Read the Gospels in 40 Days
The Question of Divorce
10 He(A) set out from there and went to the region of Judea(B) and across the Jordan.(C) Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his custom he taught(D) them again.
2 Some Pharisees(E) came to test(F) him, asking, “Is it lawful(G) for a man to divorce(H) his wife?” (I)
3 He replied to them, “What did Moses(J) command you?”
4 They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers(K) and send her away.”(L)
5 But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts. (M) 6 But from the beginning(N) of creation(O) God[a] made them male and female.[b](P) 7 For this reason a man will leave (Q) his father and mother [c] 8 and the two will become one flesh.[d](R) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”(S)
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples questioned him about this matter. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife(T) and marries(U) another commits adultery(V) against her. 12 Also, if she divorces her husband(W) and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Blessing the Children
13 People(X) were bringing little children(Y) to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked(Z) them. 14 When Jesus saw it, he was indignant(AA) and said to them, “Let the little children come to me.(AB) Don’t stop(AC) them, because the kingdom of God(AD) belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you,(AE) whoever does not receive[e](AF) the kingdom of God like a little child(AG) will never enter it.” 16 After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on(AH) them and blessed(AI) them.
The Rich Young Ruler
17 As(AJ) he was setting out on a journey,(AK) a man ran up, knelt down(AL) before him, and asked him, “Good(AM) teacher,(AN) what must I do to inherit(AO) eternal life?” (AP)
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.(AQ) 19 You know the commandments: Do not murder;(AR) do not commit adultery;(AS) do not steal;(AT) do not bear false witness;(AU) do not defraud;(AV) honor(AW) your father and mother.”[f](AX)
20 He said to him, “Teacher,(AY) I have kept all these from my youth.”
21 Looking at him, Jesus loved him(AZ) and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor,(BA) and you will have treasure(BB) in heaven.(BC) Then come,[g] follow me.”(BD) 22 But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving,(BE) because he had many possessions.(BF)
Possessions and the Kingdom
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth(BG) to enter the kingdom of God!”(BH)
24 The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children,(BI) how hard it is[h] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich(BJ) person to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?” (BK)
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible,(BL) but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”
28 Peter(BM) began to tell him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
29 “Truly I tell you,”(BN) Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father[i] or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel,(BO) 30 who will not receive a hundred times(BP) more, now at this time(BQ) —houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions(BR) —and eternal life(BS) in the age to come.(BT) 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”(BU)
The Third Prediction of His Death
32 They(BV) were on the road, going up to Jerusalem,(BW) and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid.(BX) Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him.(BY) 33 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man(BZ) will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,(CA) and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles,(CB) 34 and they will mock him, spit on him, flog[j] him, and kill him, and he will rise(CC) after three days.”(CD)
Suffering and Service
35 James(CE) and John,(CF) the sons of Zebedee,(CG) approached him and said, “Teacher,(CH) we want you to do whatever we ask you.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.
37 They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”(CI)
38 Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking.(CJ) Are you able to drink the cup(CK) I drink or to be baptized with the baptism(CL) I am baptized with?”(CM)
39 “We are able,” they told him.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.(CN) 40 But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John.(CO) 42 Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over(CP) them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you.(CQ) On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant,(CR) 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all.(CS) 45 For even the Son of Man(CT) did not come to be served, but to serve,(CU) and to give his life(CV) as a ransom(CW) for many.”[k](CX)
A Blind Man Healed
46 They(CY) came to Jericho.(CZ) And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind(DA) beggar,(DB) was sitting by the road.(DC) 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,(DD) he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David,(DE) have mercy(DF) on me!” (DG) 48 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me,(DH) Son of David!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage!(DI) Get up; he’s calling for you.” 50 He threw off his coat,(DJ) jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want(DK) me to do for you?”
“Rabboni,”[l](DL) the blind man said to him, “I want to see.”
52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.”(DM) Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.
The Triumphal Entry
11 When(DN) they approached Jerusalem,(DO) at Bethphage and Bethany(DP) near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”
4 So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, 5 and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go.
7 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their clothes on the road,(DQ) and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.[m] 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name(DR) of the Lord
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom(DT)
of our father David!(DU)
Hosanna(DV) in the highest heaven!
11 He went into Jerusalem(DW) and into the temple.(DX) After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany(DY) with the Twelve.
The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed
12 The(DZ) next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig(EA) tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit(EB) from you again!”(EC) And his disciples(ED) heard it.
Cleansing the Temple
15 They came to Jerusalem,(EE) and he went into the temple(EF) and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers(EG) and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. 17 He was teaching them: “Is it not written,(EH) My house(EI) will be called a house of prayer(EJ) for all nations?[o] But you have made it a den of thieves!”[p](EK)
18 The chief priests and the scribes(EL) heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid(EM) of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.
19 Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.
The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered
20 Early(EN) in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter(EO) remembered and said to him, “Rabbi,(EP) look! The fig tree that you cursed(EQ) has withered.”
22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.(ER) 23 Truly I tell you,(ES) if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt(ET) in his heart, but believes(EU) that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.(EV) 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray(EW) and ask for(EX)—believe that you have received[q](EY) it and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand(EZ) praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive(FA) him, so that your Father(FB) in heaven(FC) will also forgive(FD) you your wrongdoing.”[r]
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 They(FE) came again to Jerusalem.(FF) As he was walking in the temple,(FG) the chief priests, the scribes,(FH) and the elders(FI) came 28 and asked him, “By what authority(FJ) are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”
29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question;(FK) then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism(FL) from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”
31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe(FM) him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.(FN) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
12 He(FO) began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard,(FP) put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent(FQ) a servant(FR) to the farmers to collect some of the fruit(FS) of the vineyard from them. 3 But they took him, beat(FT) him, and sent him away empty-handed.(FU) 4 Again he sent another servant to them, and they[s] hit him on the head and treated him shamefully.[t] 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one to send, a beloved(FV) son. Finally(FW) he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner[u](FX) of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:(FY)
The(FZ) stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(GA)
11 This came about from the Lord(GB)
and is wonderful in our eyes?”[v]
12 They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.
God and Caesar
13 Then(GC) they sent some of the Pharisees(GD) and the Herodians(GE) to Jesus to trap him in his words.(GF) 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality(GG) but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes(GH) to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
15 But knowing their hypocrisy,(GI) he said to them, “Why are you testing(GJ) me? Bring me a denarius[w](GK) to look at.” 16 They brought a coin. “Whose image(GL) and inscription(GM) is this?” he asked them.
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”(GN) And they were utterly amazed(GO) at him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 Sadducees,(GP) who say there is no resurrection,(GQ) came to him and questioned him: 19 “Teacher,(GR) Moses(GS) wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child,(GT) that man should take the wife(GU) and raise up offspring for his brother.[x](GV) 20 There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. 21 The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 None of the seven[y] left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise,[z] whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”
24 Jesus spoke to them, “Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scriptures(GW) or the power(GX) of God?(GY) 25 For when they rise(GZ) from the dead,(HA) they neither marry nor are given in marriage(HB) but are like angels(HC) in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I(HD) am the God of Abraham(HE) and the God of Isaac(HF) and the God of Jacob?[aa](HG) 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”
The Primary Commands
28 One(HH) of the scribes(HI) approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important[ab] is Listen, Israel! The Lord(HJ) our God, the Lord(HK) is one.[ac] 30 Love(HL) the Lord your God(HM) with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,(HN) and with all your strength.[ad][ae](HO) 31 The second is, Love your neighbor(HP) as yourself.[af](HQ) There is no other command(HR) greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one(HS) else except him.(HT) 33 And to love(HU) him with all your heart, with all your understanding,[ag] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(HV)
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(HW) And no one dared(HX) to question him any longer.
The Question about the Messiah
35 While(HY) Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked,(HZ) “How can the scribes(IA) say that the Messiah(IB) is the son of David?(IC) 36 David(ID) himself says by the Holy Spirit: (IE)
The Lord(IF) declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand(IG)
until I put your enemies under your feet.’[ah](IH)
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
Warning against the Scribes
38 He(II) also said in his teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes(IJ) and who want greetings in the marketplaces,(IK) 39 the best seats(IL) in the synagogues,(IM) and the places of honor(IN) at banquets.(IO) 40 They devour(IP) widows’(IQ) houses and say long prayers(IR) just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”
The Widow’s Gift
41 Sitting(IS) across from the temple treasury,(IT) he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich(IU) people were putting in large sums. 42 Then a poor(IV) widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning his disciples,(IW) he said to them, “Truly I tell you,(IX) this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.(IY) 44 For they all gave out of their surplus,(IZ) but she out of her poverty(JA) has put in everything she had(JB) —all she had to live on.”(JC)
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