Faith and Service
(Matthew 18.6Matthew 7Matthew 21Matthew 22Mark 9.42)1 Jesus said to his disciples:
There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin 2 would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. 3 So be careful what you do.
Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4 Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith stronger!”
6 Jesus replied:
If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!
7 If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”? 8 No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, “Prepare me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.” 9 Servants don't deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. 10 And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.”
Ten Men with Leprosy
11 On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy came toward him. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 Jesus looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”
On their way they were healed. 15 When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. 16 He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria.
17 Jesus asked, “Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? 18 Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?” 19 Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well.”
God's Kingdom
(Matthew 24.23-28Matthew 37-41)20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, “God's kingdom isn't something you can see. 21 There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God's kingdom is here with you.”
22 Jesus said to his disciples:
The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not. 23 When people say to you, “Look there,” or “Look here,” don't go looking for him. 24 The day of the Son of Man will be like lightning flashing across the sky. 25 But first he must suffer terribly and be rejected by the people of today. 26 When the Son of Man comes, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 27 People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. Then the flood came and drowned everyone on earth.
28 When Lot lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But on the very day Lot left Sodom, fiery flames poured down from the sky and killed everyone. 30 The same will happen on the day when the Son of Man appears.
31 At that time no one on a rooftop should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything. 32 Remember what happened to Lot's wife.
33 People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them. 34 On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 35-36 Two women will be together grinding wheat, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.
37 Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?”
Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”
1 Then said he to his disciples, It can not be auoided, but that offences will come, but wo be to him by whome they come. 2 It is better for him that a great milstone were hanged about his necke, and that he were cast into ye sea, then that he should offende one of these litle ones. 3 Take heede to your selues: if thy brother trespasse against thee, rebuke him: and if hee repent, forgiue him. 4 And though he sinne against thee seuen times in a day, and seuen times in a day turne againe to thee, saying, It repenteth mee, thou shalt forgiue him. 5 And the Apostles saide vnto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith, as much as is a graine of mustard seede, and should say vnto this mulberie tree, Plucke thy selfe vp by the rootes, and plant thy selfe in the sea, it should euen obey you. 7 Who is it also of you, that hauing a seruant plowing or feeding cattell, woulde say vnto him by and by, when hee were come from the fielde, Goe, and sit downe at table? 8 And woulde not rather say to him, Dresse wherewith I may suppe, and girde thy selfe, and serue mee, till I haue eaten and drunken, and afterward eate thou, and drinke thou? 9 Doeth he thanke that seruant, because hee did that which was commanded vnto him? I trowe not. 10 So likewise yee, when yee haue done all those things, which are commanded you, say, We are vnprofitable seruants: wee haue done that which was our duetie to doe. 11 And so it was when he went to Hierusalem, that he passed through the middes of Samaria, and Galile. 12 And as hee entred into a certaine towne, there met him tenne men that were lepers, which stoode a farre off. 13 And they lift vp their voyces and saide, Iesus, Master, haue mercie on vs. 14 And when he saw them, he said vnto them, Goe, shewe your selues vnto the Priestes. And it came to passe, that as they went, they were clensed. 15 Then one of them, when hee sawe that hee, was healed, turned backe, and with a loude voyce praised God, 16 And fell downe on his face at his feete, and gaue him thankes: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Iesus answered, and said, Are there not tenne clensed? but where are the nine? 18 There is none founde that returned to giue God praise, saue this stranger. 19 And he saide vnto him, Arise, goe thy way, thy faith hath saued thee. 20 And when hee was demaunded of the Pharises, when the kingdome of God shoulde come, he answered them, and said, The kingdome of God commeth not with obseruation. 21 Neither shall men say, Loe here, or lo there: for behold, the kingdome of God is within you. 22 And he saide vnto the disciples, The dayes will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the dayes of the Sonne of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 Then they shall say to you, Behold here, or beholde there: but goe not thither, neither follow them. 24 For as the lightening that lighteneth out of the one part vnder heauen, shineth vnto the other part vnder heauen, so shall the Sonne of man be in his day. 25 But first must he suffer many things, and be reprooued of this generation. 26 And as it was in the dayes of Noe, so shall it be in the dayes of the Sonne of man. 27 They ate, they dranke, they married wiues, and gaue in marriage vnto the day that Noe went into the Arke: and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also, as it was in the dayes of Lot: they ate, they dranke, they bought, they solde, they planted, they built. 29 But in the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heauen, and destroyed them all. 30 After these ensamples shall it be in the day when the Sonne of man is reueiled. 31 At that day hee that is vpon the house, and his stuffe in ye house, let him not come downe to take it out: and he that is in the fielde likewise, let him not turne backe to that he left behinde. 32 Remember Lots wife. 33 Whosoeuer will seeke to saue his soule, shall loose it: and whosoeuer shall loose it, shall get it life. 34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed: the one shalbe receiued, and the other shalbe left. 35 Two women shalbe grinding together: the one shalbe taken, and the other shalbe left. 36 Two shalbe in the fielde: one shalbe receiued, and another shalbe left. 37 And they answered, and saide to him, Where, Lord? And he said vnto them, Wheresoeuer the body is, thither shall also the eagles bee gathered together.