to settle accounts, one debtor who owed him millions of dollars was brought to him.
25 “Then because he did not have the money to repay him, the master ordered him to be sold and his wife and children and everything he had, and payment to be made.
26 “Consequently, that slave fell down and paid reverence to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay everything back to you.’
27 “Then the master of that slave had pity on him and released him, and he cancelled the debt against him.
28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him eighteen dollars and seized him and began choking him, saying ‘Pay up what you owe!’
29 “Then his fellow slave fell down and began pleading with him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
30 “But he remained unwilling; rather he went and threw him into prison until he repaid what was owed.
31 “Consequently, when his fellow slaves saw the things that had happened, they became extremely sad, and they went and reported to their master all the things that had happened.
32 “Then having summoned him, his master says to him, ‘You wicked slave! I cancelled all that debt for you, because you pleaded with me!
33 ‘Should you not also have had pity on your fellow slave, as I also had pity on you?’
34 “And having been provoked to anger, his master handed him over to the jailer until he repaid all that was owed.
35 “In the same way also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
16
1 And when the Pharisees and the Sadducees came forward, tempting him, they asked him to show them a miraculous sign out of heaven.
2 But answering, he said to them, “When evening has come, you say, ‘Fair weather,’ for the sky is red;
3 “And early in the morning you say, ‘Stormy weather today,’ for the sky is red and overcast. To be sure, you know how to distinguish the appearance of the sky, and yet you cannot distinguish the signs of the times.
4 “A wicked and adulterous generation clamors for a miraculous sign, but no miraculous sign will be given to it except the miraculous sign of Jonah.” And he left them and went away.
The Fourth Retirement Matthew 16:5-17:21
Jesus Warns His Disciples about the Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees Matthew 16:5-12
¶ 5 And when the disciples went to the shore on the other side, they forgot to take bread.
6 And Jesus said to them, “Always take care and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 Then they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said this because we did not take any bread.”
8 Now understanding this, Jesus said, “Why do you discuss among yourselves, you men of little faith, that you have no bread?
9 “Do you not yet understand, nor remember, the five loaves for the five thousand and how many large baskets full you collected?
10 “Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many hampers full you collected?
11 “How is it possible that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about loaves of bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”
12 At that time they comprehended that he did not say to beware of the yeast of loaves of bread but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter’s Confession of Faith Matthew 16:13-20
¶ 13 Now when Jesus went into the district of Ceasarea Philippi, he questioned his disciples, saying, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and other ones Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He says to them, “But as for you, who do you say I am?”
16 Then answering, Simon Peter said, “You, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
17 And answering, Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father who is in heaven.
18 “And I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.
19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
20 At that time he gave orders to the disciples that they should not tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection Matthew 16:21-23
¶ 21 From that time Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and experts in the law and be killed and be raised on the third day.
22 And after Peter took him aside, he began to rebuke him severely, saying, “May God be gracious to you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”
23 But he turned around and said to Peter “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block for me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God but on the things of men.”
Jesus States the Cost of Discipleship Matthew 16:24-28
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me.
25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26 “For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his own soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?
27 “For the Son of Man is destined to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and at that time he will pay back each one according to his deeds.
28 “Truly I say to you that there are some who are standing here who will in no way taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Jesus’ Transfiguration Matthew 17:1-13
17
1 And after six days Jesus takes along Peter and James and John his brother, and leads them up into a high mountain by themselves.
2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him.
4 Then Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah!”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a radiant cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice was heard from out of the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Keep listening to him!”
6 And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and became extremely afraid.
7 And Jesus approached, and when he touched them, he said, “Get up, and stop being afraid.”
8 Then lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
¶ 9 And while they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Then answering, he said, “To be sure, Elijah is coming and will restore all things;
12 “but I am telling you that Elijah already came, and yet they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they wished. In the same way also the Son of Man is destined to suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy Matthew 17:14-21
¶ 14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came to him, kneeling down before him
15 and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and he suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and many times into the water.
16 “And I brought him to your disciples, and they were unable to heal him.”
17 Then answering, Jesus said, “O unbelieving and perverted generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”
18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured from that very hour.
19 At that time the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why were we unable to cast it out?”
20 Then he says to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you had faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there!’ and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus Returns to Galilee and Again Foretells His Death Matthew 17:22-23
¶ 22 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is destined to be betrayed into the hands of men,
23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they became extremely grieved.
Jesus Instructs Peter on the Temple Tax Matthew 17:24-27
¶ 24 Now when they came to Capernaum, those collecting the two drachma temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two drachma temple tax?”
25 He says, “Yes.” And after he came into the house, Jesus spoke before him, saying,” What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or a poll-tax? From their own sons or from the strangers?”
26 And when he said, “From the strangers,” Jesus said to him, “So the sons are exempt.
27 “Now lest we offend them, go to the sea and throw in a fishhook and take the first fish that comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
The Fourth Major Discourse to Train the Twelve Matthew 18:1-35
Jesus Teaches Who Is Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 18:1-6
18
1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 And having summoned a child, he stood him in the midst of them
3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Consequently, whoever will humble himself like this child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him that a large millstone that is worked by donkey-power be hung around his neck and he be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Jesus Warns His Disciples about Stumbling Blocks Matthew 18:7-9
¶ 7 “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For the stumbling blocks must come; however, woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes.
8 “Now if your hand or your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 “And if your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes to be thrown into the fire of hell.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Lost Sheep Matthew 18:10-14
¶ 10 “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
11 “For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
¶ 12 “What do you think? If a certain man has one hundred sheep and one of them has wandered away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and look for the sheep that is wandering about?
13 “And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than the ninety-nine sheep that have not wandered away.
14 “In the same way it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Win over an Erring Brother Matthew 18:15-20
¶ 15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 “But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, in order that every word may be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses.
17 “But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he also refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as the heathen and the tax collector.
18 “Truly I say to you, everything that you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and everything that you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning any matter that they may ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
20 “For where there are two or three who have gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Matthew 18:21-35
¶ 21 At that time Peter came forward and said to him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you as many as seven times but as many as seventy-seven times.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 “When he began to settle accounts, one debtor who owed him millions of dollars was brought to him.
25 “Then because he did not have the money to repay him, the master ordered him to be sold and his wife and children and everything he had, and payment to be made.
26 “Consequently, that slave fell down and paid reverence to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay everything back to you.’
27 “Then the master of that slave had pity on him and released him, and he cancelled the debt against him.
28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him eighteen dollars and seized him and began choking him, saying ‘Pay up what you owe!’
29 “Then his fellow slave fell down and began pleading with him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
30 “But he remained unwilling; rather he went and threw him into prison until he repaid what was owed.
31 “Consequently, when his fellow slaves saw the things that had happened, they became extremely sad, and they went and reported to their master all the things that had happened.
32 “Then having summoned him, his master says to him, ‘You wicked slave! I cancelled all that debt for you, because you pleaded with me!
33 ‘Should you not also have had pity on your fellow slave, as I also had pity on you?’
34 “And having been provoked to anger, his master handed him over to the jailer until he repaid all that was owed.
35 “In the same way also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Part 6: Fifth Major Discourse – On the Kingdom of God Matthew Chapters 23-25
Introduction to the Fifth Major Discourse: The Unbelieving Jews Would Not Enter His Kingdom, Only His Disciples Would Matthew 19:1-22:46
Jesus Is Tested by the Unbelieving Pharisees on Divorce Matthew 19:1-12
19
1 And it happened when Jesus finished these words, he went away from Galilee and came into the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan.
2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came to him, tempting him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 And answering, he said, “Have you not read that from the beginning he who created them made them male and female?
5 “And he said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN WILL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND WILL BE GLUED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO WILL BE ONE FLESH.’
6 “So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7 They say to him, “Why, then, did Moses give orders to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”
8 He says to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been this way.
9 “And I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for illicit sexual intercourse, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 His disciples say to him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry!”
11 Then he said to them, “Not all men are ready to accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.
12 “For there are eunuchs who were born this way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him who is able to accept this accept it.”
Jesus Blesses the Little Children Matthew 19:13-15
¶ 13 Then infants were brought to him, that he might lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Then Jesus said, “Permit the infants to come to me and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
15 And after he laid his hands on them, he went on his way from there.
Jesus Teaches the Rich Young Man Matthew 19:16-26
¶ 16 And behold, a man approached him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have “eternal life?”
17 Then he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one only who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He says to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,
19 “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER, and, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
20 The young man says to him, “All these things I have kept. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus replied to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, start following me.”
22 But after the young man heard this instruction, he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had much property.
¶ 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you that a rich man will hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
25 Now when the disciples heard this, they became absolutely struck with amazement, saying, “Who, then, can be saved?”
26 And when Jesus turned his eyes on them, he said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus Reveals His Disciples’ Reward Matthew 19:27-30
¶ 27 At that time Peter spoke up and said to him, “Behold, we ourselves have left everything and followed you; what, then, will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that you who have followed me, in the restoration, when the Son of Man shall sit down upon his throne of glory, you will also sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for the sake of my name will receive one hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
30 “But many first shall be last and many last shall be first.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Matthew 20:1-16
20
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of the house who went out early in the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard.
2 “Then after he came to an agreement with the workmen for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 “And when he went out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the marketplace unemployed.
4 “And he said to those men, ‘You, you also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’
5 “And they departed. When he again went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, he did the same thing.
6 “Then about the eleventh hour when he went out, he found others standing around, and he says to them, ‘Why have you stood here all day long unemployed?’
7 “They say to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He says to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’
8 “Now when it became evening, the master of the vineyard says to his foreman, ‘Call the workmen and pay them their wages, beginning from the last workmen up to the first ones.’
9 “And when those who were hired about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.
10 “And when those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more. And they each received a denarius and the others also.
11 “And after receiving it, they began grumbling against the master of the house,
12 “saying, ‘These last men worked only one hour, and you have just made them equal with us who have born the burden and the heat of the day.’
13 “And answering one of them, he said, ‘Friend, I am not treating you unjustly. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 ‘Take what is yours and go. But I wish to give to this last man just what I also gave to you.
15 ‘Is it not proper for me to do what I wish with my own money? Or, is your eye evil because I am good?’
16 “In the same way the last will be first and the first will be last.”
Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection Matthew 20:17-19
¶ 17 And while going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately, and on the road he said to them,
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in the law, and they will condemn him to death,
19 “and they will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and on the third day he will be raised up.”
James and John’s Mother Requests They Be Honored in the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 20:20-28
¶ 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling down to pay reverence to him and asking something from him.
21 And he said to her, “What do you wish?” She says to him, “Give the order that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one at your right and one at your left.”
22 Then answering, Jesus said, “You do not know what all of you are asking; are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink?” The two sons say to him, “We are able.”
23 He says to them, “To be sure, you will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 And when the ten heard this, they became angry on account of the two brothers.
25 Then Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great officials exercise authority over them.
26 “It will not be in this manner among you; rather, whoever wishes to be great among you, he will be your servant,
27 “and whoever wishes to be first among you, he will be your slave;
28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Restores the Sight of Two Blind Men Matthew 20:29-34
¶ 29 And while they are going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
30 And behold, two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted out, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
31 But the crowd sharply rebuked them to be quiet. So they shouted out all the more, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
32 And having stood still, Jesus replied to them and said, “What do you wish I would do for you?”
33 They say to him, “Lord, that our eyes would be opened.”
34 Then having compassion on them, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and started following him.
Jesus, the Messianic King, Makes His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Matthew 21:1-11
21
1 And when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage toward the Mount of Olives, at that time Jesus sent two disciples
2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 “And if anyone says something to you, say, ‘The Lord has need of them.’ ” And he immediately sent them.
4 Now this happened that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
5 “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,
‘BEHOLD, YOUR KING COMES TO YOU,
GENTLE AND MOUNTED UPON A DONKEY,
INDEED UPON A COLT A FOAL OF A DONKEY’ ”
6 Now after the disciples went and did just as Jesus had directed them,
7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments upon them, and he sat down on them.
8 Then most of the crowd spread their own garments on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and were spreading them on the road.
9 Then the crowds who were going before him and those following him kept calling out,
“HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID,
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
Hosanna in the highest places.”
10 And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
11 So the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus who is from Nazareth of Galilee!”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple a Second Time Matthew 21:12-17
¶ 12 And Jesus entered the temple, and he threw out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling the doves,
13 and he says to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER,’ but as for you, you are making it a robbers’ den!”
¶ 14 And the blind and crippled came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
15 Now when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the remarkable things that he did and the children shouting in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they became indignant
16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Then Jesus says to them, “Yes. Have you never read, “OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES AND NURSING INFANTS YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE?”
17 And leaving them behind, he went outside of the city to Bethany, and he spent the night there.
Jesus Curses the Barren Fig Tree Matthew 21:18-22
¶ 18 Now early in the morning while he was returning to the city, he became hungry.
19 And when he saw a single fig tree by the road, he went up to it, but he found nothing on it except leaves, and he says to it, “From now on there will never be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered up at once.
20 And when the disciples saw this, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither up at once?”
21 Then replying, Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and be thrown into the sea,’ it will be done!
22 “And everything that you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jesus’ Authority Challenged Matthew 21:23-27
¶ 23 And after he went into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him while he was teaching, saying, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?”
24 Then answering, Jesus said to them, “And I will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
25 “From where was the baptism of John? From heaven or from men?” Then they began to discuss among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all look upon John as a prophet.’ ”
27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And he also said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Two Sons Matthew 21:28-32
¶ 28 “Now what do you think? A man has two sons. And having gone to the first one, he said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’
29 “Then answering, he said, ‘I will not!’ But later he regretted it and went.
30 “Then when he went to the other, he said likewise. And answering, he said, ‘I will, Sir.’ But he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They say, “The first one.” Jesus says to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you.
32 “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and yet you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; moreover, when you saw this, you had no regret later to believe him.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Evil Tenants Matthew 21:33-46
¶ 33 “Listen to another parable. There was a master of the house who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it. He dug a winepress in it and built a tower, and rented it out to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
34 “Now when the season for the fruit harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the tenant farmers to collect his share of the fruits.
35 “But having seized his slaves, the tenant farmers beat one, killed another, and stoned the other.
36 “Again he sent other slaves, more than the first ones, and the tenant farmers did the same to them.
37 “Then later he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will have respect for my son.’
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir! Come on! Let us kill him and seize his inheritance!’
39 “And after they seized him, they threw him outside of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”
41 They say to him, “He will utterly destroy those wretches! And he will lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him his share of the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus says to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures,
‘ THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED
THIS HAS BECOME THE CORNERSTONE;
THIS CAME FROM THE LORD,
AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?
43 “For this reason I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people producing its fruits.
44 “And the one who falls upon this stone will be broken to pieces; but upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder!”
45 And after the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parable, they realized that he was speaking about them.
46 And although they desired to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they continued to consider him to be a prophet.
Jesus Is Tested by the Unbelieving Pharisees on Divorce Matthew 19:1-12
19
1 And it happened when Jesus finished these words, he went away from Galilee and came into the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan.
2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came to him, tempting him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 And answering, he said, “Have you not read that from the beginning he who created them made them male and female?
5 “And he said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN WILL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND WILL BE GLUED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO WILL BE ONE FLESH.’
6 “So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7 They say to him, “Why, then, did Moses give orders to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”
8 He says to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been this way.
9 “And I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for illicit sexual intercourse, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 His disciples say to him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry!”
11 Then he said to them, “Not all men are ready to accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.
12 “For there are eunuchs who were born this way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him who is able to accept this accept it.”
Jesus Blesses the Little Children Matthew 19:13-15
¶ 13 Then infants were brought to him, that he might lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Then Jesus said, “Permit the infants to come to me and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
15 And after he laid his hands on them, he went on his way from there.
Jesus Teaches the Rich Young Man Matthew 19:16-26
¶ 16 And behold, a man approached him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have “eternal life?”
17 Then he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one only who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He says to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,
19 “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER, and, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
20 The young man says to him, “All these things I have kept. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus replied to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, start following me.”
22 But after the young man heard this instruction, he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had much property.
¶ 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you that a rich man will hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
25 Now when the disciples heard this, they became absolutely struck with amazement, saying, “Who, then, can be saved?”
26 And when Jesus turned his eyes on them, he said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus Reveals His Disciples’ Reward Matthew 19:27-30
¶ 27 At that time Peter spoke up and said to him, “Behold, we ourselves have left everything and followed you; what, then, will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that you who have followed me, in the restoration, when the Son of Man shall sit down upon his throne of glory, you will also sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for the sake of my name will receive one hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
30 “But many first shall be last and many last shall be first.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Matthew 20:1-16
20
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of the house who went out early in the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard.
2 “Then after he came to an agreement with the workmen for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 “And when he went out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the marketplace unemployed.
4 “And he said to those men, ‘You, you also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’
5 “And they departed. When he again went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, he did the same thing.
6 “Then about the eleventh hour when he went out, he found others standing around, and he says to them, ‘Why have you stood here all day long unemployed?’
7 “They say to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He says to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’
8 “Now when it became evening, the master of the vineyard says to his foreman, ‘Call the workmen and pay them their wages, beginning from the last workmen up to the first ones.’
9 “And when those who were hired about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.
10 “And when those who were hired first came, they thought they would receive more. And they each received a denarius and the others also.
11 “And after receiving it, they began grumbling against the master of the house,
12 “saying, ‘These last men worked only one hour, and you have just made them equal with us who have born the burden and the heat of the day.’
13 “And answering one of them, he said, ‘Friend, I am not treating you unjustly. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 ‘Take what is yours and go. But I wish to give to this last man just what I also gave to you.
15 ‘Is it not proper for me to do what I wish with my own money? Or, is your eye evil because I am good?’
16 “In the same way the last will be first and the first will be last.”
Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection Matthew 20:17-19
¶ 17 And while going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately, and on the road he said to them,
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in the law, and they will condemn him to death,
19 “and they will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and on the third day he will be raised up.”
James and John’s Mother Requests They Be Honored in the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 20:20-28
¶ 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling down to pay reverence to him and asking something from him.
21 And he said to her, “What do you wish?” She says to him, “Give the order that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one at your right and one at your left.”
22 Then answering, Jesus said, “You do not know what all of you are asking; are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink?” The two sons say to him, “We are able.”
23 He says to them, “To be sure, you will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 And when the ten heard this, they became angry on account of the two brothers.
25 Then Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great officials exercise authority over them.
26 “It will not be in this manner among you; rather, whoever wishes to be great among you, he will be your servant,
27 “and whoever wishes to be first among you, he will be your slave;
28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Restores the Sight of Two Blind Men Matthew 20:29-34
¶ 29 And while they are going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
30 And behold, two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted out, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
31 But the crowd sharply rebuked them to be quiet. So they shouted out all the more, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
32 And having stood still, Jesus replied to them and said, “What do you wish I would do for you?”
33 They say to him, “Lord, that our eyes would be opened.”
34 Then having compassion on them, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and started following him.
Jesus, the Messianic King, Makes His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Matthew 21:1-11
21
1 And when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage toward the Mount of Olives, at that time Jesus sent two disciples
2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 “And if anyone says something to you, say, ‘The Lord has need of them.’ ” And he immediately sent them.
4 Now this happened that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
5 “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,
‘BEHOLD, YOUR KING COMES TO YOU,
GENTLE AND MOUNTED UPON A DONKEY,
INDEED UPON A COLT A FOAL OF A DONKEY’ ”
6 Now after the disciples went and did just as Jesus had directed them,
7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments upon them, and he sat down on them.
8 Then most of the crowd spread their own garments on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and were spreading them on the road.
9 Then the crowds who were going before him and those following him kept calling out,
“HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID,
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
Hosanna in the highest places.”
10 And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
11 So the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus who is from Nazareth of Galilee!”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple a Second Time Matthew 21:12-17
¶ 12 And Jesus entered the temple, and he threw out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling the doves,
13 and he says to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER,’ but as for you, you are making it a robbers’ den!”
¶ 14 And the blind and crippled came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
15 Now when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the remarkable things that he did and the children shouting in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they became indignant
16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Then Jesus says to them, “Yes. Have you never read, “OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES AND NURSING INFANTS YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE?”
17 And leaving them behind, he went outside of the city to Bethany, and he spent the night there.
Jesus Curses the Barren Fig Tree Matthew 21:18-22
¶ 18 Now early in the morning while he was returning to the city, he became hungry.
19 And when he saw a single fig tree by the road, he went up to it, but he found nothing on it except leaves, and he says to it, “From now on there will never be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered up at once.
20 And when the disciples saw this, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither up at once?”
21 Then replying, Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and be thrown into the sea,’ it will be done!
22 “And everything that you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jesus’ Authority Challenged Matthew 21:23-27
¶ 23 And after he went into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him while he was teaching, saying, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?”
24 Then answering, Jesus said to them, “And I will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
25 “From where was the baptism of John? From heaven or from men?” Then they began to discuss among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all look upon John as a prophet.’ ”
27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And he also said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Two Sons Matthew 21:28-32
¶ 28 “Now what do you think? A man has two sons. And having gone to the first one, he said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’
29 “Then answering, he said, ‘I will not!’ But later he regretted it and went.
30 “Then when he went to the other, he said likewise. And answering, he said, ‘I will, Sir.’ But he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They say, “The first one.” Jesus says to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you.
32 “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and yet you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; moreover, when you saw this, you had no regret later to believe him.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Evil Tenants Matthew 21:33-46
¶ 33 “Listen to another parable. There was a master of the house who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it. He dug a winepress in it and built a tower, and rented it out to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
34 “Now when the season for the fruit harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the tenant farmers to collect his share of the fruits.
35 “But having seized his slaves, the tenant farmers beat one, killed another, and stoned the other.
36 “Again he sent other slaves, more than the first ones, and the tenant farmers did the same to them.
37 “Then later he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will have respect for my son.’
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir! Come on! Let us kill him and seize his inheritance!’
39 “And after they seized him, they threw him outside of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “So when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”
41 They say to him, “He will utterly destroy those wretches! And he will lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him his share of the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus says to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures,
‘ THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED
THIS HAS BECOME THE CORNERSTONE;
THIS CAME FROM THE LORD,
AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?
43 “For this reason I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people producing its fruits.
44 “And the one who falls upon this stone will be broken to pieces; but upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder!”
45 And after the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parable, they realized that he was speaking about them.
46 And although they desired to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they continued to consider him to be a prophet.
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Wedding Banquet Matthew 22:1-14
22
1 And when Jesus continued, he again spoke to them in parables, saying,
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
3 “And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, and yet they continued to be unwilling to come.
4 “He again sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who had been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.” ’
5 “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own field, and another to his business.
6 “And the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
7 “Then the king was provoked to anger, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
8 “At that time he says to his slaves, ‘Surely the wedding banquet is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy.
9 ‘Therefore, go to the crossroads, and as many as you find there, invite them to the wedding banquet.’
10 “And when those slaves went out into the roadways, they gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; and the wedding banquet was filled with guests.
11 “Now when the king went in to see the guests, he saw a man there who had not been clothed in a wedding garment.
12 “And he says to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without having a wedding garment?’ And he became speechless.
13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer most darkness, In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are invited but few are chosen.”
Jesus Refutes the Pharisees and the Heriodians on Paying Taxes to Caesar Matthew 22:15-22
¶ 15 At that time the Pharisees went and formed a plot, in order that they might entrap him in a statement.
16 And they send their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you teach the way of God in truth, and you have no regard for anyone, for you do not look on men’s favor.
17 “Therefore, tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay a tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, having perceived their wicked intentions, said, “You hypocrites! Why are you tempting me?
19 “Show me the coin for paying the tax.” And they brought a denarius to him.
20 And he asks them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they say to him. Then he says to them, “So give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s!”
22 And when they heard this, they were astonished. And leaving him, they departed.
Jesus Refutes the Sadducees on Marriage and the Resurrection Matthew 22:23-33
¶ 23 On that day Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and questioned him,
24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.’
25 “Now there were seven brothers with us. And after the first married, he died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother.
26 “And in the same way the second and the third, up to the seventh.
27 “Last of all the wife died.
28 “So in the resurrection of the seven whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
29 Then answering, Jesus said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are they given in marriage; rather they are like the angels in heaven.
31 “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead: Have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND THE GOD OF ISAAC AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!’ ”
33 And when the crowds heard this, they continued to be struck with astonishment by his teaching.
Jesus Teaches the Pharisees the Greatest Commandment Matthew 22:34-40
¶ 34 Now when the Pharisees heard that Jesus muzzled the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question, tempting him,
36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37 And he replied to him, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL and with all your mind;
38 “This is the greatest and most important commandment.
39 “And the second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’
40 “The whole Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus Asks, “Whose Son Is the Christ” Matthew 22:41-46
¶ 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They say to him, “The son of David.”
43 He says to them, “Then how does David by the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES UNDER YOUR FEET’.
45 “So if David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
46 And no one was able to answer a word to him, nor did anyone dare to ask him anything from that day.
The Fifth Discourse: On the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 23:1-25:46
Jesus Exposes Pharisaism Matthew 23:1-12
23
1 At that time Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 saying, “The experts in the law and the Pharisees have sat upon the chair of Moses.
3 “Therefore, everything they tell you, do and observe, but stop doing according to their deeds; for they do not do what they say.
4 “Moreover, they bind heavy and hard to bear burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to raise a finger to move them.
5 “And they do all their deeds in order to be noticed by people, for they enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
6 “They love the place of honor at the banquets and the seats of honor in the synagogues
7 “and the respectful greetings in the marketplaces and to be called, ‘Rabbi,’ by the people.
8 “But as for you people, do not be called, ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 “And do not call anyone on earth your ‘father,’ for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.
10 “Nor are you to be called ‘leaders,’ for one is your Leader, the Christ.
11 “ But the greatest of you will be your servant.
12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever will humble himself will be exalted.”
Jesus Pronounces Seven Woes on the Pharisees and Experts in the Law Matthew 23:13-36
¶ 13 “Now woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you yourselves are not entering in, nor are you permitting those who are entering in to go in!”
¶15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you go around the sea and dry land to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”
¶16 “Woe to you, you blind leaders who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it means nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
17 “You foolish and blind men! For which one is greater – the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy?
18 “And whoever swears by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever swears by the gift on it is obligated.
19 “You blind men! For what is greater – the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
20 “Consequently, the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 “And the one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 “And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it.”
¶ 23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you repeatedly tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you neglect the important matters of the law – justice and mercy and faithfulness; these it was necessary to do without neglecting the others.
24 “You blind leaders, who strain out the gnat but swallow up the camel!”
¶ 25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the dish but inside they are full of plunder and lack of moral restraint.
26 “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also become clean.”
¶ 27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the one hand appear lovely outside but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.
28 “In the same way, you yourselves also surely appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
¶ 29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
30 “and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their partners in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “So you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 “And you fill up the measure of your father’s guilt.
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How are you going to escape from the punishment of hell?
34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending to you prophets and wise men and experts in the sacred writings. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
35 “in order that upon you shall come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel up to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem Matthew 23:37-39
¶ 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who keep killing the prophets and stoning those who have been sent to her. How often I have wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and yet you were unwilling!
38 “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate.
39 “For I say to you, you will absolutely not see me from now on until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.’ ”
22
1 And when Jesus continued, he again spoke to them in parables, saying,
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
3 “And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, and yet they continued to be unwilling to come.
4 “He again sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who had been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.” ’
5 “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own field, and another to his business.
6 “And the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
7 “Then the king was provoked to anger, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
8 “At that time he says to his slaves, ‘Surely the wedding banquet is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy.
9 ‘Therefore, go to the crossroads, and as many as you find there, invite them to the wedding banquet.’
10 “And when those slaves went out into the roadways, they gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; and the wedding banquet was filled with guests.
11 “Now when the king went in to see the guests, he saw a man there who had not been clothed in a wedding garment.
12 “And he says to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without having a wedding garment?’ And he became speechless.
13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer most darkness, In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are invited but few are chosen.”
Jesus Refutes the Pharisees and the Heriodians on Paying Taxes to Caesar Matthew 22:15-22
¶ 15 At that time the Pharisees went and formed a plot, in order that they might entrap him in a statement.
16 And they send their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you teach the way of God in truth, and you have no regard for anyone, for you do not look on men’s favor.
17 “Therefore, tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay a tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, having perceived their wicked intentions, said, “You hypocrites! Why are you tempting me?
19 “Show me the coin for paying the tax.” And they brought a denarius to him.
20 And he asks them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they say to him. Then he says to them, “So give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s!”
22 And when they heard this, they were astonished. And leaving him, they departed.
Jesus Refutes the Sadducees on Marriage and the Resurrection Matthew 22:23-33
¶ 23 On that day Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and questioned him,
24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.’
25 “Now there were seven brothers with us. And after the first married, he died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother.
26 “And in the same way the second and the third, up to the seventh.
27 “Last of all the wife died.
28 “So in the resurrection of the seven whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
29 Then answering, Jesus said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are they given in marriage; rather they are like the angels in heaven.
31 “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead: Have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND THE GOD OF ISAAC AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!’ ”
33 And when the crowds heard this, they continued to be struck with astonishment by his teaching.
Jesus Teaches the Pharisees the Greatest Commandment Matthew 22:34-40
¶ 34 Now when the Pharisees heard that Jesus muzzled the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question, tempting him,
36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37 And he replied to him, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL and with all your mind;
38 “This is the greatest and most important commandment.
39 “And the second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’
40 “The whole Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus Asks, “Whose Son Is the Christ” Matthew 22:41-46
¶ 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They say to him, “The son of David.”
43 He says to them, “Then how does David by the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES UNDER YOUR FEET’.
45 “So if David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
46 And no one was able to answer a word to him, nor did anyone dare to ask him anything from that day.
The Fifth Discourse: On the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 23:1-25:46
Jesus Exposes Pharisaism Matthew 23:1-12
23
1 At that time Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 saying, “The experts in the law and the Pharisees have sat upon the chair of Moses.
3 “Therefore, everything they tell you, do and observe, but stop doing according to their deeds; for they do not do what they say.
4 “Moreover, they bind heavy and hard to bear burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to raise a finger to move them.
5 “And they do all their deeds in order to be noticed by people, for they enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
6 “They love the place of honor at the banquets and the seats of honor in the synagogues
7 “and the respectful greetings in the marketplaces and to be called, ‘Rabbi,’ by the people.
8 “But as for you people, do not be called, ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 “And do not call anyone on earth your ‘father,’ for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.
10 “Nor are you to be called ‘leaders,’ for one is your Leader, the Christ.
11 “ But the greatest of you will be your servant.
12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever will humble himself will be exalted.”
Jesus Pronounces Seven Woes on the Pharisees and Experts in the Law Matthew 23:13-36
¶ 13 “Now woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you yourselves are not entering in, nor are you permitting those who are entering in to go in!”
¶15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you go around the sea and dry land to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”
¶16 “Woe to you, you blind leaders who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it means nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
17 “You foolish and blind men! For which one is greater – the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy?
18 “And whoever swears by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever swears by the gift on it is obligated.
19 “You blind men! For what is greater – the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
20 “Consequently, the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 “And the one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 “And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it.”
¶ 23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you repeatedly tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you neglect the important matters of the law – justice and mercy and faithfulness; these it was necessary to do without neglecting the others.
24 “You blind leaders, who strain out the gnat but swallow up the camel!”
¶ 25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the dish but inside they are full of plunder and lack of moral restraint.
26 “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also become clean.”
¶ 27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the one hand appear lovely outside but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.
28 “In the same way, you yourselves also surely appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
¶ 29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,
30 “and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their partners in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “So you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 “And you fill up the measure of your father’s guilt.
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How are you going to escape from the punishment of hell?
34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending to you prophets and wise men and experts in the sacred writings. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
35 “in order that upon you shall come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel up to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem Matthew 23:37-39
¶ 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who keep killing the prophets and stoning those who have been sent to her. How often I have wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and yet you were unwilling!
38 “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate.
39 “For I say to you, you will absolutely not see me from now on until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.’ ”
Jesus Reveals the Signs of His Second Coming Matthew 24:1-41
24
1 And when Jesus went out from the temple and was going on his way, his disciples approached to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these buildings? Truly I say to you, in no way will one stone be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
¶ 3 Then while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us when will these things take place, and what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
¶4 And he answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you;
5 “for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see to it you are not frightened; for these things must happen, but it is not yet the end.
7 “For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places;
8 “Now all these things are the beginning of birth-pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you into oppression and will kill you, and you will go on being hated by all nations because of my name.
10 “And then many will fall away and will betray one another and will hate one another.
11 “And many false prophets will arise and will deceive many;
12 “And because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.
13 “Now the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.
14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
¶ 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination of desolation that was spoken through Daniel the prophet, (let the one who reads understand),
16 “at that time let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains;
17 “let the one on his housetop not come down to take the things out of his house;
18 “and let the one in the field not turn back to pick up his robe.
19 “And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days.
20 “And keep on praying that your flight may not be during winter nor on a Sabbath;
21 “for at that time there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until the present nor will ever occur.
22 “And if those days had not been curtailed, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be curtailed.
23 “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There he is,’
do not believe him.
24 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear, and they will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 “Behold, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, he is in the innermost rooms,’ do not believe it.
27 “For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines as far as the west, in the same way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
28 “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
¶ 29 “Now immediately after the tribulation of those days,
‘THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED,
AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,
AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY,
AND THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN.’
30 “And at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and at that time all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
31 “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet-call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other.”
¶ 32 “Now learn this likeness from the fig tree; when its branch has already become tender and it sprouts its leaves, you realize that summer is near.
33 “In the same way you also, when you see all these things, realize that he is near, right at the door.
34 “Truly I say to you that this generation will absolutely not pass away until all these things have happened.
35 “The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
¶ 36 “Now no one knows about that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 “For just as the days of Noah were, in the same way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
38 “For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage until which day Noah entered the ark,
39 “and they did not come to know anything until the flood came and carried them all away. In the same way also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40 “At that time two will be in the field – one is taken along and one is left;
41 “two women will be grinding with the hand-mill – one is taken along and one is left.”
Jesus Tells His Disciples to Be Ready for His Second Coming Matthew 24:42-51
¶ 42 “Therefore, keep watching, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 “But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 “For this reason you yourselves always be ready also, for you do not know at what hour the Son of Man is coming.”
¶ 45 “Therefore, who is the faithful and prudent slave whom the master put in charge over his household slaves to give food to them at the proper time?
46 “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find doing so, when he came.
47 “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge over all his possessions.
48 “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is staying away for a long time,’
49 “and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those who get drunk,
50 “the master of that slave will come on a day which he does not expect and at an hour which he does not know,
51 “and he will cut him in two and will assign a place for him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
24
1 And when Jesus went out from the temple and was going on his way, his disciples approached to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
2 But he responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these buildings? Truly I say to you, in no way will one stone be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
¶ 3 Then while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us when will these things take place, and what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
¶4 And he answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you;
5 “for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see to it you are not frightened; for these things must happen, but it is not yet the end.
7 “For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places;
8 “Now all these things are the beginning of birth-pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you into oppression and will kill you, and you will go on being hated by all nations because of my name.
10 “And then many will fall away and will betray one another and will hate one another.
11 “And many false prophets will arise and will deceive many;
12 “And because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.
13 “Now the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.
14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
¶ 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination of desolation that was spoken through Daniel the prophet, (let the one who reads understand),
16 “at that time let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains;
17 “let the one on his housetop not come down to take the things out of his house;
18 “and let the one in the field not turn back to pick up his robe.
19 “And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days.
20 “And keep on praying that your flight may not be during winter nor on a Sabbath;
21 “for at that time there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until the present nor will ever occur.
22 “And if those days had not been curtailed, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be curtailed.
23 “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There he is,’
do not believe him.
24 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear, and they will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 “Behold, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, he is in the innermost rooms,’ do not believe it.
27 “For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines as far as the west, in the same way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
28 “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
¶ 29 “Now immediately after the tribulation of those days,
‘THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED,
AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,
AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY,
AND THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN.’
30 “And at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and at that time all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
31 “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet-call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other.”
¶ 32 “Now learn this likeness from the fig tree; when its branch has already become tender and it sprouts its leaves, you realize that summer is near.
33 “In the same way you also, when you see all these things, realize that he is near, right at the door.
34 “Truly I say to you that this generation will absolutely not pass away until all these things have happened.
35 “The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
¶ 36 “Now no one knows about that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 “For just as the days of Noah were, in the same way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
38 “For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage until which day Noah entered the ark,
39 “and they did not come to know anything until the flood came and carried them all away. In the same way also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40 “At that time two will be in the field – one is taken along and one is left;
41 “two women will be grinding with the hand-mill – one is taken along and one is left.”
Jesus Tells His Disciples to Be Ready for His Second Coming Matthew 24:42-51
¶ 42 “Therefore, keep watching, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
43 “But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 “For this reason you yourselves always be ready also, for you do not know at what hour the Son of Man is coming.”
¶ 45 “Therefore, who is the faithful and prudent slave whom the master put in charge over his household slaves to give food to them at the proper time?
46 “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find doing so, when he came.
47 “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge over all his possessions.
48 “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is staying away for a long time,’
49 “and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those who get drunk,
50 “the master of that slave will come on a day which he does not expect and at an hour which he does not know,
51 “and he will cut him in two and will assign a place for him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1-13
25
1 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 “Now five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 “For although the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them.
4 “But the wise ones did take olive oil in flasks with their lamps.
5 “Now because the bridegroom was failing to come, they all became drowsy and began falling asleep.
6 “Then at midnight a clamor arises, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “At that time all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 “But the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your olive oil! For our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the wise ones answered, saying, ‘Never! In no way will there be enough for us and for you! Rather go to those who sell olive oil and buy some for yourselves!’
“10 “Now while they were gong to buy some, the bridegroom came, and the virgins who were prepared went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11 “Then later the remaining virgins indeed come, saying, ‘Sir! Sir! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you!’
13 “Therefore, keep watching, because you do not know the day nor the hour.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30
¶ 14 “For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his own slaves and handed over his possessions to them,
15 “and to one he gave five talents, and to another two talents, and to another one talent, to each one according to his own ability, and he went on his journey.
16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and worked with them and gained an additional five.
17 “And similarly the one who had received the two talents gained an additional two.
18 “But the one who had received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground and covered up his master’s silver.
19 “Now after a long period of time the master of those slaves comes and settles accounts with them.
20 “And the one who had received the five talents approached and brought an additional five talents, saying, ‘Master, you gave me five talents; see, I have gained an additional five talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Come into the joy of your master.’
22 “And the one who had received the two talents approached and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents; see I have gained an additional two talents.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Come into the joy of your master.’
24 “Then the one who had received the one talent approached and said, ‘Master, I knew you, that you are a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter seed;
25 ‘and because I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 “Then his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and I gather from where I did not scatter seed?
27 ‘Therefore, you should have put my silver in the bank, and when I came, indeed I would have received what is mine with interest.
28 ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, it will be given and he will be made extremely rich; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
30 “And cast the useless slave into the outermost darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus Foretells the Judgment – the Sheep and the Goats Matthew 25:31-46
¶ 31 “Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, at that time he will sit on his throne of glory.
32 “And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33 “and he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.
34 “At that time the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world.
35 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me as a guest;
36 ‘I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you being hungry and we fed you, or being thirsty and we gave you a drink?
38 ‘And when did we see you a stranger and we received you as a guest, or naked and we clothed you?
39 ‘And when did we see you being sick or in prison and we came to you?’
40 “And the king will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, as much as you did it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.’ ”
¶ 41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me a drink;
43 ‘I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 “Then they themselves will also reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you being hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and we did not help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, as much as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
46 “And these will depart into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”
25
1 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 “Now five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 “For although the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them.
4 “But the wise ones did take olive oil in flasks with their lamps.
5 “Now because the bridegroom was failing to come, they all became drowsy and began falling asleep.
6 “Then at midnight a clamor arises, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “At that time all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 “But the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your olive oil! For our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the wise ones answered, saying, ‘Never! In no way will there be enough for us and for you! Rather go to those who sell olive oil and buy some for yourselves!’
“10 “Now while they were gong to buy some, the bridegroom came, and the virgins who were prepared went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11 “Then later the remaining virgins indeed come, saying, ‘Sir! Sir! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you!’
13 “Therefore, keep watching, because you do not know the day nor the hour.”
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30
¶ 14 “For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his own slaves and handed over his possessions to them,
15 “and to one he gave five talents, and to another two talents, and to another one talent, to each one according to his own ability, and he went on his journey.
16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and worked with them and gained an additional five.
17 “And similarly the one who had received the two talents gained an additional two.
18 “But the one who had received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground and covered up his master’s silver.
19 “Now after a long period of time the master of those slaves comes and settles accounts with them.
20 “And the one who had received the five talents approached and brought an additional five talents, saying, ‘Master, you gave me five talents; see, I have gained an additional five talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Come into the joy of your master.’
22 “And the one who had received the two talents approached and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents; see I have gained an additional two talents.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Come into the joy of your master.’
24 “Then the one who had received the one talent approached and said, ‘Master, I knew you, that you are a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter seed;
25 ‘and because I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 “Then his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and I gather from where I did not scatter seed?
27 ‘Therefore, you should have put my silver in the bank, and when I came, indeed I would have received what is mine with interest.
28 ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, it will be given and he will be made extremely rich; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
30 “And cast the useless slave into the outermost darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus Foretells the Judgment – the Sheep and the Goats Matthew 25:31-46
¶ 31 “Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, at that time he will sit on his throne of glory.
32 “And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33 “and he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.
34 “At that time the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world.
35 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me as a guest;
36 ‘I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you being hungry and we fed you, or being thirsty and we gave you a drink?
38 ‘And when did we see you a stranger and we received you as a guest, or naked and we clothed you?
39 ‘And when did we see you being sick or in prison and we came to you?’
40 “And the king will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, as much as you did it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.’ ”
¶ 41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who have been cursed, into the everlasting fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me a drink;
43 ‘I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 “Then they themselves will also reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you being hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and we did not help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, as much as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
46 “And these will depart into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”
Part 7: The Conclusion Matthew 26:1-28:50
Jesus’ Passion as the Messianic King Matthew 26:1-27:66
The Plot to Kill Jesus Matthew 26:1-5
26
1 And it happened when Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples,
2 “You know that two days from now the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,
4 and they plotted to arrest Jesus in a deceitful manner and kill him.
5 But they said repeatedly, “Not during the Feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus Is Anointed in Bethany Matthew 26:6-13
¶ 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman, having an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume, came to him and poured it out upon his head while he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they became angry, saying, “Why this waste?
9 “For this perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”
10 But when Jesus realized this, he said to them, “Why cause trouble for the woman? For she has just done a praiseworthy deed for me.
11 “For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.
12 “For when this woman put this perfume on my body, she did so to prepare me for burial.
13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman just did will also be spoken in memory of her.”
Judas Bargains to Betray Jesus Matthew 26:14-16
¶ 14 At that time one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I will hand him over to you?” Then they set out thirty silver coins.
16 And from that time on he kept looking for a favorable opportunity to betray him.
Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper at the Passover Meal Matthew 26:17-29
¶ 17 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover for you to eat?”
18 And he said, “Go into the city to so and so and say to him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time is near. At your house I am celebrating the Passover with my disciples.” ’ ”
19 And the disciples did as Jesus directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 Then when evening came, he began to recline at the table with the Twelve.
21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me.”
22 And being extremely distressed each one began to say to him, “Surely it is not I, Lord, is it?”
23 And when he answered, he said, “The one who dipped his hand with me into the bowl, this one will betray me.
24 “To be sure, the Son of Man is going just as it has been written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for him if that man had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, who was betraying him, responded and said, “Surely it is not I, Teacher, is it?” Jesus says to him, “You just said it!”
¶ 26 Now while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.”
27 And when he took the cup and gave thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
28 “For this is my blood of the new testament which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 “And I say to you, from now on I will never drink from this fruit of the vine until that day when I customarily drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.”
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial Matthew 26:30-35
¶30 And after they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 At that time Jesus says to them, “You all will fall away on account of me during this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK WILL BE SCATTERED.’
32 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33 Then Peter responded and said to him, “If all will fall away on account of you, I on my part will never fall away.”
34 Jesus declared to him, “Truly I say to you, that during this night before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter says to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will absolutely not deny you.” And all the disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-46
¶ 36 At that time Jesus comes with them into a place called Gethsemane, and he says to his disciples, “Sit down here until I have gone over there and prayed.”
37 And he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along and began to be sorrowful and troubled.
38 At that time he says to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watching with me.”
39 And he went forward a short distance and fell with his face to the ground praying and saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will but as you will.”
40 And he comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and he says to Peter, “So, you men were not strong enough to watch one hour with me?
41 “Keep watching and praying, lest you enter into temptation; to be sure the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again he went away a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, let your will be done.”
43 And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes had become heavy.
44 And leaving them he again went away and prayed a third time, saying the same prayer again.
45 At that time he comes to the disciples and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 “Get up! Let us be going. Behold, the one who is betraying me is here.”
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested Matthew 26:47-56
¶ 47 And while he is still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the Twelve, came and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who were sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
48 Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Arrest him!”
49 And at once he came to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him again and again.
50 Then Jesus said to him, “Friend, for this you have come?!!” At that time they approached and laid their hands on Jesus and arrested him.
51 And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus says to him, “Put your sword back into its place! For all who take a sword will perish by a sword!
53 “Or do you think that I am unable to call upon my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
54 “How, then, will the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me like I was a revolutionary? Every day I customarily sat in the temple teaching and you did not arrest me.
56 “But all this has come to pass in order that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples abandoned him and fled.
Jesus Is Tried by the Sanhedrin Matthew 26:57-68
¶ 57 Then those who arrested Jesus brought him before Caiaphas the high priest, where the experts in the law and the elders were assembled.
58 Now Peter kept following him from some distance away up to the courtyard of the high priest, and after he entered inside, he began to sit with the servants to see the outcome.
59 Then the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they may put him to death,
60 and yet they did not find any, although many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward
61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it up again after three days.’ ”
62 And the high priest stood up and said to him, “Are you not going to say anything? What are these men testifying against you?”
63 But Jesus continued to remain silent. And the high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus says to him, “You just said it. Moreover I say to you men, from now on you men will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 At that time the high priest tore his garments, saying, “He just blasphemed! Why do we still have need of witnesses? There, now you have just heard the blasphemy!
66 “What do you men think?” And they answered and said, “He deserves death!”
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists, and they slapped him,
68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is the one who slapped you?”
Peter Denies Jesus Matthew 26:69-75
¶ 69 Now Peter was continuing to sit outside in the courtyard. And one slave-girl approached him, saying, “And you! You used to be with Jesus the Galilean!”
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying!”
71 And after he went out into the gateway, another slave-girl saw him, and she says to those who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth!”
72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!”
73 Then after a short time those who were standing there approached and said to Peter, “Truly you yourself are also one of them! For indeed your way of speaking betrays you.”
74 At that time he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
75 And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before a rooster crows you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The Plot to Kill Jesus Matthew 26:1-5
26
1 And it happened when Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples,
2 “You know that two days from now the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,
4 and they plotted to arrest Jesus in a deceitful manner and kill him.
5 But they said repeatedly, “Not during the Feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus Is Anointed in Bethany Matthew 26:6-13
¶ 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman, having an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume, came to him and poured it out upon his head while he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they became angry, saying, “Why this waste?
9 “For this perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”
10 But when Jesus realized this, he said to them, “Why cause trouble for the woman? For she has just done a praiseworthy deed for me.
11 “For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.
12 “For when this woman put this perfume on my body, she did so to prepare me for burial.
13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman just did will also be spoken in memory of her.”
Judas Bargains to Betray Jesus Matthew 26:14-16
¶ 14 At that time one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I will hand him over to you?” Then they set out thirty silver coins.
16 And from that time on he kept looking for a favorable opportunity to betray him.
Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper at the Passover Meal Matthew 26:17-29
¶ 17 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover for you to eat?”
18 And he said, “Go into the city to so and so and say to him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time is near. At your house I am celebrating the Passover with my disciples.” ’ ”
19 And the disciples did as Jesus directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 Then when evening came, he began to recline at the table with the Twelve.
21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me.”
22 And being extremely distressed each one began to say to him, “Surely it is not I, Lord, is it?”
23 And when he answered, he said, “The one who dipped his hand with me into the bowl, this one will betray me.
24 “To be sure, the Son of Man is going just as it has been written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for him if that man had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, who was betraying him, responded and said, “Surely it is not I, Teacher, is it?” Jesus says to him, “You just said it!”
¶ 26 Now while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.”
27 And when he took the cup and gave thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
28 “For this is my blood of the new testament which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 “And I say to you, from now on I will never drink from this fruit of the vine until that day when I customarily drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.”
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial Matthew 26:30-35
¶30 And after they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 At that time Jesus says to them, “You all will fall away on account of me during this night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK WILL BE SCATTERED.’
32 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33 Then Peter responded and said to him, “If all will fall away on account of you, I on my part will never fall away.”
34 Jesus declared to him, “Truly I say to you, that during this night before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter says to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will absolutely not deny you.” And all the disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-46
¶ 36 At that time Jesus comes with them into a place called Gethsemane, and he says to his disciples, “Sit down here until I have gone over there and prayed.”
37 And he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along and began to be sorrowful and troubled.
38 At that time he says to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watching with me.”
39 And he went forward a short distance and fell with his face to the ground praying and saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will but as you will.”
40 And he comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and he says to Peter, “So, you men were not strong enough to watch one hour with me?
41 “Keep watching and praying, lest you enter into temptation; to be sure the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again he went away a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, let your will be done.”
43 And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes had become heavy.
44 And leaving them he again went away and prayed a third time, saying the same prayer again.
45 At that time he comes to the disciples and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 “Get up! Let us be going. Behold, the one who is betraying me is here.”
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested Matthew 26:47-56
¶ 47 And while he is still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the Twelve, came and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who were sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
48 Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Arrest him!”
49 And at once he came to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him again and again.
50 Then Jesus said to him, “Friend, for this you have come?!!” At that time they approached and laid their hands on Jesus and arrested him.
51 And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus says to him, “Put your sword back into its place! For all who take a sword will perish by a sword!
53 “Or do you think that I am unable to call upon my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
54 “How, then, will the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me like I was a revolutionary? Every day I customarily sat in the temple teaching and you did not arrest me.
56 “But all this has come to pass in order that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples abandoned him and fled.
Jesus Is Tried by the Sanhedrin Matthew 26:57-68
¶ 57 Then those who arrested Jesus brought him before Caiaphas the high priest, where the experts in the law and the elders were assembled.
58 Now Peter kept following him from some distance away up to the courtyard of the high priest, and after he entered inside, he began to sit with the servants to see the outcome.
59 Then the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they may put him to death,
60 and yet they did not find any, although many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward
61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it up again after three days.’ ”
62 And the high priest stood up and said to him, “Are you not going to say anything? What are these men testifying against you?”
63 But Jesus continued to remain silent. And the high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus says to him, “You just said it. Moreover I say to you men, from now on you men will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 At that time the high priest tore his garments, saying, “He just blasphemed! Why do we still have need of witnesses? There, now you have just heard the blasphemy!
66 “What do you men think?” And they answered and said, “He deserves death!”
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists, and they slapped him,
68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is the one who slapped you?”
Peter Denies Jesus Matthew 26:69-75
¶ 69 Now Peter was continuing to sit outside in the courtyard. And one slave-girl approached him, saying, “And you! You used to be with Jesus the Galilean!”
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying!”
71 And after he went out into the gateway, another slave-girl saw him, and she says to those who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth!”
72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!”
73 Then after a short time those who were standing there approached and said to Peter, “Truly you yourself are also one of them! For indeed your way of speaking betrays you.”
74 At that time he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
75 And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before a rooster crows you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Judas Hangs himself Matthew 27:1-10
27
1 Now when it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people formed a plan against Jesus to put him to death;
2 and having bound him, they led him away and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
3 At that time when Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he felt regret and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? That will be your concern!”
5 And after he threw the silver coins into the temple, he departed, and he went away and hanged himself.
6 Then having collected the silver coins, the chief priests said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, because it is blood money.”
7 And after they consulted, they bought with the coins the Potter’s Field for a burial place for strangers.
8 For this reason that field has been called, “The Field of Blood” up to this day.
9 At that time what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY SILVER COINS, THE PRICE FOR THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET BY THE SONS OF ISRAEL,
10 AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, JUST AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”
Jesus Is Tried by Pontius Pilate Matthew 27:11-26
¶ 11 Then Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor questioned him, saying, “You, are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus affirmed, “You are saying so.”
12 And while he was being accused by the chief priests and the elders, he said nothing.
13 At that time Pilate says to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?”
14 And he did not answer him not even in regard to a single accusation, with the result that the governor was being extremely astonished.
¶ 15 Now at every feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted freed.
16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you wish that I release to you – Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
18 For he knew that out of jealousy they had handed him over.
¶ 19 Then while he was sitting on the elevated judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I suffered greatly today in a dream because of him.”
20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to execute Jesus.
21 Then the governor spoke up and said to them, “Of the two, whom do you wish that I release to you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate says to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus, the one who is called Christ?” They all say, “Let him be crucified!”
23 “Why?” he replied, “for what crime has he committed?” But they kept shouting all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, rather a greater uproar was arising, he took water and washed off his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man! You yourselves see to it!”
25 And all the people answered and said, “Let his blood be upon us and upon our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked Matthew 27:27-31
¶ 27 At that time the soldiers of the governor took Jesus along into the governor’s palace and gathered the whole Roman cohort around him.
28 And after they stripped him, they put a scarlet cloak around him.
29 And when they had woven a crown of thorns, they placed it upon his head and a staff made of reeds in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
30 And having spit on him, they took the staff made of reeds and began striking him on his head.
31 And when they had mocked him, they took the scarlet cloak off him and dressed him in his own garments, and led him away to crucify him.
Jesus Is Crucified Matthew 27:32-44
¶ 32 Now while they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon; they forced this man to carry Jesus’ cross.
33 And when they came to the place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,
34 they gave him wine to drink that had been mixed with gall.; and after he tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 Then after they crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots for them.
36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over him there.
37 And they put above his head the written charge against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
38 At that time two robbers are crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.
39 Then those who were passing by kept blaspheming him, shaking their heads
40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God! Come down from the cross!”
41 In the same way the chief priests with the experts in the law and the elders kept mocking him, and saying,
42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Now let him come down from the cross and we will believe in him!
43 “He trusted in God! Now let God save him, if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God!’ ”
44 Then in the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also began heaping insults on him.
Jesus Dies Matthew 27:45-56
¶ 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness occurred over all the earth.
46 Then about the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47 But when some of those who were standing there heard this, they began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah!”
48 And immediately when one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with wine vinegar, and put it around a reed, he began giving it to him to drink.
49 But the rest began to say, “Let us see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Then, when Jesus again cried out in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,
52 and the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised from the dead,
53 and they came out of the tombs and went into the holy city after his resurrection and appeared to many people.
54 Then when the centurion and those with him who were watching over Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they became extremely afraid, saying, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
55 Now many women were there, looking on from a distance, who followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to him;
56 among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried Matthew 27:57-61
¶ 57 Now when evening came, a rich man, named Joseph, came from Arimathea, who had also himself become a disciple of Jesus.
58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. At that time Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59 And when Joseph took the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 and placed it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. And after he rolled a large stone up to the entrance of the tomb, he went away.
61 Now Mary Magdelene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite of the tomb.
The Jews Ask Pilate for a Guard at the Tomb Matthew 27:62-66
¶ 62 Then on the next day, which is after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled with Pilate,
63 saying, “Sir, we remembered that that deceiver said while he was still living, ‘After three days I am going to rise.’
64 “Therefore, give the order that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal his body and tell the people, ‘He was raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate replied to them, “Take a guard! Go, make it secure as you know how.”
66 Then they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone along with posting the guard.
Jesus Rises as the Victorious Messianic King Matthew 28:1-20
Jesus Rises from the Dead Matthew 28:1-10
28
1 Then after the Sabbath, when dawn was breaking toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb.
2 And behold, a violent earthquake occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended out of heaven. And when he came, he rolled the stone away and began sitting on it.
3 And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow.
4 Now the guards trembled from fear of him and became like dead men.
5 Then the angel began to speak and said to the women, “Stop being afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.
6 “He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. Come! See the place where the Lord was lying.
7 “And go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead! And behold, he is going before you into Galilee! There you will see him.’ Behold, I have now told you.”
8 And they hurried away from the tomb with fear and great joy; they ran to announce the news to his disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings.” Then the women came forward and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
10 At that time Jesus says to them, “Stop being afraid. Go, tell my brothers to go away into Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The Guards Report to the Jews Matthew 28:11-15
¶ 11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
12 And after they had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
13 saying, “Say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole his body while we were sleeping.’
14 “And if this comes to a hearing in the presence of the governor, we ourselves will persuade him and keep you out of trouble.”
15 Then they took the money and did as they had been instructed. And this story was spread widely among Jews until this very day.
Jesus Proclaims His Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20
¶ 16 Then the eleven disciples journeyed into Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had directed them,
17 and when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.
18 And when Jesus approached, he spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always until the end of the age.”
27
1 Now when it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people formed a plan against Jesus to put him to death;
2 and having bound him, they led him away and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
3 At that time when Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he felt regret and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? That will be your concern!”
5 And after he threw the silver coins into the temple, he departed, and he went away and hanged himself.
6 Then having collected the silver coins, the chief priests said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, because it is blood money.”
7 And after they consulted, they bought with the coins the Potter’s Field for a burial place for strangers.
8 For this reason that field has been called, “The Field of Blood” up to this day.
9 At that time what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY SILVER COINS, THE PRICE FOR THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET BY THE SONS OF ISRAEL,
10 AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, JUST AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”
Jesus Is Tried by Pontius Pilate Matthew 27:11-26
¶ 11 Then Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor questioned him, saying, “You, are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus affirmed, “You are saying so.”
12 And while he was being accused by the chief priests and the elders, he said nothing.
13 At that time Pilate says to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?”
14 And he did not answer him not even in regard to a single accusation, with the result that the governor was being extremely astonished.
¶ 15 Now at every feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted freed.
16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you wish that I release to you – Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
18 For he knew that out of jealousy they had handed him over.
¶ 19 Then while he was sitting on the elevated judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I suffered greatly today in a dream because of him.”
20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to execute Jesus.
21 Then the governor spoke up and said to them, “Of the two, whom do you wish that I release to you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate says to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus, the one who is called Christ?” They all say, “Let him be crucified!”
23 “Why?” he replied, “for what crime has he committed?” But they kept shouting all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, rather a greater uproar was arising, he took water and washed off his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man! You yourselves see to it!”
25 And all the people answered and said, “Let his blood be upon us and upon our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked Matthew 27:27-31
¶ 27 At that time the soldiers of the governor took Jesus along into the governor’s palace and gathered the whole Roman cohort around him.
28 And after they stripped him, they put a scarlet cloak around him.
29 And when they had woven a crown of thorns, they placed it upon his head and a staff made of reeds in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
30 And having spit on him, they took the staff made of reeds and began striking him on his head.
31 And when they had mocked him, they took the scarlet cloak off him and dressed him in his own garments, and led him away to crucify him.
Jesus Is Crucified Matthew 27:32-44
¶ 32 Now while they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon; they forced this man to carry Jesus’ cross.
33 And when they came to the place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,
34 they gave him wine to drink that had been mixed with gall.; and after he tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 Then after they crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots for them.
36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over him there.
37 And they put above his head the written charge against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
38 At that time two robbers are crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.
39 Then those who were passing by kept blaspheming him, shaking their heads
40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God! Come down from the cross!”
41 In the same way the chief priests with the experts in the law and the elders kept mocking him, and saying,
42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Now let him come down from the cross and we will believe in him!
43 “He trusted in God! Now let God save him, if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God!’ ”
44 Then in the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also began heaping insults on him.
Jesus Dies Matthew 27:45-56
¶ 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness occurred over all the earth.
46 Then about the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47 But when some of those who were standing there heard this, they began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah!”
48 And immediately when one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with wine vinegar, and put it around a reed, he began giving it to him to drink.
49 But the rest began to say, “Let us see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Then, when Jesus again cried out in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,
52 and the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised from the dead,
53 and they came out of the tombs and went into the holy city after his resurrection and appeared to many people.
54 Then when the centurion and those with him who were watching over Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they became extremely afraid, saying, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
55 Now many women were there, looking on from a distance, who followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to him;
56 among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried Matthew 27:57-61
¶ 57 Now when evening came, a rich man, named Joseph, came from Arimathea, who had also himself become a disciple of Jesus.
58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. At that time Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59 And when Joseph took the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 and placed it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. And after he rolled a large stone up to the entrance of the tomb, he went away.
61 Now Mary Magdelene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite of the tomb.
The Jews Ask Pilate for a Guard at the Tomb Matthew 27:62-66
¶ 62 Then on the next day, which is after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled with Pilate,
63 saying, “Sir, we remembered that that deceiver said while he was still living, ‘After three days I am going to rise.’
64 “Therefore, give the order that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal his body and tell the people, ‘He was raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate replied to them, “Take a guard! Go, make it secure as you know how.”
66 Then they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone along with posting the guard.
Jesus Rises as the Victorious Messianic King Matthew 28:1-20
Jesus Rises from the Dead Matthew 28:1-10
28
1 Then after the Sabbath, when dawn was breaking toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb.
2 And behold, a violent earthquake occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended out of heaven. And when he came, he rolled the stone away and began sitting on it.
3 And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow.
4 Now the guards trembled from fear of him and became like dead men.
5 Then the angel began to speak and said to the women, “Stop being afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.
6 “He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. Come! See the place where the Lord was lying.
7 “And go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead! And behold, he is going before you into Galilee! There you will see him.’ Behold, I have now told you.”
8 And they hurried away from the tomb with fear and great joy; they ran to announce the news to his disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings.” Then the women came forward and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
10 At that time Jesus says to them, “Stop being afraid. Go, tell my brothers to go away into Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The Guards Report to the Jews Matthew 28:11-15
¶ 11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
12 And after they had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
13 saying, “Say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole his body while we were sleeping.’
14 “And if this comes to a hearing in the presence of the governor, we ourselves will persuade him and keep you out of trouble.”
15 Then they took the money and did as they had been instructed. And this story was spread widely among Jews until this very day.
Jesus Proclaims His Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20
¶ 16 Then the eleven disciples journeyed into Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had directed them,
17 and when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.
18 And when Jesus approached, he spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always until the end of the age.”
Return to The Vivid Englsih Translation Of The New Testament page
