The Gospel of Mark (Part Six)

The Story of the Bible

Acts 6:1-7 | the Desperate Need for You

Acts 4:32-37 | a Life Surrendered

Biblical Money Wisdom for College Students

The Bible for Young Explorers: Genesis

Rejoice: Celebrating the Season of Advent

Preparing for Christmas

Pathways to Intimacy

Biblically-Based Communication Tips for Couples

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

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 <div class="label">13</div><div class="s1">Repent or Perish</div><div class="p"> 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, &#8220;Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them&#8212;do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Then he told this parable: &#8220;A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, &#8216;For three years now I&#8217;ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven&#8217;t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Sir,&#8217; the man replied, &#8216;leave it alone for one more year, and I&#8217;ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath</div><div class="p"> 10On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, &#8220;Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.&#8221; 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.</div><div class="p"> 14Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, &#8220;There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15The Lord answered him, &#8220;You hypocrites! Doesn&#8217;t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.</div><div class="s1">The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast</div><div class="p"> 18Then Jesus asked, &#8220;What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Again he asked, &#8220;What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds#13:21 Or about 27 kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Narrow Door</div><div class="p"> 22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, &#8220;Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said to them, 24&#8220;Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, &#8216;Sir, open the door for us.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> &#8220;But he will answer, &#8216;I don&#8217;t know you or where you come from.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 26 &#8220;Then you will say, &#8216;We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 27 &#8220;But he will reply, &#8216;I don&#8217;t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus&#8217; Sorrow for Jerusalem</div><div class="p"> 31At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, &#8220;Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32He replied, &#8220;Go tell that fox, &#8216;I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.&#8217; 33In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day&#8212;for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!</div><div class="p"> 34 &#8220;Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, &#8216;Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.&#8217;#13:35 Psalm 118:26&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="LUK.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">Jesus at a Pharisee&#8217;s House</div><div class="p"> 1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, &#8220;Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?&#8221; 4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.</div><div class="p"> 5Then he asked them, &#8220;If one of you has a child#14:5 Some manuscripts donkey or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?&#8221; 6And they had nothing to say.</div><div class="p"> 7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8&#8220;When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, &#8216;Give this person your seat.&#8217; Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, &#8216;Friend, move up to a better place.&#8217; Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then Jesus said to his host, &#8220;When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Great Banquet</div><div class="p"> 15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, &#8220;Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Jesus replied: &#8220;A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, &#8216;Come, for everything is now ready.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, &#8216;I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 19 &#8220;Another said, &#8216;I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I&#8217;m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 20 &#8220;Still another said, &#8216;I just got married, so I can&#8217;t come.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 21 &#8220;The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, &#8216;Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 22 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Sir,&#8217; the servant said, &#8216;what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 23 &#8220;Then the master told his servant, &#8216;Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Cost of Being a Disciple</div><div class="p"> 25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26&#8220;If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters&#8212;yes, even their own life&#8212;such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won&#8217;t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, &#8216;This person began to build and wasn&#8217;t able to finish.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 31 &#8220;Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won&#8217;t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.</div><div class="p"> 34 &#8220;Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Lost Sheep</div><div class="p"> 1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, &#8220;This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4&#8220;Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn&#8217;t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, &#8216;Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.&#8217; 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Lost Coin</div><div class="p"> 8 &#8220;Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins # 15:8 Greek ten drachmas, each worth about a day&#8217;s wages and loses one. Doesn&#8217;t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, &#8216;Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.&#8217; 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Lost Son</div><div class="p"> 11Jesus continued: &#8220;There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, &#8216;Father, give me my share of the estate.&#8217; So he divided his property between them.</div><div class="p"> 13 &#8220;Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.</div><div class="p"> 17 &#8220;When he came to his senses, he said, &#8216;How many of my father&#8217;s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.&#8217; 20So he got up and went to his father.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.</div><div class="p"> 21 &#8220;The son said to him, &#8216;Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 22 &#8220;But the father said to his servants, &#8216;Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let&#8217;s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.&#8217; So they began to celebrate.</div><div class="p"> 25 &#8220;Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27&#8216;Your brother has come,&#8217; he replied, &#8216;and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, &#8216;Look! All these years I&#8217;ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 31 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;My son,&#8217; the father said, &#8216;you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Shrewd Manager</div><div class="p"> 1Jesus told his disciples: &#8220;There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, &#8216;What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 3 &#8220;The manager said to himself, &#8216;What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I&#8217;m not strong enough to dig, and I&#8217;m ashamed to beg&#8212; 4I know what I&#8217;ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 5 &#8220;So he called in each one of his master&#8217;s debtors. He asked the first, &#8216;How much do you owe my master?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 6 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Nine hundred gallons # 16:6 Or about 3,000 liters of olive oil,&#8217; he replied.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;The manager told him, &#8216;Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 7 &#8220;Then he asked the second, &#8216;And how much do you owe?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;A thousand bushels # 16:7 Or about 30 tons of wheat,&#8217; he replied.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;He told him, &#8216;Take your bill and make it eight hundred.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8 &#8220;The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.</div><div class="p"> 10 &#8220;Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else&#8217;s property, who will give you property of your own?</div><div class="p"> 13 &#8220;No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15He said to them, &#8220;You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God&#8217;s sight.</div><div class="s1">Additional Teachings</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.</div><div class="s1">The Rich Man and Lazarus</div><div class="p"> 19 &#8220;There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man&#8217;s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.</div><div class="p"> 22 &#8220;The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham&#8217;s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, &#8216;Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 25 &#8220;But Abraham replied, &#8216;Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 27 &#8220;He answered, &#8216;Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Abraham replied, &#8216;They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 30 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;No, father Abraham,&#8217; he said, &#8216;but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 31 &#8220;He said to him, &#8216;If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">Sin, Faith, Duty</div><div class="p"> 1Jesus said to his disciples: &#8220;Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3So watch yourselves.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;If your brother or sister # 17:3 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman. sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying &#8216;I repent,&#8217; you must forgive them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5The apostles said to the Lord, &#8220;Increase our faith!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6He replied, &#8220;If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, &#8216;Be uprooted and planted in the sea,&#8217; and it will obey you.</div><div class="p"> 7 &#8220;Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, &#8216;Come along now and sit down to eat&#8217;? 8Won&#8217;t he rather say, &#8216;Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink&#8217;? 9Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, &#8216;We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy</div><div class="p"> 11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy#17:12 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, &#8220;Jesus, Master, have pity on us!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14When he saw them, he said, &#8220;Go, show yourselves to the priests.&#8221; And as they went, they were cleansed.</div><div class="p"> 15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus&#8217; feet and thanked him&#8212;and he was a Samaritan.</div><div class="p"> 17Jesus asked, &#8220;Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?&#8221; 19Then he said to him, &#8220;Rise and go; your faith has made you well.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Coming of the Kingdom of God</div><div class="p"> 20Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, &#8220;The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21nor will people say, &#8216;Here it is,&#8217; or &#8216;There it is,&#8217; because the kingdom of God is in your midst.&#8221;#17:21 Or is within you</div><div class="p"> 22Then he said to his disciples, &#8220;The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23People will tell you, &#8216;There he is!&#8217; or &#8216;Here he is!&#8217; Do not go running off after them. 24For the Son of Man in his day#17:24 Some manuscripts do not have in his day. will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.</div><div class="p"> 26 &#8220;Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.</div><div class="p"> 30 &#8220;It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32Remember Lot&#8217;s wife! 33Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.&#8221; [36]#17:36 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 24:40.</div><div class="p"> 37&#8220;Where, Lord?&#8221; they asked.</div><div class="p">He replied, &#8220;Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Persistent Widow</div><div class="p"> 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: &#8220;In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, &#8216;Grant me justice against my adversary.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 4 &#8220;For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, &#8216;Even though I don&#8217;t fear God or care what people think, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won&#8217;t eventually come and attack me!&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6And the Lord said, &#8220;Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector</div><div class="p"> 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10&#8220;Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: &#8216;God, I thank you that I am not like other people&#8212;robbers, evildoers, adulterers&#8212;or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 13 &#8220;But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, &#8216;God, have mercy on me, a sinner.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 14 &#8220;I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Little Children and Jesus</div><div class="p"> 15People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, &#8220;Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Rich and the Kingdom of God</div><div class="p"> 18A certain ruler asked him, &#8220;Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19 &#8220;Why do you call me good?&#8221; Jesus answered. &#8220;No one is good&#8212;except God alone. 20You know the commandments: &#8216;You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.&#8217;#18:20 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;All these I have kept since I was a boy,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, &#8220;You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24Jesus looked at him and said, &#8220;How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26Those who heard this asked, &#8220;Who then can be saved?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Jesus replied, &#8220;What is impossible with man is possible with God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Peter said to him, &#8220;We have left all we had to follow you!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Truly I tell you,&#8221; Jesus said to them, &#8220;no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time</div><div class="p"> 31Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, &#8220;We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.</div><div class="s1">A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight</div><div class="p"> 35As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37They told him, &#8220;Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38He called out, &#8220;Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, &#8220;Son of David, have mercy on me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 40Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41&#8220;What do you want me to do for you?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Lord, I want to see,&#8221; he replied.</div><div class="p"> 42Jesus said to him, &#8220;Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.&#8221; 43Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.</div>
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