Good News Translation (GNT)

The Parable of the Sower

1 Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was out in the water, and the crowd stood on the shore at the water’s edge.

2 He used parables to teach them many things, saying to them:

3 “Listen! Once there was a man who went out to sow grain.

4 As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

5 Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn’t deep.

6 Then, when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up.

7 Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants, and they didn’t bear grain.

8 But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants sprouted, grew, and bore grain: some had thirty grains, others sixty, and others one hundred.”

9 And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 When Jesus was alone, some of those who had heard him came to him with the twelve disciples and asked him to explain the parables.

11 “You have been given the secret of the Kingdom of God,” Jesus answered. “But the others, who are on the outside, hear all things by means of parables,

12 so that,

‘They may look and look,

yet not see;

they may listen and listen,

yet not understand.

For if they did, they would turn to God,

and he would forgive them.’”

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower

13 Then Jesus asked them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable?

14 The sower sows God’s message.

15 Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away.

16 Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly.

17 But it does not sink deep into them, and they don’t last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.

18 Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message,

19 but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don’t bear fruit.

20 But other people are like seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.”

A Lamp under a Bowl

21 Jesus continued, “Does anyone ever bring in a lamp and put it under a bowl or under the bed? Isn’t it put on the lampstand?

22 Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered.

23 Listen, then, if you have ears!”

24 He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear! The same rules you use to judge others will be used by God to judge you—but with even greater severity.

25 Those who have something will be given more, and those who have nothing will have taken away from them even the little they have.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 Jesus went on to say, “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field.

27 He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens.

28 The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain.

29 When the grain is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 “What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?” asked Jesus. “What parable shall we use to explain it?

31 It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground.

32 After a while it grows up and becomes the biggest of all plants. It puts out such large branches that the birds come and make their nests in its shade.”

33 Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand.

34 He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.

Jesus Calms a Storm

35 On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.”

36 So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too.

37 Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water.

38 Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?”

39 Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and he said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down, and there was a great calm.

40 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

41 But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

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Jesus Heals a Man with Evil Spirits

1 Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa.

2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him

3 and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more;

4 many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him.

5 Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.

6 He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him,

7 and screamed in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God’s sake, I beg you, don’t punish me!” (

8 He said this because Jesus was saying, “Evil spirit, come out of this man!”)

9 So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

The man answered, “My name is ‘Mob’—there are so many of us!”

10 And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.

11 There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside.

12 So the spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.”

13 He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd—about two thousand pigs in all—rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

14 The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened,

15 and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid.

16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.

17 So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had had the demons begged him, “Let me go with you!”

19 But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you.”

20 So the man left and went all through the Ten Towns, telling what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard it were amazed.

Jairus’ Daughter and the Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Cloak

21 Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake. There at the lakeside a large crowd gathered around him.

22 Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, arrived, and when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at his feet

23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is very sick. Please come and place your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”

24 Then Jesus started off with him. So many people were going along with Jesus that they were crowding him from every side.

25 There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years,

26 even though she had been treated by many doctors. She had spent all her money, but instead of getting better she got worse all the time.

27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind him,

28 saying to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will get well.”

29 She touched his cloak, and her bleeding stopped at once; and she had the feeling inside herself that she was healed of her trouble.

30 At once Jesus knew that power had gone out of him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples answered, “You see how the people are crowding you; why do you ask who touched you?”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

33 The woman realized what had happened to her, so she came, trembling with fear, knelt at his feet, and told him the whole truth.

34 Jesus said to her, “My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your trouble.”

35 While Jesus was saying this, some messengers came from Jairus’ house and told him, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any longer?”

36 Jesus paid no attention towhat they said, but told him, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”

37 Then he did not let anyone else go on with him except Peter and James and his brother John.

38 They arrived at Jairus’ house, where Jesus saw the confusion and heard all the loud crying and wailing.

39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this confusion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead—she is only sleeping!”

40 They started making fun of him, so he put them all out, took the child’s father and mother and his three disciples, and went into the room where the child was lying.

41 He took her by the hand and said to her,“Talitha, koum,”which means, “Little girl, I tell you to get up!”

42 She got up at once and started walking around. (She was twelve years old.) When this happened, they were completely amazed.

43 But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone, and he said, “Give her something to eat.”

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Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth

1 Jesus left that place and went back to his hometown, followed by his disciples.

2 On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue. Many people were there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed. “Where did he get all this?” they asked. “What wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles?

3 Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him.

4 Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family.”

5 He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

6 He was greatly surprised, because the people did not have faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples

Then Jesus went to the villages around there, teaching the people.

7 He called the twelve disciples together and sent them out two by two. He gave them authority over the evil spirits

8 and ordered them, “Don’t take anything with you on the trip except a walking stick—no bread, no beggar’s bag, no money in your pockets.

9 Wear sandals, but don’t carry an extra shirt.”

10 He also told them, “Wherever you are welcomed, stay in the same house until you leave that place.

11 If you come to a town where people do not welcome you or will not listen to you, leave it and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a warning to them!”

12 So they went out and preached that people should turn away from their sins.

13 They drove out many demons, and rubbed olive oil on many sick people and healed them.

The Death of John the Baptist

14 Now King Herodheard about all this, because Jesus’ reputation had spread everywhere. Some people were saying, “John the Baptist has come back to life! That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”

15 Others, however, said, “He is Elijah.”

Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

16 When Herod heard it, he said, “He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life!”

17 Herod himself had ordered John’s arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. Herod did this because of Herodias, whom he had married, even though she was the wife of his brother Philip.

18 John the Baptist kept telling Herod, “It isn’t right for you to marry your brother’s wife!”

19 So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not because of Herod.

20 Herod was afraid of John because he knew that John was a good and holy man, and so he kept him safe. He liked to listen to him, even though he became greatly disturbed every time he heard him.

21 Finally Herodias got her chance. It was on Herod’s birthday, when he gave a feast for all the top government officials, the military chiefs, and the leading citizens of Galilee.

22 The daughter of Herodiascame in and danced, and pleased Herod and his guests. So the king said to the girl, “What would you like to have? I will give you anything you want.”

23 With many vows he said to her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for, even as much as half my kingdom!”

24 So the girl went out and asked her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25 The girl hurried back at once to the king and demanded, “I want you to give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

26 This made the king very sad, but he could not refuse her because of the vows he had made in front of all his guests.

27 So he sent off a guard at once with orders to bring John’s head. The guard left, went to the prison, and cut John’s head off;

28 then he brought it on a plate and gave it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

29 When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and got his body, and buried it.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

30 The apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told him all they had done and taught.

31 There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn’t even have time to eat. So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.”

32 So they started out in a boat by themselves to a lonely place.

33 Many people, however, saw them leave and knew at once who they were; so they went from all the towns and ran ahead by land and arrived at the place ahead of Jesus and his disciples.

34 When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

35 When it was getting late, his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place.

36 Send the people away, and let them go to the nearby farms and villages in order to buy themselves something to eat.”

37 “You yourselves give them something to eat,” Jesus answered.

They asked, “Do you want us to go and spend two hundred silver coinson bread in order to feed them?”

38 So Jesus asked them, “How much bread do you have? Go and see.”

When they found out, they told him, “Five loaves and also two fish.”

39 Jesus then told his disciples to make all the people divide into groups and sit down on the green grass.

40 So the people sat down in rows, in groups of a hundred and groups of fifty.

41 Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

42 Everyone ate and had enough.

43 Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left of the bread and the fish.

44 The number of men who were fed was five thousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 At once Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida, on the other side of the lake, while he sent the crowd away.

46 After saying good-bye to the people, he went away to a hill to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, while Jesus was alone on land.

48 He saw that his disciples were straining at the oars, because they were rowing against the wind; so sometime between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them, walking on the water. He was going to pass them by,

49 but they saw him walking on the water. “It’s a ghost!” they thought, and screamed.

50 They were all terrified when they saw him.

Jesus spoke to them at once, “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid!”

51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely amazed,

52 because they had not understood the real meaning of the feeding of the five thousand; their minds could not grasp it.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

53 They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat.

54 As they left the boat, people recognized Jesus at once.

55 So they ran throughout the whole region; and wherever they heard he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats.

56 And everywhere Jesus went, to villages, towns, or farms, people would take their sick to the marketplaces and beg him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak. And all who touched it were made well.

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The Teaching of the Ancestors

1 Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus.

2 They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their food with hands that were ritually unclean—that is, they had not washed them in the way the Pharisees said people should.

(

3 For the Pharisees, as well as the rest of the Jews, follow the teaching they received from their ancestors: they do not eat unless they wash their hands in the proper way;

4 nor do they eat anything that comes from the market unless they wash it first.And they follow many other rules which they have received, such as the proper way to wash cups, pots, copper bowls, and beds.)

5 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, “Why is it that your disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?”

6 Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote:

‘These people, says God, honor me with their words,

but their heart is really far away from me.

7 It is no use for them to worship me,

because they teach human rules

as though they were my laws!’

8 “You put aside God’s command and obey human teachings.”

9 And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching.

10 For Moses commanded, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and, ‘If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death.’

11 But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This is Corban’ (which means, it belongs to God),

12 they are excused from helping their father or mother.

13 In this way the teaching you pass on to others cancels out the word of God. And there are many other things like this that you do.”

The Things That Make a Person Unclean

14 Then Jesus called the crowd to him once more and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand.

15 There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.”

17 When he left the crowd and went into the house, his disciples asked him to explain this saying.

18 “You are no more intelligent than the others,” Jesus said to them. “Don’t you understand? Nothing that goes into you from the outside can really make you unclean,

19 because it does not go into your heart but into your stomach and then goes on out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared that all foods are fit to be eaten.)

20 And he went on to say, “It is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.

21 For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill,

22 commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly—

23 all these evil things come from inside you and make you unclean.”

A Woman’s Faith

24 Then Jesus left and went away to the territory near the city of Tyre. He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden.

25 A woman, whose daughter had an evil spirit in her, heard about Jesus and came to him at once and fell at his feet.

26 The woman was a Gentile, born in the region of Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 But Jesus answered, “Let us first feed the children. It isn’t right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

28 “Sir,” she answered, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s leftovers!”

29 So Jesus said to her, “Because of that answer, go back home, where you will find that the demon has gone out of your daughter!”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed; the demon had indeed gone out of her.

Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute

31 Jesus then left the neighborhood of Tyre and went on through Sidon to Lake Galilee, going by way of the territory of the Ten Towns.

32 Some people brought him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and they begged Jesus to place his hands on him.

33 So Jesus took him off alone, away from the crowd, put his fingers in the man’s ears, spat, and touched the man’s tongue.

34 Then Jesus looked up to heaven, gave a deep groan, and said to the man,“Ephphatha,”which means, “Open up!”

35 At once the man was able to hear, his speech impediment was removed, and he began to talk without any trouble.

36 Then Jesus ordered the people not to speak of it to anyone; but the more he ordered them not to, the more they told it.

37 And all who heard were completely amazed. “How well he does everything!” they exclaimed. “He even causes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak!”

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Jesus Feeds Four Thousand People

1 Not long afterward another large crowd came together. When the people had nothing left to eat, Jesus called the disciples to him and said,

2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat.

3 If I send them home without feeding them, they will faint as they go, because some of them have come a long way.”

4 His disciples asked him, “Where in this desert can anyone find enough food to feed all these people?”

5 “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven loaves,” they answered.

6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the crowd; and the disciples did so.

7 They also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for these and told the disciples to distribute them too.

8-9 Everybody ate and had enough—there were about four thousand people. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. Jesus sent the people away

10 and at once got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

The Pharisees Ask for a Miracle

11 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and started to argue with him. They wanted to trap him, so they asked him to perform a miracle to show that God approved of him.

12 But Jesus gave a deep groan and said, “Why do the people of this day ask for a miracle? No, I tell you! No such proof will be given to these people!”

13 He left them, got back into the boat, and started across to the other side of the lake.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring enough bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat.

15 “Take care,” Jesus warned them, “and be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

16 They started discussing among themselves: “He says this because we don’t have any bread.”

17 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he asked them, “Why are you discussing about not having any bread? Don’t you know or understand yet? Are your minds so dull?

18 You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear? Don’t you remember

19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand people? How many baskets full of leftover pieces did you take up?”

“Twelve,” they answered.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand people,” asked Jesus, “how many baskets full of leftover pieces did you take up?”

“Seven,” they answered.

21 “And you still don’t understand?” he asked them.

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 They came to Bethsaida, where some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him.

23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. After spitting on the man’s eyes, Jesus placed his hands on him and asked him, “Can you see anything?”

24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I can see people, but they look like trees walking around.”

25 Jesus again placed his hands on the man’s eyes. This time the man looked intently, his eyesight returned, and he saw everything clearly.

26 Jesus then sent him home with the order, “Don’t go back into the village.”

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

27 Then Jesus and his disciples went away to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Tell me, who do people say I am?”

28 “Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered; “others say that you are Elijah, while others say that you are one of the prophets.”

29 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Then Jesus ordered them, “Do not tell anyone about me.”

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death

31 Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life.”

32 He made this very clear to them. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But Jesus turned around, looked at his disciples, and rebuked Peter. “Get away from me, Satan,” he said. “Your thoughts don’t come from God but from human nature!”

34 Then Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him. “If any of you want to come with me,” he told them, “you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.

35 For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for me and for the gospel, you will save it.

36 Do you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not!

37 There is nothing you can give to regain your life.

38 If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching in this godless and wicked day, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

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Jesus Teaches about Divorce

1 Then Jesus left that place, went to the province of Judea, and crossed the Jordan River. Crowds came flocking to him again, and he taught them, as he always did.

2 Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him. “Tell us,” they asked, “does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”

3 Jesus answered with a question, “What law did Moses give you?”

4 Their answer was, “Moses gave permission for a man to write a divorce notice and send his wife away.”

5 Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you because you are so hard to teach.

6 But in the beginning, at the time of creation, ‘God made them male and female,’ as the scripture says.

7 ‘And for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife,

8 and the two will become one.’ So they are no longer two, but one.

9 No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together.”

10 When they went back into the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.

11 He said to them, “A man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against his wife.

12 In the same way, a woman who divorces her husband and marries another man commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples scolded the people.

14 When Jesus noticed this, he was angry and said to his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

15 I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

16 Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them, and blessed them.

The Rich Man

17 As Jesus was starting on his way again, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.

19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” the man said, “ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments.”

21 Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, “You need only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.”

22 When the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad, because he was very rich.

23 Jesus looked around at his disciples and said to them, “How hard it will be for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, “My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!

25 It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.”

26 At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked one another, “Who, then, can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked straight at them and answered, “This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God.”

28 Then Peter spoke up, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

29 “Yes,” Jesus said to them, “and I tell you that those who leave home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel,

30 will receive much more in this present age. They will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—and persecutions as well; and in the age to come they will receive eternal life.

31 But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.”

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

32 Jesus and his disciples were now on the road going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of the disciples, who were filled with alarm; the people who followed behind were afraid. Once again Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and spoke of the things that were going to happen to him.

33 “Listen,” he told them, “we are going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles,

34 who will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him; but three days later he will rise to life.”

The Request of James and John

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “there is something we want you to do for us.”

36 “What is it?” Jesus asked them.

37 They answered, “When you sit on your throne in your glorious Kingdom, we want you to let us sit with you, one at your right and one at your left.”

38 Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking for. Can you drink the cup of suffering that I must drink? Can you be baptized in the way I must be baptized?”

39 “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup I must drink and be baptized in the way I must be baptized.

40 But I do not have the right to choose who will sit at my right and my left. It is God who will give these places to those for whom he has prepared them.”

41 When the other ten disciples heard about it, they became angry with James and John.

42 So Jesus called them all together to him and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority.

43 This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest;

44 and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of all.

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

46 They came to Jericho, and as Jesus was leaving with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting by the road.

47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

48 Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” they said. “Get up, he is calling you.”

50 So he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

“Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.”

52 “Go,” Jesus told him, “your faith has made you well.”

At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road.

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The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

1 As they approached Jerusalem, near the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, they came to the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead

2 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

3 And if someone asks you why you are doing that, say that the Masterneeds it and will send it back at once.”

4 So they went and found a colt out in the street, tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it,

5 some of the bystanders asked them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”

6 They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the crowd let them go.

7 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the animal, and Jesus got on.

8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches in the field and spread them on the road.

9 The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord!

10 God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem, went into the Temple, and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

12 The next day, as they were coming back from Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

13 He saw in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, so he went to see if he could find any figs on it. But when he came to it, he found only leaves, because it was not the right time for figs.

14 Jesus said to the fig tree, “No one shall ever eat figs from you again!”

And his disciples heard him.

Jesus Goes to the Temple

15 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Temple and began to drive out all those who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons,

16 and he would not let anyone carry anything through the Temple courtyards.

17 He then taught the people: “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.’ But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!”

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law heard of this, so they began looking for some way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city.

The Lesson from the Fig Tree

20 Early next morning, as they walked along the road, they saw the fig tree. It was dead all the way down to its roots.

21 Peter remembered what had happened and said to Jesus, “Look, Teacher, the fig tree you cursed has died!”

22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.

23 I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

24 For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for.

25 And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done.”

The Question about Jesus’ Authority

27 They arrived once again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders came to him

28 and asked him, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?”

29 Jesus answered them, “I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things.

30 Tell me, where did John’s right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?”

31 They started to argue among themselves: “What shall we say? If we answer, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’

32 But if we say, ‘From human beings …’” (They were afraid of the people, because everyone was convinced that John had been a prophet.)

33 So their answer to Jesus was, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”

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The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

1 Then Jesus spoke to them in parables: “Once there was a man who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip.

2 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest.

3 The tenants grabbed the slave, beat him, and sent him back without a thing.

4 Then the owner sent another slave; the tenants beat him over the head and treated him shamefully.

5 The owner sent another slave, and they killed him; and they treated many others the same way, beating some and killing others.

6 The only one left to send was the man’s own dear son. Last of all, then, he sent his son to the tenants. ‘I am sure they will respect my son,’ he said.

7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the owner’s son. Come on, let’s kill him, and his property will be ours!’

8 So they grabbed the son and killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard.

9 “What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do?” asked Jesus. “He will come and kill those tenants and turn the vineyard over to others.

10 Surely you have read this scripture?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.

11 This was done by the Lord;

what a wonderful sight it is!’”

12 The Jewish leaders tried to arrest Jesus, because they knew that he had told this parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

The Question about Paying Taxes

13 Some Pharisees and some members of Herod’s party were sent to Jesus to trap him with questions.

14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth, without worrying about what people think. You pay no attention to anyone’s status, but teach the truth about God’s will for people. Tell us, is it against our Law to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor? Should we pay them or not?”

15 But Jesus saw through their trick and answered, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring a silver coin, and let me see it.”

16 They brought him one, and he asked, “Whose face and name are these?”

“The Emperor’s,” they answered.

17 So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

And they were amazed at Jesus.

The Question about Rising from Death

18 Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, came to Jesus and said,

19 “Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man’s brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man’s children.’

20 Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children.

21 Then the second one married the woman, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother,

22 and then to the rest: all seven brothers married the woman and died without having children. Last of all, the woman died.

23 Now, when all the dead rise to life on the day of resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.”

24 Jesus answered them, “How wrong you are! And do you know why? It is because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power.

25 For when the dead rise to life, they will be like the angels in heaven and will not marry.

26 Now, as for the dead being raised: haven’t you ever read in the Book of Moses the passage about the burning bush? There it is written that God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

27 He is the God of the living, not of the dead. You are completely wrong!”

The Great Commandment

28 A teacher of the Law was there who heard the discussion. He saw that Jesus had given the Sadducees a good answer, so he came to him with a question: “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important one is this: ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord.

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

31 The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment more important than these two.”

32 The teacher of the Law said to Jesus, “Well done, Teacher! It is true, as you say, that only the Lord is God and that there is no other god but he.

33 And you must love God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength; and you must love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer on the altar animals and other sacrifices to God.”

34 Jesus noticed how wise his answer was, and so he told him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”

After this nobody dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

The Question about the Messiah

35 As Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked the question, “How can the teachers of the Law say that the Messiah will be the descendant of David?

36 The Holy Spirit inspired David to say:

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit here at my right side

until I put your enemies under your feet.’

37 David himself called him ‘Lord’; so how can the Messiah be David’s descendant?”

Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law

A large crowd was listening to Jesus gladly.

38 As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplace,

39 who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts.

40 They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!”

The Widow’s Offering

41 As Jesus sat near the Temple treasury, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich men dropped in a lot of money;

42 then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins, worth about a penny.

43 He called his disciples together and said to them, “I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others.

44 For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had—she gave all she had to live on.”

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Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Look, Teacher! What wonderful stones and buildings!”

2 Jesus answered, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.”

Troubles and Persecutions

3 Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private.

4 “Tell us when this will be,” they said, “and tell us what will happen to show that the time has come for all these things to take place.”

5 Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and don’t let anyone fool you.

6 Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people.

7 And don’t be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come.

8 Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth.

9 “You yourselves must watch out. You will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in the synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake to tell them the Good News.

10 But before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples.

11 And when you are arrested and taken to court, do not worry ahead of time about what you are going to say; when the time comes, say whatever is then given to you. For the words you speak will not be yours; they will come from the Holy Spirit.

12 Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.

13 Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.

The Awful Horror

14 “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) “Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.

15 Someone who is on the roof of a house must not lose time by going down into the house to get anything to take along.

16 Someone who is in the field must not go back to the house for a cloak.

17 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies!

18 Pray to God that these things will not happen in the winter!

19 For the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again.

20 But the Lord has reduced the number of those days; if he had not, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, he has reduced those days.

21 “Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’—do not believe it.

22 For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God’s chosen people, if possible.

23 Be on your guard! I have told you everything ahead of time.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine,

25 the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses.

26 Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God’s chosen people from one end of the world to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28 “Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near.

29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin.

30 Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died.

31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

No One Knows the Day or Hour

32 “No one knows, however, when that day or hour will come—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father knows.

33 Be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come.

34 It will be like a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch.

35 Watch, then, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming—it might be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or at sunrise.

36 If he comes suddenly, he must not find you asleep.

37 What I say to you, then, I say to all: Watch!”

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