Study Desk

He^(a) said to His disciples, "Offenses^[a] will certainly come,^[b] but woe^(b) to the one they come^(c) through!

It would be better for him if a millstone^[c] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble. ^(d)

Be^(e) on your guard. If your brother sins,^[d] rebuke^(f) him, and if he repents, forgive^(g) him.

And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him."

The^(h) apostles⁽ⁱ⁾ said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."^(j)

"If you have faith the size of^[e] a mustard seed,"^(k) the Lord said, "you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

"Which one of you having a slave tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat'?

Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready,^[f] and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink'?^(l)

Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded?^[g]

In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are good-for-nothing^(m) slaves; we've only done our duty.'"

While traveling to Jerusalem,⁽ⁿ⁾ He passed between^[h] Samaria and Galilee.^(o)

As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases^(p) met Him. They stood at a distance

and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master,^(q) have mercy on us!"

When He saw them, He told them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." ^(r) And while they were going, they were healed.^[i]

But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God.^(s)

He fell facedown^(t) at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.^(u)

Then Jesus said, "Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine?

Didn't any return^[j] to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

And He told him, "Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well." ^[k](v)

Being^(w) asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come,^(x) He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable;

no one will say,^[l] ‘Look here!' or ‘There!' For you see, the kingdom of God is among you."

Then He told the disciples: "The days are coming^(y) when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won't see it. ^(z)

They will say to you,^(aa) ‘Look there!' or ‘Look here!' Don't follow or run after them. ^(ab)

For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in His day. ^(ac)

But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ^(ad)

"Just as it was in the days of Noah,^(ae) so it will be in the days of the Son of Man:

People went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage^(af) until the day Noah boarded the ark,^(ag) and the flood came and destroyed them all.

It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot:^(ah) People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building.

But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed^(ai) them all.

It^(aj) will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. ^(ak)

On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back.

Remember Lot's wife! ^(al)

Whoever tries to make his life secure ^[m][n] will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ^(am)

I tell you, on that night^(an) two will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other will be left.

Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left.

[Two will be in a field: One will be taken, and the other will be left.]" ^[o]

"Where, Lord?"^(ao) they asked Him. He said to them, "Where the corpse is, there also the vultures^(ap) will be gathered."

He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray^(a) always and not become discouraged:^(b)

"There was a judge in a certain town who didn't fear God^(c) or respect man.

And a widow^(d) in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.'

"For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don't fear God or respect man,

yet because this widow keeps^(e) pestering me,^[a] I will give her justice, so she doesn't wear me out^[b] by her persistent coming.'"

Then the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.

Will not God grant justice^(f) to His elect^(g) who cry out to Him day and night?^(h) Will He delay⁽ⁱ⁾ to help them?^[c]

I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,^(j) will He find that faith^[d] on earth?"

He^(k) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves^(l) that they were righteous^(m) and looked down⁽ⁿ⁾ on everyone else:

"Two men went up to the temple complex to pray,^(o) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee took his stand ^[e](p) and was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I'm not like other people^[f] —greedy,^(q) unrighteous,^(r) adulterers,^(s) or even like this tax collector.

I fast^(t) twice a week; I give a tenth ^[g](u) of everything I get.'

"But the tax collector, standing far off,^(v) would not even raise his eyes to heaven^(w) but kept striking his chest ^[h](x) and saying, ‘God, turn Your wrath from me ^[i](y) —a sinner!'^(z)

I tell you, this one went down to his house justified^(aa) rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." ^(ab)

Some^(ac) people were even bringing infants to Him so He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

Jesus, however, invited them: "Let the little children come to Me,^(ad) and don't stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I assure you:^(ae) Whoever does not welcome^(af) the kingdom of God like a little child^(ag) will never enter it."

A^(ah) ruler^(ai) asked Him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"^(aj)

"Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good but One—God.

You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother. " ^(ak)[j]

"I have kept all these from my youth," he said.

When Jesus heard this, He told him, "You still lack one thing: Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor,^(al) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(am) Then come, follow Me." ^(an)

After he heard this, he became extremely sad,^(ao) because he was very rich.

Seeing that he became sad,^[k] Jesus said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!

For 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."

Those who heard this asked, "Then who can be saved?"^(ap)

He replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." ^(aq)

Then Peter said, "Look, we have left what we had and followed^(ar) You."

So He said to them, "I assure you: There is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers, parents or children because of the kingdom of God,

who will not receive many times more at this time,^(as) and eternal life in the age to come."

Then^(at) He took the Twelve aside and told them, "Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem.^(au) Everything that is written^(av) through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ^(aw)

For He will be handed over to the Gentiles,^(ax) and He will be mocked,^(ay) insulted, spit^(az) on;

and after they flog Him, they will kill Him, and He will rise on the third day." ^(ba)

They understood none of these things.^(bb) This saying^[l](bc) was hidden^(bd) from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

As^(be) He drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.

Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what this meant.

"Jesus the Nazarene^(bf) is passing by," they told him.

So he called out,^(bg) "Jesus, Son of David,^(bh) have mercy^(bi) on me!"

Then those in front told him to keep quiet,^[m] but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him. When he drew near, He asked him,

"What do you want Me to do for you?" "Lord," he said, "I want to see!"

"Receive your sight!" ^(bj) Jesus told him. "Your faith has healed you." ^[n](bk)

Instantly he could see, and he began to follow Him, glorifying God.^(bl) All the people,^(bm) when they saw it, gave praise to God.

He entered Jericho and was passing through.

There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man.

So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way.

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house."

So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully.

All who saw it began to complain,^(a) "He's gone to lodge with a sinful man!"

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, I'll give^[a] half of my possessions to the poor,^(b) Lord! And if I have extorted^(c) anything from anyone, I'll pay^[b] back four times as much!"^(d)

"Today salvation^(e) has come to this house," Jesus told him, "because he too is a son of Abraham. ^(f)

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost." ^[c](g)

As^(h) they were listening to this, He went on to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem,⁽ⁱ⁾ and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.^(j)

Therefore He said: "A nobleman traveled to a far country to receive for himself authority to be king^[d] and then return.

He called 10 of his slaves, gave them 10 minas,^[e] and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.'

"But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We don't want this man to rule over us!'

"At his return, having received the authority to be king,^[f] he summoned those slaves he had given the money to, so he could find out how much they had made in business.

The first came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has earned 10 more minas.'

"‘Well done, good^[g] slave!' he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful^(k) in a very small matter, have authority over 10 towns.'

"The second came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.'

"So he said to him, ‘You will be over five towns.'

"And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it hidden away in a cloth

because I was afraid of you, for you're a tough man: you collect what you didn't deposit and reap what you didn't sow.'^(l)

"He told him, ‘I will judge you by what you have said,^[h] you evil slave! If you knew I was a tough man, collecting what I didn't deposit and reaping what I didn't sow,

why didn't you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have collected it with interest!'

So he said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minas.'

"But they said to him, ‘Master, he has 10 minas.'

"‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away. ^(m)

But bring here these enemies of mine,⁽ⁿ⁾ who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter^[i] them in my presence.'"