Day 29 of 90

^16:1He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ^16:2He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ^16:3“The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. ^16:4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ ^16:5Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ ^16:6He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ^16:7Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ ^16:8“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. ^16:9I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. ^16:10He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ^16:11If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ^16:12If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ^16:13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.” ^16:14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. ^16:15He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. ^16:16“The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of God’s Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. ^16:17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall. ^16:18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery. ^16:19“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. ^16:20A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, ^16:21and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ^16:22The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ^16:23In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. ^16:24He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’ ^16:25“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish. ^16:26Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’ ^16:27“He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house— ^16:28for I have five brothers—that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’ ^16:29“But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ ^16:30“He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ^16:31“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’” ^17:1He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come! ^17:2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. ^17:3Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. ^17:4If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” ^17:5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” ^17:6The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ^17:7But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table’? ^17:8Wouldn’t he rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? ^17:9Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. ^17:10Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’” ^17:11As he was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. ^17:12As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance. ^17:13They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ^17:14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed. ^17:15One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. ^17:16He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. ^17:17Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? ^17:18Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” ^17:19Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.” ^17:20Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; ^17:21neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.” ^17:22He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^17:23They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them, ^17:24for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. ^17:25But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ^17:26As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. ^17:27They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ^17:28Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; ^17:29but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all. ^17:30It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. ^17:31In that day, he who will be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back. ^17:32Remember Lot’s wife! ^17:33Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it. ^17:34I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. ^17:35There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left.” ^{17:36 17:37}They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.” ^18:1He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray and not give up, ^18:2saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God and didn’t respect man. ^18:3A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ ^18:4He wouldn’t for a while; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ^18:5yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” ^18:6The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. ^18:7Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? ^18:8I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” ^18:9He also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others: ^18:10“Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. ^18:11The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men: extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ^18:12I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ ^18:13But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ^18:14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” ^18:15They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ^18:16Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. ^18:17Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn’t receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.” ^18:18A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ^18:19Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one: God. ^18:20You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” ^18:21He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.” ^18:22When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ^18:23But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich. ^18:24Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom! ^18:25For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.” ^18:26Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ^18:27But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” ^18:28Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ^18:29He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for God’s Kingdom’s sake, ^18:30who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.” ^18:31He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be completed. ^18:32For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on. ^18:33They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.” ^18:34They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they didn’t understand the things that were said. ^18:35As he came near Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the road, begging. ^18:36Hearing a multitude going by, he asked what this meant. ^18:37They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ^18:38He cried out, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” ^18:39Those who led the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!” ^18:40Standing still, Jesus commanded him to be brought to him. When he had come near, he asked him, ^18:41“What do you want me to do?” He said, “Lord, that I may see again.” ^18:42Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.” ^18:43Immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, praised God.