After Jesus left Jerusalem he saw a man who had been born blind. His followers asked, “Teacher, was it this man’s sin or the sin of his parents that made him blind?”
Jesus replied, “Neither. This happened so that God’s power will be seen in him. As long as we have daylight, we must do God’s work. But night is coming and then no one can work.” After saying this he spit on the ground and made some mud. He then rubbed it in the man’s eyes and told him to go to a nearby pool and wash himself. When the man did this, his sight was restored.
Those who had seen the man begging started to argue about whether he was really the person they had seen or just someone who looked similar. But when he insisted that it was really him they asked him how he had been healed. When he told them they took him to the religious leaders.
This healing was done on the sabbath so when the religious leaders heard the story they said, “This man who healed you is not from God. He defies the law of Moses by working on the sabbath.”
But the people who had brought the man asked, “How could a sinner heal a man like this?”
So the religious leaders asked the formerly blind man, “What do you have to say about him?”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.” But the religious leaders still would not believe that he was ever really blind, so they had his parents sent for as well.
When they arrived the religious leaders asked, “Is this your son, who was supposedly born blind. How, then, is he now able to see?”
“Yes, he is our son and he was born blind, but we don’t know how he was healed. Ask him, he is an adult.” they replied, fearing what would happen to them if they said too much.
So again they asked the man, “Honor God by telling us the truth. We know the man you speak of is a sinner.”
The man replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. All I know is that I was blind and now I can see.”
“What did he do? How were you healed,” they said.
“I’ve already told you and didn’t listen to me. Why do you want me to tell you the same story again? Do you want to be his followers too?”
This enraged them so they started yelling insults at him and said, “You are his follower. We follow Moses. We know God spoke to Moses, but this man, we don’t even know where he is from.”
The man replied, “Now that’s something. You don’t know where he is from, but he did heal me. We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but to those who obey. Nobody has heard of someone like me being healed before. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
Then they yelled, “You were covered in sin from the moment you were born. How dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
When Jesus heard this he found the man and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
“Who is he? Tell me so I can believe in him?”
“It’s me.”
“Lord, I believe,” the man replied and then he worshipped Jesus.
Jesus continued, “I came into this world so that the blind can see and that those who think they see will be shown to be blind.”
Some Pharisees who were following him asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of your sin. But since you claim to see you remain guilty. Anyone who sneaks into a sheep pen is a thief. The shepherd enters through the gate. He calls the sheep by name and they listen to his voice. But they will run from the voice of a stranger. I am the shepherd. I lay down my life, by my own choice, to protect the lives of my sheep from the thief who comes to steal and kill. The Jewish sheep are in one pen, but I must gather other sheep from a different pen to make one great flock.” His words again divided the crowd, with some convinced he was demon-possessed and others believing he was sent from God.
Jesus began to travel back towards Jerusalem. When he was near the border of Samaria and Galilee, ten men with leprosy called out to him, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us!”
Jesus replied, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As the men walked they were healed. One of the men, a samaritan, realized he had been healed, and returned to Jesus praising God loudly. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine who were healed? Has no one else except this foreigner returned to praise God? Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”
After this, Jesus selected 72 of his followers to go into towns ahead of him. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take any supplies with you and go directly to the town I send you to. If the town welcomes you, heal their sick and tell them that the kingdom of God is near. But if they don’t welcome you, shake the dust of their town from your sandals and warn them that even though they won’t listen, the kingdom of God is still approaching. Their judgment will be even worse than what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Abraham.”
After the 72 left, Jesus thought of all the towns where he had performed miracles that had not repented of their sin and followed him and he said, “If the miracles I had performed in your towns were shown to the surrounding countries they would have fallen to their knees and wept for forgiveness. Your judgment is near.”
When the 72 returned they excitedly told Jesus, “Even the demons listened to us when we invoked your name.”
Jesus replied, “I watched when Satan was thrown out of heaven like a lightning bolt. I have given you authority to trample over evil, to overpower the enemy. Nothing can harm you. But do not celebrate that demons flee from you, celebrate that your names are written down in heaven in the book of life. “I praise my father for hiding these things from the self-righteous religious experts and instead showing them to those who have faith like a child. You have been blessed to see such things. Prophets and kings longed for, but never saw what you have seen.”
Some time after this, an expert in the law of Moses came to Jesus, asking, “Teacher, what must be done to have eternal life?”
Jesus answered, “What have you read in the law?”
“Love God with everything you have and love your neighbor like you love yourself.”
“That’s correct,” Jesus replied, “Do this and you will live forever.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus said, “A man was traveling and on the road he was attacked by thieves. They beat him nearly to death and stole his clothing. A priest saw the man as he was walking, but just kept going. So did a Levite. But a Samaritan outsider, as he rode up to the man, decided to stop and help. He covered his wounds in expensive ointment and bandaged them. He put the man on his donkey and took him to the closest inn. The next morning he gave the innkeeper extra money to keep caring for the man. He said, ‘I will return soon and I will pay you any extra I owe you for looking after him.’ Which of the three passersby acted like a neighbor to the man who was beaten?”
The religious leader said, “the one who took care of him.”
“That’s the answer to your question,” Jesus said.
As Jesus continued to travel to Jerusalem he stopped in Bethany at the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. They invited him and his disciples to stay with them for a while. Mary sat and listened to everything Jesus had to say while Martha was busy preparing a meal for everyone. She soon got frustrated and said to Jesus, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work myself? Tell her to help me.”
Jesus replied, “Martha, you get worried or upset about a lot of things, but only one thing really matters. Mary has chosen what matters most and I won’t take that away from her.”
After this, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for Hannakuh, which celebrated a miracle that occurred during the Maccabean revolt. As he walked through the temple courts the Jews who were following him asked, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the savior of prophecy, just say so.”
Jesus replied, “I told you already, but you did not believe me because you are not my sheep. I give them eternal life and no one can take them away from me. My father has given them to me and he is greater than all others. My father and I are one.”
When he said this, they again grabbed stones to kill him and he said, “I have shown you many good things from my father. Which one are you stoning me for?”
They answered, “We are stoning you because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
“Why do you accuse me of wrongdoing for saying I am God’s son. Even if you won’t listen to my words, look at my works. Then you will know that my father is in me and I am in my father.” But they again tried to seize him and he escaped out of Jerusalem to Perea.
While he was travelling through the towns of that area someone asked him, “Are only a few people going to be saved?”
Jesus answered, “Do whatever it takes to get through the doorway, which is narrow. Many will try to force their way through, but will not succeed. Once the owner of the house closes the door they will stand outside and say, ‘open the door,’ but he will reply, ‘I don’t know you.’ People will enter from every corner of the world to join God’s feast, but there will be great sadness for those who thought they deserved to attend.”
Some of the Pharisees who were there said, “You should leave this place, Herod Antipas wants you dead.”
Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep driving out demons today, tomorrow, and the next day. Besides, it is the destiny of the prophet to die in Jerusalem.”
On a day of rest Jesus was in the home of a religious leader and he saw a man who suffered from strange swelling in his body. He asked the religious leaders, “Is it lawful to heal on the day of rest?” but they remained silent. So he healed the man and sent him on his way. He continued, “If one of you had an ox fall into a pit on the day of rest wouldn’t you immediately pull it out?” but they had nothing to say.
When he saw how the other guests chose the best places at the table for themselves he said, “When you are invited to a dinner party, don’t take the best place for yourself. Someone more important than you might come along and you will be asked to move. Then you will have to take the only seat left at the end of the table. Instead, be willing to sit at the lowest place from the start and perhaps your host will see you and generously move you to a better seat. All who try to elevate themselves will be humbled and all who are willing to humble themselves will be honored by God. And when you throw a dinner party, don’t invite people just so they will invite you back. Invite the poor and the crippled and you will be blessed. Even though they can’t repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection.”
One of the people listening said, “Every one of us would be lucky to attend a dinner party in God’s kingdom.”
Jesus replied, “A man once prepared for a dinner party. When it was time he sent his servants to tell his guests. But they all started making excuses like, ‘I just bought a new field and I need to examine it,’ or, ‘I just bought some new oxen and I need to test them out,’ or ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ When the servants told their master he was irritated so he sent them out to invite the poor and the crippled, saying, ‘go as far as you have to to fill my house. No one who was originally invited will be allowed at my banquet.’”
He told the crowd, “You can’t be my follower unless you are willing to put me above everything else, your spouse, your kids, your mother, father, and siblings, even your own life. Suppose you wanted to build a tower. You would estimate how much it costs first to make sure you could afford it. If you started but didn’t complete it you would be a laughing stock. The same is true for a king deciding if he can win a war. If not, he’ll send some men to negotiate a peace treaty instead. The same is true for my followers.
The religious leaders saw that in the crowd were all kinds of sinful people so they said, “This man welcomes sinners.”
Jesus said, “If a woman had 10 coins and lost one, she would light a lamp, sweep the house, and carefully search until she found it. Then she would call her friends together to celebrate her good fortune. In the same way the angels celebrate before God when one sinner repents.”
He continued, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Give me my inheritance early.” So his father did. Soon after, this son took the money and moved to a distant country where he quickly wasted everything he had. When a famine hit the country he had no way to buy food so he got a job feeding pigs. He was so hungry that even the pig’s slop looked good to him.
He soon realized, “my father’s servants are treated better than this. I’ll go home and tell him I’m sorry and that i’ve sinned and beg him to make me one of his servants because I don’t deserve to be his son anymore.” Then he set off for home.
He was still far off when his father saw him and ran to meet him. He threw his arms around his son and kissed him. When the son gave his apology his father said to his servants, “Quickly bring me my best robe and put it on him along with a family ring and sandals. Then, prepare a feast to celebrate. I thought my son was dead, but he is alive. He was lost and now I’ve found him.
The older son was still working in the fields when he heard the sound of music and dancing. He asked one of the servants what was going on. When he heard about his father’s response to his brother’s return he was angry and refused to go to the party. So his father came out to convince him to come.
The son said, “For years I’ve worked hard for you and never disobeyed. You never threw me a feast like this. But when my brother, who blew all the money you gave him, returns you do this?”
“My son,” the father said, “You live here. Everything I have is yours. But we celebrate because your brother, my son, who we thought was lost forever, has returned to us.”
One of the pharisees then asked him when the kingdom of God was coming and Jesus replied, “It is not something you can point to and say, ‘there it is,’ because it is already here among you.” Then he said to his disciples, “There will come a time when you will long to see me return, but don’t listen to those who say, ‘there he is.’ When my time comes I will appear like a flash of lightning that illuminates the entire sky. But first I must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. In Noah’s and in Lot’s time people were eating, drinking, and getting married up to the very moment the destruction began. So too will it be when I return.
Jesus continued, “Two men went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a cheating tax collector. The Pharisee prayed, ‘God I thank you that I do not sin like this tax collector. I fast and donate money to the temple.’ The tax collector went off by himself and would not even look up to heaven. He pounded on his chest and cried out, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ The truth is that it was the tax collector, not the religious leader who pleased God with his prayer.
"Being a part of God’s kingdom is like working for a wealthy farmer. He went out early in the morning and hired some people to work his vineyard. He told them he would pay them a standard day’s wage. They agreed and went to work. Later in the morning, he hired more workers and offered to pay them the same. He did this again after lunch and in the afternoon. When the working day was done he called them all together and paid them what he promised. When those who were hired first thing in the morning received their pay, they grumbled and said to the farmer, “Some of these guys only worked for an hour, but you paid them the same as us even though we’ve been working hard all day in the hot sun.”
The farmer replied, “I’m not being unfair to you, friends. You agreed to work for a standard day’s pay. If I want to pay someone else the same as you even though they worked less, aren’t I entitled to do what I want with my money? Or are you envious of my generosity?”
While he was speaking, Mary and Martha sent word from Bethany, that their brother, Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, was very sick.
When Jesus heard this he said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for God’s glory and the glory of God’s son. He loved their family, so he suggested they return.
But his disciples said, “The people in that area tried to kill you, but you want to go back?”
Jesus replied, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep and I’m going to wake him up.”
But his disciples did not understand what he meant so they replied, “It’s good if he sleeps, it will help him feel better.”
So Jesus stated plainly, “He’s dead, and for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there so that you will believe what happens next. Now let’s go to him.”
When Jesus arrived he was told that Lazarus had been dead for four days. Many people had come to offer their condolences to Mary and Martha, but when Martha saw Jesus coming she went out to meet him, saying, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”
Jesus replied, “Your brother will live again.”
Martha said, “I know he will live again when he is resurrected at the end of time.”
But Jesus looked at her and said, “I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me will live even if they die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that you are our savior, the son of God.” After this she returned to Mary and said, “Jesus is here and he wants to see you.” So Mary immediately went to meet Jesus, followed by some others who assumed she was going to Lazarus’ tomb.
When she came to him she started crying and said, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw Mary along with everyone who had followed her all crying he was deeply moved and asked, “Where is his body?” and then Jesus began crying too.
The people who saw this said among themselves, “See how he loved him,” but others asked, “if he was able to heal the blind, shouldn’t he have been able to keep Lazarus from dying?”
When Jesus approached the tomb, which was covered with a stone, he asked them to remove it.
But Martha reminded him, “He has been dead for four days. There will be a terrible smell.”
Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the power of God?”
So they took away the stone and Jesus prayed, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me, so I say this so everyone listening will believe that you sent me.” Then he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Then Lazarus came out still covered in his burial shroud. Then Jesus left that area for the hill country of Ephraim.
Some religious leaders came to test him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
Jesus replied, “In the beginning, after man and woman were created, God said, ‘the two will become one flesh. So what God has joined together, no man should separate.”
“Why, then, did Moses teach us to give certificates of divorce?” they asked.
“Moses allowed divorce because your hearts were hard, but it wasn’t meant to be this way.”
As he spoke people brought their small children to Jesus to be blessed, but his followers didn’t want Jesus to be interrupted, so they scolded the people. Jesus said to them, ‘let the children come and don’t get in their way. God’s kingdom is made for them. The truth is that it is impossible to enter God’s kingdom unless you do it like a child.”
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus said. “Only God is good. If you want to have life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?”
Jesus replied, “Don’t murder. Be fully satisfied with your husband or wife, rather than desiring others. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor like you love yourself.”
“I’ve kept all those,” the man said, “What am I missing?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor. Then you will have riches in heaven. Then, follow me.”
When the man heard this he went away sad because he was rich. Jesus said to his followers, “The truth is that it’s hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. It would be easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle.”
His followers were astonished and asked, “Well then who could possibly be saved?”
Jesus said, “For a person, it’s impossible, but with God’s help all things are possible.”
Peter then spoke up and said, “We have left everything behind to follow you. What does that mean for us?”
Jesus said, “When the Son of God sits on his glorious throne you will sit on 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. Anyone who has left behind their home, family, or jobs will receive 100 times more than they lost and gain eternal life. Many who are now first will be last in God’s kingdom and many who are now last will become first in God’s kingdom.
“Soon we will return to Jerusalem and everything the prophets wrote about me will come true. I will be given to the gentiles. I will be mocked, spit on, flogged, and killed, but on the third day I will rise again.” But even though his words were plain, their meaning was hidden from the disciples.
Later, James and John came to Jesus with their mother who asked Jesus for a favor. “What is it you want?” Jesus asked.
“I want James and John to sit next to you in your kingdom,” she said.
“You don’t know what you are asking,” he replied, “Can you follow the same path I walk?”
James and John said, “We can.”
“You will indeed follow in my footsteps, but what you ask is not for me to grant. Those seats belong to those who God has prepared them for. “
When the other followers heard about this they were annoyed with James and John. So Jesus called them all together and said, “You know how those in authority like to rule over people. This can’t be the way you live. If you want to be great in my kingdom, be a servant. The son of God came to serve, not to be served, even to give his life to rescue many more lives.”
Jesus then went on to Jericho. Two blind men were sitting outside of the city and when they heard Jesus passing by, followed by a crowd of people, they shouted, “Jesus, King David’s heir, have mercy on us.” Some people from the crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted at him even louder.
Jesus stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“We want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, and healed them.
In Jericho there was a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus. He wanted to see Jesus but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he climbed a tree near where Jesus was walking. When Jesus reached the tree he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down. I want to come to your house for the day.”
As he walked off the people muttered, “Is he really going to spend the day with that sinner?”
When they arrived at the house Zacchaeus said, “Look Lord, right now I will give half of what I own to the poor. And if I’ve ever cheated anyone I will pay them back four times what I took.”
Jesus replied, “Today you have saved yourself, son of Abraham, for I came to find and save those who were lost.” From there, Jesus continued on towards Jerusalem to finally fulfill the purposes of God first spoken of to Adam and Eve after the fall.
Those who had seen the man begging started to argue about whether he was really the person they had seen or just someone who looked similar. But when he insisted that it was really him they asked him how he had been healed. When he told them they took him to the religious leaders.
This healing was done on the sabbath so when the religious leaders heard the story they said, “This man who healed you is not from God. He defies the law of Moses by working on the sabbath.”
But the people who had brought the man asked, “How could a sinner heal a man like this?”
So the religious leaders asked the formerly blind man, “What do you have to say about him?”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.” But the religious leaders still would not believe that he was ever really blind, so they had his parents sent for as well.
When they arrived the religious leaders asked, “Is this your son, who was supposedly born blind. How, then, is he now able to see?”
“Yes, he is our son and he was born blind, but we don’t know how he was healed. Ask him, he is an adult.” they replied, fearing what would happen to them if they said too much.
So again they asked the man, “Honor God by telling us the truth. We know the man you speak of is a sinner.”
The man replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. All I know is that I was blind and now I can see.”
“What did he do? How were you healed,” they said.
“I’ve already told you and didn’t listen to me. Why do you want me to tell you the same story again? Do you want to be his followers too?”
This enraged them so they started yelling insults at him and said, “You are his follower. We follow Moses. We know God spoke to Moses, but this man, we don’t even know where he is from.”
The man replied, “Now that’s something. You don’t know where he is from, but he did heal me. We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but to those who obey. Nobody has heard of someone like me being healed before. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
Then they yelled, “You were covered in sin from the moment you were born. How dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
When Jesus heard this he found the man and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
“Who is he? Tell me so I can believe in him?”
“It’s me.”
“Lord, I believe,” the man replied and then he worshipped Jesus.
Jesus continued, “I came into this world so that the blind can see and that those who think they see will be shown to be blind.”
Some Pharisees who were following him asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of your sin. But since you claim to see you remain guilty. Anyone who sneaks into a sheep pen is a thief. The shepherd enters through the gate. He calls the sheep by name and they listen to his voice. But they will run from the voice of a stranger. I am the shepherd. I lay down my life, by my own choice, to protect the lives of my sheep from the thief who comes to steal and kill. The Jewish sheep are in one pen, but I must gather other sheep from a different pen to make one great flock.” His words again divided the crowd, with some convinced he was demon-possessed and others believing he was sent from God.
Jesus began to travel back towards Jerusalem. When he was near the border of Samaria and Galilee, ten men with leprosy called out to him, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us!”
Jesus replied, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As the men walked they were healed. One of the men, a samaritan, realized he had been healed, and returned to Jesus praising God loudly. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine who were healed? Has no one else except this foreigner returned to praise God? Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”
After this, Jesus selected 72 of his followers to go into towns ahead of him. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take any supplies with you and go directly to the town I send you to. If the town welcomes you, heal their sick and tell them that the kingdom of God is near. But if they don’t welcome you, shake the dust of their town from your sandals and warn them that even though they won’t listen, the kingdom of God is still approaching. Their judgment will be even worse than what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Abraham.”
After the 72 left, Jesus thought of all the towns where he had performed miracles that had not repented of their sin and followed him and he said, “If the miracles I had performed in your towns were shown to the surrounding countries they would have fallen to their knees and wept for forgiveness. Your judgment is near.”
When the 72 returned they excitedly told Jesus, “Even the demons listened to us when we invoked your name.”
Jesus replied, “I watched when Satan was thrown out of heaven like a lightning bolt. I have given you authority to trample over evil, to overpower the enemy. Nothing can harm you. But do not celebrate that demons flee from you, celebrate that your names are written down in heaven in the book of life. “I praise my father for hiding these things from the self-righteous religious experts and instead showing them to those who have faith like a child. You have been blessed to see such things. Prophets and kings longed for, but never saw what you have seen.”
Some time after this, an expert in the law of Moses came to Jesus, asking, “Teacher, what must be done to have eternal life?”
Jesus answered, “What have you read in the law?”
“Love God with everything you have and love your neighbor like you love yourself.”
“That’s correct,” Jesus replied, “Do this and you will live forever.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus said, “A man was traveling and on the road he was attacked by thieves. They beat him nearly to death and stole his clothing. A priest saw the man as he was walking, but just kept going. So did a Levite. But a Samaritan outsider, as he rode up to the man, decided to stop and help. He covered his wounds in expensive ointment and bandaged them. He put the man on his donkey and took him to the closest inn. The next morning he gave the innkeeper extra money to keep caring for the man. He said, ‘I will return soon and I will pay you any extra I owe you for looking after him.’ Which of the three passersby acted like a neighbor to the man who was beaten?”
The religious leader said, “the one who took care of him.”
“That’s the answer to your question,” Jesus said.
As Jesus continued to travel to Jerusalem he stopped in Bethany at the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. They invited him and his disciples to stay with them for a while. Mary sat and listened to everything Jesus had to say while Martha was busy preparing a meal for everyone. She soon got frustrated and said to Jesus, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work myself? Tell her to help me.”
Jesus replied, “Martha, you get worried or upset about a lot of things, but only one thing really matters. Mary has chosen what matters most and I won’t take that away from her.”
After this, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for Hannakuh, which celebrated a miracle that occurred during the Maccabean revolt. As he walked through the temple courts the Jews who were following him asked, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the savior of prophecy, just say so.”
Jesus replied, “I told you already, but you did not believe me because you are not my sheep. I give them eternal life and no one can take them away from me. My father has given them to me and he is greater than all others. My father and I are one.”
When he said this, they again grabbed stones to kill him and he said, “I have shown you many good things from my father. Which one are you stoning me for?”
They answered, “We are stoning you because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
“Why do you accuse me of wrongdoing for saying I am God’s son. Even if you won’t listen to my words, look at my works. Then you will know that my father is in me and I am in my father.” But they again tried to seize him and he escaped out of Jerusalem to Perea.
While he was travelling through the towns of that area someone asked him, “Are only a few people going to be saved?”
Jesus answered, “Do whatever it takes to get through the doorway, which is narrow. Many will try to force their way through, but will not succeed. Once the owner of the house closes the door they will stand outside and say, ‘open the door,’ but he will reply, ‘I don’t know you.’ People will enter from every corner of the world to join God’s feast, but there will be great sadness for those who thought they deserved to attend.”
Some of the Pharisees who were there said, “You should leave this place, Herod Antipas wants you dead.”
Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep driving out demons today, tomorrow, and the next day. Besides, it is the destiny of the prophet to die in Jerusalem.”
On a day of rest Jesus was in the home of a religious leader and he saw a man who suffered from strange swelling in his body. He asked the religious leaders, “Is it lawful to heal on the day of rest?” but they remained silent. So he healed the man and sent him on his way. He continued, “If one of you had an ox fall into a pit on the day of rest wouldn’t you immediately pull it out?” but they had nothing to say.
When he saw how the other guests chose the best places at the table for themselves he said, “When you are invited to a dinner party, don’t take the best place for yourself. Someone more important than you might come along and you will be asked to move. Then you will have to take the only seat left at the end of the table. Instead, be willing to sit at the lowest place from the start and perhaps your host will see you and generously move you to a better seat. All who try to elevate themselves will be humbled and all who are willing to humble themselves will be honored by God. And when you throw a dinner party, don’t invite people just so they will invite you back. Invite the poor and the crippled and you will be blessed. Even though they can’t repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection.”
One of the people listening said, “Every one of us would be lucky to attend a dinner party in God’s kingdom.”
Jesus replied, “A man once prepared for a dinner party. When it was time he sent his servants to tell his guests. But they all started making excuses like, ‘I just bought a new field and I need to examine it,’ or, ‘I just bought some new oxen and I need to test them out,’ or ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ When the servants told their master he was irritated so he sent them out to invite the poor and the crippled, saying, ‘go as far as you have to to fill my house. No one who was originally invited will be allowed at my banquet.’”
He told the crowd, “You can’t be my follower unless you are willing to put me above everything else, your spouse, your kids, your mother, father, and siblings, even your own life. Suppose you wanted to build a tower. You would estimate how much it costs first to make sure you could afford it. If you started but didn’t complete it you would be a laughing stock. The same is true for a king deciding if he can win a war. If not, he’ll send some men to negotiate a peace treaty instead. The same is true for my followers.
The religious leaders saw that in the crowd were all kinds of sinful people so they said, “This man welcomes sinners.”
Jesus said, “If a woman had 10 coins and lost one, she would light a lamp, sweep the house, and carefully search until she found it. Then she would call her friends together to celebrate her good fortune. In the same way the angels celebrate before God when one sinner repents.”
He continued, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Give me my inheritance early.” So his father did. Soon after, this son took the money and moved to a distant country where he quickly wasted everything he had. When a famine hit the country he had no way to buy food so he got a job feeding pigs. He was so hungry that even the pig’s slop looked good to him.
He soon realized, “my father’s servants are treated better than this. I’ll go home and tell him I’m sorry and that i’ve sinned and beg him to make me one of his servants because I don’t deserve to be his son anymore.” Then he set off for home.
He was still far off when his father saw him and ran to meet him. He threw his arms around his son and kissed him. When the son gave his apology his father said to his servants, “Quickly bring me my best robe and put it on him along with a family ring and sandals. Then, prepare a feast to celebrate. I thought my son was dead, but he is alive. He was lost and now I’ve found him.
The older son was still working in the fields when he heard the sound of music and dancing. He asked one of the servants what was going on. When he heard about his father’s response to his brother’s return he was angry and refused to go to the party. So his father came out to convince him to come.
The son said, “For years I’ve worked hard for you and never disobeyed. You never threw me a feast like this. But when my brother, who blew all the money you gave him, returns you do this?”
“My son,” the father said, “You live here. Everything I have is yours. But we celebrate because your brother, my son, who we thought was lost forever, has returned to us.”
One of the pharisees then asked him when the kingdom of God was coming and Jesus replied, “It is not something you can point to and say, ‘there it is,’ because it is already here among you.” Then he said to his disciples, “There will come a time when you will long to see me return, but don’t listen to those who say, ‘there he is.’ When my time comes I will appear like a flash of lightning that illuminates the entire sky. But first I must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. In Noah’s and in Lot’s time people were eating, drinking, and getting married up to the very moment the destruction began. So too will it be when I return.
Jesus continued, “Two men went to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a cheating tax collector. The Pharisee prayed, ‘God I thank you that I do not sin like this tax collector. I fast and donate money to the temple.’ The tax collector went off by himself and would not even look up to heaven. He pounded on his chest and cried out, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ The truth is that it was the tax collector, not the religious leader who pleased God with his prayer.
"Being a part of God’s kingdom is like working for a wealthy farmer. He went out early in the morning and hired some people to work his vineyard. He told them he would pay them a standard day’s wage. They agreed and went to work. Later in the morning, he hired more workers and offered to pay them the same. He did this again after lunch and in the afternoon. When the working day was done he called them all together and paid them what he promised. When those who were hired first thing in the morning received their pay, they grumbled and said to the farmer, “Some of these guys only worked for an hour, but you paid them the same as us even though we’ve been working hard all day in the hot sun.”
The farmer replied, “I’m not being unfair to you, friends. You agreed to work for a standard day’s pay. If I want to pay someone else the same as you even though they worked less, aren’t I entitled to do what I want with my money? Or are you envious of my generosity?”
While he was speaking, Mary and Martha sent word from Bethany, that their brother, Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, was very sick.
When Jesus heard this he said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for God’s glory and the glory of God’s son. He loved their family, so he suggested they return.
But his disciples said, “The people in that area tried to kill you, but you want to go back?”
Jesus replied, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep and I’m going to wake him up.”
But his disciples did not understand what he meant so they replied, “It’s good if he sleeps, it will help him feel better.”
So Jesus stated plainly, “He’s dead, and for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there so that you will believe what happens next. Now let’s go to him.”
When Jesus arrived he was told that Lazarus had been dead for four days. Many people had come to offer their condolences to Mary and Martha, but when Martha saw Jesus coming she went out to meet him, saying, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”
Jesus replied, “Your brother will live again.”
Martha said, “I know he will live again when he is resurrected at the end of time.”
But Jesus looked at her and said, “I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me will live even if they die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that you are our savior, the son of God.” After this she returned to Mary and said, “Jesus is here and he wants to see you.” So Mary immediately went to meet Jesus, followed by some others who assumed she was going to Lazarus’ tomb.
When she came to him she started crying and said, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw Mary along with everyone who had followed her all crying he was deeply moved and asked, “Where is his body?” and then Jesus began crying too.
The people who saw this said among themselves, “See how he loved him,” but others asked, “if he was able to heal the blind, shouldn’t he have been able to keep Lazarus from dying?”
When Jesus approached the tomb, which was covered with a stone, he asked them to remove it.
But Martha reminded him, “He has been dead for four days. There will be a terrible smell.”
Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the power of God?”
So they took away the stone and Jesus prayed, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me, so I say this so everyone listening will believe that you sent me.” Then he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Then Lazarus came out still covered in his burial shroud. Then Jesus left that area for the hill country of Ephraim.
Some religious leaders came to test him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
Jesus replied, “In the beginning, after man and woman were created, God said, ‘the two will become one flesh. So what God has joined together, no man should separate.”
“Why, then, did Moses teach us to give certificates of divorce?” they asked.
“Moses allowed divorce because your hearts were hard, but it wasn’t meant to be this way.”
As he spoke people brought their small children to Jesus to be blessed, but his followers didn’t want Jesus to be interrupted, so they scolded the people. Jesus said to them, ‘let the children come and don’t get in their way. God’s kingdom is made for them. The truth is that it is impossible to enter God’s kingdom unless you do it like a child.”
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus said. “Only God is good. If you want to have life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?”
Jesus replied, “Don’t murder. Be fully satisfied with your husband or wife, rather than desiring others. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor like you love yourself.”
“I’ve kept all those,” the man said, “What am I missing?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor. Then you will have riches in heaven. Then, follow me.”
When the man heard this he went away sad because he was rich. Jesus said to his followers, “The truth is that it’s hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. It would be easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle.”
His followers were astonished and asked, “Well then who could possibly be saved?”
Jesus said, “For a person, it’s impossible, but with God’s help all things are possible.”
Peter then spoke up and said, “We have left everything behind to follow you. What does that mean for us?”
Jesus said, “When the Son of God sits on his glorious throne you will sit on 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. Anyone who has left behind their home, family, or jobs will receive 100 times more than they lost and gain eternal life. Many who are now first will be last in God’s kingdom and many who are now last will become first in God’s kingdom.
“Soon we will return to Jerusalem and everything the prophets wrote about me will come true. I will be given to the gentiles. I will be mocked, spit on, flogged, and killed, but on the third day I will rise again.” But even though his words were plain, their meaning was hidden from the disciples.
Later, James and John came to Jesus with their mother who asked Jesus for a favor. “What is it you want?” Jesus asked.
“I want James and John to sit next to you in your kingdom,” she said.
“You don’t know what you are asking,” he replied, “Can you follow the same path I walk?”
James and John said, “We can.”
“You will indeed follow in my footsteps, but what you ask is not for me to grant. Those seats belong to those who God has prepared them for. “
When the other followers heard about this they were annoyed with James and John. So Jesus called them all together and said, “You know how those in authority like to rule over people. This can’t be the way you live. If you want to be great in my kingdom, be a servant. The son of God came to serve, not to be served, even to give his life to rescue many more lives.”
Jesus then went on to Jericho. Two blind men were sitting outside of the city and when they heard Jesus passing by, followed by a crowd of people, they shouted, “Jesus, King David’s heir, have mercy on us.” Some people from the crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted at him even louder.
Jesus stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“We want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, and healed them.
In Jericho there was a wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus. He wanted to see Jesus but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he climbed a tree near where Jesus was walking. When Jesus reached the tree he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down. I want to come to your house for the day.”
As he walked off the people muttered, “Is he really going to spend the day with that sinner?”
When they arrived at the house Zacchaeus said, “Look Lord, right now I will give half of what I own to the poor. And if I’ve ever cheated anyone I will pay them back four times what I took.”
Jesus replied, “Today you have saved yourself, son of Abraham, for I came to find and save those who were lost.” From there, Jesus continued on towards Jerusalem to finally fulfill the purposes of God first spoken of to Adam and Eve after the fall.
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