Table of Contents
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14. Jesus Comes Back To Judea
Jesus Goes To Jerusalem Secretly Through Samaria
(Luke 9:51-56 John
7:10)
It came to pass, when the days
were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face
to go to Jerusalem, So, when
his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not
publicly, but as it were in secret. and sent
messengers before his face. They went, and entered into a
village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him. They didn't receive him, because he was traveling with his
face set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said,
"Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky,
and destroy them, just as Elijah did?"
But he turned and rebuked them, "You don't know of what kind
of spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to
save them."
They went to another village.
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Jesus Creates Intense Excitement By Coming To the Feast Of Tabernacles
(John 7:11-52)
The Jews therefore sought him
at the feast, and said, "Where is he?" There was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him.
Some said, "He is a good man." Others said, "Not so, but he
leads the multitude astray." Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. But when it was now the midst of the feast, Jesus went up
into the temple and taught. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, "How does this man know
letters, having never been educated?"
Jesus therefore answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but
his who sent me. If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the
teaching, whether it is from God, or if I am speaking from
myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who
seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no
unrighteousness is in him. Didn't Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the
law? Why do you seek to kill me?"
The multitude answered, "You have a demon! Who seeks to kill
you?"
Jesus answered them, "I did one work, and you all marvel
because of it. Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses,
but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law
of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I
made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? Don't judge according to appearance, but judge righteous
judgment."
Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, "Isn't this he whom
they seek to kill?
Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it
be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ? However we know where this man comes from, but when the
Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from."
Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying,
"You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of
myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don't know. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."
They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on
him, because his hour had not yet come. But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, "When
the Christ comes, he won't do more signs than those which this
man has done, will he?" The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things
concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent
officers to arrest him.
Then Jesus said, "I will be with you a little while longer,
then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me, and won't find me; and where I am, you
can't come."
The Jews therefore said among themselves, "Where will this
man go that we won't find him? Will he go to the Dispersion
among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What is this word that he said, 'You will seek me, and won't
find me; and where I am, you can't come'?"
Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and
drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within
him will flow rivers of living water." But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in
him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given,
because Jesus wasn't yet glorified.
Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words,
said, "This is truly the prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "What, does
the Christ come out of Galilee? Hasn't the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the seed
of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there arose a division in the multitude because of him. Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands
on him. The officers therefore came to the chief priests and
Pharisees, and they said to them, "Why didn't you bring him?"
The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!"
The Pharisees therefore answered them, "You aren't also led
astray, are you? Have any of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? But this multitude that doesn't know the law is accursed."
Nicodemus (he who came to him by night, being one of them)
said to them, "Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him
personally and knows what he does?"
They answered him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search, and
see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."
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In Order To Trap Him, Jesus is Asked to Judge a Woman Taken in Adultery
(John 7:53-8:11)
Everyone went to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple,
and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in
adultery. Having set her in the midst, they told him, "Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in
the very act. Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such. What then do
you say about her?" They said this testing him, that they might have something to
accuse him of.
But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger,
(as though he had not
heard them). But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to
them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first
stone at her." Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the
ground.
They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience,
went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the
last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the
middle. Jesus, standing up, (seeing none
but the woman, he) said, "Woman, where are your accusers? Did no
one condemn you?"
She said, "No one, Lord."
Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on,
sin no more."
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I Am the Light of Life!
Thus Jesus Angers the Pharisees
(John 8:12-20)
Again, therefore, Jesus spoke
to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me
will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."
The Pharisees therefore said to him, "You testify about
yourself. Your testimony is not valid."
Jesus answered them, "Even if I testify about myself, my
testimony is true, for I know where I came from, and where I am
going; but you don't know where I came from, or where I am
going. You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. Even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone,
but I am with the Father who sent me. It's also written in your law that the testimony of two
people is valid. I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent
me testifies about me."
They said therefore to him, "Where is your Father?"
Jesus answered, "You know neither me, nor my Father. If you knew
me, you would know my Father also." Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as he taught in the
temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet
come.
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They Try To Stone Jesus When He Exposes Their Sinfulness
(John 8:21-59)
Jesus said therefore again to
them, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die
in your sins. Where I go, you can't come."
The Jews therefore said, "Will he kill himself, that he says,
'Where I am going, you can't come?'"
He said to them, "You are from beneath. I am from above. You
are of this world. I am not of this world. I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for
unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins."
They said therefore to him, "Who are you?"
Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from
the beginning. I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you.
However he who sent me is true; and the things which I heard
from him, these I say to the world."
They didn't understand that he spoke to them about the
Father. Jesus therefore said to them, "When you have lifted up the
Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of
myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things. He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn't left me alone,
for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."
As he spoke these things, many believed in him. Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If
you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
They answered him, "We are Abraham's seed, and have never
been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, 'You will be made
free?'"
Jesus answered them, "Most certainly I tell you, everyone who
commits sin is the bondservant of sin. A bondservant doesn't live in the house forever. A son
remains forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's seed, yet you seek to kill me,
because my word finds no place in you. I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you
also do the things which you have seen with your father."
They answered him, "Our father is Abraham."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would
do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the
truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn't do this. You do the works of your father."
They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We
have one Father, God."
Therefore Jesus said to them, "If God were your father, you
would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I
haven't come of myself, but he sent me. Why don't you understand my speech? Because you can't hear my
word. You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the
desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and doesn't stand in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a
liar, and its father. But because I tell the truth, you don't believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do
you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you
don't hear, because you are not of God."
Then the Jews answered him, "Don't we say well that you are a
Samaritan, and have a demon?"
Jesus answered, "I don't have a demon, but I honor my Father,
and you dishonor me. But I don't seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and
judges. Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he
will never see death."
Then the Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a
demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and you say, 'If a man
keeps my word, he will never taste of death.' Are you greater than our father, Abraham, who died? The
prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It
is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our
God. You have not known him, but I know him. If I said, 'I don't
know him,' I would be like you, a liar. But I know him, and keep
his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and
was glad."
The Jews therefore said to him, "You are not yet fifty years
old, and have you seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before
Abraham came into existence, I AM."
Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was
hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through the
midst of them, and so passed by.
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Jesus Heals A Blind Man Who Outwits The Pharisees Who Forbid Any
Recognition of Jesus as the Messiah
(John 9:1-41)
As he passed by, he saw a man
blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents;
but, that the works of God might be revealed in him. I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The
night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with
the saliva, anointed the blind man's eyes with the mud, and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means
"Sent"). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind
before, said, "Isn't this he who sat and begged?" Others were saying, "It is he." Still others were saying, "He
looks like him."
He said, "I am he."
They therefore were asking him, "How were your eyes opened?"
He answered, "A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes,
and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.' So I went
away and washed, and I received sight."
Then they asked him, "Where is he?"
He said, "I don't know."
They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received
his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed,
and I see."
Some therefore of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from
God, because he doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can
a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was division among
them. Therefore they asked the blind man again, "What do you say
about him, because he opened your eyes?"
He said, "He is a prophet."
The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he
had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called
the parents of him who had received his sight, and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born
blind? How then does he now see?"
His parents answered them, "We know that this is our son, and
that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we don't know; or who opened his eyes,
we don't know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for
himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews;
for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess
him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age. Ask him."
So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said
to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."
He therefore answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One
thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see."
They said to him again, "What did he do to you? How did he
open your eyes?"
He answered them, "I told you already, and you didn't listen.
Why do you want to hear it again? You don't also want to become
his disciples, do you?"
They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are
disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we
don't know where he comes from."
The man answered them, "How amazing! You don't know where he
comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is
a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him. Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone
opened the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
They answered him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do
you teach us?" They threw him out.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he
said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"
He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"
Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him, and it is he who
speaks with you."
He said, "Lord, I believe!" and he worshiped him.
Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, that those
who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind."
Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things,
and said to him, "Are we also blind?"
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no
sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
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I Am The Good Shepherd, All Others Are Thieves and Robbers
(John 10:1-21)
"Most certainly, I tell you, one
who doesn't enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up
some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the
sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to
his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and
the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from
him; for they don't know the voice of strangers." Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn't understand
what he was telling them.
Jesus therefore said to them again, "Most certainly, I tell
you, I am the sheep's door. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep
didn't listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved,
and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that
they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own
the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees.
The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn't
care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my
own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay
down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring
them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one
flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life,
that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I
received this commandment from my Father."
Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of
these words. Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you
listen to him?" Others said, "These are not the sayings of one possessed by a
demon. It isn't possible for a demon to open the eyes of the
blind, is it?"
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Jesus Sent Seventy Out Two by Two,
They Come Back Bringing Joy to Jesus
(Luke
10:1-24)
Now after these things, the
Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two
ahead of him into every city and place, where he was about to
come. Then he said to them, "The harvest is indeed plentiful, but
the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest,
that he may send out laborers into his harvest. Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the
way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this
house.' If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but
if not, it will return to you. Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they
give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don't go from
house to house. Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the
things that are set before you. Heal the sick who are therein, and tell them, 'The Kingdom of
God has come near to you.' But into whatever city you enter, and they don't receive you,
go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off
against you. Nevertheless know this, that the Kingdom of God has
come near to you.' I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom
than for that city.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the
mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in
you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and
ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the
judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought
down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you
rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me."
The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons
are subject to us in your name!"
He said to them, "I saw Satan having fallen like lightning
from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in
any way hurt you. Nevertheless, don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are
subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven."
In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and
said, "I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you
have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and
revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was
well-pleasing in your sight."
Turning to the disciples, he said, "All things have been
delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is,
except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he
to whomever the Son desires to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples, he said privately, "Blessed are the
eyes which see the things that you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see
the things which you see, and didn't see them, and to hear the
things which you hear, and didn't hear them."
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What Shall I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?
The Good Samaritan
(Luke 10:25-37)
Behold, a certain lawyer stood
up and tested him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read
it?"
He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all
your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and
you will live."
But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my
neighbor?"
Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem
to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and
beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he
saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and
saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was.
When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and
wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn,
and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii,
and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him.
Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor
to him who fell among the robbers?"
He said, "He who showed mercy on him."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
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Jesus With Martha And Mary
(Luke 10:38-42)
It happened as they went on
their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain
woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet,
and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up
to him, and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister left me
to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me."
Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and
troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which
will not be taken away from her."
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Lord Teach Us To Pray, The Lord's Prayer
(Luke
11:1-13)
It happened, that when he
finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said
to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his
disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Our Father in heaven, may your
name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done
on Earth, as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone
who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver
us from the evil one.'" He said to them, "Which of you,
if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, 'Friend, lend
me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have
nothing to set before him,' and he from within will answer and say, 'Don't bother me. The
door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can't
get up and give it to you'? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him
because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he
will get up and give him as many as he needs.
"I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep
seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him
who knocks it will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give
him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won't give him a snake
instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he won't give him a scorpion, will
he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask him?"
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Jesus is Accused of Casting Out Demons by Beelzebub
(Luke
11:14-36)
He was casting out a demon,
and it was mute. It happened, when the demon had gone out, the
mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the
prince of the demons." Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided
against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his
kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your
children cast them out? Therefore will they be your judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the
Kingdom of God has come to you.
"When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling,
his goods are safe. But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he
takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides
his spoils.
"He that is not with me is against me. He who doesn't gather
with me scatters. The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes
through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, 'I
will turn back to my house from which I came out.' When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes, and takes seven other spirits more evil than
himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of
that man becomes worse than the first."
It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out
of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said to him, "Blessed
is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!"
But he said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the
word of God, and keep it."
When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began
to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No
sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet. For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will
also the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the
men of this generation, and will condemn them: for she came from
the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold,
one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this
generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the
preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.
"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under
a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the
light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is
good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is
evil, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn't
darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part
dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its
bright shining gives you light."
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Woe Unto You Pharisees!
(Luke
11:37-54)
Now as he spoke, a certain
Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the
table. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first
washed himself before dinner. The Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside
of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of
extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, didn't he who made the outside make the
inside also? But give for gifts to the needy those things which are
within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and
every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You
ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the
synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are
like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don't know
it."
One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, in saying this you
insult us also."
He said, "Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with
burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won't
even lift one finger to help carry those burdens. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your
fathers killed them. So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For
they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them
prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and
persecute, that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the
foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who
perished between the altar and the sanctuary.' Yes, I tell you,
it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge.
You didn't enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in,
you hindered."
As he said these things to them, the scribes and the
Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things
out of him; lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something
he might say, that they might accuse him.
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Beware Ye Of The Leaven Of the Pharisees, Which is Hypocrisy
(Luke
12)
Meanwhile, when a multitude of
many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they
trampled on each other, he began to tell his disciples first of
all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed,
nor hidden, that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard
in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
"I tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the
body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after
he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you,
fear him.
"Aren't five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of
them is forgotten by God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore
don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
"I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will
the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in
the presence of the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be
forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will
not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and
the authorities, don't be anxious how or what you will answer,
or what you will say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you
must say."
One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother
to divide the inheritance with me."
But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an
arbitrator over you?" He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness,
for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things
which he possesses."
He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain
rich man brought forth abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, 'What will I do, because
I don't have room to store my crops?' He said, 'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns,
and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and
my goods. I will tell my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for
many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry."'
"But God said to him, 'You foolish one, tonight your soul is
required of you. The things which you have prepared-whose will
they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God."
He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don't be
anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body,
what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they
have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more
valuable are you than birds! Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are
you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither
do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these. But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which
today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more
will he clothe you, O you of little faith? Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither
be anxious. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things,
but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to
you. Don't be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make
for yourselves purses which don't grow old, a treasure in the
heavens that doesn't fail, where no thief approaches, neither
moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
"Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. Be like men watching for their lord, when he returns from the
marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks, they may
immediately open to him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching
when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress
himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them. They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third
watch, and finds them so. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in
what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not
allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an
hour that you don't expect him."
Peter said to him, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us,
or to everybody?"
The Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward,
whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their
portion of food at the right times? Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when
he comes. Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his
coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the
maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he
isn't expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn't know, and
will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. That servant, who knew his lord's will, and didn't prepare,
nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, but
he who didn't know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be
beaten with few stripes. To whoever much is given, of him will
much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more
will be asked.
"I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already
kindled. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed
I am until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I
tell you, no, but rather division. For from now on, there will be five in one house divided,
three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against
father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her
mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
He said to the multitudes also, "When you see a cloud rising
from the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so
it happens. When a south wind blows, you say, 'There will be a scorching
heat,' and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of
the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don't interpret
this time? Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? For when you are going with your adversary before the
magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him,
lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you
to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you
have paid the very last penny."
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Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
All Must Repent or Perish!
(Luke
13:1-9)
Now there were some present at
the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood
Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they
suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in
the same way. Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and
killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than
all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in
the same way."
He spoke this parable. "A certain man had a fig tree planted
in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found
none. He said to the vine dresser, 'Behold, these three years I have
come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it
down. Why does it waste the soil?' He answered, 'Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig
around it, and fertilize it. If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut
it down.'"
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Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
(Luke
13:10-21)
He was teaching in one of the
synagogues on the Sabbath day. Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity
eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way
straighten herself up. When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, "Woman,
you are freed from your infirmity." He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up
straight, and glorified God.
The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had
healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, "There are six
days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days
and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!"
Therefore the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't
each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the
Sabbath, and lead him away to water? Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan
had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the
Sabbath day?"
As he said these things, all his adversaries were
disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the
glorious things that were done by him.
He said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I
compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put
in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the
birds of the sky lodged in its branches."
Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three
measures of flour, until it was all leavened."
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The Jews Try to Stone Jesus
(John
10:22-39)
It was the Feast of the
Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in
Solomon's porch. The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, "How long
will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us
plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you don't believe. The
works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me. But you don't believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I
told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no
one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No
one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from
my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?"
The Jews answered him, "We don't stone you for a good work,
but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God."
Jesus answered them, "Isn't it written in your law, 'I said,
you are gods?' If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the
Scripture can't be broken), do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into
the world, 'You blaspheme,' because I said, 'I am the Son of
God?' If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe me. But if I do them, though you don't believe me, believe the
works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me,
and I in the Father."
They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their
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