WHO IS THE GREATEST?

18 At that timeI,t the disciplesu came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”v 2 He called a small child and had him stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children,w you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.x 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomesJ one child like this in my name welcomes me.

6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.y 7 Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes.z 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.a 9 And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.K,b

THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP

10 “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones,c because I tell you that in heaven their angelsd continually view the face of my Father in heaven.* e 12 What do you think?f If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?g 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheepA more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

RESTORING A BROTHER

15 “If your brother sins against you,B go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.h 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimonyC of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.D,i 17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church.E,j If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.k 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been boundF in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosedG in heaven.l 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that youH pray for, it will be done for youI by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”

THE PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT

21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”m

22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.J

23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talentsK was brought before him. 25 Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.n

26 “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

28 “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.L,o He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

29 “At this, his fellow servant fell downM and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’p 34 And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sisterA from yourB heart.”q

THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,r he departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan.s 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.t 3 Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?”u

4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who createdS them in the beginning made them male and female,D,v 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?E,w 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

7 “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papersa and to send her away?”

8 He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning. 9 I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”* b

10 His disciplesc said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”

11 He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given.d 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”

BLESSING THE CHILDREN

13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.e 14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”G,f 15 After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

16 Just then someone came up and asked him,g “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”h

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?”H he said to him. “There is only one who is good.I If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”i

18 “Which ones?” he asked him.

Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness;j 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.A,k

20 “I have kept all these,”B the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”

21 “If you want to be perfect,”C Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor,l and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

POSSESSIONS AND THE KINGDOM

23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.m 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”n

25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”o

27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things,p when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,q you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or motherD or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life.r 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.s

THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD WORKERS

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.t 2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius,* he sent them into his vineyard for the day. 3 When he went out about nine in the morning,F he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and about three,G he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five* he went and found others standing aroundI and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’

7 “ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“ ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them.J 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,a starting with the last and ending with the first.’

9 “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. 10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: 12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’b

13 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?c 14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealousA because I’m generous?’B,d

16 “So the last will be first, and the first last.”C,e

THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

17 While going up to Jerusalem,f Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.g 19 They will hand him over to the Gentilesh to be mocked, flogged,D and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”E

SUFFERING AND SERVICE

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons.i She knelt down to ask him for something.j 21 “What do you want?” he asked her.

“Promise,”F she said to him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”k

22 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”G,l

“We are able,” they said to him.

23 He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup,H but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”m

24 When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,n 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,o and to give his life as a ransom for many.”p

TWO BLIND MEN HEALED

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.q 30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”r

32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 “Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

21 When they approached Jerusalems and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives,t Jesus then sent two disciples, 2 telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”

4 This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

5 Tell Daughter Zion,

“See, your King is coming to you,

gentle, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt,

the foal of a donkey.”A,u

6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted:

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is he who comes in the name

of the Lord!B

Hosanna in the highest heaven!a

10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesusb from Nazareth in Galilee.”

CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

12 Jesus went into the templeC,c and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.d 13 He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer,D but you are making it a den of thieves!”E,e

CHILDREN PRAISE JESUS

14 The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read:

You have preparedF praisef

from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?”G

17 Then he left them, went out of the city to Bethany,g and spent the night there.

THE BARREN FIG TREE

18 Early in the morning,h as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered.

20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.i 22 And if you believe, you will receivej whatever you ask for in prayer.”

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED

23 When he entered the temple,k the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”l

24 Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’m 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd,n because everyone considers John to be a prophet.”o 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’p

29 “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?”

They said, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness,q and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.

THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER

33 “Listenr to another parable:s There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower.t He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.u 34 When the time came to harvest fruit, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect his fruit. 35 The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.v 36 Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’w 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

41 “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his fruit at the harvest.”a

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.A

This is what the Lord has done

and it is wonderful in our eyes?B,b

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces;c but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”C

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,d they knew he was speaking about them. 46 Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because the people regarded him as a prophet.e

THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2 “The kingdom of heavenf is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.g 3 He sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet,h but they didn’t want to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: See, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’i

5 “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The kingD was enraged, and he sent out his troops, killed those murderers, and burned down their city.

8 “Then he told his servants, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.j 9 Go then to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’k 10 So those servants went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquetE was filled with guests.F 11 When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding.l 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend,m how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot,G and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”n

GOD AND CAESAR

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he said.G,o 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians.p “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You don’t care what anyone thinks nor do you show partiality.H,q 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesarr or not?”

18 Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius.A 20 “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.

21 “Caesar’s,” they said to him.

Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”s 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION

23 That same day some Sadducees,t who say there is no resurrection, came up to him and questioned him:u 24 “Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.B,v 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second also, and the third, and so on to all seven. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”C

29 Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are likeD angels in heaven.w 31 Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: 32 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?E,a HeF is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

THE PRIMARY COMMANDS

34 Whenb the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him:c 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.G,d 38 This is the greatest and most importantH command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.I,e 40 All the Law and the Prophets dependJ on these two commands.”f

THE QUESTION ABOUT THE MESSIAH

41 While the Pharisees were together, Jesus questioned them,g 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

They replied, “David’s.”

43 He asked them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit,K calls him ‘Lord’h:

44 The Lord declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand

until I put your enemies under your feet’?L,M,i

45 “If David calls him ‘Lord,’ how, then, can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to answer him at all,N and from that day no one dared to question him anymore.j