# verses

book: Song
contenido:
Redeeming love crowns you as royalty. Your thoughts are full of life, wisdom, and virtue. Even a king is held captive by your beauty.


book: Song
contenido:
How delicious is your fair beauty; it cannot be described as I count the delights you bring to me. Love has become the greatest.


book: Song
contenido:
Now I decree, I will ascend and arise. I will take hold of you with my power, possessing every part of my fruitful bride. Your love I will drink as wine, and your words will be mine.


book: Song
contenido:
For your kisses of love are exhilarating, more than any delight I’ve known before. Your kisses of love awaken even the lips of sleeping ones.


book: Song
contenido:
The Shulamite Bride Now I know that I am filled with my beloved and all his desires are fulfilled in me.


book: Song
contenido:
Come away, my lover. Come with me to the faraway fields. We will run away together to the forgotten places and show them redeeming love.


book: Song
contenido:
Let us arise and run to the vineyards of your people and see if the budding vines of love are now in full bloom. We will discover if their passion is awakened. There I will display my love for you.


book: Song
contenido:
The love apples are in bloom, sending forth their fragrance of spring. The rarest of fruits are found at our doors— the new as well as the old. I have stored them for you, my lover-friend!


book: Song
contenido:
If only I could show everyone this passionate desire I have for you. If only I could express it fully, no matter who was watching me, without shame or embarrassment.


book: Song
contenido:
I long to bring you to my innermost chamber— this holy sanctuary you have formed within me. O that I might carry you within me. I would give you the spiced wine of my love, this full cup of bliss that we share. We would drink our fill until . . .


book: Song
contenido:
Promise me, brides-to-be, by the gentle gazelles and delicate deer, that you’ll not disturb my love until he is ready to arise.


book: Song
contenido:
The Bridegroom-King Who is this one? Look at her now! She arises out of her desert, clinging to her beloved. When I awakened you under the apple tree, as you were feasting upon me, I awakened your innermost being with the travail of birth as you longed for more of me.


book: Song
contenido:
Fasten me upon your heart as a seal of fire forevermore. This living, consuming flame will seal you as my prisoner of love. My passion is stronger than the chains of death and the grave, all consuming as the very flashes of fire from the burning heart of God. Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being.


book: Song
contenido:
Rivers of pain and persecution will never extinguish this flame. Endless floods will be unable to quench this raging fire that burns within you. Everything will be consumed. It will stop at nothing as you yield everything to this furious fire until it won’t even seem to you like a sacrifice anymore.


book: Song
contenido:
The Shulamite Bride My brothers said to me when I was young, “Our sister is so immature. What will we do to guard her for her wedding day?” The Bridegroom-King We will build a tower of redemption to protect her. Since she is vulnerable, we will enclose her with a wall of cedar boards. The Shulamite Bride But now I have grown and become a bride, and my love for him has made me a tower of passion and contentment for my beloved. I am now a firm wall of protection for others, guarding them from harm. This is how he sees me—I am the one who brings him bliss, finding favor in his eyes.


book: Song
contenido:
My bridegroom-king has a vineyard of love made from a multitude of followers. His caretakers of this vineyard have given my beloved their best.


book: Song
contenido:
But as for my own vineyard of love, I give it all to you forever. And I will give double honor to those who serve my beloved and have watched over my soul.


book: Song
contenido:
My beloved, one with me in my garden, how marvelous that my friends, the brides-to-be, now hear your voice and song. Let me now hear it again.


book: Song
contenido:
The Bridegroom and the Bride in Divine Duet Arise, my darling! Come quickly, my beloved. Come and be the graceful gazelle with me. Come be like a dancing deer with me. We will dance in the high place of the sky, yes, on the mountains of fragrant spice. Forever we shall be united as one!


book: Matt
contenido:
From Abraham to Christ This is the scroll of the lineage and birth of Jesus, the Anointed One, the son of David and descendant of Abraham.


book: Matt
contenido:
Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had a son named Jacob, who had a son named Judah (he and his brothers became the tribes of Israel).


book: Matt
contenido:
Judah and Tamar had twin sons, Perez and Zerah. Perez had a son named Hezron, who had a son named Ram,


book: Matt
contenido:
who had a son named Salmon, who, along with Rahab, had a son named Boaz. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed, who was the father of Jesse,


book: Matt
contenido:
Then David and Bathsheba had a son named Solomon, who had a son named Rehoboam, who had a son named Abijah, who had a son named Asa,


book: Matt
contenido:
who was the father of Jeconiah. It was during the days of Jeconiah and his brothers that Israel was taken captive and deported to Babylon.


book: Matt
contenido:
About the time of their captivity in Babylon, Jeconiah had a son named Shealtiel, who had a son named Zerubbabel,


book: Matt
contenido:
who had a son named Azor, who had a son named Zadok, who had a son named Achim, who had a son named Eliud,


book: Matt
contenido:
who was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus, who is called “the Anointed One.”


book: Matt
contenido:
So from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the Babylonian captivity, fourteen generation, and from the Babylonian captivity to Christ, fourteen generations.


book: Matt
contenido:
An Angel Comes to Joseph This was how Jesus, God’s Anointed One, was born. His mother, Mary, had promised Joseph to be his wife,  but while she was still a virgin she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.


book: Matt
contenido:
Her fiancé, Joseph, was a righteous man full of integrity and he didn’t want to disgrace her, but when he learned of her pregnancy he secretly planned to break the engagement.


book: Matt
contenido:
While he was still debating with himself about what to do, he fell asleep and had a supernatural dream. An angel from the Lord appeared to him in clear light and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t hesitate to take Mary into your home as your wife, because the power of the Holy Spirit has conceived a child in her womb.


book: Matt
contenido:
She will give birth to a son and you are to name him ‘Savior,’ for he is destined to give his life to save his people from their sins.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Listen! A virgin will be pregnant, she will give birth to a Son, and he will be known as “Emmanuel,” which means in Hebrew, “God became one of us.”


book: Matt
contenido:
When Joseph awoke from his dream, he did all that the angel of the Lord instructed him to do. He took Mary to be his wife,


book: Matt
contenido:
The Wise Men Visit Jesus was born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem during the reign of King Herod. After Jesus’ birth a group of spiritual priests from the East came to Jerusalem


book: Matt
contenido:
and inquired of the people, “Where is the child who is born king of the Jewish people? We observed his star rising in the sky and we’ve come to bow before him in worship.”


book: Matt
contenido:
King Herod was shaken to the core when he heard this, and not only him, but all of Jerusalem was disturbed when they heard this news.


book: Matt
contenido:
So he called a meeting of the Jewish ruling priests and religious scholars, demanding that they tell him where the promised Messiah was prophesied to be born.


book: Matt
contenido:
And you, little Bethlehem, are not insignificant among the clans of Judah, for out of you will emerge the Shepherd-King of my people Israel!”


book: Matt
contenido:
Then Herod secretly summoned the spiritual priests from the East to ascertain the exact time the star first appeared.


book: Matt
contenido:
And he told them, “Now go to Bethlehem and carefully look there for the child, and when you’ve found him, report to me so that I can go and bow down and worship him too.”


book: Matt
contenido:
And so they left, and on their way to Bethlehem, suddenly the same star they had seen in the East reappeared! Amazed, they watched as it went ahead of them and stopped directly over the place where the child was.


book: Matt
contenido:
And when they saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy.


book: Matt
contenido:
When they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, they were overcome. Falling to the ground at his feet they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure boxes full of gifts and presented him with gold, frank-incense, and myrrh.


book: Matt
contenido:
Afterward they returned to their own country by another route because God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.


book: Matt
contenido:
They Escape to Egypt After they had gone, Joseph had another dream. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Get up now and flee to Egypt. Take Mary and the little child and stay there until I tell you to leave, for Herod intends to search for the child to kill him.”


book: Matt
contenido:
and remained there until Herod died. All of this fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through his prophet: I summon my Son out of Egypt.


book: Matt
contenido:
When Herod realized that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated. So he sent soldiers with orders to slaughter every baby boy two years old and younger in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding countryside, based on the time frame he was given from interrogating the wise men.


book: Matt
contenido:
I hear the screams of anguish, weeping, and wailing in Ramah. Rachel is weeping uncontrollably for her children. And she refuses to be comforted, because they are dead and gone.


book: Matt
contenido:
They Return to Nazareth After Herod died, the angel of the Lord appeared again to Joseph in a dream while he was still in Egypt,


book: Matt
contenido:
saying, “Go back to the land of Israel and take the child and his mother with you, for those who sought to kill the child are dead.”


book: Matt
contenido:
But when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded him as ruler over all of the territory of Judah, he was afraid to go back. Then he had another dream from God, warning him to avoid that region and instructing him instead to go to the province of Galilee.


book: Matt
contenido:
So he settled his family in the village of Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that he would be known as the “Branch.”


book: Matt
contenido:
John the Baptizer It was at this time that John the Baptizer began to preach in the desert of Judah. His message was this:


book: Matt
contenido:
“The realm of heaven’s kingdom is about to appear—so you’d better keep turning away from evil and turn back to God!”


book: Matt
contenido:
Isaiah was referring to John when he prophesied: A thunderous voice! One will be crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare yourself for the Lord’s coming and level a straight path inside your hearts for him.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Now, John wore clothing made from camel’s hair, tied at his waist with a leather strap, and his food consisted of dried locusts and wild honey.


book: Matt
contenido:
A steady stream of people from Jerusalem, all the surrounding countryside, and the region near the Jordan came out to the wilderness to be baptized by him.


book: Matt
contenido:
But when he saw many coming from among the wealthy elite of Jewish society and many of the religious leaders known as Pharisees coming to witness the baptism, he began to denounce them, saying, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to slither away like snakes from the fire of God’s judgment?


book: Matt
contenido:
And don’t presume you can get away with merely saying to yourselves, ‘But we’re Abraham’s descendants!’ For I tell you, God can awaken these stones to become sons of Abraham!


book: Matt
contenido:
The axe is now ready to cut down the trees at their very roots. Every fruitless, rotten tree will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.


book: Matt
contenido:
Those who repent I baptize with water, but there is coming a Man after me who is more powerful than I am. In fact, I’m not even worthy enough to pick up his sandals. He will submerge you into union with the Spirit of Holiness and with a raging fire!


book: Matt
contenido:
He comes with a winnowing fork in his hands and comes to his threshing floor to sift what is worthless from what is pure. And he is ready to sweep out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his granary, but the straw he will burn up with a fire that can’t be extinguished!”


book: Matt
contenido:
But when he waded into the water, John resisted him, saying, “Why are you doing this? I’m the one who needs to be baptized by you, and yet you come to be baptized by me?”


book: Matt
contenido:
And as Jesus rose up out of the water, the heavenly realm opened up over him and he saw the Holy Spirit descend out of the heavens and rest upon him in the form of a dove.


book: Matt
contenido:
Then suddenly the voice of the Father shouted from the sky, saying, “This is the Son I love, and my greatest delight is in him.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus Tempted by the Devil Afterward, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the lonely wilderness in order to reveal his strength against the accuser by going through the ordeal of testing.


book: Matt
contenido:
Then the tempter came to entice him to provide food by doing a miracle. So he said to Jesus, “How can you possibly be the Son of God and go hungry? Just order these stones to be turned into loaves of bread.”


book: Matt
contenido:
He answered, “The Scriptures say: Bread alone will not satisfy, but true life is found in every word, which constantly goes forth from God’s mouth.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Then the accuser transported Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and perched him at the highest point of the temple


book: Matt
contenido:
and said to him, “If you’re really God’s Son, jump, and the angels will catch you. For it is written in the Scriptures: He will command his angels to protect you and they will lift you up so that you won’t even bruise your foot on a rock.”


book: Matt
contenido:
And the third time the accuser lifted Jesus up into a very high mountain range and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the splendor that goes with it.


book: Matt
contenido:
“All of these kingdoms I will give to you,” the accuser said, “if only you will kneel down before me and worship me.”


book: Matt
contenido:
But Jesus said, “Go away, enemy! For the Scriptures say: Kneel before the Lord your God and worship only him.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus Preaches in Galilee When Jesus heard that John the Baptizer had been thrown into prison, he went back into Galilee.


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum, which is by Lake Galilee in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.


book: Matt
contenido:
Listen, you who live in the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, along the road to the sea and on the other side of the Jordan, and Galilee—the land of non-Jewish peoples!


book: Matt
contenido:
You who spend your days shrouded in darkness can now say, “We have seen a brilliant Light.” And those who live in the dark shadow land of death can now say, “The Dawning Light arises on us.”


book: Matt
contenido:
From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message with these words: “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus Calls His Disciples As he was walking by the shore of Lake Galilee, Jesus noticed two fishermen who were brothers. One was nicknamed Keefa (later called Peter), and the other was Andrew, his brother. Watching as they were casting their nets into the water,


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus called out to them and said, “Come and follow me, and I will transform you into men who catch people for God.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Leaving there, Jesus found three other men sitting in a boat, mending their nets. Two were brothers, Jacob and John, and they were with their father, Zebedee. Jesus called Jacob and John to his side and said to them, “Come and follow Me.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus’ Ministry of Healing Jesus ministered from place to place throughout all of the province of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues, preaching the hope of the kingdom realm and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people.


book: Matt
contenido:
His fame spread everywhere! Many people who were in pain and suffering with every kind of illness were brought to Jesus for their healing—epileptics, paralytics, and those tormented by demonic powers were all set free. Everyone who was brought to Jesus was healed!


book: Matt
contenido:
This resulted in massive crowds of people following him, including people from Galilee, Jerusalem, the land of Judah, the region of the Ten Cities known as the Decapolis, and beyond the Jordan River.


book: Matt
contenido:
Jesus’ Sermon on the Hillside One day Jesus saw a vast crowd of people gathering to hear him, so he went up the slope of a hill and sat down. With his followers and disciples spread over the hillside,


book: Matt
contenido:
“What wealth is offered to you when you feel your spiritual poverty! For there is no charge to enter the realm of heaven’s kingdom.


book: Matt
contenido:
“How satisfied you are when you demonstrate tender mercy! For tender mercy will be demonstrated to you.


book: Matt
contenido:
“What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.


book: Matt
contenido:
“How enriched you are when you bear the wounds of being persecuted for doing what is right! For that is when you experience the realm of heaven’s kingdom.


book: Matt
contenido:
“How ecstatic you can be when people insult and persecute you and speak all kinds of cruel lies about you because of your love for me!


book: Matt
contenido:
So leap for joy—since your heavenly reward is great. For you are being rejected the same way the prophets were before you.


book: Matt
contenido:
“Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others.


book: Matt
contenido:
“Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop?


book: Matt
contenido:
And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light.


book: Matt
contenido:
So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Fulfillment of the Law “If you think I’ve come to set aside the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets, you’re mistaken. I have come to fulfill and bring to perfection all that has been written.


book: Matt
contenido:
Indeed, I assure you, as long as heaven and earth endure, not even the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with until its purpose is complete.


book: Matt
contenido:
So whoever violates even the least important of the commandments, and teaches others to do so, will be the least esteemed in the realm of heaven’s kingdom. But whoever obeys them and teaches their truths to others will be greatly esteemed in the realm of heaven’s kingdom.


book: Matt
contenido:
For I tell you, unless your lives are more pure and full of integrity than the religious scholars and the Pharisees you will never experience the realm of heaven’s kingdom.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Anger “You’re familiar with the commandment that the older generation was taught, ‘Do not murder or you will be judged.’


book: Matt
contenido:
But I’m telling you, if you hold anger in your heart toward a fellow believer, you are subject to judgment. And whoever demeans and insults a fellow believer is answerable to the congregation. And whoever calls down curses upon a fellow believer is in danger of being sent to a fiery hell.


book: Matt
contenido:
“So then, if you are presenting a gift before the altar in the temple and suddenly you remember a quarrel you have with a fellow believer,


book: Matt
contenido:
leave your gift there in front of the altar and go at once to apologize with the one who is offended. Then, after you have reconciled, come to the altar and present your gift.


book: Matt
contenido:
It is always better to come to terms with the one who wants to sue you before you go to trial, or you may be found guilty by the judge, and he will hand you over to the officers, who will throw you into prison.


book: Matt
contenido:
However, I say to you, if you look with lust in your eyes at the body of a woman who is not your wife, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart.


book: Matt
contenido:
If your right eye seduces you to fall into sin, then go blind in your right eye! For you’re better off losing sight in one eye than to have your whole body thrown into hell.


book: Matt
contenido:
And if your right hand entices you to sin, let it go limp and useless! For you’re better off losing a part of your body than to have it all thrown into hell.


book: Matt
contenido:
However, I say to you, if anyone divorces his wife for any reason, except for infidelity, he causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Making Oaths “Again, your ancestors were taught, ‘Never swear an oath that you don’t intend to keep, but keep your vows to the Lord God.’


book: Matt
contenido:
However, I say to you, don’t bind yourself by taking an oath at all. Don’t swear by heaven, for heaven is where God’s throne is placed.


book: Matt
contenido:
Don’t swear an oath by the earth, because it is the rug under God’s feet, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the Great King.


book: Matt
contenido:
And why would you swear by your own head, because it’s not in your power to turn a single hair white or black? But just let your words ring true.


book: Matt
contenido:
“Your ancestors have also been taught, ‘Take an eye in exchange for an eye and a tooth in exchange for a tooth.’


book: Matt
contenido:
However, I say to you, don’t repay an evil act with another evil act. But whoever insults you by slapping you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.


book: Matt
contenido:
If someone is determined to sue you for your coat, give him the shirt off your back as a gift in return.


book: Matt
contenido:
Learn to generously share what you have with those who ask for help, and don’t close your heart to the one who comes to borrow from you.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Love Your Enemies “Your ancestors have also been taught ‘Love your neighbors and hate the one who hates you.’


book: Matt
contenido:
However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them.


book: Matt
contenido:
For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil.


book: Matt
contenido:
How are you any different from others if you limit your kindness only to your friends? Don’t even the ungodly do that?


book: Matt
contenido:
Giving with Pure Motives “Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly Father.


book: Matt
contenido:
So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it and make a show of it just to be seen by people, like the hypocrites in the streets and in the marketplace. They’ve already received their reward!


book: Matt
contenido:
But when you demonstrate generosity, do it with pure motives and without drawing attention to yourself.


book: Matt
contenido:
Prayer “Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in the meetings and on street corners. Believe me, they’ve already received in full their reward.


book: Matt
contenido:
But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly.


book: Matt
contenido:
When you pray, there is no need to repeat empty phrases, praying like those who don’t know God, for they expect God to hear them because of their many words.


book: Matt
contenido:
Pray like this: ‘Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn.


book: Matt
contenido:
Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is fulfilled in heaven.


book: Matt
contenido:
Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.


book: Matt
contenido:
Rescue us every time we face tribulation and set us free from evil. For you are the King who rules with power and glory forever. Amen.’


book: Matt
contenido:
“And when you pray, make sure you forgive the faults of others so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you.


book: Matt
contenido:
Fasting “When you fast, don’t look like those who pretend to be spiritual. They want everyone to know they’re fasting, so they appear in public looking miserable, gloomy, and disheveled. Believe me, they’ve already received their reward in full.


book: Matt
contenido:
When you fast, don’t let it be obvious, but instead, wash your face and groom yourself and realize that your Father in the secret place is the one who is watching all that you do in secret and will continue to reward you openly.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Treasures in Heaven “Don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value.


book: Matt
contenido:
Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value.


book: Matt
contenido:
“The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in!


book: Matt
contenido:
But if your eyes are focused on money, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place. How profound will be the darkness within you if the light of truth cannot enter!


book: Matt
contenido:
“How could you worship two gods at the same time? You will have to hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t worship the true God while enslaved to the god of money!”


book: Matt
contenido:
Don’t Worry “This is why I tell you to never be worried about your life, for all that you need will be provided, such as food, water, clothing—everything your body needs. Isn’t there more to your life than a meal? Isn’t your body more than clothing?


book: Matt
contenido:
“Look at all the birds—do you think they worry about their existence? They don’t plant or reap or store up food, yet your heavenly Father provides them each with food. Aren’t you much more valuable to your Father than they?


book: Matt
contenido:
“And why would you worry about your clothing? Look at all the beautiful flowers of the field. They don’t work or toil,


book: Matt
contenido:
So if God has clothed the meadow with hay, which is here for such a short time and then dried up and burned, won’t he provide for you the clothes you need—even though you live with such little faith?


book: Matt
contenido:
“So then, forsake your worries! Why would you say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’


book: Matt
contenido:
For that is what the unbelievers chase after. Doesn’t your heavenly Father already know the things your bodies require?


book: Matt
contenido:
“So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.


book: Matt
contenido:
Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”


book: Matt
contenido:
Do Not Judge “Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and judgment will not be passed on you.


book: Matt
contenido:
For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you.


book: Matt
contenido:
Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own?


book: Matt
contenido:
How could you say to your friend, ‘Let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you’re guilty of even more?


book: Matt
contenido:
You’re being hypercritical and a hypocrite! First acknowledge your own ‘blind spots’ and deal with them, and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ of your friend.


book: Matt
contenido:
“Who would hang earrings on a dog’s ear or throw pearls in front of wild pigs? They’ll only trample them under their feet and then turn around and tear you to pieces!


book: Matt
contenido:
For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.


book: Matt
contenido:
“Do you know of any parent who would give his hungry child, who asked for food, a plate of rocks instead?


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If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him?”


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The Golden Rule “In everything you do, be careful to treat others in the same way you’d want them to treat you, for that is the essence of all the teachings of the Law and the Prophets.”


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The Narrow Gate “Come to God through the narrow gate, because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction—nearly everyone chooses that crowded road!


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False Prophets “Constantly be on your guard against phony prophets. They come disguised as lambs, appearing to be genuine, but on the inside they are like wild, ravenous wolves!


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You can spot them by their actions, for the fruits of their character will be obvious. You won’t find sweet grapes hanging on a thorn bush, and you’ll never pick good fruit from a tumbleweed.


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So if the tree is good, it will produce good fruit; but if the tree is bad, it will bear only rotten fruit and it deserves to be cut down and burned.


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Look at the obvious fruit of their lives and ministries, and then you’ll know whether they are true or false.”


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Jesus Warns of Pretenders “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the realm of heaven’s kingdom. It is only those who persist in doing the will of my heavenly Father.


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On the day of judgment many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, don’t you remember us? Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons and do many miracles for the sake of your name?’


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But I will have to say to them, ‘Go away from me, you lawless rebels! I’ve never been joined to you!’


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“Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation.


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When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation.


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“But everyone who hears my teaching and does not apply it to his life can be compared to a foolish man who built his house on sand.


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When it rained and rained and the flood came, with wind and waves beating upon his house, it collapsed and was swept away.”


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Jesus Heals a Leper After he came down from teaching on the hillside, massive crowds began following him.


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Suddenly, a leper walked up to Jesus and threw himself down before him in worship and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me . . . if you really want to.”


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Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper and said, “Of course I want to heal you—be healed!” And instantly, all signs of leprosy disappeared!


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Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t speak to anyone, but go at once and find a priest and show him what has happened to you. Make sure to take the offering Moses commanded so they can certify your healing.”


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Jesus Heals the Son of a Roman Officer When Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a captain in the Roman army approached him, asking for a miracle.


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But the Roman officer interjected, “Lord, who am I to have you come into my house? I understand your authority, for I too am a man who walks under authority and have authority over soldiers who serve under me. I can tell one to go and he’ll go, and another to come and he’ll come. I order my servants and they’ll do whatever I ask. So I know that all you need to do is to stand here and command healing over my son and he will be instantly healed.”


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Jesus was astonished when he heard this and said to those who were following him, “He has greater faith than anyone I’ve encountered in Israel!


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Listen to what I am about to tell you. Multitudes of non-Jewish people will stream from the east and the west, to enter into the banqueting feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the heavenly kingdom.


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But many Israelites, born to be heirs of the kingdom, will be turned away and banished into the darkness where there will be bitter weeping and unbearable anguish.”


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Then Jesus turned to the Roman officer and said, “Go home. All that you have believed for will be done for you!” And his son was healed at that very moment.


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Jesus Heals Everyone in Capernaum Then Jesus went into Peter’s home and found Peter’s mother-in-law bedridden, severely ill with a fever.


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The moment Jesus touched her hand she was healed! Immediately she got up and began to make dinner for them.


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That evening the people brought to him many who were demonized. And by Jesus only speaking a word of healing over them, they were totally set free from their torment, and everyone who was sick received their healing!


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In doing this, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: He put upon himself our weaknesses, and he carried away our diseases and made us well.


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At the sight of large crowds gathering around him, Jesus gave orders to his disciples to get ready to sail back over to the other side of the lake.


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Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no true home in this world.”


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Then another man spoke up and said, “Lord, I’ll follow you, but first I must take care of my aged father and bury him when he dies.”


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But Jesus said to him, “Now is the time to follow me, and let those who are dead bury their own dead.”


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Jesus Calms a Storm They all got into a boat and began to cross over to the other side of the lake. And Jesus, exhausted, fell asleep.


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Suddenly a violent storm developed, with waves so high the boat was about to be swamped. Yet Jesus continued to sleep soundly.


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But Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you gripped with fear? Where is your faith?” Then he stood up and rebuked the storm and said, “Be still!” And instantly it became perfectly calm.


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The disciples were astonished by this miracle and said to one another, “Who is this Man? Even the wind and waves obey his Word.”


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Jesus Sets Free Two Demonized Men When they arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two demonized men confronted Jesus. They lived among the tombs of a cemetery and were considered so extremely violent that no one felt safe passing through that area.


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The demons screamed at Jesus, shouting, “Son of God, what do you want with us? Leave us alone! Have you come to torment us before the appointed time?”


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Jesus commanded, “Then go!” And at once the demons came out of the men and went into the pigs. Then the entire herd of crazed pigs stampeded down the steep slope and fell into the water and drowned.


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The men who were herding the pigs fled to the nearby town and informed the people of all that had happened to the demonized men.


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Then everyone from the town went out to confront Jesus and urged him to go away and leave them alone.


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Forgiveness and Healing Jesus got into the boat and returned to what was considered his hometown, Capernaum.


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Just then some people brought a paraplegic man to him, lying on a sleeping mat. When Jesus perceived the strong faith within their hearts, he said to the paralyzed man, “My son, be encouraged, for your sins have been forgiven.”


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These words prompted some of the religious scholars who were present to think, “Why, that’s nothing but blasphemy!”


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Jesus supernaturally perceived their thoughts, and said to them, “Why do you carry such evil in your hearts?


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But now, to convince you that the Son of Man has been given authority to forgive sins, I say to this man, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk home.’”


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When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they were awestruck. They shouted praises to God because he had given such authority to human beings.


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Jesus Calls Matthew to Follow Him As Jesus left Capernaum he came upon a tax-collecting station, where a traitorous Jew was busy at his work, collecting taxes for the Romans. His name was Matthew. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said to him. Immediately Matthew jumped up and began to follow Jesus.


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Later, Jesus went to Matthew’s home to share a meal with him. Many other tax collectors and outcasts of society were invited to eat with Jesus and his disciples.


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When those known as the Pharisees saw what was happening, they were indignant, and they kept asking Jesus’ disciples, “Why would your Master dine with such lowlifes?”


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When Jesus overheard this, he spoke up and said, “Healthy people don’t need to see a doctor, but the sick will go for treatment.”


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Then he added, “Now you should go and study the meaning of the verse: I want you to show mercy, not just offer me a sacrifice. For I have come to invite the outcasts of society and sinners, not those who think they are already on the right path.”


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Jesus Brings a New Reality The disciples of John the Baptizer approached Jesus with this question: “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast regularly, but not your disciples?”


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Jesus replied, “How can the sons of the bridal chamber grieve when the Bridegroom is next to them? But the days of fasting will come when the Bridegroom is taken away from them.


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And who would mend worn-out clothing with new fabric? When the new cloth shrinks it will rip, making the hole worse than before.


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And who would pour fresh, new wine into an old wineskin? Eventually the wine will ferment and make the wineskin burst, losing everything—the wine is spilled and the wineskin ruined. Instead, new wine is always poured into a new wineskin so that both are preserved.”


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Jesus Heals and Raises the Dead While Jesus was still speaking, an influential Jewish leader approached and knelt before him, saying, “Help me! My daughter has just died. Please come and place your hand upon her so that she will live again.”


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Suddenly, a woman came from behind Jesus and touched the tassel of his prayer shawl for healing. She had been suffering from continual bleeding for twelve years, but had faith that Jesus could heal her.


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Just then Jesus turned around and looked at her and said, “My daughter, be encouraged. Your faith has healed you.” And instantly she was healed!


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When Jesus finally entered the home of the Jewish leader, he saw a noisy crowd of mourners, wailing and playing a funeral dirge on their flutes.


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He told them, “You must leave, for the little girl is not dead; she’s only asleep.” Then everyone began to ridicule him.


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After he made the crowd go outside, he went into the girl’s room and gently took hold of her hand. She immediately stood to her feet!


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Jesus Opens Blind Eyes As Jesus left the house, two blind men began following him, shouting out over and over, “Son of David, show us mercy and heal us!”


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And they followed him right into the house where Jesus was staying. So Jesus asked them, “Do you believe that I have the power to restore sight to your eyes?” They replied, “Yes Lord, we believe!”


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And instantly their eyes opened—they could see! Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Make sure that you tell no one what just happened!”


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Jesus Heals the Mute While they were leaving, some people brought before Jesus a man with a demon spirit who couldn’t speak.


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Jesus cast the demon out of him, and immediately the man began to speak plainly. The crowds marveled in astonishment, saying, “We’ve never seen miracles like this in Israel!”


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Workers for the Harvest Jesus walked throughout the region with the joyful message of God’s kingdom realm. He taught in their meeting houses, and wherever he went he demonstrated God’s power by healing every kind of disease and illness.


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When he saw the vast crowds of people, Jesus’ heart was deeply moved with compassion, because they seemed weary and helpless, like wandering sheep without a shepherd.


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He turned to his disciples and said, “The harvest is huge and ripe! But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in.


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As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to thrust out many more reapers to harvest his grain!”


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Jesus Sends Out His Twelve Apostles Jesus gathered his twelve disciples and imparted to them authority to cast out demons and to heal every sickness and every disease.


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Now, these are the names of the first twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is nicknamed Peter, and Andrew, his brother. And then Jacob and John, sons of Zebedee.


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Next were Phillip and Bartholomew; then Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; Jacob the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus;


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Simon, the former member of the Zealot party, and Judas the locksmith, who eventually betrayed Jesus.


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Jesus commissioned these twelve to go out into the ripened harvest fields with these instructions: “Don’t go into any non-Jewish or Samaritan territory.


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You must continually bring healing to lepers and to those who are sick, and make it your habit to break off the demonic presence from people, and raise the dead back to life. Freely you have received the power of the kingdom, so freely release it to others.


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Travel light, and don’t even pack an extra change of clothes in your backpack. Trust God for everything, because the one who works for him deserves to be provided for.


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“Whatever village or town you enter, search for a godly man who will let you into his home until you leave for the next town.


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Once you enter a house, speak to the family there and say, ‘God’s blessing of peace be upon this house!’


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And if those living there welcome you, let your peace come upon the house. But if you are rejected, that blessing of peace will come back upon you.


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And if anyone doesn’t listen to you and rejects your message, when you leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet as a prophetic act that you will not take their defilement with you.


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Mark my words, on the day of judgment the wicked people who lived in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will have a lesser degree of judgment than the city that rejects you, for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did not have the opportunity that was given to them!


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Now, remember, it is I who sends you out, even though you feel vulnerable as lambs going into a pack of wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes yet as harmless as doves.”


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Jesus Warns His Apostles of Persecution “Be on your guard! For there will be those who will betray you before their religious councils and brutally beat you with whips in their public gatherings.


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And because you follow me, they will take you to stand trial in front of rulers and even kings as an opportunity to testify of me before them and the unbelievers.


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So when they arrest you, don’t worry about how to speak or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will give you at that very moment the words to speak.


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“A brother will betray his brother unto death—even a father his child! Children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death.


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Expect to be hated by all because of my name, but be faithful to the end and you will experience life and deliverance.


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And when they persecute you in one town, flee to another. But I promise you this: you will not deliver all the cities and towns of Israel until the Son of Man will have made his appearance.


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The student must be satisfied to share his teacher’s fate and the servant his master’s. If they have called the head of the family ‘lord of flies,’ no wonder they malign the members of his family.


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“Don’t be afraid or intimidated by others, for God will bring everything out into the open and every secret will be told.


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What I say to you in the dark, repeat in broad daylight, and what you hear in a whisper, announce it publicly.


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Don’t be in fear of those who can kill only the body but not your soul. Fear only God, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.


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You can buy two sparrows for only a copper coin, yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren’t you worth much more to God than many sparrows?


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“If you openly and publicly acknowledge me, I will freely and openly acknowledge you before my heavenly Father.


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“Perhaps you think I’ve come to spread peace and calm over the earth—but my coming will bring conflict and division, not peace.


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Because of me, A son will turn against his father, a daughter her mother and against her mother-in-law.


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And whoever comes to me must follow in my steps and be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple.


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All who seek to live apart from me will lose it all. But those who let go of their lives for my sake and surrender it all to me will discover true life!


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Whoever receives a prophet because he is God’s messenger will share a prophet’s reward. And whoever welcomes a good and godly man because he follows me will also share in his reward.


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And whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of my humble disciples, I promise you, he will not go unrewarded.”


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Jesus and John the Baptizer After Jesus finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he went on to minister in different villages throughout the region.


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Now, while John the Baptizer was in prison, he heard about what Christ was doing among the people, so he sent his disciples to ask him this question:


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‘The blind see again, the crippled walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised back to life, and the poor and broken now hear of the hope of salvation!’


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And tell John that the blessing of heaven comes upon those who never lose their faith in me—no matter what happens!”


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As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. “What kind of man did you see when you went out into the wilderness? Did you expect to see a man who would be easily intimidated?


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Who was he? Did you expect to see a man decked out in the splendid fashion of the day? Those who wear fancy clothes live like kings in palaces.


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Or did you encounter a true prophet out in the lonely wilderness? Yes, John was a prophet like those of the past, but he is even more than that!


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He was the fulfillment of this Scripture: See, I am sending my prophetic messenger who will go ahead of me and prepare hearts to receive me.


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“For I tell you the truth, throughout history there has never been a man who surpasses John the Baptizer. Yet the least of those who now experience heaven’s kingdom realm will become even greater than he.


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From the moment John stepped onto the scene until now, the realm of heaven’s kingdom is bursting forth, and passionate people have taken hold of its power.


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“Don’t you understand? How could I describe the people of this generation? You’re like children playing games on the playground, yelling at their playmates,


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‘You don’t like it when we want to play Wedding! And you don’t like it when we want to play Funeral! You will neither dance nor mourn.’


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Why is it that when John came to you, neither feasting nor drinking wine, you said, ‘He has a demon in him!’?


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Yet when the Son of Man came and went to feasts and drank wine, you said, ‘Look at this Man! He is nothing but a glutton and a drunkard! He spends all his time with tax collectors and other affluent sinners.’ But God’s wisdom will be visibly seen living in those who embrace it.”


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Jesus Criticizes Unrepentant Cities Then Jesus began to openly denounce the cities where he had done most of his mighty miracles, because the people failed to turn away from sin and return to God.


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He said, “How tragic it will be for the city of Korazin! And how horrible for the city of Bethsaida! For if the powerful miracles that I performed in Korazin and Bethsaida had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have humbled themselves and repented, and turned from their sins.


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And Capernaum—do you really think you’ll be exalted because of the great miracles I have done there? No! You’ll be brought down to the depths of hell because of your rejection of me. For if the miracles I worked in your streets were done in Sodom, it would still be standing today!


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But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom in the day of judgment than it will be for you.”


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Jesus Invites Everyone to Come Then Jesus exclaimed, “Father, thank you, for you are Lord, the Supreme Ruler over heaven and earth! And you have hidden the great revelation of your authority from those who are proud and wise in their own eyes. Instead, you have shared it with these who humble themselves.


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Yes, Father, your plan delights your heart, as you’ve chosen this way to extend your kingdom—by giving it to those who have become like trusting children.


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You have entrusted me with all that you are and all that you have. No one fully and intimately knows the Son except the Father. And no one fully and intimately knows the Father except the Son. But the Son is able to unveil the Father to anyone he chooses.


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“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.


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Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me.


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Jesus, Lord over the Sabbath One Saturday, on the day of rest, Jesus and his disciples were walking through a field of wheat. The disciples were hungry, so they plucked off some heads of grain and rubbed them in their hands to eat.


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But when some of the Pharisees saw what was happening, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples shouldn’t be harvesting grain on the Sabbath!”


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They entered the house of God and ate the sacred bread of God’s presence, violating the law by eating bread that only the priests were allowed to eat.


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“And haven’t you read in the Torah that the priests violated the rules of the Sabbath by carrying out their duties in the temple on a Saturday, and yet they are without blame?


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If only you could learn the meaning of the words ‘I want compassion more than a sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t be condemning my innocent disciples.


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he encountered a man who had an atrophied, paralyzed hand. The fault-finding Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it permissible to perform a work of healing on the Sabbath, when no one is supposed to work?” They only asked him this question because they hoped to accuse him of breaking the Jewish laws.


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He answered them, “If any of you had a lamb that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you reach out your hand and lift it out?


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Isn’t a man much more valuable than a lamb? So of course, it’s always proper to do miracles, even on the Sabbath.”


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Then he turned to the man and said, “Hold out your hand!” And as he stretched it out, it was restored, exactly like the other.


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Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he left by another way. Massive crowds followed him from there, and he healed all who were sick.


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Take a careful look at my servant, my chosen one. I love him dearly and I find all my delight in him. I will breathe my Spirit upon him and he will decree justice to the nations.


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He won’t brush aside the bruised and broken. He will be gentle with the weak and feeble, until his victory releases justice.


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Jesus Frees a Demonized Man Then a man was brought before Jesus who had a demon spirit that made him both blind and unable to speak. Jesus healed him instantly, and he could see and talk again!


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The crowds went wild with amazement as they witnessed this miracle. And they kept saying to one another, “Could this man be the Messiah?”


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But when the Pharisees overheard what the people were saying about the miracle, they said, “He casts out demons by the power of Satan, the prince of demons!”


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Now, Jesus supernaturally perceived their thoughts and motives, so he confronted them by telling them this parable: “Any kingdom that fights against itself will end up in ruins. And any family or community splintered by strife will fall apart.


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So if Satan empowers me to cast out demons, who empowers your exorcists to cast them out? Go ask them, for what they do proves you’re wrong in your accusations.


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On the other hand, if I drive out demons by the power of the Spirit of God, then the end of Satan’s kingdom has come!


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Who would dare enter the house of a mighty man and steal his property? First he must be overpowered and tied up by one who is stronger than he. Then his entire house can be plundered and every possession stolen.


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“So join with me, for if you’re not on my side you are against me. And if you refuse to help me gather the spoils, you are making things worse.


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This is why I warn you, for God will forgive people for every sin and blasphemy they have committed except one. There is no forgiveness for the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.


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If anyone speaks evil of me, the Son of Man, he can be forgiven; but if anyone contemptuously speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will never be forgiven, now or ever!”


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Only Good Trees Bear Good Fruit “You must determine if a tree is good or rotten. You can recognize good trees by their delicious fruit. But if you find rotten fruit, you can be certain that the tree is rotten. The fruit defines the tree.


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But you who are known as the Pharisees are rotten to the core! You’ve been poisoned by the nature of a venomous snake. How can your words be good and trustworthy if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words!


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“When virtue is stored within, the hearts of good and upright people will produce good fruit. But when evil is hidden within, those who are evil will produce evil fruit.


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You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken.


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Your very words will be used as evidence against you, and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty.”


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The Sign of Jonah Then a few Jewish scholars and Pharisees spoke up and said, “Teacher, why don’t you perform a miraculous sign for us.”


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Jesus replied, “Only evil people who are unfaithful to God would demand a sign. There will be no sign given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah.


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For just like Jonah was in the belly of the huge sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.


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The people of Nineveh will also rise up on the day of judgment to accuse and condemn this generation. For they all repented when they heard the preaching of Jonah, yet you have refused to repent. And there is one greater than Jonah who is preaching to you today!


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Even the Queen of Sheba will rise up on the day of judgment to accuse and condemn this generation for its unbelief! She journeyed from a far and distant land just to hear the wisdom of King Solomon. Yet now there is one greater than Solomon speaking to you, and you still refuse to listen.”


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Demons “When a demon is cast out of a person, it roams around a dry region, looking for a place to rest, but never finds it.


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Then it says, ‘I’ll return to the house I moved out of,’ and so it goes back, only to find that the house is vacant, warm, and ready for it to move back in.


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So it goes looking for seven other demons more evil than itself, and they all enter together to live there. Then the person’s condition becomes much worse than it was in the beginning. This describes what will also happen to the people of this evil generation.”


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Jesus’ True Family While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, asking for him to come out and speak with them.


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Then someone said, “Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to have a word with you.”


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Then gesturing to the disciples gathered around him, he said, “Look closely, for this is my true family.


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The Parables of Jesus Later that day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeshore to teach the people.


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Soon, there were so many people surrounding him that he had to teach sitting in a boat while the large crowd stood on the shore.


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He taught them many things by using stories, parables that would illustrate spiritual truths, saying: “Consider this: There was a farmer who went out to sow seeds.


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but when the days grew hot, the sprouts were scorched and withered because they had insufficient roots.


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Other seeds fell among the thorns and weeds, so when the seeds sprouted, so did the weeds, crowding out the good plants.


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But other seeds fell on good, rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty, and some even one hundred times as much as he planted!


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Then his disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Why do you always speak to people in these hard-to-understand parables?”


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He explained, “You’ve been given the intimate experience of insight into the hidden truths and mysteries of the realm of heaven’s kingdom, but they have not.


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For everyone who listens with an open heart will receive progressively more revelation until he has more than enough. But those who don’t listen with an open, teachable heart, even the understanding that they think they have will be taken from them.


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That’s why I teach the people using parables, because they think they’re looking for truth, yet because their hearts are unteachable, they never discover it. Although they will listen to me, they never fully perceive the message I speak.


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The prophecy of Isaiah describes them perfectly: Although they listen carefully to everything I speak, they don’t understand a thing I say. They look and pretend to see, but the eyes of their hearts are closed.


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Their minds are dull and slow to perceive, their ears are plugged and are hard of hearing, and they have deliberately shut their eyes to the truth. Otherwise they would open their eyes to see, and open their ears to hear, and open their minds to understand. Then they would turn to me and let me instantly heal them.


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“But your eyes are privileged, for they see. Delighted are your ears, for they are open to hear all these things.


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Many prophets and godly people in times past yearned to see these days of miracles that you’ve been favored to see. They would have given everything to hear the revelation you’ve been favored to hear. Yet they didn’t get to see as much as a glimpse or hear even a whisper.


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“The seed that fell on the beaten path represents the heart of the one who hears the message of the kingdom realm but doesn’t understand it. The Adversary then comes and snatches away what was sown into his heart.


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“The seed sown on gravel represents the person who gladly hears the kingdom message, but his experience remains shallow.


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Shortly after he hears it, troubles and persecutions come because of the kingdom message he received. Then he quickly falls away, for the truth didn’t sink deeply into his heart.


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“The seed sown among weeds represents the person who receives the message, but all of life’s busy distractions, his divided heart, and his ambition for wealth result in suffocating the kingdom message and prevent him from bearing spiritual fruit.


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“As for the seed that fell upon good, rich soil, it represents the hearts of people who hear and fully embrace the message of heaven’s kingdom realm. Their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times as much as was sown.”


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The Parable of the Weeds Then Jesus taught them another parable: “Heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared to a farmer who planted good seed in his field.


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But at night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and planted poisonous weeds among the wheat and ran away.


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So the farmer’s hired hands came to him and said, ‘Sir, wasn’t that good seed that you sowed in the field? Where did all these weeds come from?’


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“He answered, ‘This has to be the work of an enemy!’ “They replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather up all the weeds?’


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You must allow them both to grow together until the time of harvest. At that time, I’ll tell my harvesters to make sure they gather the weeds first and tie them all in bundles to be burned. Then they will harvest the wheat and put it into my barn.’”


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The Parable of the Tiny Mustard Seed Then Jesus taught them another parable: “Heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared to the tiny mustard seed that a man takes and plants in his field.


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Although the smallest of all the seeds, it eventually grows into the greatest of garden plants, becoming a tree for birds to come and build their nests in its branches.”


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The Parable of the Yeast Then he taught them another parable: “Heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared to yeast that a woman takes and blends into three measures of flour and then waits until all the dough rises.”


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Prophecy and Parables Whenever Jesus addressed the crowds, he always spoke in allegories. He never spoke without using parables.


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He did this in order to fulfill the prophecy: I will speak to you in allegories. I will reveal secrets that have been concealed since before the foundation of the world.


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Jesus Explains the Parables Jesus left the crowds and went inside the house where he was staying. Then his disciples approached him and asked, “Please explain the deeper meaning of the parable of the weeds growing in the field of wheat.”


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And the field is the world. The good seeds I sow are the children of the kingdom realm. The weeds are the children of the Evil One,


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and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest points to the end of this age, and the harvesters are God’s messengers.


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The Son of Man will send his messengers, and they will uproot everything out of his kingdom. All the lawless ones and everything that causes sin will be removed.


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And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will experience great sorrow, pain, and anguish.


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Then the godly ones will shine like the brightness of the sun in their Father’s kingdom realm. If you’re able to understand this, then you’d better respond!”


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Parables of Hidden Treasure and an Extraordinary Pearl “Heaven’s kingdom realm can be illustrated like this: “A person discovered that there was hidden treasure in a field. Upon finding it, he hid it again. Because of uncovering such treasure, he was overjoyed and sold all that he possessed to buy the entire field just so he could have the treasure.


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When he discovered one very precious and exquisite pearl, he immediately gave up all he had in exchange for it.”


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The Parable of the Fishing Net “Again, heaven’s kingdom realm is like a fisherman who casts his large net into the lake, catching an assortment of different kinds of fish.


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When the net was filled, the fishermen hauled it up on the shore, and they all sat down to sort out their catch. They collected the good fish in baskets and threw the bad away.


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And so it will be at the close of the age. The messengers will come and separate the evil from among the godly


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He responded, “Every scholar of the Scriptures, who is instructed in the ways of heaven’s kingdom realm, is like a wealthy home owner with his house filled with treasures both new and old. And he knows how and when to bring them out to show others.”


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Jesus Rejected in His Hometown When Jesus arrived in his hometown of Nazareth, he began teaching the people in the synagogue. Everyone was dazed, overwhelmed with astonishment over the depth of revelation they were hearing. They said to one another, “Where did this man get such great wisdom and miraculous powers?


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Isn’t he just the wood-worker’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary, and his four brothers Jacob, Joseph, Simon, and Judah?


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And the people became offended and began to turn against him. Jesus said, “There’s only one place a prophet isn’t honored—his own hometown!”


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John the Baptizer Killed At that time Herod, the Roman ruler over Galilee, heard reports about Jesus.


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He told his officials, “This man has to be John the Baptizer who has come back from the dead. That’s why he has this power to work miracles.”


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For Herod had earlier arrested John for confronting him over taking the wife of his brother Philip. He had John thrown in prison and placed in chains


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because John had repeatedly said to him, “It’s not legal or proper for you to be married to Herodias, your sister-in-law!”


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So Herod wanted John dead, but he was afraid of the crowds who flocked to John because they considered him to be a prophet.


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During Herod’s birthday celebration, the daughter of Herodias danced before Herod and all his distinguished quests, which greatly pleased the king.


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So he said to her in front of them all, “I give you my oath, ask of me anything you wish and it will be yours!”


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Because she had been instructed by her mother, she said, “I want the head of John the Baptizer here on a platter!”


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They brought in his head and displayed it to her on a platter, and she then had it shown to her mother.


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John’s disciples went into the prison and carried his body away and buried it. Then they left to find Jesus and tell him what had happened.


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Jesus Feeds the Multitude On hearing this, Jesus slipped away privately by boat to be alone. But when the crowds discovered he had sailed away, they emerged from all the nearby towns and followed him on foot.


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So when Jesus landed he had a huge crowd waiting for him. Seeing so many people, his heart was deeply moved with compassion toward them, so he healed all the sick who were in the crowd.


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Later that afternoon the disciples came to Jesus and said, “It’s going to be dark soon and the people are hungry, but there’s nothing to eat here in this desolate place. You should send the crowds away to the nearby villages to buy themselves some food.”


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Then he had everyone sit down on the grass as he took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up into heaven, gave thanks to God, and broke the bread into pieces. He then gave it to his disciples, who in turn gave it to the crowds.


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And everyone ate until they were satisfied, for the food was multiplied in front of their eyes! They picked up the leftovers and filled up twelve baskets full!


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Jesus Walks on Water As soon as the people were fed, Jesus told his disciples to get into their boat and to go to the other side of the lake while he stayed behind to dismiss the people.


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After the crowds dispersed, Jesus went up into the hills to pray. And as night fell he was there praying alone with God.


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But the disciples, who were now in the middle of the lake, ran into trouble, for their boat was tossed about by the high winds and heavy seas.


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When the disciples saw him walking on top of the water, they were terrified and screamed, “A ghost!”


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“Come and join me,” Jesus replied. So Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus.


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But when he realized how high the waves were, he became frightened and started to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he cried out.


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Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and lifted him up and said, “What little faith you have! Why would you let doubt win?”


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Then all the disciples crouched down before him and worshiped Jesus. They said in adoration, “You are truly the Son of God!”


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the people living there quickly recognized who he was. They were quick to spread the news throughout the surrounding region that Jesus had come to them.


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So they brought him all their sick, begging him to let them touch the fringe of his robe. And everyone who touched it was instantly healed!


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Jesus Breaks Religious Traditions Then the Pharisees and religious scholars came from Jerusalem and approached Jesus with this question:


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“Why do your disciples ignore the traditions of our elders? For example, they don’t ceremonially wash their hands before they eat bread.”


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For didn’t God say, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Whoever abuses or insults his father or mother must be put to death?’


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“But you teach that it’s permissible to say to your parents when they are in financial need, ‘Whatever gift you would have received from me I can keep for myself, since I dedicated it as an offering to God.’


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This doesn’t honor your father or mother. And you have elevated your tradition above the words of God.


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What truly contaminates a person is not what he puts into his mouth but what comes out of his mouth. That’s what makes people defiled.”


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Then his disciples approached him and said, “Don’t you know that what you just said offended the Pharisees?”


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Stay away from them, for they’re nothing more than blind guides. Do you know what happens when a blind man pretends to guide another blind man? They both stumble into a ditch!”


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You will find living within an impure heart evil ideas, murderous thoughts, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lies, and slander.


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He encountered there a Canaanite woman who screamed out to him, “Lord, Son of David, show mercy to me! My daughter is horribly afflicted by a demon that torments her.”


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But Jesus never answered her. So his disciples said to him, “Why do you ignore this woman who is crying out to us?”


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Jesus responded, “It’s not right for a man to take bread from his children and throw it out to the dogs.”


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“You’re right, Lord,” she replied. “But even puppies get to eat the crumbs that fall from the prince’s table.”


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Then Jesus answered her, “Dear woman, your faith is strong! What you desire will be done for you.” And at that very moment, her daughter was instantly set free from demonic torment.


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Jesus Heals Many Others After leaving Lebanon, Jesus went to Lake Galilee and climbed a hill nearby and sat down.


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Then huge crowds of people streamed up the hill, bringing with them the lame, blind, deformed, mute, and many others in need of healing. They laid them at Jesus’ feet and he healed them all.


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And the crowds marveled with rapture and amazement, astounded over the things they were witnessing with their own eyes! The lame were walking, the mute were speaking, the crippled were made well, and the blind could see. For three days everyone celebrated the miracles as they exalted and praised the God of Israel!


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Jesus Feeds Thousands Jesus called his disciples to himself and said, “I care deeply about all these people, for they’ve already been with me for three days without food. I don’t want to send them away fasting or else they may be overcome by weakness on their journey home.”


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So the disciples said to him, “Where in the world are we going to find enough food in this desolate place to feed this crowd?”


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Then he took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks to God. He broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, who then distributed the food to the crowds.


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When everyone was full and satisfied, they gathered up the leftovers. And from what was once seven loaves and a few fish, they filled seven baskets!


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There were four thousand men who ate the food Jesus multiplied, and even more including the women and children!


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The Demand for a Sign from Heaven One day some of the Pharisees and those of the Jewish sect known as the Sadducees approached Jesus, insisting that he prove to them that he was the Messiah. “Show us a supernatural sign from heaven,” they demanded.


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Jesus answered, “You can read the signs of the weather, for you say, ‘Red sky at night, sailors delight.’


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And, ‘Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.’ You’re so adept at forecasting the weather by looking at the sky, but you’re absolutely clueless in reading the obvious signs of the times.


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A wicked and wayward generation always asks for signs, but the only sign I provide for you will be the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Then he turned away and left them.


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The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees Later, as Jesus and his disciples crossed over to the other side of Lake Galilee, the disciples realized they had forgotten to bring any loaves of bread.


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Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “You have such little faith! Why are you arguing with one another about having no bread?


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Are you so slow to understand? Have you forgotten the miracle of feeding the five thousand families and how each of you ended up with a basket full of fragments?


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Don’t you understand? I’m not talking about bread, but I’m warning you to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”


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Then finally they realized he wasn’t talking about yeast found in bread, but the error of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.


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Peter’s Revelation of Christ When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples this question: “What are the people saying about me, the Son of Man? Who do they believe I am?”


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They answered, “Some are convinced you are John the Baptizer, others say you are Elijah reincarnated, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”


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Jesus replied, “You are favored and privileged Simeon, son of Jonah! For you didn’t discover this on your own, but my Father in heaven has supernaturally revealed it to you.


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I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!


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I will give you the keys of heaven’s kingdom realm to forbid on earth that which is forbidden in heaven, and to release on earth that which is released in heaven.”


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Jesus Prophesies His Death and Resurrection From then on Jesus began to clearly reveal to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer injustice from the elders, leading priests, and religious scholars. He also explained that he would be killed and three days later be raised to life again.


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Peter took him aside to correct him privately. He reprimanded Jesus over and over, saying to him, “God forbid, Master! Spare yourself. You must never let this happen to you!”


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Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get out of my way, you Satan! You are an offense to me, because your thoughts are only filled with man’s viewpoints and not with the ways of God.”


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Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.


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For if you choose self-sacrifice and lose your lives for my glory, you will continually discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will forfeit what you try to keep.


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For even if you were to gain all the wealth and power of this world with everything it could offer you—at the cost of your own life—what good would that be? And what could be more valuable to you than your own soul?


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It has been decreed that I, the Son of Man, will one day return with my messengers and in the splendor and majesty of my Father. And then I will reward each person according to what they have done.


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But I promise you, there are some standing here now who won’t experience death until they have witnessed the coming of the Son of Man in the presence and the power of the kingdom realm of God!”


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Jesus’ Glorious Transfiguration Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, Jacob and John, and hiked up a high mountain to be alone.


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Then Jesus’ appearance was dramatically altered. A radiant light as bright as the sun poured from his face. And his clothing became luminescent—dazzling like lightning. He was trans-figured before their very eyes.


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Peter blurted out, “Lord, it’s so wonderful that we are all here together! If you want, I’ll construct three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”


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But while Peter was still speaking, a radiant cloud composed of light spread over them, enveloping them all. And God’s voice suddenly spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, the constant focus of my delight. Listen to him!”


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The three disciples were dazed and terrified by this phenomenon, and they fell facedown to the ground.


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As they all hiked down the mountain together, Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone of the divine appearance you just witnessed. Wait until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”


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His disciples asked him, “Why do all the religious scholars insist that Elijah must first appear before the Anointed One comes?”


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But Elijah has already appeared. And yet they didn’t recognize him, so they did to him whatever they pleased. And the Son of Man is destined to suffer the same abuse as what they did to him.”


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Unbelief Hinders Healing They came to where a large crowd had gathered to wait for Jesus. A man came and knelt before him


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and said, “Lord, please show your tender mercy toward my son. He has a demon who afflicts him. He has epilepsy, and he suffers horribly from seizures. He often falls into the cooking fire or into the river.


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Jesus replied, “Where is your faith? Can’t you see how wayward and wrong this generation is? How much longer do I stay with you and put up with your doubts? Bring your son to me.”


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He told them, “It was because of your lack of faith. I promise you, if you have faith inside of you no bigger than the size of a small mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move away from here and go over there,’ and you will see it move! There is nothing you couldn’t do!


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Jesus Prophesies Again of His Death and Resurrection When they all gathered together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed and turned over to his enemies.


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They will kill him and in three days he will be resurrected.” When the disciples heard these words they were devastated.


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The Miracle of a Coin in a Fish’s Mouth After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay the tax for the upkeep of the temple, like the rest of us?”


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“Of course he does,” Peter answered. When Peter walked into the house, and before he had a chance to speak, Jesus spoke up and said, “Peter, I have a question for you. Who pays tolls or taxes to a king? Is tax collected from the king’s own children, or from his subjects?”


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“From his subjects,” Peter answered. Jesus replied, “That’s right. The children get off free without paying taxes.


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But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out your hook, and the first fish that rises up will have a coin in its mouth. It will be the exact amount you need to pay the temple tax for both of us.”


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Who Is the Greatest in the Kingdom Realm? At that time the disciples came to ask Jesus, “Who is considered to be the greatest in heaven’s kingdom realm?”


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“Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable, and learn about heaven’s kingdom realm with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, you will never be able to enter in.


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Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this gentle child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm.


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But if anyone abuses one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment he deserves!


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“Misery will come to the one who lures people away into sin. Troubles and obstacles to your faith are inevitable, but great devastation will come to the one guilty of causing others to leave the path of righteousness!


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If your hand clings to sin, cut it off and throw it away. If your foot continually steps onto sin’s path, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better for you to enter into heaven crippled and maimed than to have both hands and both feet and be thrown into eternal fire.


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And if your eye is always focusing on sin, pluck it out and throw it away. For it is better for you to enter into heaven with one eye than to be thrown into hell fire with two.


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“Be careful that you not corrupt one of these little ones. For I can assure you that in heaven each of their angelic guardians have instant access to my heavenly Father.”


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Think of it this way: If a man owns a hundred sheep and one lamb wanders away and is lost, won’t he leave the ninety-nine grazing on the hillside and go out and thoroughly search for the one lost lamb?


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Now you should understand that it is never the desire of your heavenly Father that a single one of these humble believers should be lost.”


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Restoring Broken Relationships “If your fellow believer sins against you, you must go to that one privately and attempt to resolve the matter. If he responds, your relationship is restored.


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But if his heart is closed to you, then go to him again, taking one or two others with you. You’ll be fulfilling what the Scripture teaches when it says, ‘Every word may be verified by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’


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And if he refuses to listen, then share the issue with the entire church in hopes of restoration. If he still refuses to respond, disregarding the fellowship of his church family, you must disregard him as though he were an outsider, on the same level as an unrepentant sinner.


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“Receive this truth: Whatever you forbid on earth will be considered to be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be considered to be released in heaven.


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Again, I give you an eternal truth: If two of you agree to ask God for something in a symphony of prayer, my heavenly Father will do it for you.


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Unlimited Forgiveness Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?”


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The lessons of forgiveness in heaven’s kingdom realm can be illustrated like this: “There once was a king who had servants who had borrowed money from the royal treasury. He decided to settle accounts with each of them.


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As he began the process, it came to his attention that one of his servants owed him one billion dollars. So he summoned the servant before him and said to him, ‘Pay me what you owe me.’


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When his servant was unable to repay his debt, the king ordered that he be sold as a slave along with his wife and children and every possession they owned as payment toward his debt.


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The servant threw himself facedown at his master’s feet and begged for mercy. ‘Please be patient with me. Just give me more time and I will repay you all that I owe.’


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Upon hearing his pleas, the king had compassion on his servant, and released him, and forgave his entire debt.


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“No sooner had the servant left when he met one of his fellow servants, who owed him twenty thousand dollars He seized him by the throat and began to choke him, saying, ‘You’d better pay me right now everything you owe me!’


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His fellow servant threw himself facedown at his feet and begged, ‘Please be patient with me. If you’ll just give me time, I will repay you all that is owed.’


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But the one who had his debt forgiven stubbornly refused to forgive what was owed him. He had his fellow servant thrown into prison and demanded he remain there until he repaid the debt in full.


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“When his associates saw what was going on, they were outraged and went to the king and told him the whole story.


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The king said to him, ‘You scoundrel! Is this the way you respond to my mercy? Because you begged me, I forgave you the massive debt that you owed me.


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In a fury of anger, the king turned him over to the prison guards to be tortured until all his debt was repaid.


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In this same way, my heavenly Father will deal with any of you if you do not release forgiveness from your heart toward your fellow believer.”


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Questions about Divorce After Jesus finished teaching them, he left Galilee and made his way toward the district of Judea, east of the Jordan River.


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The Pharisees were intent on putting Jesus to the test with difficult questions, so they approached him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”


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“Haven’t you read the Scriptures about creation?” Jesus replied. “The Creator made us male and female from the very beginning,


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and ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and live with his wife. And the two will become one flesh.’


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They responded, “So then why did Moses command us to give a certificate of divorce and it would be lawful?”


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Jesus said, “Moses permitted you to divorce because your hearts are so hard and stubborn, but originally there was no such thing.


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But I say to you, whoever leaves his wife for any reason other than immorality, then takes another wife is living in adultery. And whoever takes a divorced woman in marriage is also living in adultery.”


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His disciples spoke up and said, “If this is the standard, then it seems better to never get married.”


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For some are born to celibacy; others have been made eunuchs by others. And there are some who have chosen to live in celibacy for the sacred purpose of heaven’s kingdom realm. Let those who can, accept this truth for themselves.”


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Jesus and Little Children Then they brought little children to Jesus so that he would lay his hands on them, bless them, and pray for them. But the disciples scolded those who brought the children, saying, “Don’t bother him with this now!”


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Jesus overheard them and said, “I want little children to come to me, so never interfere with them when they want to come, for heaven’s kingdom realm is composed of beloved ones like these! Listen to this truth: No one will enter the kingdom realm of heaven unless he becomes like one of these!”


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A Rich Young Man Questions Jesus Then a teenager approached Jesus and bowed before him, saying, “Wonderful teacher—is there a good work I have to do to obtain eternal life?”


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Jesus answered, “Why would you call me wonderful? God alone is wonderful. And why would you ask what good work you need to do? Keep the commandments and you’ll enter into the life of God.”


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“But I’ve always obeyed every one of them without fail,” the young man replied. “What else do I lack?”


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Jesus said to him, “If you really want to be perfect, go immediately and sell everything you own. Give all your money to the poor and your treasure will be transferred into heaven. Then come back and follow me for the rest of your life.”


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Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “Listen. Do you understand how difficult it is for the rich to enter into heaven’s kingdom realm?


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In fact, it’s easier to stuff a heavy rope through the eye of a needle than it is for the wealthy to enter into God’s kingdom realm!”


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Looking straight into their eyes, Jesus replied, “Humanly speaking, no one, because no one can save himself. But what seems impossible to you is never impossible to God!”


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Then Peter blurted out, “Here we are. We’ve given up everything to follow you. What reward will there be for us?”


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Jesus responded, “Listen to the truth: In the age of the restoration of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will have twelve thrones of your own, and you will govern the twelve tribes of Israel.


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For anyone who has left behind their home and property, leaving family—brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers, or children—for my sake, they will be repaid a hundred times over and will inherit eternal life.


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But many who push themselves to be first will find themselves last. And those who are willing to be last will find themselves to be first.”


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A Parable of Workers in the Vineyard “This will help you understand the way heaven’s kingdom operates: “There once was a wealthy landowner who went out at daybreak to hire all the laborers he could find to work in his vineyard.


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Then at nine o’clock, as he was passing through the town square, he found others standing around without work.


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So off they went to join the others. He did the same thing at noon and again at three o’clock, making the same arrangement as he did with the others.


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“Hoping to finish his harvest that day, he went to the town square again at five o’clock and found more who were idle. So he said to them, ‘Why have you been here all day without work?’


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“‘Because no one hired us,’ they answered. “So he said to them, ‘Then go and join my crew and work in my vineyard.’


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“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard went to his foreman and said, ‘Call in all the laborers, line them up, and pay them the same wages, starting with the most recent ones I hired and finishing with the ones who worked all day.’


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And when those who had been hired first came to be paid, they were convinced that they would receive more. But everyone was paid the standard wage.


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‘You’re treating us unfairly! They’ve only worked for one hour while we’ve slaved and sweated all day under the scorching sun. You’ve made them equal to us!’


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“The landowner replied, ‘Friends, I’m not being unfair—I’m doing exactly what I said. Didn’t you agree to work for the standard wage?


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Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Why should my generosity make you jealous of them?’


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“Now you can understand what I meant when I said that the first will end up last and the last will end up being first. Everyone is invited, but few are the chosen.”


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Jesus Again Prophesies His Death Jesus was about to go to Jerusalem, so he took his twelve disciples aside privately and said to them,


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“Listen to me. We’re on our way to Jerusalem, and I need to remind you that the Son of Man will be handed over to the religious leaders and scholars, and they will sentence him to be executed.


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And they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, tortured, and crucified. Yet three days later he will be raised to life again.”


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The Ambition of Jacob and John The wife of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons, Jacob and John. She knelt before him and asked him for a favor.


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He said to her, “What is it that you want?” She answered, “Make the decree that these, my sons, will rule with you in your kingdom—one sitting on your right hand, one on your left.”


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Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you are asking.” Then, looking in the eyes of Jacob and John, Jesus said, “Are you prepared to drink from the cup of suffering that I am about to drink? And are you able to endure the baptism into death that I am about to endure?” They answered him, “Yes, we are able.”


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“You will indeed drink the cup of my suffering and be immersed into my death,” Jesus told them. “But to be the ones who sit at the place of highest honor is not mine to decide. My Father is the one who chooses them and prepares them.”


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The other ten disciples were listening to all of this, and a jealous anger arose among them against the two brothers.


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Jesus, knowing their thoughts, called them to his side and said, “Kings and those with great authority in this world rule oppressively over their subjects, like tyrants.


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But this is not your calling. You will lead by a completely different model. The greatest one among you will live as the one who is called to serve others,


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For even the Son of Man did not come expecting to be served by everyone, but to serve everyone, and to give his life in exchange for the salvation of many.”


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And there were two blind men sitting on the roadside. When they heard that it was Jesus passing by, they shouted, “Son of David, show us mercy, Lord!”


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Those in the crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet. But the blind men screamed out even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, show us mercy, Lord!”


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Jesus was deeply moved with compassion toward them. So he touched their eyes, and instantly they could see! Jesus said to them, “Your faith has healed you.” And all the people praised God because of this miracle. And the two men became his followers from that day onward.


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Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Now, as they were approaching Jerusalem they arrived at the place of the stables near the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead, saying,


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“As soon as you enter the village, you will find a donkey tethered along with her young colt. Untie them both and bring them to me.


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And if anyone stops you and asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just tell them, ‘The Lord of All needs them,’ and he will let you take them.”


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Tell Zion’s daughter: “Look, your King arrives! He’s coming to you full of gentleness, sitting on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt.”


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They brought the donkey and her colt to him and placed their cloaks and prayer shawls on the colt, and Jesus rode on it.


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Then an exceptionally large crowd gathered and carpeted the road before him with their cloaks and prayer shawls. Others cut down branches from trees to spread in his path.


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Jesus rode in the center of the procession—crowds going before him and crowds coming behind him, and they all shouted, “Bring the victory, Lord, Son of David! He comes with the blessings of being sent from the Lord Yahweh! We celebrate with praises to God in the highest!”


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As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people went wild with excitement—the entire city was thrown into an uproar!


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Some asked, “Who is this man?” And the crowds shouted back, “This is Jesus! He’s the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee!”


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Jesus in the Temple Upon entering Jerusalem Jesus went directly into the temple area and drove away all the merchants who were buying and selling their goods. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the stands of those selling doves.


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And he said to them, “My dwelling place will be known as a house of prayer, but you have made it into a hangout for thieves!”


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Then the blind and the crippled came into the temple courts, and Jesus healed them all. And the children circled around him shouting out, “Blessings and praises to the Son of David!”


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But when the chief priests and religious scholars heard the children shouting and saw all the wonderful miracles of healing, they were furious.


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They said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear what these children are saying? This is not right!” Jesus answered, “Yes, I hear them. But have you never heard the words ‘You have fashioned the lips of children and little ones to compose your praises’?”


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He noticed a lone fig tree by the side of the path and walked over to see if there was any fruit on it, but there was none—he found only leaves. So he spoke to the fig tree and said, “You will be barren and will never bear fruit again!” Instantly the fig tree shriveled up right in front of their eyes!


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Jesus replied, “Listen to the truth. If you have no doubt of God’s power and speak out of faith’s fullness, you can be the ones who speak to a tree and it will wither away. Even more than that, you could say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and be thrown into the sea’ and it will be done.


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The Authority of Jesus After this Jesus went into the temple courts and taught the people. The leading priests and Jewish elders approached him and interrupted him and asked, “By what power do you do these things, and who granted you the authority to teach here?”


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Jesus answered them, “I too have a question to ask you. If you can answer this question, then I will tell you by what power I do these things.


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They stepped away and debated among themselves, saying, “How should we answer this? If we say from heaven, he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you respond to John and believe what he said?’ But if we deny that God gave him his authority, we’ll be mobbed by the people, for they’re convinced that John was God’s prophet.”


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So they finally answered, “We don’t know.” “Then neither will I tell you from where my power comes to do these things!” he replied.


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The Parable of Two Sons Jesus said to his critics, “Tell me what you think of this parable: “There once was a man with two sons. The father came to the first and said, ‘Son, I want you to go and work in the vineyard today.’


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The son replied, ‘I’d rather not.’ But afterward, he deeply regretted what he said to his father, changed his mind, and decided to go to the vineyard.


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The father approached the second son and said the same thing to him. The son replied, ‘Father, I will go and do as you said.’ But he never did—he didn’t go to the vineyard.


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Tell me now, which of these two sons did the will of his father?” They answered him, “The first one.” Jesus said, “You’re right. For many sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes are going into God’s kingdom realm ahead of you!


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John came to show you the path of goodness and righteousness, yet the despised and outcasts believed in him, but you did not. When you saw them turn, you neither repented of your ways nor believed his words.”


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The Parable of the Rejected Son “Pay close attention to this parable,” Jesus said. “There once was an honorable man who planted a vineyard. He built a fence around it, dug out a pit for pressing the grapes, and erected a watchtower. Afterward he leased the land to tenant farmers and then went a distance away.


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At harvest time he sent his servants to the tenants to collect the portion that was due him as the lord of the vineyard.


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So the landowner sent other servants, even more than at first, but they were mistreated the same way.


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Finally, he sent his own son to them, and he said to himself, ‘Perhaps with my own son standing before them they will be ashamed of what they’ve done.’


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But when the tenants saw the son, they said, ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him and then we can have his inheritance!’


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They answered, “He will bring a horrible death to those who did this evil and he will completely destroy them. Then he’ll lease his vineyard to different tenants who will be faithful to give him the portion he deserves.”


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Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read the Scripture that says: The very stone the builder rejected as flawed has now become the most important capstone of the arch. This was the Lord’s plan— isn’t it a miracle for our eyes to behold?


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“This is why I say to you that the kingdom realm of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will bear its fruit.


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The one who comes against this stone will be broken, but the one on whom it falls will be pulverized!”


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When the leading priests and the Pharisees realized that the parable was referring to them, they were


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outraged and wanted to arrest him at once. But they were afraid of the reaction of the crowds, because the people considered him to be a prophet.


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Parable of the Wedding Feast As was his custom, Jesus continued to teach the people by using allegories.


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He illustrated the reality of heaven’s kingdom realm by saying, “There once was a king who arranged an extravagant wedding feast for his son.


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On the day the festivities were set to begin, he sent his servants to summon all the invited guests, but they chose not to come.


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So the king sent even more servants to inform the invited guests, saying, ‘Come, for the sumptuous feast is now ready! The oxen and fattened cattle have been killed and everything is prepared, so come! Come to the wedding feast for my son and his bride!’


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“But the invited guests were not impressed. One was preoccupied with his business; another went off to his farming enterprise.


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This infuriated the king! So he sent his soldiers to execute those murderers and had their city burned to the ground.


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“Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, yet those who had been invited to attend didn’t deserve the honor.


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Now I want you to go into the streets and alleyways and invite anyone and everyone you find to come and enjoy the wedding feast in honor of my son.’


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“So the servants went out into the city streets and invited everyone to come to the wedding feast, good and bad alike, until the banquet hall was crammed with people!


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Now, when the king entered the banquet hall, he looked with glee over all his guests. But then he noticed a guest who was not wearing the wedding robe provided for him.


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So he said, ‘My friend, how is it that you’re here and you’re not wearing your wedding garment?’ But the man was speechless.


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“Then the king turned to his servants and said, ‘Tie him up and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be great sorrow, with weeping and grinding of teeth.’


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The Pharisees Try to Entrap Jesus Then the Pharisees came together to make a plan to entrap Jesus with his own words.


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So they sent some of their disciples together with some staunch supporters of Herod. They said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you’re an honest man of integrity and you teach us the truth of God’s ways. We can clearly see that you’re not one who speaks only to win the people’s favor, because you speak the truth without regard to the consequences.


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Jesus knew the malice that was hidden behind their cunning ploy and said, “Why are you testing me, you imposters who think you have all the answers?


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“Caesar’s,” they replied. Jesus said, “Precisely, for the coin bears the image of the emperor Caesar. Well, then, you should pay the emperor what is due to the emperor. But because you bear the image of God, give back to God all that belongs to him.”


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The imposters were baffled in the presence of all the people and were unable to trap Jesus with his words. So they left, stunned by Jesus’ words.


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Marriage and the Resurrection Some of the Sadducees, a religious group that denied there was a resurrection of the dead, came to ask Jesus this question:


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“Teacher, the law of Moses teaches that if a man dies before he has children, his brother should marry the widow and raise up children for his brother’s family line.


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Now, there was a family with seven brothers. The oldest got married but soon died, leaving his widow for his brother.


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The second brother married and also died, and the third also. This was repeated down to the seventh brother,


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Which of the seven brothers will be the woman’s husband when she’s resurrected from the dead, since they all were once married to her?”


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Jesus answered them, “You are deluded, because your hearts are not filled with the revelation of the Scriptures or the power of God.


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For after the resurrection, men and women will not marry, just like the angels of heaven don’t marry.


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‘I am the Living God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”


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The Greatest Commandment When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they called a meeting to discuss how to trap Jesus.


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Jesus answered him, “‘Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you.’


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And the second is like it in importance: ‘You must love your friend in the same way you love yourself.’


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Contained within these commandments to love you will find all the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.”


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Jesus, Son of David—Lord of David While all the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus took the opportunity to pose a question of his own:


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Then Jesus said to them, “How is it that David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, could call his son the Lord? For didn’t he say:


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The Lord Jehovah said to my Lord, ‘Sit near me in the place of authority until I subdue all your enemies under Your feet’?


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No one could come up with an answer. And from that day on none of the Pharisees had the courage to question Jesus any longer.


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Superficial Spirituality versus Genuine Humility Then Jesus addressed both the crowds and his disciples and said,


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“The religious scholars and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ throne as the authorized interpreters of the Law.


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So listen and follow what they teach, but don’t do what they do, for they tell you one thing and do another.


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They tie on your backs an oppressive burden of religious obligations and insist that you carry it, but will never lift a finger to help ease your load.


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Everything they do is done for show and to be noticed by others. They want to be seen as holy, so they wear oversized prayer boxes on their arms and foreheads with Scriptures inside, and wear extra-long tassels on their outer garments.


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And how they love to be admired by men with their titles of respect, aspiring to be recognized in public and have others call them ‘Reverend.’


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“But you are to be different from that. You are not to be called ‘master,’ for you have only one Master, and you are all brothers and sisters.


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Remember this: If you have a lofty opinion of yourself and seek to be honored, you will be humbled. But if you have a modest opinion of yourself and choose to humble yourself, you will be honored.”


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Jesus Pronounces Seven Woes “Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and you Pharisees—such frauds and pretenders! You do all you can to keep people from experiencing the reality of heaven’s kingdom realm. Not only do you refuse to enter in, you also forbid anyone else from entering in!


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“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and you Pharisees—frauds and pretenders! For you eat up the widow’s household with the ladle of your prayers. Because of this, you will receive a greater judgment.


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“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and you Pharisees—such frauds and pretenders! For you will travel over lake and land to find one disciple, only to make him twice the child of hell as yourselves.


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“You blind guides! Great sorrow awaits you, for you teach that there’s nothing binding when you swear by God’s temple, but if you swear by the gold of the temple, you are bound by your oath.


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You are deceived in your blindness! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?


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And you say that whoever takes an oath by swearing, ‘By the altar,’ it is nothing. But if you swear, ‘By the gift upon the altar,’ then you are obligated to keep your oath.


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“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and pretenders! For you are obsessed with peripheral issues, like insisting on paying meticulous tithes on the smallest herbs that grow in your gardens. These matters are fine, yet you ignore the most important duty of all: to walk in the love of God, to display mercy to others, and to live with integrity. Readjust your values and place first things first.


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What blind guides! Nitpickers! You will spoon out a gnat from your drink, yet at the same time you’ve gulped down a camel without realizing it!


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“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and imposters! You are like one who will only wipe clean the outside of a cup or bowl, leaving the inside filthy. You are foolish to ignore the greed and self-indulgence that live like germs within you.


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You are blind and deaf to your evil. Shouldn’t the one who cleans the outside also be concerned with cleaning the inside? You need to have more than clean dishes; you need clean hearts!


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“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and imposters! You are nothing more than tombs painted with fresh coats of white paint—tombs that look shining and beautiful on the outside, but within are found decaying corpses full of nothing but corruption.


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Outwardly you masquerade as righteous people, but inside your hearts you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


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“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and imposters! You build memorials for the prophets your ancestors killed and decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors murdered.


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Then you boast, ‘If we had lived back then, we would never have permitted them to kill the prophets.’


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But your words and deeds testify that you are just like them and prove that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.


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You are nothing but snakes in the grass, the offspring of poisonous vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell if you refuse to turn in repentance?


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“For this reason I will send you more prophets and wise men and teachers of truth. Some you will crucify, and some you will beat mercilessly with whips in your meeting houses, abusing and persecuting them from city to city.


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As your penalty, you will be held responsible for the righteous blood spilled and the murders of every godly person throughout your history—from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, whom you killed as he stood in the temple between the brazen altar and the Holy Place.


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Jesus Prophesies Judgment Coming to Jerusalem “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem—you are the city that murders your prophets! You are the city that stones the very messengers who were sent to deliver you! So many times I have longed to gather a wayward people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you were too stubborn to let me.


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For you will not see me again until you are able to say, ‘We welcome the one who comes to us in the name of the Lord.’”


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Jesus Prophesies the Destruction of the Temple As Jesus was leaving the temple courts, his disciples came to him and pointed out the beautiful aspects of the architecture of the temple structures.


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And Jesus turned to them and said, “Take a good look at all these things, for I’m telling you, there will not be one stone left upon another. It will all be leveled!”


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Later, when they arrived at the Mount of Olives, his disciples came privately to where he was sitting and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what supernatural sign should we expect to signal your coming and the completion of this age?”


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For many will appear on the scene claiming my authority or saying about themselves, ‘I am God’s Anointed,’ and they will lead many astray.


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“You will hear of wars nearby and revolutions on every side, with more rumors of wars to come. Don’t panic or give in to your fears, for the breaking apart of the world’s systems is destined to happen. But it won’t yet be the end; it will still be unfolding.


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“Nations will go to war against each other and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be terrible earthquakes—seismic events of epic proportion, horrible epidemics and famines in place after place.


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Persecution of Believers “You can expect to be persecuted, even killed; for you will be hated by all the nations because of your love for me.


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Then many will stop following me and fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.


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And many lying prophets will arise, deceiving multitudes and leading them away from the path of truth.


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There will be such an increase of sin and lawlessness that those whose hearts once burned with passion for God and others will grow cold.


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“Yet through it all, this joyful assurance of the realm of heaven’s kingdom will be proclaimed all over the world, providing every nation with a demonstration of the reality of God. And after this the end of this age will arrive.”


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The Detestable Idol That Brings Misery “When you witness what Daniel prophesied, ‘the disgusting destroyer,’ taking its stand in the Holy Place [let the reader learn],


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For this will be a time of great misery beyond the magnitude of anything the world has ever seen or ever will see. Unless God limited those days, no one would escape.


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“And you will hear reports from some, saying, ‘Look, he has returned,’ ‘The Messiah is over here,’ or ‘The Messiah is over there!’ Don’t believe it.


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For there will be imposters falsely claiming to be God’s ‘Anointed One,’ and false prophets will arise to perform miracle signs to lead astray, if possible, those God has chosen to be his.


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So if someone says to you, ‘Look, the Anointed One has returned! He’s in the desert,’ don’t go chasing after him. Or if they say to you, ‘Look, he’s here in our house,’ don’t believe it.


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The appearing of the Son of Man will burst forth with the brightness of a lightning strike that shines from one end of the sky to the other, illuminating the earth.


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How do birds of prey know where the dead body is? They just know instinctively, and so you will know when I appear.”


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The Appearing of the Son of Man “Then immediately this is what will take place: ‘The sun will be darkened and the moon give no light. The stars will fall from the sky and all the cosmic powers will be shaken.’


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Then the sign announcing the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn over him. And they will see the Son of Man appearing in the clouds of heaven, revealed with mighty power, great splendor, and glory.


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And he will send his messengers with the loud blast of the trumpet, and with a great voice they will gather his beloved chosen ones by the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other!”


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A Parable of the Fig Tree “Now learn the lesson from the parable of the fig tree. When spring arrives and it sends out its tender branches and sprouts leaves, you know that ripe fruit is soon to appear.


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So it will be with you, for when you observe all these things taking place, you will know that he is near, even at the door!


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The earth and sky will wear out and fade away before one word I speak loses its power or fails to accomplish its purpose.”


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Live Always Ready for His Appearing “Concerning that day and exact hour, no one knows when it will arrive, not even the angels of heaven—only the Father knows.


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They didn’t realize the end was near until Noah entered the ark, and then suddenly, the flood came and took them all away in judgment. It will happen the same way when the Son of Man appears.


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At that time, two men will be working on the farm; one will be taken away in judgment, the other left.


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“But realize this: If a homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would come to rob his house, he would have been alert and ready, and not let his house be robbed.


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So always be ready, alert, and prepared, because at an hour when you’re not expecting him, the Son of Man will come.”


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The Wise and Faithful Servant “Who is the one qualified to oversee the master’s house? He will be a reliable servant who is wise and faithful, one he can depend on. The master will want to give him the responsibility of overseeing others in his house, for his servant will lead them well and give them food at the right time.


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What joy and blessing will come to that faithful servant when the master comes home to find him serving with excellence!


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“But the evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master delays his coming, and who knows when he will return?’ And because of the delay, the servant mistreats those in his master’s household. Instead of caring for the ones he was appointed to serve,


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Let me tell you what will happen to him. His master will suddenly return at a time that surprises him, and he will remove the abusive, selfish servant from his position of trust.


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And the master will cut him in two and assign him to the place of great sorrow and anguish along with all the other pretenders and unbelievers.”


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A Parable about Ten Virgins “At the time my coming draws near, heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared to ten maidens who took their oil lamps and went outside to meet the bridegroom and his bride.


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Five of them were foolish and ill-prepared, for they took no extra oil for their lamps. Five of them were wise and sensible, for they took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.


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Then suddenly, in the middle of the night, they were awakened by the shout ‘Get up! The bridegroom is here! Come out and have an encounter with him!’


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But the foolish ones were running out of oil, so they said to the five wise ones, ‘Share your oil with us, because our lamps are going out!’


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“‘We can’t,’ they replied. ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. You’ll have to go and buy some for yourselves!’


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“While the five girls were out buying oil, the bridegroom appeared. Those who were ready and waiting were escorted inside with him and the wedding party to enjoy the feast. And then the door was locked.


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Later, the five foolish girls came running up to the door and pleaded, ‘Lord, Lord, let us come in!’


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“That is the reason you should always stay awake and be alert, because you don’t know the day or hour when the Bridegroom will appear.”


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A Parable about Financial Stewardship “Again, heaven’s kingdom realm is like the wealthy man who went on a long journey and summoned all his trusted servants and assigned his financial management over to them.


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Before he left on his journey, he entrusted a bag of five thousand gold coins to one of his servants, to another a bag of two thousand gold coins, and to the third a bag of one thousand gold coins, each according to his ability to manage.


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“The one entrusted with five thousand gold coins immediately went out and traded with the money, and he doubled his investment.


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In the same way, the one who was entrusted with two thousand gold coins traded with the sum and likewise doubled his investment.


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But the one who had been entrusted with one thousand gold coins dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.


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The one who was entrusted with five thousand gold coins came and brought ten thousand, saying, ‘See, I have doubled your money.’


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“Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you have been a faithful steward to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. You will experience the delight of your master, who will say to you, “Come celebrate with me!”’


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“Then the one who had been entrusted with two thousand gold coins came in and said, ‘See, my master, I have doubled what you have entrusted to me.’


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“Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you were faithful to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. You will experience the delight of your master, who will say to you, “Come celebrate with me!”’


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“Then the one who had been entrusted with one thousand gold coins came to his master and said, ‘Look, sir. I know that you are a hard man to please and you’re a shrewd and ruthless businessman who grows rich on the backs of others.


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I was afraid of you, so I went and hid your money and buried it in the ground. But here it is—take it, it’s yours.’


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“Angered by what he heard, the master said to him, ‘You’re an untrustworthy and lazy servant! If you knew I was a shrewd and ruthless business man who always makes a profit, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank?


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But because you were unfaithful, I will take the one thousand gold coins and give them to the one who has ten thousand.


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For the one who has will be given more, until he overflows with abundance. And the one with hardly anything, even what little he has will be taken from him.’


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“Then the master said to his other servants, ‘Now, throw that good-for-nothing servant far away from me into the outer darkness, where there will be great misery and anguish!’”


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The Judgment of the Multitudes “When the Son of Man appears in his majestic glory, with all his angels by his side, he will take his seat on his throne of splendor,


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and all the nations will be gathered together before him. And like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats, he will separate all the people.


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Then the King will turn to those on his right and say, ‘You have a special place in my Father’s heart. Come and experience the full inheritance of the kingdom realm that has been destined for you from before the foundation of the world!


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For when you saw me hungry, you fed me. When you found me thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I had no place to stay, you invited me in,


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and when I was poorly clothed, you covered me. When I was sick, you tenderly cared for me, and when I was in prison you visited me.’


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“Then the godly will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty and give you food and something to drink?


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When did we see you with no place to stay and invite you in? When did we see you poorly clothed and cover you?


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“And the King will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.’


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“Then to those on his left the King will say, ‘Leave me! For you are under the curse of eternal fire that has been destined for the devil and all his demons.


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For when you saw me hungry, you refused to give me food, and when you saw me thirsty, you refused to give me something to drink.


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I had no place to stay, and you refused to take me in as your guest. When you saw me poorly clothed, you closed your hearts and would not cover me. When you saw that I was sick, you didn’t lift a finger to help me, and when I was imprisoned, you never came to visit me.’


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“And then those on his left will say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty and not give you food and something to drink? When did we see you homeless, or poorly clothed? When did we see you sick and not help you, or in prison and not visit you?’


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“Then he will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you refused to help one of the least important among these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you refused to help and honor me.’


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And they will depart from his presence and go into eternal punishment. But the godly and beloved ‘sheep’ will enter into eternal bliss.”


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“You know that the Feast of the Passover begins in two more days. That’s when the Son of Man is to be betrayed and handed over to be crucified.”


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Meanwhile, the prominent priests and religious leaders of the nation were gathered in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas.


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But they all agreed, “We can’t do this during the Passover celebrations or we could have a riot on our hands.”


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A Woman Anoints Jesus Then Jesus went to Bethany, to the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. A woman came into the house, holding an alabaster flask filled with fragrant and expensive oil. She walked right up to Jesus, and in a lavish gesture of devotion, she poured out the costly oil, and it cascaded over his head as he was at the table.


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Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Why are you critical of this woman? She has done a beautiful act of kindness for me.


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I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to me will also be mentioned in memory of her.”


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Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus One of the twelve apostles, Judas the locksmith, went to the leading priests


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and said, “How much are you willing to pay me to betray Jesus into your hands?” They agreed to pay him thirty silver coins.


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Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples On the first day of Passover, the day when any bread made with yeast was removed from every Jewish home, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where should we prepare the Passover meal for you?”


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He answered them, “My heart longs with great desire to eat this Passover meal with you. Go into Jerusalem and you will encounter a man. Tell him that the teacher says, ‘My appointed time is near. I am coming to your home to eat the Passover meal with my disciples.’”


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All that was prophesied of me will take place, but how miserable it will be for the one who betrays the Son of Man. It would be far better for him if he had never been born!”


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Then finally, Judas the traitor spoke up and asked him, “Teacher, perhaps it is I?” Jesus answered, “You said it.”


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The Lord’s Supper As they ate, Jesus took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to his disciples. He said to them, “This is my body. Eat it.”


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Then taking the cup of wine and giving praises to the Father, he entered into covenant with them, saying, “This is my blood. Each of you must drink it in fulfillment of the covenant.


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For this is the blood that seals the new covenant. It will be poured out for many for the complete forgiveness of sins.


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The next time we drink this, I will be with you and we will drink it together with a new understanding in the kingdom realm of my Father.”


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Jesus Prophesies Peter’s Denial Along the way Jesus said to them, “Before the night is over, you will all desert me. This will fulfill the prophecy of the Scripture that says: I will strike down the shepherd and all the sheep will scatter far and wide!


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Then Peter spoke up and said, “Even if all the rest lose their faith and fall away, I will still be beside you, Jesus!”


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“Are you sure, Peter?” Jesus said. “In fact, before the rooster crows a few hours from now, you will have denied me three times.”


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Peter replied, “I absolutely will never deny you, even if I have to die with you!” And all the others said the same thing.


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Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Then Jesus led his disciples to an orchard called “The Oil Press.” He told them, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”


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He took Peter, Jacob, and John with him. However, an intense feeling of great sorrow plunged his soul into deep sorrow and agony.


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And he said to them, “My heart is overwhelmed and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me.”


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Then he walked a short distance away, and overcome with grief, he threw himself facedown on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if there is any way you can deliver me from this suffering, please take it from me. Yet what I want is not important, for I only desire to fulfill your plan for me.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him.


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Later, he came back to his three disciples and found them all sound asleep. He awakened Peter and said to him, “Do you lack the strength to stay awake with me for even just an hour?


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Keep alert and pray that you’ll be spared from this time of testing. You should have learned by now that your spirit is eager enough, but your humanity is weak.”


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Then he left them for a second time to pray in solitude. He said to God, “My Father, if there is not a way that you can deliver me from this suffering, then your will must be done.”


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When he returned again to his disciples, he awoke them, saying, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Don’t you know the hour has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the authority of sinful men?


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The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus At that moment Judas, his once-trusted disciple, appeared, along with a large crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent to arrest Jesus by order of the ruling priests and Jewish religious leaders.


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Now, Judas, the traitor, had arranged to give them a signal that would identify Jesus, for he had told them, “Jesus is the one whom I will kiss. So grab him!”


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“My beloved friend,” Jesus said, “is this why you’ve come?” Then the armed men seized Jesus to arrest him.


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But one of the disciples pulled out a dagger and swung it at the servant of the high priest, slashing off his ear.


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Don’t you realize that I could ask my heavenly Father for angels to come at any time to deliver me? And instantly he would answer me by sending twelve armies of the angelic host to come and protect us.


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But that would thwart the prophetic plan of God. For it has been written that it would happen this way.”


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Then Jesus turned to the mob and said, “Why would you arrest me with swords and clubs as though I were an outlaw? Day after day I sat in the temple courts with you, teaching the people, yet you didn’t arrest me.


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But all of this fulfills the prophecies of the Scriptures.” At that point all of his disciples ran away and abandoned him.


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Jesus Is Condemned by the Religious Leaders Those who arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the chief priest, and to a meeting where the religious scholars and the supreme Jewish council were already assembled.


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Now, Peter had followed the mob from a distance all the way to the chief priest’s courtyard. And after entering, he sat with the servants of the chief priest who had gathered there, waiting to see how things would unfold.


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The chief priests and the entire supreme Jewish council of leaders were doing their best to find false charges that they could bring against Jesus, because they were looking for a reason to put him to death.


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Many false witnesses came forward, but the evidence could not be corroborated. Finally two men came forward


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Then the chief priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Have you nothing to say about these allegations? Is what they’re saying about you true?”


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But Jesus remained silent before them. So the chief priest said to him, “I charge you under oath—in the name of the living God, tell us once and for all if you are the anointed Messiah, the Son of God!”


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Jesus answered him, “You just said it yourself. And more than that, you are about to see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God, the Almighty. And one day you will also see the Son of Man coming in the heavenly clouds!”


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This infuriated the chief priest, and as an act of outrage, he tore his robe and shouted, “What blasphemy! No more witnesses are needed, for you heard this grievous blasphemy.”


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Turning to the council he said, “Now, what is your verdict?” “He’s guilty and deserves the death penalty!” they answered.


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Then they taunted him by saying, “Oh, Anointed One, prophesy to us! Tell us which one of us is about to hit you next?”


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Peter’s Denials Meanwhile, Peter was still sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him and said, “I recognize you. You were with Jesus the Galilean.”


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Later, as he stood near the gateway of the courtyard, another servant girl noticed him and said, “I know this man is a follower of Jesus the Nazarene!”


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A short time later, those standing nearby approached Peter and said, “We know you’re one of his disciples—we can tell by your speech. Your Galilean accent gives you away!”


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Peter denied it, and using profanity he said, “I don’t know the man!” At that very moment the sound of a crowing rooster pierced the night.


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Then Peter remembered the prophecy of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows you will have denied me three times.” With a shattered heart, Peter went out of the courtyard, sobbing with bitter tears.


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Jesus Condemned by the Religious Leaders Before dawn that morning, all the chief priests and religious leaders resolved to take action against Jesus and decided that he should be executed.


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Judas Commits Suicide Now, when Judas, the betrayer, saw that Jesus had been sentenced to death, remorse filled his heart. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and religious leaders,


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saying, “I have sinned because I have betrayed an innocent man.” They replied, “Why are you bothering us? That’s your problem.”


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The chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, “We can’t keep this, for it’s unlawful to put blood money into the temple treasury.”


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So after some deliberation, they decided to purchase the potter’s field of clay, to use as a cemetery for burying strangers.


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This fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, the price of a precious man,


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Jesus Brought before Pilate As Jesus stood in front of the Roman governor, Pilate asked him, “So, you are really the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You have just spoken it.”


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Then he was slandered and accused by the chief priests and religious leaders, but he remained silent.


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Now, every year at Passover it was the custom of the governor to pardon a prisoner and release him to the people—anyone they wanted.


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So as the crowds of people assembled outside of Pilate’s residence, he went out and offered them a choice. He asked them, “Who would you want me to release to you today, Jesus who is called Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Anointed One?”


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(Now, Pilate was fully aware that the religious leaders had handed Jesus over to him because of their bitter jealousy.)


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Just then, as Pilate was presiding over the tribunal, his wife sent him an urgent message: “Don’t harm that holy man, for I suffered a horrible nightmare last night about him!”


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Meanwhile, the chief priest and the religious leaders were inciting the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and to have Jesus killed.


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So Pilate asked them again, “Which of the two men would you like me to release for you?” They shouted, “Barabbas.”


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Pilate asked them, “Then what would you have me to do with Jesus who is called the Anointed One?” They all shouted back, “Crucify him!”


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Jesus Condemned to Death When Pilate realized that a riot was about to break out and that it was useless to try to reason with the crowd, he sent for a basin of water. After washing his hands in front of the people, he said, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. The responsibility for his death is now yours!”


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So he released Barabbas to the people. He ordered that Jesus be beaten with a whip made of leather straps embedded with metal, and afterward be crucified.


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Then the guards took him into their military compound, where a detachment of nearly six hundred soldiers surrounded him.


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Then they braided a crown of thorns and set it on his head. After placing a reed staff in his right hand, they knelt down before him and irreverently mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”


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Then they spat in his face and took the reed staff from his hand and hit him repeatedly on his head, driving the crown of thorns deep into his brow.


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When they finished ridiculing him, they took off the scarlet robe and put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be crucified.


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And as they came out of the city, they stopped an African man named Simon, from Libya, and compelled him to carry the cross for Jesus.


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And there the soldiers offered him a mild painkiller, a drink of wine mixed with gall, but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.


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Then they crucified Jesus, nailing his hands and feet to the cross. The soldiers divided his clothing among themselves by rolling dice to see who would win them.


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saying, “We heard you boast that you could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days! Why don’t you save yourself now? If you’re really God’s Son, come down from the cross!”


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and kept on saying, “He saved others, but he can’t even save himself! Israel’s king, is he? He should pull out the nails and come down from the cross right now; then we’ll believe in him!


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He says he puts all his trust in God, so let’s see if it’s true, and see if God really wants to rescue his ‘favorite son’!”


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Even the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus began to taunt him, hurling their insults on him.


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And at three o’clock Jesus shouted with a mighty voice in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”—that is, “My God, My God, why have you deserted me?”


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One bystander ran and got a sponge, soaked it with sour wine, then put it on a stick and held it up for Jesus to drink.


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At that moment the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth shook violently, rocks were split apart,


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and graves were opened. Then many of the holy ones who had died were brought back to life and came out of their graves.


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Now, when the Roman military officer and his soldiers witnessed what was happening and felt the powerful earthquake, they were extremely terrified. They said, “There is no doubt, this man was the Son of God!”


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Watching from a distance were many of the women who had followed him from Galilee and given him support.


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Among them were Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of Jacob and Joseph; and the mother of Jacob and John.


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The Burial of Jesus At the end of the day, a wealthy man named Joseph, a follower of Jesus from the village of Ramah,


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approached Pilate and asked to have custody of the body of Jesus. So Pilate consented and ordered that the body be given to him.


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Then Joseph wrapped the body in a shroud of fine linen and placed it in his own unused tomb, which had only recently been cut into the rock.


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The next day, the day after Preparation Day for Passover, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate.


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They said to him, “Our master, we remember that this imposter claimed that he would rise from the dead after three days.


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So please, order the tomb to be sealed until after the third day. Seal it so that his disciples can’t come and steal the corpse and tell people he rose from the dead. Then the last deception would be worse than the first!”


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“I will send soldiers to guard the tomb,” Pilate replied. “Go with them and make the tomb as secure as possible.”


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The Resurrection of Jesus After the Sabbath ended, at the first light of dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to take a look at the tomb.


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Suddenly, the earth shook violently beneath their feet as the angel of the Lord Jehovah descended from heaven. Lightning flashed around him and his robe was dazzling white! The guards were stunned and terrified—lying motionless like dead men. Then the angel walked up to the tomb, rolled away the stone, and sat on top of it!


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The women were breathless and terrified, until the angel said to them, “There’s no reason to be afraid. I know you’re here looking for Jesus, who was crucified.


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He isn’t here—he has risen victoriously, just as he said! Come inside the tomb and see the place where our Lord was lying.


book: Matt
contenido:
Then run and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead! I give you his message: “I am going ahead of you in Galilee and you will see me there.”


book: Matt
contenido:
They rushed quickly to tell his disciples, and their hearts were deep in wonder and filled with great joy.


book: Matt
contenido:
Along the way, Jesus suddenly appeared in front of them and said, “Rejoice!” They were so overwhelmed by seeing him that they bowed down and grasped his feet in adoring worship.


book: Matt
contenido:
Then Jesus said to them, “Throw off all your fears. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will find me there.”


book: Matt
contenido:
The Guards Report What They Witnessed After the women left the tomb, a few of the guards went into Jerusalem and told the chief priests everything they had seen and heard.


book: Matt
contenido:
So the chief priests called a meeting with all the religious leaders and came up with a plan. They bribed the guards with a large sum of money


book: Matt
contenido:
and told them, “Tell everyone, ‘While we were asleep, his disciples came at night and stole his body!’


book: Matt
contenido:
So they took the money and did as they were told. (That is why the story of the guards is still circulated among the Jews to this day.)


book: Matt
contenido:
The Great Commission Meanwhile, the eleven disciples heard the wonderful news from the women and left for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them.


book: Matt
contenido:
Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


book: Matt
contenido:
And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.”


book: Mark
contenido:
The Wonderful News This is the beginning of the wonderful news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.


book: Mark
contenido:
It starts with Isaiah the prophet, who wrote: Listen! I am sending my messenger ahead of you and he will prepare your way!


book: Mark
contenido:
He is a thunderous voice of one who shouts in the wilderness: “Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh, and clear a straight path inside your hearts for him!”


book: Mark
contenido:
John the Baptizer was the messenger who appeared in an uninhabited region, preaching a baptism of repentance for the complete cancellation of sins.


book: Mark
contenido:
A steady stream of people came to be dipped in the Jordan River as they publicly confessed their sins. They came from all over southern Israel, including nearly all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


book: Mark
contenido:
John wore a rough garment made from camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and honey of the wilderness.


book: Mark
contenido:
And this is the message he kept preaching: “There is a man coming after me who is greater and a lot more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals.


book: Mark
contenido:
The Baptism and Testing of Jesus One day, Jesus came from the Galilean village of Nazareth and had John immerse him in the Jordan River.


book: Mark
contenido:
The moment Jesus rose up out of the water, John saw the heavenly realm split open, and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon him.


book: Mark
contenido:
At the same time, a voice spoke from heaven, saying: “You are my Son, my cherished one, and my greatest delight is in you!”


book: Mark
contenido:
He remained there in the wilderness for forty days, enduring the ordeals of Satan’s tests. He encountered wild animals, but also angels who appeared and ministered to his needs.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Calls Four Fishermen to Follow Him Later on, after John the Baptizer was arrested, Jesus went back into the region of Galilee and preached the wonderful gospel of God’s kingdom realm.


book: Mark
contenido:
His message was this: “At last the fulfillment of the age has come! It is time for the realm of God’s kingdom to be experienced in its fullness! Turn your lives back to God and put your trust in the hope-filled gospel!”


book: Mark
contenido:
As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he noticed two brothers fishing: Simon and Andrew. He watched them as they were casting their nets into the sea


book: Mark
contenido:
and said to them, “Come follow me and I will transform you into men who catch people instead of fish!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Walking a little farther, Jesus found two other brothers sitting in a boat, along with their father, mending their nets. Their names were Jacob and John, and their father Zebedee.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus immediately walked up to them and invited the two brothers to become his followers. At once, Jacob and John dropped their nets, stood up, left their father in the boat with the hired men, and followed Jesus.


book: Mark
contenido:
People Stunned by Jesus’ Teachings Then Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum, and he immediately started teaching on the Sabbath day in the synagogue.


book: Mark
contenido:
The people were awestruck and overwhelmed by his teaching, because he taught in a way that demonstrated God’s authority, which was quite unlike the religious scholars.


book: Mark
contenido:
“Hey! Leave us alone! Jesus the victorious, I know who you are. You’re God’s Holy One and you have come to destroy us!”


book: Mark
contenido:
The man’s body shook violently in spasms, and the demon hurled him to the floor until it finally came out of him with a deafening shriek!


book: Mark
contenido:
The crowd was awestruck and unable to stop saying among themselves, “What is this new teaching that comes with such authority? With merely a word he commands demons to come out and they obey him!”


book: Mark
contenido:
So the reports about Jesus spread like wildfire throughout every community in the region of Galilee.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Heals Many Now, as soon as they left the meeting, they went straight to Simon and Andrew’s house, along with Jacob and John.


book: Mark
contenido:
Simon’s mother-in-law was bedridden, sick with a high fever, so the first thing they did was to tell Jesus about her.


book: Mark
contenido:
He walked up to her bedside, gently took her hand, and raised her up! Her fever disappeared and she began to serve them.


book: Mark
contenido:
Later in the day, just after the Sabbath ended at sunset, the people kept bringing to Jesus all who were sick and tormented by demons,


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. But he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who he really was.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Prays, Preaches, Heals, and Casts Out Demons The next morning, Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus replied, “We have to go on to the surrounding villages so that I can give my message to the people there, for that is my mission.”


book: Mark
contenido:
So he went throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the Jewish synagogues and casting out demons.


book: Mark
contenido:
On one occasion, a leper came and threw himself down in front of Jesus, pleading for his healing, saying, “You have the power to heal me right now if only you really want to!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Being deeply moved with tender compassion, Jesus reached out and touched the skin of the leper and told him, “Of course I want you to be healed—so now, be cleansed!”


book: Mark
contenido:
saying, “Don’t say anything to anyone about what just happened, but go find a priest and show him that you’ve been healed. Then bring the offering that Moses commanded for your cleansing as a living testimony to everyone.”


book: Mark
contenido:
But no sooner did the man leave than he began to proclaim his healing publicly and spread the story everywhere of his healing. Jesus’ growing fame prevented him from entering the villages openly, which forced him to remain in isolated places. Even so, a steady stream of people flocked to him from everywhere.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man Several days later, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the news quickly spread that he was back in town.


book: Mark
contenido:
Soon there were so many people crowded inside the house to hear him that there was no more room, even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the word of God,


book: Mark
contenido:
But when they realized that they couldn’t even get near him because of the crowd, they went up on top of the house and tore away the roof above Jesus’ head. And when they had broken through, they lowered the paralyzed man on a stretcher right down in front of him!


book: Mark
contenido:
When Jesus saw the extent of their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are now forgiven.”


book: Mark
contenido:
“Who does he think he is to speak this way? This is blasphemy for sure! Only God himself can forgive sins!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Which is easier, to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are now forgiven,’ or, ‘Stand up and walk!’?


book: Mark
contenido:
Immediately the man sprang to his feet in front of everyone and left for home. When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they were awestruck. They shouted praises to God and said, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew) to Follow Him Jesus went out to walk near Lake Galilee, and a massive crowed gathered, so he taught them.


book: Mark
contenido:
As he walked along, he found Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth, collecting taxes. He approached him and said, “Come follow me.” Immediately he got up from his booth and began to follow Jesus.


book: Mark
contenido:
Later, Jesus and his disciples went to have a meal with Levi. Among the guests in Levi’s home were many tax collectors and notable sinners sharing a meal with Jesus, for there were many kinds of people who followed him.


book: Mark
contenido:
But when the religious scholars and the Pharisees found out that Jesus was keeping company and dining with sinners and tax collectors, they were indignant. So they approached Jesus’ disciples and said to them, “Why is it that someone like Jesus defiles himself by eating with sinners and tax collectors?”


book: Mark
contenido:
But when Jesus overheard their complaint, he said to them, “Who goes to the doctor for a cure? Those who are well or those who are sick? I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who are sinners and bring them to repentance.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Questioned about Fasting One time, the disciples of John the Baptizer and the Pharisees were fasting. So they came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that John’s disciples and disciples of the Pharisees are fasting but your disciples are not?”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus answered, “How can the sons of the bridal chamber fast when the bridegroom is next to them? As long as the bridegroom is with them they won’t,


book: Mark
contenido:
“And who would mend worn-out clothing with new fabric? When the new cloth shrinks, it will rip, making the tear worse than before.


book: Mark
contenido:
And who would pour fresh, new wine into an old wineskin? Eventually the wine will ferment and make the wineskin burst, losing everything—the wine will be spilled and the wineskin ruined. Instead, new wine is always poured into new wineskins.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath One Saturday, on the day of rest, Jesus and his disciples were walking through a field of wheat. The disciples were hungry, so they plucked off some heads of grain to eat.


book: Mark
contenido:
They entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread of God’s presence. They violated the law by eating bread that only the priests were allowed to eat. But there is one here who is even greater than the temple.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Then Jesus left them and went again into the synagogue, where he encountered a man who had an atrophied, paralyzed hand.


book: Mark
contenido:
Everyone was watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, giving them a reason to accuse him of breaking Sabbath rules.


book: Mark
contenido:
Then he turned to all those gathered there and said, “Which is it? Is it against the law to do evil on the Sabbath or to do good? To destroy a life or to save one?” But no one answered him a word.


book: Mark
contenido:
Then looking around at everyone, Jesus was moved with indignation and grieved by the hardness of their hearts and said to the man, “Now stretch out your hand!” As he stretched out his hand, it was instantly healed!


book: Mark
contenido:
After this happened, the Pharisees left abruptly and began to plot together with the friends and supporters of Herod Antipas on how they would kill Jesus.


book: Mark
contenido:
Massive Crowds Follow Jesus Once again Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, but a massive crowd of people followed him from all around the provinces of Galilee and southern Israel.


book: Mark
contenido:
Vast crowds came from Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and from Lebanon. Large numbers of people swarmed in from everywhere when they heard of him and his wonderful works.


book: Mark
contenido:
The crowd pressed so closely to Jesus that he instructed his disciples to bring him a small boat to get into and keep from being crushed by the crowd.


book: Mark
contenido:
And whenever a demon saw him, it would throw the person down at Jesus’ feet, screaming out, “You are the Son of God!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Chooses Twelve Apostles Afterward, Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to himself the men he wanted to be his close companions, so they went up the mountainside to join him.


book: Mark
contenido:
He appointed the Twelve, whom he named apostles. He wanted them to be continually at his side as his friends, and so that he could send them out to preach


book: Mark
contenido:
And he gave the brothers, Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, the nickname Benay-Regah, which means “passionate sons.”


book: Mark
contenido:
The others were Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Jacob the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Nationalist,


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus and the Ruler of Demons Then Jesus went home, but once again a large crowd gathered around him, which prevented him from even eating a meal.


book: Mark
contenido:
When his own family heard that he was there, they went out to seize him, for they said, “He’s insane!”


book: Mark
contenido:
The religious scholars who arrived from Jerusalem were saying, “Satan has possessed him! He casts out demons by the authority of the prince of demons!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus said to them, “Listen. No one is able to break into a mighty man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers the mighty man and ties him up. Then his entire house can be plundered and his possessions taken.


book: Mark
contenido:
But there can never be forgiveness for the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, for he is guilty of an eternal sin!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Members of Jesus’ True Family Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came and stood outside and sent a message to him, asking that he come out and speak with them.


book: Mark
contenido:
When the crowd sitting around Jesus heard this, they spoke up, and said to him, “Jesus, your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Then looking in the eyes of those who were sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my true family members.


book: Mark
contenido:
Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed Once again Jesus went to teach the people on the shore of Lake Galilee and a massive crowd surrounded him. The crowd was so huge that he had to get into a boat and teach the people from there.


book: Mark
contenido:
Other seeds fell onto gravel with no topsoil and the seeds quickly sprouted since the soil had no depth.


book: Mark
contenido:
But when the days grew hot, the sprouts were scorched and withered because they had insufficient roots.


book: Mark
contenido:
Other seeds fell among the thorns, so when the seeds sprouted so did the thorns, crowding out the young plants so that they could produce no grain.


book: Mark
contenido:
But some of the seeds fell onto good, rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty—and some even one hundred times as much as was planted!


book: Mark
contenido:
The Purpose of Parables Afterwards, Jesus, his disciples and those close to him remained behind to ask Jesus about his parables.


book: Mark
contenido:
He said to them, “The privilege of intimately knowing the mystery of God’s kingdom realm has been granted to you, but not to the others, where everything is revealed in parables.


book: Mark
contenido:
“For even when they see what I do, they will not understand, and when they, hear what I say, they will learn nothing, otherwise they would repent and be forgiven.”


book: Mark
contenido:
and what falls on the beaten path represents those who hear the Word, but immediately Satan appears and snatches it from their hearts.


book: Mark
contenido:
but because their hearts fail to sink a deep root into the Word, they don’t endure for long. For when trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, they immediately wilt and fall away.


book: Mark
contenido:
but they allow the cares of this life and the seduction of wealth and the desires for other things to crowd out and choke the Word so that it produces nothing.


book: Mark
contenido:
“But the seed sown on good soil represents those who open their hearts to receive the Word and their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times more than was sown!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Parable of the Lamp He also gave them this parable: “No one lights a lamp only to place it under a basket or under the bed. It is meant to be placed on a lampstand.


book: Mark
contenido:
For there is nothing that is hidden that won’t be disclosed, and there is no secret that won’t be brought out into the light!


book: Mark
contenido:
Then he said to them, “Be diligent to understand the meaning behind everything you hear, for as you do, more understanding will be given to you. And according to the depth of your longing to understand, much more will be added to you.


book: Mark
contenido:
For those who listen with open hearts will receive more revelation. But those who don’t listen with open hearts will lose what little they think they have!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Parable of the Growing Seed Jesus also told them this parable: “God’s kingdom realm is like someone spreading seed on the ground.


book: Mark
contenido:
He goes to bed and gets up, day after day, and the seed sprouts and grows tall, though he knows not how.


book: Mark
contenido:
All by itself it sprouts, and the soil produces a crop; first the green stem, then the head on the stalk, and then the fully developed grain in the head.


book: Mark
contenido:
Then, when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts the sickle to the grain, because harvest time has come.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Parable of the Tiny Mustard Seed And he told them this parable: “How can I describe God’s kingdom realm? Let me illustrate it with this parable.


book: Mark
contenido:
yet when it springs up and grows, it becomes the largest plant in the garden. And with so many enormous spreading branches, even birds can nest in its shade.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Always Taught Using Parables Jesus used many parables such as these as he taught the people, and they learned according to their ability to understand.


book: Mark
contenido:
He never spoke to them without using parables, but would wait until they were alone before he explained their meanings to his disciples.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Stills a Storm Later that day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”


book: Mark
contenido:
After they had sent the crowd away, they shoved off from shore with him, as he had been teaching from the boat, and there were other boats that sailed with them.


book: Mark
contenido:
Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious tempest arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was all but swamped.


book: Mark
contenido:
So they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!” Fully awake, he rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Calm down!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm.


book: Mark
contenido:
Then he turned to his disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?”


book: Mark
contenido:
But they were overwhelmed with fear and awe and said to one another, “Who is this man who has such authority that even the wind and waves obey him?”


book: Mark
contenido:
A Demonized Man Set Free They arrived at the other side of the lake, at the region of the Gerasenes.


book: Mark
contenido:
The man had been living there among the tombs of the dead, and no one was able to restrain him, not even with chains.


book: Mark
contenido:
For every time they attempted to chain his hands and feet with shackles, he would snap the chains and break the shackles in pieces. He was so strong that no one had the power to subdue him.


book: Mark
contenido:
Day and night he could be found lurking in the cemetery or in the vicinity, shrieking and mangling himself with stones!


book: Mark
contenido:
screaming out at the top of his lungs, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! Swear in God’s name that you won’t torture me!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus said to him, “What is your name?” “Mob,” he answered. “They call me Mob because there are thousands of us in his body!”


book: Mark
contenido:
So Jesus gave them permission, and the demon horde immediately came out of the man and went into the pigs! This caused the herd to rush madly down the steep slope and fall into the lake, drowning about two thousand pigs!


book: Mark
contenido:
Now, the herdsmen fled to the nearby villages, telling everyone what they saw as they ran through the countryside, and everyone came out to see what had happened.


book: Mark
contenido:
When they found Jesus, they saw the demonized man sitting there, properly clothed and in his right mind. Seeing what had happened to the man who had thousands of demons, the people were terrified.


book: Mark
contenido:
Those who had witnessed this miracle reported the news to the people and included what had happened to the pigs.


book: Mark
contenido:
And as Jesus began to get into the boat to depart, the man who had been set free from demons asked him, “Could I go with you?”


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus answered, “No,” but said to him, “Go back to your home and to your family and tell them what the Lord has done for you. Tell them how he had mercy on you.”


book: Mark
contenido:
So the man left and went into the region of Jordan and parts of Syria to tell everyone he met about what Jesus had done for him, and all the people marveled!


book: Mark
contenido:
Two Miracles—Healing and Resurrection After Jesus returned from across the lake, a huge crowd of people quickly gathered around him on the shoreline.


book: Mark
contenido:
Just then, a man saw that it was Jesus, so he pushed through the crowd and threw himself down at his feet. His name was Jairus, a Jewish official who was in charge of the synagogue.


book: Mark
contenido:
He pleaded with Jesus, saying over and over, “Please come with me! My little daughter is at the point of death, and she’s only twelve years old! Come and lay your hands on her and heal her and she will live!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Now, in the crowd that day was a woman who had suffered horribly from continual bleeding for twelve years.


book: Mark
contenido:
She had endured a great deal under the care of various doctors, yet in spite of spending all she had on their treatments, she was not getting better, but worse.


book: Mark
contenido:
When she heard about Jesus’ healing power, she pushed through the crowd and came up from behind him and touched his prayer shawl.


book: Mark
contenido:
As soon as her hand touched him, her bleeding immediately stopped! She knew it, for she could feel her body instantly being healed of her disease!


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus knew at once that someone had touched him, for he felt the power that always surged around him had passed through him for someone to be healed. He turned and spoke to the crowd, saying, “Who touched my clothes?”


book: Mark
contenido:
His disciples answered, “What do you mean, who touched you? Look at this huge crowd—they’re all pressing up against you.”


book: Mark
contenido:
When the woman who experienced this miracle realized what had happened to her, she came before him, trembling with fear, and threw herself down at his feet, saying, “I was the one who touched you.” And she told him her story of what had just happened.


book: Mark
contenido:
Then Jesus said to her, “Daughter, because you dared to believe, your faith has healed you. Go with peace in your heart, and be free from your suffering!”


book: Mark
contenido:
And before he had finished speaking, people arrived from Jairus’ house and pushed through the crowd to give Jairus the news: “There’s no need to trouble the master any longer—your daughter has died.”


book: Mark
contenido:
But Jesus refused to listen to what they were told and said to the Jewish official, “Don’t yield to fear. All you need to do is to keep on believing.”


book: Mark
contenido:
So they left for his home, but Jesus didn’t allow anyone to go with them except Peter and the two brothers, Jacob and John.


book: Mark
contenido:
When they arrived at the home of the synagogue ruler, they encountered a noisy uproar among the people, for they were all weeping and wailing.


book: Mark
contenido:
Upon entering the home, Jesus said to them, “Why all this grief and weeping? Don’t you know the girl is not dead but merely asleep?”


book: Mark
contenido:
Then everyone began to ridicule and make fun of him. But he threw them all outside. Then he took the child’s father and mother and his three disciples and went into the room where the girl was lying.


book: Mark
contenido:
He tenderly clasped the child’s hand in his and said to her in Aramaic, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, wake up from the sleep of death.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Instantly the twelve-year-old girl sat up, stood to her feet, and started walking around the room! Everyone was overcome with astonishment in seeing this miracle!


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus had them bring her something to eat. And he repeatedly cautioned them that they were to tell no one about what had happened.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Rejected in Nazareth Afterward, Jesus left Capernaum and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown.


book: Mark
contenido:
On the Sabbath, he went to teach in the synagogue. Everyone who heard his teaching was overwhelmed with astonishment. They said among themselves, “What incredible wisdom has been given to him! Where did he receive such profound insights? And what mighty miracles flow through his hands!


book: Mark
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Isn’t this Mary’s son, the carpenter, the brother of Jacob, Joseph, Judah, and Simon? And don’t his sisters all live here in Nazareth?” And they took offense at him.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is treated with honor everywhere except in his own hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.”


book: Mark
contenido:
He was unable to do any great miracle in Nazareth, except to heal a few sick people by laying his hands upon them.


book: Mark
contenido:
He was amazed at the depth of their unbelief! Then Jesus went out into the different villages and taught the people.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles Jesus gathered his twelve disciples and imparted to them his authority to cast out demons. Then he sent them out in pairs with these instructions:


book: Mark
contenido:
“Take only your staff and the sandals on your feet—no bread, no knapsack, no extra garment, and no money.


book: Mark
contenido:
Whatever community does not welcome you or receive your message, leave it behind. And as you go, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Death of John the Baptizer King Herod soon heard about Jesus, for the name of Jesus was on everyone’s lips. Some were even saying about him, “John the Baptizer has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers flow from him!”


book: Mark
contenido:
Others said, “No, he’s Elijah!” While others said, “He’s a prophet, like one of the prophets of old!”


book: Mark
contenido:
When Herod heard what the people were saying, he concluded, “I beheaded John, and now he’s raised from the dead!”


book: Mark
contenido:
For Herod had John arrested and thrown into prison for repeatedly rebuking him in public, saying, “You have no right to marry Herodias, the wife of your brother Philip! You are violating the law of God!”


book: Mark
contenido:
But Herod both feared and stood in awe of John and kept him safely in custody, because he was convinced that he was a righteous and holy man. Every time Herod heard John speak, it disturbed his soul, but he was drawn to him and enjoyed listening to his words.


book: Mark
contenido:
But Herodias found her opportunity to have John killed—it was on the king’s birthday! Herod prepared a great banquet and invited all his officials, military commanders, and the leaders of the province of Galilee to celebrate with him on his birthday.


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On the day of the feast, his stepdaughter, the daughter of Herodias, came to honor the king with a beautiful dance, and she flattered him. Her dancing greatly pleased the king and his guests, so he said to the girl, “You can ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you!”


book: Mark
contenido:
And he repeated it in front of everyone, with a vow to complete his promise to her: “Anything you desire and it will be yours! I’ll even share my kingdom with you!”


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contenido:
She immediately left the room and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptizer on a platter!”


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So she hurried back to the king and made her request: “I want you to bring me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter—and I want it right now!”


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Deeply grieved, the king regretted his promise to her, but since he had made his vow in front of all his honored guests, he couldn’t deny her request.


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So without delay the king ordered an executioner to bring John’s head, and he went and beheaded John in prison.


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When John’s followers heard what had happened, they came and removed his body and laid it in a tomb.


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Jesus Multiplies Food to Feed Five Thousand The apostles returned from their mission and gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught.


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There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, let’s take a break and find a secluded place where you can rest a while.”


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But many of the people saw them leaving and realized where they were headed, so they took off running along the shore. Then people from the surrounding towns joined them in the chase, and a large crowd got there ahead of them.


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By the time Jesus came ashore, a massive crowd was waiting. At the sight of them, his heart was filled with compassion, because they seemed like wandering sheep who had no shepherd. So he taught them many things.


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Late that afternoon, his disciples said, “It’s getting really late and we’re here in this remote place with nothing to eat.


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You should send the crowds away so they can go into the surrounding villages and buy food for themselves.”


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But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” “Are you sure?” they replied. “You really want us to go buy them supper? It would cost a small fortune to feed all these thousands of hungry people.”


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“How many loaves of bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” After they had looked around, they came back and said, “Five—plus a couple of fish.”


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Then Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, gazed into heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the bread and the two fish and distributed them to his disciples to serve the people—and the food was multiplied in front of their eyes!


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Then the twelve disciples picked up what remained, and each of them ended up with a basket full of leftovers!


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Jesus Walks on Water After everyone had their meal, Jesus instructed his disciples to get back into the boat and go on ahead of him and sail to the other side to Bethsaida.


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So he dispersed the crowd, said good-bye to his disciples, then slipped away to pray on the mountain.


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The wind was against the disciples and he could see that they were straining at the oars, trying to make headway. When it was almost morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the surface of the water, and he started to pass by them.


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When they all saw him walking on the waves, they thought he was a ghost and screamed out in terror. But he said to them at once, “Don’t yield to fear. Have courage. It’s really me—I Am!”


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Then he came closer and climbed into the boat with them, and immediately the stormy wind became still. They were completely and utterly overwhelmed with astonishment


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because they failed to learn the lesson of the miracle of the loaves, and their hearts were unwilling to learn the lesson.


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So they ran throughout the region, telling the people, “Bring all the sick—even those too sick to walk and bring them on mats!”


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Wherever he went, in the countryside, villages, or towns, they placed the sick on mats in the streets or in public places and begged him, saying, “Just let us touch the tassel of your prayer shawl!” And all who touched him were instantly healed!


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Jesus Breaks Religious Traditions One day, those known as the Pharisees and certain religious scholars came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus.


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They were shocked to find that some of Jesus’ disciples ate bread without first observing the prescribed Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating their meal.


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(For the Pharisees, like all other Jews, will not eat without first performing a ritual of pouring water over their cupped hands to keep the tradition of the elders.


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Similarly, when returning from the marketplace, they ceremonially wash themselves before eating. They also observed many other traditions, such as ceremonially washing cups, pitchers, and kettles.)


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So the Pharisees and religious scholars asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the age-old traditions passed down by our elders? They should first ceremonially wash their hands before eating.”


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Jesus replied, “You are frauds and hypocrites! How accurately did Isaiah prophesy about you phonies when he said: ‘These people honor me with their words while their hearts run far away from me!


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Their worship is nothing more than a charade! For they continue to insist that their man-made traditions are equal to the instructions of God.’


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“You abandon God’s commandments just to keep men’s rituals, such as ceremonially washing utensils, cups, and other things.”


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Then he added, “How skillful you’ve become in rejecting God’s law in order to maintain your man-made set of rules.


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For example, Moses taught us: ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever insults or mistreats his father or mother must be put to death.’


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“But your made-up rules allow a person to say to his parents, ‘I’ve decided to take the support you were counting on from me and make it my holy offering to God, and that will be your blessing instead.’


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Do you really think God will honor your traditions passed down to others, making up these rules that nullify God’s Word? And you’re doing many other things like that.”


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Jesus Explains What Truly Defiles Then Jesus called the crowd together again, saying, “Hear my words, all of you, and take them to heart.


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What truly contaminates a person is not what he puts into his body, but what comes out. That’s what makes a person defiled.”


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When Jesus went back home and away from the crowd, his disciples acknowledged that they didn’t understand the meaning of the parable and asked him to explain it.


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He answered them, “Are you as dull as the rest? Don’t you understand that you are not defiled by what you eat?


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For the food you swallow doesn’t enter your heart, but goes into your stomach, only to pass out into the sewer.” (This means all foods are clean.)


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Evil originates from inside a person. Coming out of a human heart are evil schemes, sexual immorality, theft, murder,


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Jesus and a Foreign Woman Jesus set out from there to go into the non-Jewish region of Tyre. He intended to slip into a house unnoticed, but people found out that he was there.


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But when a woman whose daughter had a demon spirit heard he was there, she came and threw herself down at his feet.


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She was not Jewish, but a foreigner, born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged him repeatedly to cast the demon out of her daughter.


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Finally he said to her, “First let my children be fed and satisfied, for it isn’t fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”


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She answered, “How true that is, Lord. But even puppies under the family table are allowed to eat the little children’s crumbs.”


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Then Jesus said to her, “That’s a good reply! Now, because you said this, you may go. The demon has permanently left your daughter.”


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And when she returned home, she found her daughter resting quietly on the couch, completely set free from the demon!


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Jesus Heals a Deaf Man After this, Jesus left the coastland of Tyre and came through Sidon on his way to Lake Galilee and over into regions of Syria.


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Some people brought to him a deaf man with a severe speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place his hands on him and heal him.


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So Jesus led him away from the crowd to a private spot. Then he stuck his fingers into the man’s ears and placed some of his saliva on the man’s tongue.


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Then he gazed into heaven, sighed deeply, and spoke to the man’s ears and tongue, “Ethpathakh,” which is Aramaic for “Open up, now!”


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At once the man’s ears opened and he could hear perfectly, and his tongue was untied and he began to speak normally.


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Jesus ordered everyone to keep this miracle a secret, but the more he told them not to, the more the news spread!


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The people were absolutely beside themselves and astonished beyond measure. And they began to declare, “Everything he does is wonderful! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”


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Jesus Multiplies Food Again During those days, another massive crowd gathered to hear Jesus, and again, there was no food and the people were hungry. So Jesus called his disciples to come near him and said to them,


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“My heart goes out to this crowd, for they’ve already been here with me for three days with nothing to eat.


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I’m concerned that if I send them home hungry, they’ll be exhausted along the way, for some of them have come a long, long way just to be with me.”


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His disciples replied, “But could anyone possibly get enough food to satisfy a crowd this size out here in this isolated place?”


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Jesus instructed the crowd to sit down on the grass. After he took the seven loaves, he gave thanks to God, broke them, and started handing them to his disciples. They kept distributing the bread until they had served the entire crowd.


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They also had a few small fish, and after giving thanks for these, Jesus had his disciples serve them to the crowd.


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Everyone ate until they were satisfied. Then the disciples gathered up the broken pieces and filled seven large baskets with the leftovers.


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The Pharisees Demand a Sign As soon as Jesus landed, he was confronted by the Pharisees, who argued with Jesus and tested him. They demanded that he give them a miraculous sign from heaven.


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And with a deep sigh from his spirit, he said, “What drives this generation to clamor for a sign? Listen to the truth: there will absolutely be no sign given to this generation!”


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Jesus Warns of the Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod Now, the disciples had forgotten to take bread with them, except for one loaf of flatbread.


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And as they were sailing across the lake, Jesus repeatedly warned them, “Be on your guard against the yeast inside of the Pharisees and the yeast inside of Herod!”


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But the disciples had no clue what Jesus was talking about, so they began to discuss it among themselves, saying, “Is he saying this because we forgot to bring bread?”


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Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus said to them, “Why all this fussing over forgetting to bring bread? Do you still not see or understand what I say to you? Are your hearts still hard?


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You have good eyes, yet you still don’t see, and you have good ears, yet you still don’t hear, neither do you remember.


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When I multiplied the bread to feed more than five thousand people, how many baskets full of leftovers did you gather afterward?” “Twelve,” they replied.


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“And when I multiplied food to feed over four thousand, how many large baskets full of leftovers did you gather afterwards?” “Seven,” they replied.


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Jesus Heals Blind Eyes When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, begging him to touch him and heal him.


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So Jesus led him, as his sighted guide, outside the village. He placed his saliva on the man’s eyes and covered them with his hands. Then he asked him, “Now do you see anything?”


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“Yes,” he said. “My sight is coming back! I’m beginning to see people, but they look like trees—walking trees.”


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Jesus put his hands over the man’s eyes a second time and made him look up. The man opened his eyes wide and he could see everything perfectly. His eyesight was completely restored!


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Then Jesus sent him home with these instructions: “Go home, but don’t tell anyone what happened, not even the people of your own village.”


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Peter Receives Revelation from God Then Jesus and his disciples walked to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he posed this question to his disciples: “Who do the people say that I am?”


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They replied, “Some say John the Baptizer, others say Elijah the prophet, and still others say you must be one of the prophets.”


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He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter spoke up, saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!”


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Jesus Prophesies His Death and Resurrection From then on, Jesus began to tell his disciples that he, the Son of Man, was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer great injustice from the elders, leading priests, and religious scholars. He also explained that he would be killed and three days later be raised to life again.


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Jesus opened his heart and spoke freely with his disciples, explaining all these things to them. Then Peter took him aside and rebuked him.


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But Jesus turned around, and glancing at all of the other disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, “Get out of my sight, Satan! For your heart is not set on God’s plan but man’s!”


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What It Means to Be a Follower of Jesus Jesus summoned the crowd, along with his disciples, and had them gather around. And he said to them: “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.


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For if you let your life go for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, you will continually experience true life. But if you choose to keep your life for yourself, you will forfeit what you try to keep.


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For what use is it to gain all the wealth and power of this world, with everything it could offer you, at the cost of your own life?


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So among the unfaithful and sinful people living today, if you are ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of you when he makes his appearance with his holy messengers in the glorious splendor of his Father!”


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The Transfiguration of Jesus Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, there are some standing here now who won’t experience death until they see God’s kingdom realm manifest with power!”


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After six days, Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, Jacob and John, and hiked up a high mountain to be alone. And Jesus’ appearance was dramatically altered, for he was transfigured before their very eyes!


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His clothing sparkled and became glistening white—whiter than any bleach in the world could make them.


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Peter blurted out, “Beautiful Teacher, this is so amazing to see the three of you together! Why don’t we stay here and set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?”


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Just then, a radiant cloud began to spread over them, enveloping them all. And God’s voice suddenly spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my most dearly loved Son—always listen to him!”


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Suddenly, when they looked around, the disciples saw only Jesus, for Moses and Elijah had faded away.


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As they all hiked down the mountain together, Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone of what you just witnessed. Wait until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”


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Then they asked him, “Why do the religious scholars insist that Elijah must come before the Messiah?”


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He answered them, “They’re right. Elijah must come first to put everything in order. And what about all that is written about the Son of Man? It is true that he must endure many sufferings and be rejected.


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So Elijah has already appeared, just as it was prophesied, and they did to him whatever they pleased.”


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The Disciples Unable to Cast Out a Demon Now when they came down the mountain to the other nine disciples, they noticed a large crowd of people gathered around them, with the religious scholars arguing with them.


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The crowd was astonished to see Jesus himself walking toward them, so they immediately ran to welcome him.


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A man spoke up out of the crowd. “Teacher,” he said, “I have a son possessed by a demon that makes him mute. I brought him here to you, Jesus.


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Whenever the demon takes control of him, it knocks him down, and he foams at the mouth and gnashes his teeth, and his body becomes stiff as a board. I brought him to your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they were not strong enough.”


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Jesus said to the crowd, “Why are you such a faithless people? How much longer must I remain with you and put up with your unbelief? Now, bring the boy to me.”


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So they brought him to Jesus. As soon as the demon saw him, it threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground, rolling around and foaming at the mouth.


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Jesus turned to the father and asked, “How long has your son been tormented like this?” “Since childhood,” he replied.


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“It tries over and over to kill him by throwing him into fire or water. But please, if you’re able to do something, anything—have compassion on us and help us!”


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Jesus said to him, “What do you mean ‘if’? If you are able to believe, all things are possible to the believer.”


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When he heard this, the boy’s father cried out with tears, saying, “I do believe, Lord; help my little faith!”


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Now when Jesus saw that the crowd was quickly growing larger, he commanded the demon, saying, “Deaf and mute spirit, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”


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The demon shrieked and threw the boy into terrible seizures and finally came out of him! As the boy lay there, looking like a corpse, everyone thought he was dead.


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But Jesus stooped down, gently took his hand, and raised him up to his feet, and he stood there completely set free!


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Afterwards, when Jesus arrived at the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?”


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Jesus Again Prophesies His Death and Resurrection They went on from there and walked through the region of Galilee. Jesus didn’t want the people to know he was there, because he wanted to teach his disciples in private.


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He said to them, “The Son of Man is destined to be betrayed and turned over to those who will execute him. But after three days he will rise again.”


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But the disciples didn’t have a clue what he meant and were too embarrassed to ask him to explain it.


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The Disciples Argue over Who Will Be the Greatest Then they came to Capernaum. And as soon as Jesus was inside the house, he asked his disciples, “What were you arguing about on the way here?”


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Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples to come around him, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be content to be last and become a servant to all.”


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“Whoever welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes not only me, but the one who sent me.”


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The Name of Christ John spoke up and said, “Teacher, we noticed someone was using your name to cast out demons, so we tried to stop him because he wasn’t one of our group.”


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“Don’t stop him!” Jesus replied. “For the one who does miracles in the power of my name proves he is not my enemy.


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Listen to the truth that I speak: Whoever gives you a cup of water because you carry the name of Christ will never lose his reward.


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“If your hand entices you to sin, let it go limp and useless! For it is better for you to enter into life maimed than to have your entire body thrown into hell, the place of unquenchable fire.


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And if your foot leads you into sin, cut it off! For it is better to enter life crawling than to have both feet and be flung into hell.


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And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out! For it is better to enter into life with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two.


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Salt is excellent for seasoning. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can its flavor ever be restored? Your lives, like salt, are to season and preserve. So don’t lose your flavor, and preserve the peace in your union with one another.”


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The Revolutionary Values of the Kingdom Then Jesus left the region and went into the district of Judea, across from the Jordan River, and again, massive crowds flocked to him, and Jesus, as was his custom, began to teach the people.


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At one point, some of the Pharisees came, seeking to entrap him with a question. “Tell us,” they asked, “is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”


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They replied, “Moses permitted us to write a certificate of separation that would be valid to complete a divorce.”


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And the husband and wife will be joined as one flesh, and after that they no longer exist as two, but one flesh.


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Jesus Blesses Little Children The parents kept bringing their little children to Jesus so that he would lay his hands on them and bless them. But the disciples kept rebuking and scolding the people for doing it.


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When Jesus saw what was happening, he became indignant with his disciples and said to them, “Let all the little children come to me and never hinder them! Don’t you know that God’s kingdom realm exists for such as these?


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Listen to the truth I speak: Whoever does not open their arms to receive God’s kingdom like a teachable child will never enter it.”


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A Rich Man Meets Jesus As Jesus started on his way, a man came running up to him. Kneeling down in front of him, he cried out, “Good Teacher, what one thing am I required to do to gain eternal life?”


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You already know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give a false testimony, do not cheat, and honor your father and mother.’”


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Jesus fixed his gaze upon the man, with tender love, and said to him, “Yet there is still one thing in you lacking. Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then all of your treasure will be in heaven. After you’ve done this, come back and walk with me.”


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Jesus looked at the faces of his disciples and said, “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter into God’s kingdom realm.”


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The disciples were startled when they heard this. But Jesus again said to them, “Children, it is next to impossible for those who trust in their riches to find their way into God’s kingdom realm.


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It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter into God’s kingdom realm.”


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But this left them all the more astonished, and they whispered to one another, “Then who could ever be saved?”


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Jesus looked at them and replied, “With people it is impossible, but not with God—God makes all things possible!”


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“Listen to my words,” Jesus said. “Anyone who leaves his home behind and chooses me over children, parents, family, and possessions, all for the sake of the gospel,


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it will come back to him a hundred times as much in this lifetime—homes, family, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, possessions—along with persecutions. And in the age to come, he will inherit eternal life.


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But many who are considered to be the most important now will be the least important then. And many who are viewed as the least important now will be considered the most important then.”


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Jesus Again Prophesies His Death and Resurrection Jesus and his disciples were on the road that went up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading them forward. The disciples were filled with wonder and amazement at his bravery, but those following along with them were very afraid. As they approached the city, he took the Twelve aside privately and told them what was going to happen.


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“I want you to know that we are going to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the ruling priests and religious scholars and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Romans.


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And they will mock him, spit in his face, torture him, and kill him, but three days later he will rise again.”


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Jacob (James) and John Ask a Favor of Jesus Jacob and John, sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, will you do a favor for us?”


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“We want to sit next to you when you come into your glory,” they said, “one at your right hand and the other at your left.”


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Jesus said to them, “You don’t have a clue what you’re asking for! Are you prepared to drink from the cup of suffering that I am about to drink? And are you able to endure the baptism into death that I am about to experience?”


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They replied, “Yes, we are able.” Jesus said to them, “You will certainly drink from the cup of my sufferings and be immersed into my death,


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but to have you sit in the position of highest honor is not mine to decide. It is reserved for those whom grace has prepared them to have it.”


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Now the other ten disciples overheard this, and they became angry and began to criticize Jacob and John.


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Jesus gathered them all together and said to them, “Those recognized as rulers of the people and those who are in top leadership positions rule oppressively over their subjects, but this is not the example you are to follow.


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You are to lead by a different model. If you want to be the greatest one, then live as one called to serve others.


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For even the Son of Man did not come expecting to be served by everyone, but to serve everyone, and to give his life as the ransom price in exchange for the salvation of many.”


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Jesus Heals Blind Bar-Timai When Jesus and his disciples had passed through Jericho, a large crowd joined them. Upon leaving the village, they met a blind beggar sitting on the side of the road named Timai, the son of Timai.


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When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by, he began to shout “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me now in my affliction. Heal me!”


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Those in the crowd were indignant and scolded him for making so much of a disturbance, but he kept shouting with all his might, “Son of David, have mercy on me now and heal me!”


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Jesus stopped and said, “Call him to come to me.” So they went to the blind man and said, “Have courage! Get up! Jesus is calling for you!”


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Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The man replied, “My Master, please, let me see again!”


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Jesus responded, “Your faith heals you. Go in peace, with your sight restored.” All at once, the man’s eyes opened and he could see again, and he began at once to follow Jesus, walking down the road with him.


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Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Now, as they were approaching Jerusalem, they arrived at the place of the stables near Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead


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and said to them, “As soon as you enter the village ahead, you will find a donkey’s colt tethered there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me.


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And if anyone asks, ‘Why are you taking it?’ tell them, ‘The master needs it and will send it back to you soon.’”


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So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tied to a gate. When they started to untie it,


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They answered just as Jesus had told them: “The master needs it, and he will send it back to you soon.” So the bystanders let them go.


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The disciples brought the colt to Jesus and piled their cloaks and prayer shawls on the young donkey, and Jesus rode upon it.


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Many people carpeted the road in front of him with their cloaks and prayer shawls, while others gathered palm branches and spread them before him.


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Jesus rode in the center of the procession, with crowds going before him and behind him. They all shouted in celebration, “Bring the victory! We welcome the one coming with the blessings of being sent from the Lord Yahweh!


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Blessings rest on this kingdom he ushers in right now—the kingdom of our father David! Bring us the victory in the highest realms of heaven!”


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Jesus rode through the gates of Jerusalem and up to the temple. After looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the Twelve to spend the night, for it was already late in the day.


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He noticed a leafy fig tree in the distance, so he walked over to see if there was any fruit on it, but there was none—only leaves (for it wasn’t yet the season for bearing figs).


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Jesus spoke to the fig tree, saying, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again!” And the disciples overheard him.


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Jesus Drives Merchants Out of the Temple Courts When they came into Jerusalem, Jesus went directly into the temple area and overturned all the tables and benches of the merchants who were doing business there. One by one he drove them all out of the temple courts, and they scattered away, including the money changers and those selling doves.


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And he would not allow them to use the temple courts as a thoroughfare for carrying their merchandise and their furniture.


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Then he began to teach the people, saying, “Does not the Scripture say, ‘My house will be a house of prayer for all the world to share’? But you have made it a thieves’ hangout!”


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When the chief priests and religious scholars heard this, they began to hatch a plot as to how they could eliminate Jesus. But they feared him and his influence, because the entire crowd was carried away with astonishment by his teaching.


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Lessons of Faith In the morning, they passed by the fig tree that Jesus spoke to and it was completely withered from the roots up.


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Peter remembered and said to him, “Teacher, look! That’s the fig tree you cursed. It’s now all shriveled up and dead.”


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Listen to the truth I speak to you: If someone says to this mountain with great faith and having no doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done.


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This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.


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And whenever you stand praying, if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults.


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But if you will not release forgiveness, don’t expect your Father in heaven to release you from your misdeeds.”


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The Religious Leaders Question Jesus’ Authority They came again into Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the Jewish rulers—the chief priest, certain religious scholars, and the elders—approached him. They came up to him


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and asked, “What right do you have to say and do these things? Who gave you the authority to do all this?”


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Jesus replied, “I too have a question to ask you. If you can answer this question, then I will tell you by what power I do all these things.


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They stepped away and debated among themselves, saying, “How should we answer this? If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you respond to John and believe what he said?’


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But if we say, ‘from the people,’ we fear the crowds, for they’re convinced that John was God’s prophet.”


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So they finally answered, “We don’t know.” “Then neither will I tell you where my power comes from to do these things,” Jesus replied.


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The Parable of the Tenants Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “There once was a man who planted a vineyard and put a secure fence around it. He dug a pit for its winepress and erected a watch tower. Then he leased it to tenant-farmers and traveled abroad.


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When the time of harvest came, he sent one of his servants to the tenants to collect the landowners’ share of the harvest.


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So the owner sent another servant to them. And that one they shamefully humiliated and beat over the head.


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So he sent another servant, and they brutally killed him. Many more servants were sent, and they were all severely beaten or killed.


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The owner had only one person left to send—his only son, whom he dearly loved. So he sent him to them, saying, ‘Surely they will restrain themselves and respect my son.’


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But the tenants saw their chance and said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come! Let’s kill him, and then we’ll inherit it all!’


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So what do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? He will come and put to death those tenants and give his vineyard to others.


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Haven’t you read what the psalmist said? The stone the builders examined and rejected has become the cornerstone, the most important stone of all?


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Now, the chief priests, religious scholars, and leaders realized that Jesus’ parable was aimed at them. They had hoped to arrest him then and there, but they feared the reaction of the crowd, so they left him alone and went away.


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Paying Taxes to Caesar Then they sent a delegation of Pharisees, together with some staunch supporters of Herod, to entrap Jesus with his own words.


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So they approached him and said, “Teacher, we know that you’re an honest man of integrity and you teach us the truth of God’s ways. We can clearly see that you’re not one who speaks only to win the people’s favor, because you speak the truth without regard to the consequences. So tell us, then, what you think. Is it proper for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”


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Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said to them, “Why are you testing me? Show me one of the Roman coins.”


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They brought him a silver coin used to pay the tax. “Now, tell me,” Jesus said, “whose head is on this coin and whose inscription is stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.


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Jesus said, “Precisely. The coin bears the image of the emperor Caesar, so you should pay the emperor his portion. But because you bear the image of God, you must give back to God all that belongs to him.” And they were utterly stunned by Jesus’ words.


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A Question about Marriage Some of the Sadducees, a religious group that denied there was a resurrection of the dead, came to ask Jesus this question:


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Now, there was a family with seven brothers. The oldest got married but soon died, and he had no children.


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The second brother married his oldest brother’s widow, and he also died without any children, and the third also.


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So here’s our dilemma: Which of the seven brothers will be the woman’s husband when she’s resurrected from the dead, since they all were once married to her?”


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Jesus answered them, “You are deluded because your hearts are not filled with the revelation of the Scriptures or the power of God.


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For when they rise from the dead, men and women will not marry, just like the angels of heaven don’t marry.


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Now, concerning the resurrection, haven’t you read in the Torah what God said to Moses at the burning bush? ‘I AM the living God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?


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The Greatest Commandment Now a certain religious scholar overheard them debating. When he saw how beautifully Jesus answered all their questions, he posed one of his own, and asked him, “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest of all?”


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Jesus answered him, “The most important of all the commandments is this: ‘The Lord Yahweh, our God, is one!’


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You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, with every thought that is within you, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment.


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And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.”


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The religious scholar replied, “Yes, that’s true, Teacher. You spoke beautifully when you said that God is one, and there is no one else besides him.


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And there is something more important to God than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings: it’s the commandment to constantly love God with every passion of your heart, with your every thought, and with all your strength—and to love your neighbor in the same way as you love yourself.”


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When Jesus noticed how thoughtfully and sincerely the man answered, he said to him, “You’re not far from the reality of God’s kingdom realm.” After that, no one dared to question him again.


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Jesus, Son of David—Lord of David While Jesus was teaching in the courts of the temple, he posed a question to those listening: “Why do the religious scholars say that the Messiah is David’s son?


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Yet it was David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who sang: The Lord Jehovah said to my Lord, ‘Sit near me in the place of authority until I subdue all your enemies under Your feet.’


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Since David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” The large crowd that had gathered around Jesus took delight in hearing his words.


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Jesus Warns Against the Religious Scholars Jesus also taught the people, “Beware of the religious scholars. They love to parade around in their clergy robes and be greeted with respect on the street.


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They crave to be made the leaders of synagogue councils, and they push their way to the head table at banquets.


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For appearance’s sake, they will pray long religious prayers at the homes of widows for an offering, cheating them out of their very livelihood. Beware of them all, for they will one day be stripped of honor, and the judgment they receive will be severe.”


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The Widow’s Offering Then he sat down near the offering box, watching all the people dropping in their coins. Many of the rich would put in very large sums,


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Jesus called his disciples to gather around and then said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy.


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For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on, which was everything she had.”


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Jesus Prophesies the Destruction of the Temple As Jesus was leaving the temple courts, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! And what tremendous stones were used to build all this!”


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Jesus turned to them and said, “Take a good look at all these enormous buildings, for I’m telling you, there will not be one stone left upon another. It will all be leveled!”


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Signs of the End of the Age Later, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the temple, his disciples, Peter, Jacob, John, and Andrew, came to him privately where he was sitting and said,


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“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what supernatural sign should we expect to signal your coming and the completion of this age?”


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You will hear rumors of wars nearby, with more rumors of wars to come. Make sure that you are not thrown into a panic or give in to your fears, for these things are destined to happen. Prepare for it, but still the end is not yet.


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For nations will go to war against each other and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be terrible earthquakes in place after place—seismic events of epic proportion. And there will be famines and riots. This is how the first contractions and birth pains of the new age will begin.”


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Jesus Warns of Persecution “Be on your guard! For they will repeatedly hand you over to the ruling councils, and you will be beaten in public gatherings. And you will stand trial before kings and high-ranking governmental leaders as an opportunity to testify to them on my behalf.


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“So when they put you under arrest and hand you over for trial, don’t even give one thought about what you will say. Simply speak what the Holy Spirit gives you at that very moment. And realize that it won’t be you speaking but the Holy Spirit repeatedly speaking through you.


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Brothers will betray each other unto death—even a father his child. Children will rise up to take a stand against their parents and have them put to death.


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Expect to be hated by all because of your allegiance to the cause that bears my name. But determine to be faithful to the end and you will be saved.”


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The Detestable Idol That Brings Misery “When you witness what Daniel prophesied, ‘the disgusting destroyer,’ standing where it must not be [Let the reader learn what it means], then those in the land of Judah must escape to higher ground.


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It will be especially hard for pregnant women and for those nursing their babies when those days come.


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For this will be a time of great misery beyond the magnitude of anything the world has ever seen from the beginning of time or ever will see.


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Unless God limits those days, no one would escape. But because of his love for those chosen to be his, he will shorten that time of trouble.


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“And if you hear reports from people, saying, ‘Look, the Messiah is over here,’ or, ‘The Messiah is over there!’ don’t believe it.


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For there will be imposters falsely claiming to be God’s ‘Anointed One.’ And false prophets will arise to perform miracle signs, and if it were possible, they would cause God’s chosen ones to wander off the right track.


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The Appearing of the Son of Man “This is what will take place after that suffering: The sun will be darkened and the moon will reflect no light.


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“Then they will see the Son of Man appearing in the midst of clouds and revealed with mighty power and great glory.


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At that time he will send his messengers, who will gather together his beloved chosen ones from every direction—from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven!”


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The Parable of the Fig Tree “Now, learn the lesson from the parable of the fig tree. When spring arrives, and it sends out its tender branches and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is soon to appear.


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So also, when you observe all these things progressively taking place, you will know that he is coming near, even at the door!


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Live Always Ready for His Appearing “Concerning that day and exact hour, no one knows when it will arrive, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son—only the Father knows.


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This is why you must be waiting, watching and praying, because no one knows when that season of time will come.”


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A Parable of a Man Who Left on a Journey “For those days can be compared to a man who was about to leave on a journey, but before leaving he placed his servants in charge and gave each one work to do while he was away. Then he commanded the watchman to be on guard at all times.


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So I say to you, keep awake and alert—for you have no idea when the master of the house will return; in the evening, at midnight, at four o’clock in the morning, or at dawn.


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The Plot to Kill Jesus Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the leading priests and religious scholars were committed to finding a way to secretly arrest Jesus and have him executed.


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But they all agreed that their plot could not succeed if they carried it out during the days of the feast, for they said, “There could be a riot among the people.”


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Jesus Is Anointed for His Death and Burial Now Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. And as he was reclining at the table, a woman came into the house, holding an alabaster flask. It was filled with the highest quality of fragrant and expensive oil. She walked right up to Jesus, and with a gesture of extreme devotion, she broke the flask and poured out the precious oil over his head.


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But some were highly indignant when they saw this, and they complained to one another, saying, “What a total waste!


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It could have been sold for a great sum, and the money could have benefited the poor.” So they scolded her harshly.


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Jesus said to them, “Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness.


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For you will always have the poor, whom you can help whenever you want, but you will not always have me.


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When she poured the fragrant oil over me, she was preparing my body in advance of my burial. She has done all that she could to honor me.


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I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to me will be mentioned in memory of her.”


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Judas Schemes to Betray Jesus One of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to the leading priests to inform them of his willingness to betray Jesus into their hands.


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They were delighted to hear this and agreed to pay him for it. So immediately Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray him.


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The Passover On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover Lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where would you like us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”


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So he sent two of his disciples ahead into Jerusalem with these instructions: “Make your way into the city and watch for a man carrying an earthenware pitcher of water. Follow him,


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and say to the owner of whatever house he enters, ‘The Teacher wants to ask you: “Do you have my room ready where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?”’


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And he will show you a large upstairs room ready and with a table set. Make preparations for us there.”


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So they went into the city and found everything to be exactly like Jesus had prophesied, and they prepared for him the Passover meal.


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Over dinner, while they were reclining around the table, Jesus said, “Listen to the truth: One of you eating here with me is about to betray me.”


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All that was prophesied of me, the Son of Man, is destined to soon take place, but it will be disastrous for the one who betrays the Son of Man. It would be far better for him if he had never been born!”


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Jesus Shares Communion with His Twelve As they ate, Jesus took the bread and blessed it, tore it, and gave it to his disciples. He said to them, “Receive this; it is my body.”


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Then taking the cup of wine and giving praises to the Father, he declared the new covenant with them. And as each one drank from the cup,


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I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the day comes when we drink it together in the kingdom realm of my Father.”


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Jesus Prophesies Peter’s Denial Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away and desert me. This will fulfill the prophecy of the Scripture that says: I will strike down the shepherd and all the sheep will scatter far and wide.


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Jesus said, “Mark my words, Peter. This very night, before the rooster crows twice a few hours from now, you will utterly deny that you know me three times.”


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But Peter was insistent and replied emphatically, “I will absolutely not! Under no circumstances will I ever deny you—even if I have to die with you!” And all the others repeated the same thing.


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Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Then Jesus led his disciples to an orchard called “The Oil Press.” He told them, “Sit here while I pray awhile.”


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He took Peter, Jacob, and John with him. An intense feeling of great horror plunged his soul into deep sorrow and agony.


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And he said to them, “My heart is overwhelmed with anguish and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me.”


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He walked a short distance away, and being overcome with grief, he threw himself facedown on the ground. He prayed that if it were possible, he would not have to experience this hour of suffering.


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He prayed, “Abba, my Father, all things are possible for you. Please—don’t allow me to drink this cup of suffering! Yet what I want is not important, for I only desire to fulfill your plan for me.”


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Then he came back to his three disciples and found them all sound asleep. He awakened Peter and said to him, “Simon, are you asleep? Do you lack the strength to stay awake with me for even just an hour?


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Keep alert and pray that you’ll be spared from this time of testing. For your spirit is eager enough, but your humanity is feeble.”


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Afterward, he came back to the disciples and found them sound asleep, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open and they didn’t know what to say to him.


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After praying for the third time, he returned to his disciples and awoke them again, saying, “Do you plan on sleeping and resting indefinitely? That’s enough sleep! The end has come and the hour has arrived for the Son of Man to be handed over to the authority of sinful men.


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Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest At that moment Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, along with a large crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent to arrest Jesus by order of the ruling priests, the religious scholars, and the Jewish leaders.


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Now, Judas, the traitor, had arranged to give them a signal that would identify Jesus, for he had told them, “Jesus is the man I will kiss. So grab him and take him safely away.”


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Judas quickly stepped up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, my Teacher!” and he kissed him affectionately on both cheeks.


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One of the disciples pulled out a sword and swung it at the servant of Caiaphas, the high priest, slashing off his ear.


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Day after day I sat with you in the temple courts, teaching the people, yet you didn’t arrest me then. But all of this fulfills the prophecies of the Scriptures.”


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They tried to arrest him also, but he slipped from their grasp and ran off naked, leaving his linen cloth in their hands.


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Jesus Condemned by the Religious Leaders Those who arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, to a meeting where the religious scholars and Jewish leaders were assembled.


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Now, Peter had followed him from a distance all the way to the chief priest’s courtyard. He sat with the guards and was warming himself by the fire.


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The chief priests and the entire supreme Jewish council of leaders were doing their best to find false charges that they could bring against Jesus and condemn him to death, but they could not find any.


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“We heard him say, ‘I can destroy this temple made with hands and then build another one again in three days not made with hands!’”


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Finally, the chief priest stood up in the middle of them and said to Jesus, “Have you nothing to say about these allegations? Is what they’re saying about you true?”


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But Jesus remained silent before them and did not answer. So the chief priest said to him, “Are you the anointed Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”


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Jesus answered him, “I am. And more than that, you are about to see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty and coming in the heavenly clouds!”


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Then, as an act of outrage, the high priest tore his robe and shouted, “No more witnesses are needed,


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for you’ve heard this grievous blasphemy.” Turning to the council he said, “Now, what is your verdict?” “He’s guilty and deserves the death penalty!” they all answered.


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Then they spat on his face and blindfolded him. Others struck him over and over with their fists and taunted him by saying, “Prophesy to us! Tell us which one of us is about to hit you next?” And the guards took him and beat him.


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Peter’s Denials Meanwhile, Peter was sitting below in the courtyard when a girl, a servant of the high priest, came near the fire.


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When she saw Peter there warming himself, she said to him, “I recognize you. You were with that Nazarene, Jesus.”


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But Peter denied it, saying, “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the gateway of the courtyard and the rooster crowed.


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When the servant girl noticed him, she said to all the bystanders, “I know this man is one of his followers!”


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Once again, Peter denied it. A short time later, the bystanders said to him, “You must be one of them. You’re a Galilean, like he is, for your accent proves it!”


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At the same moment Peter spoke those words, the sound of a rooster crowing pierced the night for the second time. And Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken to him earlier: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” With a shattered heart, Peter broke down and sobbed with bitter tears.


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Jesus Handed Over to Pilate Before dawn that morning, all the ruling priests, elders, religious scholars, and the entire Jewish council set in motion their plan against Jesus. They bound him in chains, took him away, and handed him over to Pilate.


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As Jesus stood in front of the Roman governor, Pilate asked him, “So, are you really the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You have just spoken it.”


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Then the ruling priests, over and over, made bitter accusations against him, but he remained silent.


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So Pilate questioned him again. “Have you nothing to say? Don’t you hear these many allegations they’re making against you?”


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Jesus and Barabbas Every year at Passover, it was the custom of the governor to pardon a prisoner and release him to the people—anyone they wanted.


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Now, Pilate was holding in custody a notorious criminal named Barabbas, one of the assassins who had committed murder in an uprising.


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The crowds gathered in front of Pilate’s judgment bench and asked him to release a prisoner to them, as was his custom.


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(Pilate was fully aware that the religious leaders had handed Jesus over to him because of sheer spite and envy.)


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“Why?” Pilate asked. “What evil thing has he done wrong?” But they kept shouting out with an deafening roar, “Crucify him at once!”


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Because he wanted to please the people, Pilate released Barabbas to them. After he had Jesus severely beaten with a whip made of leather straps and embedded with metal, he sentenced him to be crucified.


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The Soldiers Mock Jesus The soldiers took Jesus into the headquarters of the governor’s compound and summoned a military unit of nearly six hundred men.


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They placed a purple robe on him to make fun of him. Then they braided a victor’s crown, a wreath made of thorns, and set it on his head.


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They kept on spitting in his face and hit him repeatedly on his head with a reed staff, driving the crown of thorns deep into his brow. They knelt down before him in mockery, pretending to pay him homage.


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When they finished ridiculing him, they took off the purple robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to be crucified.


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The Crucifixion of Jesus As they came out of the city, they stopped an African man named Simon, a native of Libya. He was passing by, just coming in from the countryside with his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, and the soldiers forced him to carry the heavy crossbeam for Jesus.


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There they offered him a mild painkiller, a drink of wine mixed with gall, but he refused to drink it.


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They nailed his hands and feet to the cross. The soldiers divided his clothing among themselves by rolling dice to see who would win them.


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Above his head they placed a sign with the inscription of the charge against him, which read, “This is the King of the Jews.”


book: Mark
contenido:
Those who passed by shook their heads and spitefully ridiculed him, saying, “Aha! You boasted that you could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.


book: Mark
contenido:
Even the ruling priests and the religious scholars joined in the mockery and kept laughing among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but he can’t even save himself! Israel’s king, is he?


book: Mark
contenido:
Let the ‘Messiah,’ the ‘king of Israel,’ pull out the nails and come down from the cross right now. We’ll believe it when we see it!” Even the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus began to taunt him, hurling insults on him.


book: Mark
contenido:
About three o’clock, Jesus shouted with a mighty voice in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”—that is, “My God, My God, why have you turned your back on me?”


book: Mark
contenido:
One bystander ran and got a sponge, soaked it with sour wine, then put it on a stick and held it up for Jesus to drink. But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to rescue him.”


book: Mark
contenido:
When the Roman military officer who was standing right in front of Jesus saw how he died, he said, “There is no doubt this man was the Son of God!


book: Mark
contenido:
Watching from a distance, away from the crowds, were many of the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and had cared for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob the younger and Joseph, and Salome. Many other women who had followed him to Jerusalem were there too.


book: Mark
contenido:
So a prominent Jewish leader named Joseph, from the village of Ramah, courageously went to see Pilate and asked to have custody of the body of Jesus. Joseph was a highly regarded member of the Jewish council and a follower of Jesus who had focused his hope on God’s kingdom realm.


book: Mark
contenido:
Pilate was amazed to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the Roman officer, who confirmed it.


book: Mark
contenido:
Joseph purchased a shroud of fine linen and took the body down from the cross. Then he wrapped it in the linen shroud and placed it in a tomb quarried from out of the rock. Then they rolled a large stone over the entrance to seal the tomb.


book: Mark
contenido:
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were there and saw exactly where they laid the body of Jesus.


book: Mark
contenido:
The Resurrection of Jesus On the first day of the week, as the Sabbath was ending, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob, and Salome made their way to the tomb. It was very early in the morning as the first streaks of light were beginning to be seen in the sky. They had purchased aromatic embalming spices so that they might anoint his body.


book: Mark
contenido:
And they had been asking one another, “Who can roll away the heavy stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”


book: Mark
contenido:
But when they arrived, they discovered that the very large stone that had sealed the tomb was already rolled away!


book: Mark
contenido:
And as they stepped into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, dressed in a long white robe. The women were startled and amazed.


book: Mark
contenido:
But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you’re here looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here—he has risen victoriously! Look! See the place where they laid him.


book: Mark
contenido:
Run and tell his disciples, even Peter, that he is risen. He has gone ahead of you into Galilee and you will see him there, just like he told you.”


book: Mark
contenido:
They staggered out of the tomb, awestruck, with their minds swirling. They ran to tell the disciples, but they were so afraid and deep in wonder, they said nothing to anyone.


book: Mark
contenido:
Jesus Appears to Some of His Followers Early on the first day of the week, after rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.


book: Mark
contenido:
After she had seen Jesus, she ran to tell his disciples, who were all emotionally devastated and weeping.


book: Mark
contenido:
Excitedly, Mary told them, “He’s alive and I’ve seen him!” But even after hearing this, they didn’t believe her.


book: Mark
contenido:
After this, Jesus appeared to two of the disciples, who were on their way to another village, appearing in a form they did not recognize.


book: Mark
contenido:
Then Jesus appeared before the eleven apostles as they were eating a meal. He corrected them for having such hard, unbelieving hearts because they did not believe those who saw him after his resurrection.


book: Mark
contenido:
And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race!


book: Mark
contenido:
Whoever believes the good news and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe the good news will be condemned.


book: Mark
contenido:
And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues.


book: Mark
contenido:
They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them.”


book: Mark
contenido:
After saying these things, Jesus was lifted up into heaven and sat down at the place of honor at the right hand of God!


book: Mark
contenido:
And the apostles went out announcing the good news everywhere, as the Lord himself consistently worked with them, validating the message they preached with miracle-signs that accompanied them!


book: Luke
contenido:
Dear friend, I am writing for you, mighty lover of God, an orderly account of what Jesus, the Anointed One, accomplished and fulfilled among us. Several eyewitness biographies have already been written, using as their source material the good news preached among us by his early disciples, who became loving servants of the Living Expression. But now I am passing on to you this accurate compilation of my own meticulous investigation based on numerous eyewitness interviews and thorough research of the story of his life. It is appropriate for me to write this, for he also appeared to me so that I would reassure you beyond any shadow of a doubt the reliability of all you have been taught of him.


book: Luke
contenido:
Angelic Prophecy of the Prophet John’s Birth During the reign of King Herod the Great over Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah who served in the temple as part of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from a family of priests, being a direct descendant of Aaron.


book: Luke
contenido:
One day, while Zechariah’s priestly order was on duty and he was serving as priest, it happened by the casting of lots (according to the custom of the priesthood) that the honor fell upon Zechariah to enter into the Holy Placeand burn incense before the Lord.


book: Luke
contenido:
A large crowd of worshipers had gathered to pray outside the temple at the hour when incense was being offered.


book: Luke
contenido:
All at once an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing just to the right of the altar of incense.


book: Luke
contenido:
But the angel reassured him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God is showing grace to you. For I have come to tell you that your prayer for a child has been answered. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son and you are to name him John.


book: Luke
contenido:
He will be one of the great ones in the sight of God. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even while still in his mother’s womb.


book: Luke
contenido:
He will go before the Lord as a forerunner, with the same power and anointing as Elijah the prophet. He will be instrumental in turning the hearts of the fathers in tenderness back to their children and the hearts of the disobedient back to the wisdom of their righteous fathers. And he will prepare a united people who are ready for the Lord’s appearing.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Zechariah asked the angel, “How do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is too old to give me a child. What sign can you give me to prove this will happen?”


book: Luke
contenido:
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand beside God himself. He has sent me to announce to you this good news.


book: Luke
contenido:
But now, since you did not believe my words, you will be stricken silent and unable to speak until the day my words have been fulfilled at their appointed time and a child is born to you. That will be your sign!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Meanwhile, the crowds outside kept expecting him to come out. They were amazed over Zechariah’s delay, wondering what could have happened inside the sanctuary.


book: Luke
contenido:
When he finally did come out, he tried to talk, but he couldn’t speak a word, and they realized from his gestures that he had seen a vision while in the Holy Place.


book: Luke
contenido:
He remained mute as he finished his days of priestly ministry in the temple and then went back to his own home.


book: Luke
contenido:
Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for the next five months.


book: Luke
contenido:
She said with joy, “See how kind it is of God to gaze upon me and take away the disgrace of my barrenness!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Angelic Prophecy of Jesus’ Birth During the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent from God’s presence to an unmarried girl named Mary, living in Nazareth, a village in Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph, a true descendant of King David.


book: Luke
contenido:
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Grace to you, young woman, for the Lord is with you and so you are anointed with great favor.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Mary was deeply troubled over the words of the angel and bewildered over what this may mean for her.


book: Luke
contenido:
But the angel reassured her, saying, “Do not yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift.


book: Luke
contenido:
He will be supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will enthrone him as King on his ancestor David’s throne.


book: Luke
contenido:
Gabriel answered, “The Spirit of Holiness will fall upon you and almighty God will spread his shadow of power over you in a cloud of glory! This is why the child born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.


book: Luke
contenido:
What’s more, your aged aunt, Elizabeth, has also become pregnant with a son. The ‘barren one’ is now in her sixth month.


book: Luke
contenido:
Then Mary responded, saying, “This is amazing! I will be a mother for the Lord! As his servant, I accept whatever he has for me. May everything you have told me come to pass.” And the angel left her.


book: Luke
contenido:
Elizabeth’s Prophecy to Mary Afterward, Mary arose and hurried off to the hill country of Judea, to the village where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived.


book: Luke
contenido:
At the moment she heard Mary’s voice, the baby within Elizabeth’s womb jumped and kicked. And suddenly, Elizabeth was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit!


book: Luke
contenido:
With a loud voice she prophesied with power: “Mary! You are a woman given the highest favor and privilege above all others. For your child is destined to bring God great delight.


book: Luke
contenido:
Mary’s Prophetic Song And Mary sang this song: “My soul is ecstatic, overflowing with praises to God!


book: Luke
contenido:
For he set his tender gaze upon me, his lowly servant girl. And from here on, everyone will know that I have been favored and blessed.


book: Luke
contenido:
Those who hunger for him will always be filled, but the smug and self-satisfied he will send away empty.


book: Luke
contenido:
All her family, friends, and neighbors heard about it, and they too were overjoyed, for they realized that the Lord had showered such wonderful mercy upon her.


book: Luke
contenido:
When the baby was eight days old, according to their custom, all the family and friends came together for the circumcision ceremony. Everyone was convinced that the parents would name the baby Zechariah, after his father.


book: Luke
contenido:
The fear of God then fell on the people of their village, and the news of this astounding event traveled throughout the hill country of Judea. Everyone was in awe over it!


book: Luke
contenido:
All who heard this news were astonished and wondered, “If a miracle brought his birth, what on earth will this child become? Clearly, God’s presence is upon this child in a powerful way!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Zechariah’s Prophecy Then Zechariah was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and he prophesied, saying:


book: Luke
contenido:
“Praise be to the exalted Lord God of Israel, for he has seen us through eyes of grace, and he comes as our Hero-God to set us free!


book: Luke
contenido:
They prophesied he would come one day and save us from every one of our enemies and from the power of those who hate us.


book: Luke
contenido:
He has rescued us from the power of our enemies! This fulfills the sacred oath he made with our father Abraham. Now we can boldly worship God with holy lives, living in purity as priests in his presence every day!


book: Luke
contenido:
And to you I prophesy, my little son, you will be known as the prophet of the glorious God. For you will be a forerunner, going before the face of the Master, Yahweh, to prepare hearts to embrace his ways.


book: Luke
contenido:
You will preach to his people the revelation of salvation life, the cancellation of all our sins, to bring us back to God.


book: Luke
contenido:
The splendor light of heaven’s glorious sunrise is about to break upon us in holy visitation, all because the merciful heart of our God is so very tender.


book: Luke
contenido:
The word from heaven will come to us with dazzling light to shine upon those who live in darkness, near death’s dark shadow. And he will illuminate the path that leads to the way of peace.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Afterward, their son grew up and was strengthened by the Holy Spirit and he grew in his love for God. John chose to live in the lonely wilderness until the day came when he was to be displayed publicly to Israel.


book: Luke
contenido:
The Birth of Jesus During those days, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, ordered that the first census be taken throughout his empire. (Quirinius was the governor of Syria at that time.)


book: Luke
contenido:
So Joseph and his fiancé, Mary, left Nazareth, a village in Galilee, and journeyed to their hometown in Judea, to the village of Bethlehem, King David’s ancient home. They were required to register there, since they were both direct descendants of David. Mary was pregnant and nearly ready to give birth.


book: Luke
contenido:
When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor, and there she gave birth to her firstborn son. After wrapping the newborn baby in strips of cloth, they laid him in a feeding trough since there was no available space in any upper room in the village.


book: Luke
contenido:
An Angelic Encounter That night, in a field near Bethlehem, there were shepherds watching over their flocks.


book: Luke
contenido:
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified!


book: Luke
contenido:
But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid. For I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere!


book: Luke
contenido:
For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. 12 You will recognize him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Then all at once, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing:


book: Luke
contenido:
“Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven! For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.”


book: Luke
contenido:
When the choir of angels disappeared back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go! Let’s hurry and find this Word that is born in Bethlehem and see for ourselves what the Lord has revealed to us.”


book: Luke
contenido:
So they ran into the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in a feeding trough.


book: Luke
contenido:
The shepherds returned to their flock, ecstatic over what had happened. They praised God and glorified him for all they had heard and seen for themselves, just like the angel had said.


book: Luke
contenido:
Baby Jesus Dedicated in the Temple On the day of the baby’s circumcision ceremony, eight days after his birth, his parents gave him the name Jesus, the name prophesied by the angel before he was born.


book: Luke
contenido:
After Mary’s days of purification had ended, it was time for her to come to the temple with a sacrifice, according to the law of Moses after the birth of a son. So Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to Jerusalem to be dedicated before the Lord. 23 For it is required in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be a set-apart one for God.” 24 And, to offer a prescribed sacrifice, “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”


book: Luke
contenido:
As they came to the temple to fulfill this requirement, an elderly man was there waiting—a resident of Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. He was a very good man, a lover of God who kept himself pure, and the Spirit of holiness rested upon him. Simeon believed in the imminent appearing of the one called “The Refreshing of Israel.” 26 For the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he saw the Messiah, the Anointed One of God.


book: Luke
contenido:
For this reason the Holy Spirit had moved him to be in the temple court at the very moment Jesus’ parents entered to fulfill the requirement of the sacrifice.


book: Luke
contenido:
“Lord and Master, I am your loving servant, and now I can die content, for your promise to me has been fulfilled. With my own eyes I have seen your Word, the Savior you sent into the world.


book: Luke
contenido:
Mary and Joseph stood there, awestruck over what was being said about their baby. Simeon then blessed them and prophesied over Mary, saying:


book: Luke
contenido:
“A painful sword will one day pierce your inner being, for your child will be rejected by many in Israel. And the destiny of your child is this: he will be laid down as a miracle sign for the downfall and resurrection of many in Israel. Many will oppose this sign, but it will expose to all the innermost thoughts of their hearts before God.”


book: Luke
contenido:
A prophetess named Anna was also in the temple court that day. She was from the Jewish tribe of Asher and the daughter of Phanuel. Anna was an aged widow who had been married only seven years before her husband passed away. After he died she chose to worship God in the temple continually. For the past eighty-four years she had been serving God with night-and-day prayer and fasting.


book: Luke
contenido:
While Simeon was prophesying over Mary and Joseph and the baby, Anna walked up to them and burst forth with a great chorus of praise to God for the child. And from that day forward she told everyone in Jerusalem who was waiting for their redemption that the anticipated Messiah had come!


book: Luke
contenido:
When Mary and Joseph had completed everything required of them by the law of Moses, they took Jesus and returned to their home in Nazareth in Galilee.


book: Luke
contenido:
The child grew more powerful in grace, for he was being filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.


book: Luke
contenido:
At Age Twelve Jesus Visits the Temple Every year Jesus’ parents went to worship at Jerusalem during the Passover festival.


book: Luke
contenido:
When Jesus turned twelve, his parents took him to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, as was their custom.


book: Luke
contenido:
They had assumed he was somewhere in their entourage, but he was nowhere to be found. After a frantic search among relatives and friends,


book: Luke
contenido:
After being separated from him for three days, they finally found him in the temple, sitting among the Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking questions.


book: Luke
contenido:
All who heard Jesus speak were astounded at his intelligent understanding of all that was being discussed and at his wise answers to their questions.


book: Luke
contenido:
His parents were shocked to find him there, and Mary scolded him, saying, “Son, your father and I have searched for you everywhere! We have been worried sick over not finding you. Why would you do this to us?”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus said to them, “Why would you need to search for me? Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be here in my Father’s house, consumed with him?”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus went with them back home to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured Jesus’ words deeply in her heart.


book: Luke
contenido:
As Jesus grew, so did his wisdom and maturity. The favor of men increased upon his life, for he was loved greatly by God.


book: Luke
contenido:
John the Baptizer A powerful message from God came to John, Zechariah’s son, when he was living out in the lonely wilderness. This prophetic commission came to John during the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, son of Caesar. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea at that time. Antipas, son of Herod, was governor over Galilee, Herod’s brother Philip was over the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was over Abilene. This happened during the days of two high priests, Annas and Caiaphas.


book: Luke
contenido:
John went preaching and baptizing throughout the Jordan Valley. He persuaded people to turn away from their sins and turn to God for the freedom of forgiveness.


book: Luke
contenido:
This was to fulfill what was written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “Listen! You will hear a thunderous voice in the lonely wilderness telling you to wake up and get your heart ready for the coming of the Lord Jehovah. Every twisted thing in your lives must be made straight.


book: Luke
contenido:
Every dark way must be brought to the light. Wrongs righted. Injustices removed. Every heart of pride will be humbled low before him. Every deception will be exposed and replaced by the truth so that everyone everywhere will be ready to see the Life of God!”,


book: Luke
contenido:
John kept preaching to the many crowds who came out to be baptized, “You are nothing but the offspring of poisonous snakes, full of deception! Have you been warned to repent before the coming wrath of God?


book: Luke
contenido:
Then turn away from your sins, turn to God, and prove it by a changed life. Don’t think for a moment that it’s enough to simply be the favored descendants of Abraham. That’s not enough to save you. I’m telling you, God could make more sons of Abraham out of stones if he chose to!


book: Luke
contenido:
“Even now God’s axe of judgment is poised to chop down your barren tree right down to its roots! And every tree that does not produce good fruit will be leveled and thrown into the fire.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Even the despised tax collectors came to John to be baptized, and they asked him, “What are we to do to prove our hearts have changed?”


book: Luke
contenido:
“And us?” asked some soldiers. “What about us?” John answered them, “Be content with what you earn. Never extort money or terrify others by threats of violence or be guilty of accusing the innocent.”


book: Luke
contenido:
During those days, everyone was gripped with messianic expectations, believing the Messiah could come at any moment, and many began to wonder if John might be the Christ.


book: Luke
contenido:
But John made it clear by telling them, “There is one coming who is mightier than I. He is supreme. In fact, I’m not worthy of even being his slave. I can only baptize you in this river, but he will baptize you into the Spirit of holiness and into his raging fire.


book: Luke
contenido:
He has in his hands a winnowing fork to clean up his threshing floor! He will separate the wheat from the chaff. The wheat he will gather into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in a fire that no one can ever put out!”


book: Luke
contenido:
He even publicly rebuked Antipas, son of Herod, the governor of Galilee, for the many wicked things he had done. He fearlessly reprimanded him for seducing and marrying his sister-in-law, Herodias.


book: Luke
contenido:
The Baptism of Jesus One day Jesus came to be baptized along with all the others. As he was consumed with the spirit of prayer, the heavenly realm ripped open above him and the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the visible, tangible form of a dove and landed on him. Then God’s audible voice was heard, saying, “My Son, you are my beloved one. Through you I am fulfilled.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Ancestry of Jesus Christ Jesus, assumed to be Joseph’s son, was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. Here are the names of Mary’s ancestors, from her father traced all the way back to Adam: Eli, Matthat, Levi, Melki, Jannai, Joseph, Mattathias, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, Maath, Mattathias, Semein, Josech, Joda, Joanan, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmadam, Er, Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonam, Eliakim, Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Admin, Arni, Hezron, Perez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah, Kenan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, and Adam, who was created by God.


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Tested in the Wilderness From the moment of his baptism, Jesus was overflowing with the Holy Spirit. He was taken by the Spirit from the Jordan into the lonely wilderness of Judea to experience the ordeal of testing by the accuser for forty days. He ate no food during this time and ended his forty-day fast very hungry.


book: Luke
contenido:
It was then the devil said to him, “If you are really the Son of God, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread for you.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus replied, “I will not! For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Life does not come only from eating bread but from God. Life flows from every revelation from his mouth.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
The devil lifted Jesus high into the sky and in a flash showed him all the kingdoms and regions of the world.


book: Luke
contenido:
The devil then said to Jesus, “All of this, with all its power, authority, and splendor, is mine to give to whomever I wish. Just do one thing and you will have it all. Simply bow down to worship me and it will be yours! You will possess everything!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Satan, get behind me! For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Only one is worthy of your adoration. You will worship before the Lord your God and love him supremely.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
Next, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the temple and tempted him there, saying, “If you really are the Son of God, jump down in front of all the people.


book: Luke
contenido:
For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘God has given his angels instructions to protect you from harm. For the hands of angels will hold you up and keep you from hurting even one foot on a stone.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
That finished the devil’s harassment for the time being. So he stood off at a distance, retreating until the time came to return and tempt Jesus again.


book: Luke
contenido:
Then Jesus, armed with the Holy Spirit’s power, returned to Galilee, and his fame spread throughout the region.


book: Luke
contenido:
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been raised, he went into the synagogue, as he always did on the Sabbath day. When Jesus came to the front to read the Scriptures, they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and read where it is written,


book: Luke
contenido:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has anointed me to be hope for the poor, freedom for the brokenhearted, and new eyes for the blind, and to preach to prisoners, ‘You are set free!’ I have come to share the message of Jubilee, for the time of God’s great acceptance has begun.”


book: Luke
contenido:
After he read this he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the minister, and sat down. Everyone stared at Jesus, wondering what he was about to say.


book: Luke
contenido:
Everyone was impressed by how well Jesus spoke, in awe of the beautiful words of grace that came from his lips. But they were surprised at his presumption to speak as a prophet, so they said among themselves, “Who does he think he is? This is Joseph’s son, who grew up here in Nazareth.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus said to them, “I suppose you’ll quote me the proverb, ‘Doctor, go and heal yourself before you try to heal others.’ And you’ll say, ‘Work the miracles here in your hometown that we heard you did in Capernaum.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Isn’t it true that there were many widows in the land of Israel during the days of the prophet Elijah when he locked up the heavens for three and a half years and brought a devastating famine over all the land?


book: Luke
contenido:
But he wasn’t sent to any of the widows living in that region. Instead, he was sent to a foreign place, to a widow in Zarephath of Sidon.


book: Luke
contenido:
Or have you not considered that the prophet Elisha healed only Naaman, the Syrian, rather than one of the many Jewish lepers living in the land?”


book: Luke
contenido:
They mobbed Jesus and threw him out of the city, dragging him to the edge of the cliff on the hill on which the city had been built, ready to hurl him off.


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Confronts a Demonized Man Jesus went to Capernaum in Galilee and taught the people on the Sabbath day.


book: Luke
contenido:
His teachings stunned and dazed them, for he spoke with penetrating words that manifested great authority.


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“Hey, you! Go away and leave us alone. I know who you are. You’re Jesus of Nazareth, God’s holy one. Why are you coming to meddle with us? You have come to destroy us already!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Just then the demon hurled the man down on the floor in front of them all. But Jesus rebuked the demon, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And the demon came out of him without causing him any harm.


book: Luke
contenido:
Great astonishment swept over the people, and they said among themselves, “What kind of man is this who has such power and authority? With a mere word he commands demons to come out and they obey him!”


book: Luke
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Jesus Heals Many After leaving the meeting that day, Jesus went into Simon’s house, where Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. The disciples begged Jesus to help her.


book: Luke
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Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever, and she was healed instantly. Then she got up and began to serve them.


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At sunset, the people brought all those who were sick to Jesus to be healed. Jesus laid his hands on them one by one, and they were all healed of different ailments and sicknesses.


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Demons also came out of many of them. The demons knew that Jesus was the Anointed One, so they shouted while coming out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of El Shaddai!” But Jesus rebuked them and commanded them to be silent.


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At daybreak the next morning, the crowds came and searched everywhere for him, but Jesus had already left to go to a secluded place. When they finally found him, they held him tightly, begging him to stay with them in Capernaum.


book: Luke
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But Jesus said, “Don’t you know there are other places I must go to and offer them the hope found in God’s kingdom realm? This is what I have been sent to do.”


book: Luke
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The Miracle Catch of Fish On one occasion, Jesus was preaching to the crowds on the shore of Lake Galilee. There was a vast multitude of people pushing to get close to Jesus to hear the word of God.


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Jesus climbed into the boat belonging to Simon Peter and asked him, “Let me use your boat. Push it off a short distance away from the shore so I can speak to the crowds.”


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Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished, he said to Peter, “Now row out to deep water to cast your nets and you will have a great catch.”


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“Master,” Peter replied, “we’ve just come back from fishing all night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you insist, we’ll go out again and let down our nets because of your word.”


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When they pulled up their nets, they were shocked to see a huge catch of fish, so much that their nets were ready to burst!


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contenido:
They waved to their business partners in the other boat for help. They ended up completely filling both boats with fish until their boats began to sink!


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When Simon Peter saw this astonishing miracle, he knelt at Jesus’ feet and begged him, “Go away from me, Master, for I am a sinful man!”


book: Luke
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Simon Peter and the other fishermen—including his fishing partners, Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee—were awestruck over the miracle catch of fish. Jesus answered, “Do not yield to your fear, Simon Peter. From now on you will catch men for salvation!”


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Jesus, the Healer One day, while Jesus was ministering in a certain city, he came upon a man covered with leprous sores. When the man recognized Jesus, he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and begged to be healed, saying, “If you are only willing, you could completely heal me.”


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Jesus reached out and touched him and said, “Of course I am willing to heal you, and now you will be healed.” Instantly the leprous sores were healed and his skin became smooth. Jesus said, “Tell no one what has happened, but go to the priest and show him you’ve been healed. And to show that you are purified, make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded. You will become a living testimony to them!”


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After this miracle the news about Jesus spread even farther. Massive crowds continually gathered to hear him speak and to be healed from their illnesses.


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One day many Jewish religious leaders, known as Pharisees along with many religious scholars came from every village of Galilee, throughout Judea, and even from Jerusalem to hear Jesus teach. And the power of the Lord God surged through him to instantly heal.


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Some men came to Jesus, carrying a paraplegic man on a stretcher. They attempted to bring him in past the crowd to set him down in front of Jesus.


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But because there were so many people crowding the door, they had no way to bring him inside. So they crawled onto the roof, dug their way through the roof tiles, and lowered the man, stretcher and all, into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.


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Seeing the demonstration of their faith, Jesus said to the paraplegic man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven!”


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The Jewish religious leaders and the religious scholars whispered objections among themselves. “Who does this man think he is to speak such blasphemy? Only God can forgive sins. Does he think he is God?”


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Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Why do you argue in your hearts over what I do and think that it is blasphemy for me to say his sins are forgiven? Let me ask you, which is easier to prove: when I say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or when I say, ‘Stand up, carry your stretcher, and walk’?” Jesus turned to the paraplegic man and said,


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“To prove to you all that I, the Son of Man, have the lawful authority on earth to forgive sins, I say to you now, stand up! Carry your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed.”


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In an instant, the man rose right before their eyes. He stood, picked up his stretcher, and went home, giving God all the glory with every step he took.


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The people were seized with astonishment and dumbfounded over what they had just witnessed. And they all praised God, remarking over and over, “Incredible! What an unbelievable miracle we’ve seen today!”


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Jesus Calls Matthew to Follow Him Afterward, Jesus went out and looked for a man named Matthew. He found him sitting at his tax booth, for he was a tax collector. Jesus said to him, “Be my disciple and follow me.”


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Matthew wanted to throw a banquet to honor Jesus. So he invited Jesus to his home for dinner, along with many tax collectors and other notable sinners. While they were all sitting together at the table, the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why would you defile yourselves by eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners? Doesn’t Jesus know it’s wrong to do that?”


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Jesus overheard their complaining and said, “Who goes to the doctor for a cure? Those who are well or those who are sick?


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I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who fail to measure up and bring them to repentance.”


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A Question about Fasting Jesus’ critics questioned him. “John the prophet is known for leading his disciples to frequently fast and pray. As the religious leaders of the land, we do the same. Why do you and your disciples spend most of your time feasting at banquets?”


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Jesus replied, “Should you make the sons of the bridal chamber fast while celebrating with the Bridegroom?


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And he gave them this illustration: “No one rips up a new garment to make patches for an old, worn-out one. If you tear up the new to make a patch for the old, it will not match the old garment.


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And who pours new wine into an old wineskin? If someone did, the old wineskin would burst and the new wine would be lost.


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Jesus and Religious Traditions One Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples were walking through a field of ripe wheat. His disciples plucked some heads of grain and rubbed the husks off with their hands and ate it.


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This infuriated some of the Jewish religious leaders. They said to Jesus, “Why are you allowing your disciples to harvest grain on the Sabbath day? Don’t you know it’s not permissible according to the law?”


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Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read the Scriptures? Haven’t you read what King David did when he was hungry?


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He entered the sanctuary of God, took the bread of God’s presence right off the sacred table, and shared it with his men. It was only lawful for the priests to eat the bread of God’s presence.


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You need to know that the Son of Man is no slave to the Sabbath day, for I am master over the Sabbath.”


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On another Sabbath day, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. In the room with him was a man with a deformed right hand. Everyone watched Jesus closely, especially the Jewish religious leaders and the religious scholars, to see if Jesus would heal on a Sabbath day, for they were eager to find a reason to accuse him of breaking the Jewish laws.


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Jesus, knowing their every thought, said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand here in the middle of the room.” So he got up and came forward.


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Jesus said to all who were there, “Let me ask you a question. Which is better: to heal or to do harm on the Sabbath day? I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.”


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One by one Jesus looked into the eyes of each person in the room. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your arm and open your hand!” With everyone watching intently, he stretched out his arm, and his hand was completely healed!


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The room erupted with bitter rage because of this Sabbath-day healing. And from that moment on, the religious leaders plotted among themselves about how they might harm Jesus.


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Jesus Chooses Twelve Apostles After this, Jesus went up into the high hills to spend the whole night in prayer to God.


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At daybreak he called together all of his followers and selected twelve from among them, and he appointed them to be his apostles.


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Here are their names: Simon, whom he named Peter; Andrew, Peter’s brother; Jacob; John; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; Jacob the son of Alpheus; Simon, known as a fiery political zealot; Judah the son of Jacob; and Judas the locksmith, who later betrayed Jesus.


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Jesus and his apostles came down from the hillside to a level field, where a large number of his disciples waited, along with a massive crowd of people who had gathered from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal district of Tyre and Sidon.


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They had all come to listen to the Manifestation so that they could be healed of their diseases and be set free from the demonic powers that tormented them.


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The entire crowd eagerly tried to come near Jesus so they could touch him and be healed, because a tangible supernatural power emanated from him, healing all who came close to him.


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Jesus Taught Them What Matters Most Looking intently at his followers, Jesus began his sermon. “How enriched you become when you are poor, for you will experience the reality of God’s kingdom realm.


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“How filled you become when you are consumed with hunger and desire, for you will be completely satisfied. “How content you become when you weep with complete brokenness, for you will laugh with unrestrained joy.


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“How favored you become when you are hated, excommunicated, or slandered, or when your name is spoken of as evil because of your love for me, the Son of Man.


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“I promise you that as you experience these things, you will celebrate and dance with overflowing joy. And the heavenly reward of your faith will be abundant, because you are being treated the same way as your forefathers the prophets.


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“But what sorrows await those of you who are rich in this life only. For you have already received all the comfort you’ll ever get.


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“What sorrows await those of you who are complete and content with yourselves. For hunger and emptiness will come to you. “What sorrows await those of you who laugh now, having received all your joy in this life only. For grief and wailing will come to you.


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“What sorrows await those of you who are always honored and lauded by others. For that’s how your forefathers treated every other false prophet.”


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Love Your Enemies “But if you will listen, I say to you, love your enemies and do something wonderful for them in return for their hatred.


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When someone curses you, bless that person in return. When you are mistreated and harassed by others, accept it as your mission to pray for them.


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To those who despise you, continue to serve them and minister to them. If someone takes away your coat, give him as a gift your shirt as well.


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When someone comes to beg from you, give to that person what you have. When things are wrongly taken from you, do not demand they be given back.


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“Are you really showing true love by only loving those who love you back? Even those who don’t know God will do that.


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Are you really showing compassion when you do good deeds only to those who do good deeds to you? Even those who don’t know God will do that.


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“If you lend money only to those you know will repay you, what credit is that to your character? Even those who don’t know God do that.


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But love your enemies and continue to treat them well. When you lend money, don’t despair if you are never paid back, for it is not lost. You will receive a rich reward and you will be known as true children of the Most High God, having his same nature. For your Father is famous for his kindness to heal even the thankless and cruel.


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Show mercy and compassion for others, just as your heavenly Father overflows with mercy and compassion for all.”


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Judging Others Jesus said, “Forsake the habit of criticizing and judging others, and then you will not be criticized and judged in return. Don’t look at others and pronounce them guilty, and you will not experience guilty accusations yourself. Forgive over and over and you will be forgiven over and over.


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Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”


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Jesus also quoted these proverbs: “What happens when a blind man pretends to guide another blind man? They both stumble into a ditch!


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And how could the apprentice know more than his master, for only after he is fully qualified will he be at that level.


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Why do you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own life?


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How could you say to your friend, ‘Here, let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you are guilty of even more than he is? You are overly critical, splitting hairs and being a hypocrite! You must acknowledge your own blind spots and deal with them before you will be able to deal with the blind spot of your friend.”


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The Fruit of Your Life “You’ll never find choice fruit hanging on a bad, unhealthy tree. And rotten fruit doesn’t hang on a good, healthy tree.


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Every tree will be revealed by the quality of fruit that it produces. Figs or grapes will never be picked off thorn trees.


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People are known in this same way. Out of the virtue stored in their hearts, good and upright people will produce good fruit. But out of the evil hidden in their hearts, evil ones will produce what is evil. For the overflow of what has been stored in your heart will be seen by your fruit and will be heard in your words.


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“What good does it do for you to say I am your Lord and Master if what I teach you is not put into practice?


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He is like a man who chooses the right place to build a house and then lays a deep and secure foundation. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it continues to stand strong and unshaken through the tempest, for it has been wisely built on the right foundation.


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But the one who has heard my teaching and does not obey it is like a man who builds a house without laying any foundation whatsoever. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it will immediately collapse and become a total loss. Which of these two builders will you be?”


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Jesus Heals After Jesus finished giving revelation to the people on the hillside, he went on to Capernaum.


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There he found a Roman military captain who had a beloved servant he valued highly, and the servant was sick to the point of death. When the captain heard that Jesus was in the city, he sent some respected Jewish elders to plead with him to come and heal his dying servant.


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So they came to Jesus and told him, “The Roman captain is a wonderful man. If anyone deserves to have a visit from you, it is him. Won’t you please come to his home and heal his servant?


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Jesus started off with them, but on his way there, he was stopped by friends of the captain, who gave this message: “Master, don’t bother to come to me in person, for I am not good enough for you to enter my home. I’m not worthy enough to even come out to meet one like you. But if you would just release the manifestation of healing right where you are, I know that my young servant will be healed.


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“Unlike you, I am just an ordinary man. Yet I understand the power of authority, and I see that authority operating through you. I have soldiers under me who obey my every command. I also have authorities over me whom I likewise obey. So Master, just speak the word and healing will flow.”


book: Luke
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Jesus marveled at this. He turned around and said to the crowd who had followed him, “Listen, everyone! Never have I found even one among the people of God a man like this who believes so strongly in me.”


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Jesus then spoke the healing word from a distance. When the man’s friends returned to the home, they found the servant completely healed and doing fine.


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Jesus Raises the Dead Shortly afterward, Jesus left on a journey for the village of Nain, with a massive crowd of people following him, along with his disciples.


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As he approached the village, he met a multitude of people in a funeral procession, who were mourning as they carried the body of a young man to the cemetery. The boy was his mother’s only son and she was a widow.


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When the Lord saw the grieving mother, his heart broke for her. With great tenderness he said to her, “Please don’t cry.”


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Then he stepped up to the coffin and touched it. When the pallbearers came to a halt, Jesus said to the corpse, “Young man, I say to you, arise and live!”


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Immediately, the young man moved, sat up, and spoke to those nearby. Jesus presented the son to his mother, alive!


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A tremendous sense of holy mystery swept over the crowd as they witnessed this miracle of resurrection. They shouted praises to God, saying, “God himself has visited us to bless his people! A great prophet has appeared among us!”


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The Prophet John’s Question John’s disciples reported to him in prison about all the wonderful miracles and the works Jesus was doing.


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When they came before the Master, they asked him, “Are you the coming Messiah we’ve been expecting, or are we to continue to look for someone else? John the prophet has sent us to you to seek your answer.”


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Without answering, Jesus turned to the crowd and healed many of their incurable diseases. His miracle power freed many from their suffering. He restored the gift of sight to the blind, and he drove out demonic spirits from those who were tormented.


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Only then did Jesus answer the question posed by John’s disciples. “Now go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard here today. The blind are now seeing. The crippled are now walking. Those who were lepers are now cured. Those who were deaf are now hearing. Those who were dead are now raised back to life. The poor and broken are given the hope of salvation.


book: Luke
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And tell John these words: ‘The blessing of heaven comes upon those who never lose their faith in me no matter what happens.’”


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After John’s messengers departed, Jesus spoke about John to the audience crowded around him, saying, “What kind of man did you expect to see out in the wilderness? Did you expect to see a man who would be easily influenced and shaken by the shifting opinions of others?


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Who did you really go there to see? Did you expect to see a man decked out in the splendid fashion of the day? They are the ones who live in the lap of luxury, embracing the values of this world.


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Or did you discover a true prophet out in the lonely wilderness? Yes, John was a legitimate prophet. Even more than that,


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contenido:
he was the fulfillment of this Scripture: ‘See, I am sending my prophetic messenger who will go ahead of me and prepare hearts to receive me.’


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“Throughout history there was never found a man as great as John the Baptizer. Yet those who now walk in God’s kingdom realm, though they appear to be insignificant, will become even greater than he.”


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When the common and disreputable people among the audience heard Jesus say this, they acknowledged that it was the truth, for they had already experienced John’s baptism.


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But the hearts of the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law had rejected the clear purpose of God by refusing to be baptized by John.


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You’re like children playing games on the playground, complaining to friends, ‘You don’t like it when we want to play Wedding. And you don’t like it when we want to play Funeral. Why will you neither dance nor mourn?’


book: Luke
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“When the prophet John came fasting and refused to drink wine, you said, ‘He’s crazy! There’s a demon in him.’


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Yet when the Son of Man came and went to feasts and drank wine, you said, ‘Look at this man! He is nothing but a glutton and a drunkard. He spends all his time with tax collectors and other notorious sinners.’


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“Nevertheless, I say to you, the wisdom of God will be proven true by the expressions of godliness in everyone who follows me.”


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Extravagant Worship Afterward, a Jewish religious leader named Simon asked Jesus to his home for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation. When he went to Simon’s home, he took his place at the table.


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In the neighborhood there was an immoral woman of the streets, known to all to be a prostitute. When she heard about Jesus being in Simon’s house, she took an exquisite flask made from alabaster, filled it with the most expensive perfume, went right into the home of the Jewish religious leader, and knelt at the feet of Jesus in front of all the guests.


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Broken and weeping, she covered his feet with the tears that fell from her face. She kept crying and drying his feet with her long hair. Over and over she kissed Jesus’ feet. Then she opened her flask and anointed his feet with her costly perfume as an act of worship.


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When Simon saw what was happening, he thought, “This man can’t be a true prophet. If he were really a prophet, he would know what kind of sinful woman is touching him.”


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“It’s a story about two men who were deeply in debt. One owed the bank one hundred thousand dollars, and the other only owed ten thousand dollars.


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When it was obvious that neither of them would be able to repay their debts, the kind banker graciously wrote off the debts and forgave them all that they owed. Tell me, Simon, which of the two debtors would be the most thankful? Which one would love the banker most?”


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Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one with the greatest debt forgiven.” “You’re right,” Jesus agreed.


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Then he spoke to Simon about the woman still weeping at his feet. “Don’t you see this woman kneeling here? She is doing for me what you didn’t bother to do. When I entered your home as your guest, you didn’t think about offering me water to wash the dust off my feet. Yet she came into your home and washed my feet with her many tears and then dried my feet with her hair.


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You didn’t even welcome me into your home with the customary kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.


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You didn’t take the time to anoint my head with fragrant oil, but she anointed my head and feet with the finest perfume.


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She has been forgiven of all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”


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Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.”


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Jesus Ministers throughout the Land Soon afterward, Jesus began a ministry tour throughout the country, visiting cities and villages to announce the wonderful news of God’s kingdom realm. His twelve disciples traveled with him


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and also a number of women who had been healed of many illnesses under his ministry and set free from demonic power. Jesus had cast out seven demons from one woman. Her name was Mary Magdalene, for she was from the village of Magdala. Among the women were Susanna and


book: Luke
contenido:
Joanna, the wife of Chusa, who managed King Herod’s household. Many other women who supported Jesus’ ministry from their own personal finances also traveled with him.


book: Luke
contenido:
Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Realm Massive crowds gathered from many towns to hear Jesus, and he taught them using metaphors and parables, such as this:


book: Luke
contenido:
“A farmer went out to sow seeds for a harvest. As he scattered his seed, some of it fell on the hard pathway and was quickly trampled down and unable to grow and became nothing but bird seed.


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Some fell on the gravel, and though it sprouted it couldn’t take root; it withered for lack of moisture.


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Other seed fell where there was nothing but weeds. It too was unable to grow to full maturity, for it was choked out by the weeds.


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Yet some of the seed fell into good, fertile soil, and it grew and flourished until it produced more than a hundredfold harvest, a bumper crop.” Then Jesus added, shouting out to all who would hear, “Listen with your heart and you will understand!”


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Later his disciples came to Jesus and asked him privately what deeper meaning was found in this parable.


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He said, “You have been given a teachable heart to perceive the secret, hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom realm. But to those who don’t have a listening heart, my words are merely stories. Even though they have eyes, they are blind to the true meaning of what I say, and even though they listen, they won’t receive full revelation.


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“Here, then, is the deeper meaning to my parable: The word of God is the seed that is sown into hearts.


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The hard pathway represents the hard hearts of men who hear the word of God but the slanderer quickly snatches away what was sown in their hearts to keep them from believing and experiencing salvation.


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The seed falling on the gravel represents those who initially respond to the word with joy, but soon afterward, when a season of harassment of the enemy and difficulty come to them, they whither and fall away, for they have no root in the truth and their faith is temporary.


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The seed that falls into the weeds represents the hearts of those who hear the word of God but their growth is quickly choked off by their own anxious cares, the riches of this world, and the fleeting pleasures of this life. This is why they never become mature and fruitful.


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The seed that fell into good, fertile soil represents those lovers of truth who hear it deep within their hearts. They respond by clinging to the word, keeping it dear as they endure all things in faith. This is the seed that will one day bear much fruit in their lives.”


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The Revelation Light “No one lights a lamp and then hides it, covering it over or putting it where its light won’t be seen. No, the lamp is placed on a lampstand so others are able to benefit from its brightness.


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Because this revelation lamp now shines within you, nothing will be hidden from you—it will all be revealed. Every secret of the kingdom will be unveiled and out in the open, made known by the revelation-light.


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So pay careful attention to your hearts as you hear my teaching, for to those who have open hearts, even more revelation will be given to them until it overflows. And for those who do not listen with open hearts, what little light they imagine to have will be taken away.”


book: Luke
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Jesus’ True Family Mary, Jesus’ mother, and her other sons came to where Jesus was teaching, but they couldn’t get through the crowd that had gathered around him.


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Jesus told them, “These who come to listen to me are like my mothers and my brothers. They’re the ones who long to hear and to put God’s word into practice.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Peace in the Storm One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s get in a boat and go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set sail. Soon Jesus fell asleep. The wind rose, and the fierce wind became a violent squall that threatened to swamp their boat.


book: Luke
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So the disciples woke Jesus up and said, “Master, Master, we’re sinking! Don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” With great authority Jesus rebuked the howling wind and surging waves, and instantly they stopped and became as smooth as glass.


book: Luke
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Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you fearful? Have you lost your faith in me?” Shocked and shaken, they said with amazement to one another, “Who is this man who has authority over winds and waves that they obey him?”


book: Luke
contenido:
A Demonized Man Set Free As soon as they stepped ashore on the eastern side of the lake in the land of the Gerasenes, the disciples were confronted by a demon-possessed madman from a nearby town. Many times he had been put under guard and bound with chains, but repeatedly the many demons inside him had thrown him into convulsions, breaking his shackles and driving him out of the town into the countryside. He had been demonized for a long time and was living naked in a cemetery among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and screamed out, “What are you doing here? You are Jesus, the Son of the Most High God!” Jesus commanded the demons to come out of him, and they shouted, “We beg you, don’t torture us!”


book: Luke
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Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” “Mob,” the demons answered. “We are a mob, for there are many of us here in this man.


book: Luke
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On the hillside nearby, there was a large herd of pigs, and the demons pled with Jesus, “Let us enter into the pigs.”


book: Luke
contenido:
So Jesus ordered all the “mob” of demons to come out of the man and enter the pigs. The crazed herd of swine stampeded over the cliff into the lake and all of them drowned.


book: Luke
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When the herders tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off in fear and reported it to the nearby town and throughout the countryside.


book: Luke
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Then the people of the region came out to see for themselves what had happened. When they came to where Jesus was, they discovered the notorious madman totally set free. He was clothed, speaking intelligently, and sitting at the feet of Jesus. They were shocked!


book: Luke
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Then eyewitnesses to the miracle reported all that they had seen and how the demonized man was completely delivered from his torment. After hearing about such amazing power, the townspeople became frightened.


book: Luke
contenido:
Soon all the people of the region of the Gerasenes and the surrounding country begged Jesus to leave them, for they were gripped with fear. So Jesus got into the boat, intending to return to Galilee.


book: Luke
contenido:
But the man who had been set free begged Jesus over and over not to leave, saying, “Let me be with you!” Jesus sent him away with these instructions:


book: Luke
contenido:
“Return to your home and your family, and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” So the man went away and preached to everyone who would listen about the amazing miracle Jesus had worked in his life.


book: Luke
contenido:
More Miracles of Healing When Jesus returned to Galilee, the crowds were overjoyed, for they had been waiting for him to arrive.


book: Luke
contenido:
Just then, a man named Jairus, the leader of the local Jewish congregation, fell before Jesus’ feet. He desperately begged him to come and heal his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, because she was at the point of death. Jesus started to go with him to his home to see her, but a large crowd surrounded him.


book: Luke
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In the crowd that day was a woman who had suffered greatly for twelve years from slow bleeding. Even though she had spent all that she had on healers, she was still suffering.


book: Luke
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Pressing in through the crowd, she came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel of his prayer shawl. Instantly her bleeding stopped and she was healed.


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus suddenly stopped and said to his disciples, “Someone touched me. Who is it?” While they all denied it, Peter pointed out, “Master, everyone is touching you, trying to get close to you. The crowds are so thick we can’t walk through all these people without being jostled.”


book: Luke
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Jesus replied, “Yes, but I felt power surge through me. Someone touched me to be healed, and they received their healing.”


book: Luke
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When the woman realized she couldn’t hide any longer, she came and fell trembling at Jesus’ feet. Before the entire crowd she declared, “I was desperate to touch you, Jesus, for I knew if I could just touch even the fringe of your robe I would be healed.”


book: Luke
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Jesus responded, “Beloved daughter, your faith in me has released your healing. You may go with my peace.”


book: Luke
contenido:
While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, someone came from Jairus’ house and told him, “There’s no need to bother the Master any further. Your daughter has passed away. She’s gone.”


book: Luke
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When Jesus heard this, he said, “Jairus, don’t yield to your fear. Have faith in me and she will live again.”


book: Luke
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When they arrived at the house, Jesus allowed only Peter, John, and Jacob—along with the child’s parents—to go inside.


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus told those left outside, who were sobbing and wailing with grief, “Stop crying. She is not dead; she’s just asleep and must be awakened.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus approached the body, took the girl by her hand, and called out with a loud voice, “My sleeping child, awake! Rise up!”


book: Luke
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Instantly her spirit returned to her body and she stood up. Jesus directed her stunned parents to give her something to eat and ordered them not to tell anyone what just happened.


book: Luke
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Jesus Sends Out His Apostles Jesus summoned together his twelve apostles and imparted to them authority over every demon and the power to heal every disease.


book: Luke
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Then he commissioned them to preach God’s kingdom realm and to heal the sick to demonstrate that the kingdom had arrived. As he sent them out, he gave them these instructions:


book: Luke
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“Take nothing extra on your journey. Just go as you are. Don’t carry a staff, a backpack, food, money, not even a change of clothes.


book: Luke
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And wherever your ministry is rejected and not welcomed, you are to leave that town and shake the dust off your shoes as a testimony before them.”


book: Luke
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The apostles departed and went into the villages with the wonderful news of God’s kingdom realm, and they instantly healed diseases wherever they went.


book: Luke
contenido:
Herod Perplexed Now, Herod, the governor, was confused and perplexed when he heard the reports of all the miracles of Jesus and his apostles. Many were saying, “John the Baptizer has come back to life!”


book: Luke
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Others said, “This has to be Elijah who has reappeared or one of the prophets of old who has risen from the dead.” These were the rumors circulating throughout the land. Herod exclaimed,


book: Luke
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“Who is this Man? I keep hearing about him over and over. It can’t be the prophet John; I had him beheaded!” Herod was very eager to meet Jesus.


book: Luke
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Jesus Feeds Thousands Months later, the apostles returned from their ministry tour and told Jesus all the wonders and miracles they had witnessed. Jesus, wanting to be alone with the Twelve, quietly slipped away with them toward Bethsaida.


book: Luke
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But the crowds soon found out about it and took off after him. When they caught up with Jesus, he graciously welcomed them all, taught them more about God’s kingdom realm, and healed all who were sick.


book: Luke
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As the day wore on, the Twelve came to Jesus and told him, “It’s getting late. You should send the crowds away to the surrounding villages and farms to get something to eat and find shelter for the night. There’s nothing to eat here in the middle of nowhere.”


book: Luke
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Jesus responded, “You have the food to feed them.” They replied, “All we have are these five small loaves of bread and two dried fish. Do you really expect us to go buy food for all these people?


book: Luke
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There are nearly five thousand men here, with women and children besides!” He told his disciples, “Have them all sit down in groups of fifty each.”


book: Luke
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After everyone was seated, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, and gazing into the heavenly realm he gave thanks for the food. Then, in the presence of his disciples, he broke off pieces of bread and fish, and kept giving more to each disciple to give to the crowd. It was multiplying before their eyes!


book: Luke
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So everyone ate until they were filled, and afterward the disciples gathered up the leftovers—it came to exactly twelve baskets full!


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Prophesies His Death and Resurrection One time, when Jesus was praying in a quiet place with his disciples nearby, he came over to them and asked, “Who do people think I am?”


book: Luke
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They answered, “Some are convinced you’re the prophet John who has returned. Others say you are Elijah, or perhaps one of the Jewish prophets brought back from the dead.”


book: Luke
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Jesus asked them, “But who do you believe that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Anointed One, God’s Messiah!”


book: Luke
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“The Son of Man is destined to experience great suffering and face complete rejection by the Jewish leaders and religious hierarchy. He will be killed and raised back to life on the third day.”


book: Luke
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What it Means to Follow Jesus Jesus said to all of his followers, “If you truly desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my ‘cross’ as your own, and surrender to my ways.


book: Luke
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For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will embark on a discovery of more and more of true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep.


book: Luke
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Even if you gained all the wealth and power of this world, everything it could offer you, yet lost your soul in the process, what good is that?


book: Luke
contenido:
So why then are you ashamed of being my disciple? Are you ashamed of the revelation-truth I give to you? “I, the Son of Man, will one day return in my radiant brightness, with the holy angels and in the splendor and majesty of my Father, and I will be ashamed of all who are ashamed of me.


book: Luke
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But I promise you this: there are some of you standing here right now who will not die until you have witnessed the presence and the power of God’s kingdom realm.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The True Glory of Jesus Eight days later, Jesus took Peter, Jacob, and John and climbed a high mountain to pray.


book: Luke
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As he prayed, his face began to glow until it was a blinding glory streaming from him. His entire body was illuminated with a radiant glory. His brightness became so intense that it made his clothing blinding white, like multiple flashes of lightning.


book: Luke
contenido:
All at once, two men appeared in glorious splendor: Moses and Elijah. They spoke with Jesus about his soon departure from this world and the things he was destined to accomplish in Jerusalem.


book: Luke
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Peter and his companions had become very drowsy, but they became fully awake when they saw the glory and splendor of Jesus standing there and the two men with him.


book: Luke
contenido:
As Moses and Elijah were about to return to heaven, Peter impetuously blurted out, “Master, this is amazing to see the three of you together! Why don’t we stay here and set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?”


book: Luke
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While Peter was still speaking, a radiant cloud of glory formed above them and overshadowed them. As the glory cloud enveloped them, they were struck with fear.


book: Luke
contenido:
Then the voice of God thundered from within the cloud, “This is my Son, my Beloved One. Listen carefully to all he has to say.”


book: Luke
contenido:
When the thunderous voice faded away and the cloud disappeared, Jesus was standing there alone. Peter, Jacob, and John were speechless and awe-struck. But they didn’t say a word to anyone about what they had seen.


book: Luke
contenido:
The Power of Faith The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a massive crowd was waiting there to meet them.


book: Luke
contenido:
And a man in the crowd shouted desperately, “Please, Teacher, I beg of you, do something about my boy. He’s my only child.


book: Luke
contenido:
He’s possessed by an evil spirit that makes him scream out in torment and hardly ever leaves him alone. It throws him into convulsions and he foams at the mouth. And when it finally does leave him, he’s left with horrible bruises.


book: Luke
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Jesus responded, “You are an unbelieving people with no faith! Your lives are twisted with lies that have turned you away from doing what is right. How much longer should I remain here, offering you hope?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son to me.”


book: Luke
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As the boy approached, the demon slammed him to the ground, throwing him into violent convulsions. Jesus sternly commanded the demon to come out of the boy, and immediately it left. Jesus healed the boy of his injuries and returned him to his father, saying, “Here is your son.”


book: Luke
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While everyone marveled, trying to process what they had just witnessed, Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “This is very important, so listen carefully and remember my words. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed and given over to the authority of men.”


book: Luke
contenido:
But the disciples were unable to perceive what he was saying, for it was a veiled mystery to them, and they were too embarrassed to ask him to explain it.


book: Luke
contenido:
True Greatness The disciples began to argue and became preoccupied over who would be the greatest one among them.


book: Luke
contenido:
“If you tenderly care for this little child on my behalf, you are tenderly caring for me. And if you care for me, you are honoring my Father who sent me. For the one who is least important in your eyes is actually the most important one of all.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The disciple John said, “Master, we found someone who was casting out demons using your name and we tried to stop him, because he doesn’t follow you like we do.”


book: Luke
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Jesus responded, “You shouldn’t have hindered him, for anyone who is not against you is your friend.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem Jesus passionately determined to leave for Jerusalem and let nothing distract him from fulfilling his mission there, for the time for him to be lifted up was drawing near.


book: Luke
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But as they approached the village, they were turned away. They would not allow Jesus to enter, for he was on his way to worship in Jerusalem.


book: Luke
contenido:
When the disciples Jacob and John realized what was happening, they came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you wanted to, you could command fire to fall down from heaven just like Elijah did and destroy all these wicked people.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus rebuked them sharply, saying, “Don’t you realize what comes from your hearts when you say that? For the Son of Man did not come to destroy life, but to bring life to the earth.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Cost to Follow Jesus On their way, someone came up to Jesus and said, “I want to follow you wherever you go.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus replied, “Yes, but remember this: even animals in the field have holes in the ground to sleep in and birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place here to lay down his head.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus then turned to another and said, “Come be my disciple.” He replied, “Someday I will, Lord, but allow me first to fulfill my duty as a good son and wait until my father passes away.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus told him, “Don’t wait for your father’s burial. Let those who are already dead wait for death. But as for you, go and proclaim everywhere that God’s kingdom has arrived.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Still another said to him, “Lord, I want to follow you too. But first let me go home and say good-bye to my entire family.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus responded, “Why do you keep looking backward to your past and have second thoughts about following me? When you turn back you are useless to God’s kingdom realm.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Labor Shortage After this, the Lord Jesus formed thirty-five teams among the other disciples. Each team was two disciples, seventy in all, and he commissioned them to go ahead of him into every town he was about to visit.


book: Luke
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He released them with these instructions: “The harvest is huge and ripe. But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in. As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to drive out into his harvest fields many more workers.


book: Luke
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Now, off you go! I am sending you out even though you feel as vulnerable as lambs going into a pack of wolves.


book: Luke
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You won’t need to take anything with you—trust in God alone. And don’t get distracted from my purpose by anyone you might meet along the way.


book: Luke
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“Once you enter a house, speak to the people there and say, ‘God’s blessing of peace be upon this house!’


book: Luke
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If a lover of peace resides there, your peace will rest upon that household. But if you are rejected, your blessing of peace will come back upon you.


book: Luke
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Don’t feel the need to shift from one house to another, but stay put in one home during your time in that city. Eat and drink whatever they serve you. Receive their hospitality, for you are my harvester, and you deserve to be cared for.


book: Luke
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“When you enter into a new town, and you have been welcomed by its people, follow these rules: Eat what is served you.


book: Luke
contenido:
Then heal the sick, and tell them all, ‘God’s kingdom realm has arrived and is now within your reach!’


book: Luke
contenido:
‘We wipe from our feet the very dust of your streets as a testimony before you! Understand this: God’s kingdom realm came within your reach and yet you have rejected God’s invitation!’”


book: Luke
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Jesus continued, “Let me say it clearly: on the day of judgment the wicked people of Sodom will have a lesser degree of judgment than the city that rejects you, for Sodom did not have the opportunity that was given to them.”


book: Luke
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Jesus Condemns the Unrepentant Cities “How disastrous it will be for the city of Korazin! How horrible for the city of Bethsaida! For if the powerful miracles that I performed in Korazin and Bethsaida had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have humbled themselves and repented, and turned from their sins.


book: Luke
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And Capernaum! Do you really think you’ll be highly exalted because of the great things I have done there? No! You’ll be brought down to the depths of hell because of your rejection of me!”


book: Luke
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Jesus concluded his instructions to the seventy with these words: “Remember this: Whoever listens to your message is actually listening to me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me, and not only me but the one who sent me.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Seventy Return When the seventy missionaries returned to Jesus, they were ecstatic with joy, telling him, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we commanded them in your name!”


book: Luke
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Jesus replied, “While you were ministering, I watched Satan topple until he fell suddenly from heaven like lightning to the ground.


book: Luke
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Now you understand that I have imparted to you all my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will be able to harm you as you walk in this authority.


book: Luke
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However, your real source of joy isn’t merely that these spirits submit to your authority, but that your names are written in the journals of heaven and that you belong to God’s kingdom. This is the true source of your authority.”


book: Luke
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Then Jesus, overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s anointing of joy, exclaimed, “Father, thank you, for you are Lord Supreme over heaven and earth! You have hidden the great revelation of this authority from those who are proud, those wise in their own eyes, and you have shared it with these who humbled themselves. Yes, Father. This is what pleases your heart and the very way you’ve chosen to extend your kingdom: to give to those who become like trusting children.


book: Luke
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“Father, you have entrusted me with all that you are and all that you have. No one fully knows the Son except the Father. And no one fully knows the Father except the Son. But the Son is able to introduce and reveal the Father to anyone he chooses.”


book: Luke
contenido:
When Jesus was alone with the Twelve, he said to them, “You are very privileged to see and hear all these things.


book: Luke
contenido:
Many kings and prophets of old longed to see these days of miracles that you’ve been favored to see. They would have given everything to hear the revelation you’ve been favored to hear. Yet they didn’t get to see as much as a glimpse or hear even a whisper.”


book: Luke
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Loving God, Loving Others Just then a religious scholar stood before Jesus in order to test his doctrines. He posed this question: “Teacher, what requirement must I fulfill if I want to live forever in heaven?”


book: Luke
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The religious scholar answered, “It states, ‘You must love the Lord God with all your heart, all your passion, all your energy, and your every thought. And you must love your neighbor as well as you love yourself.’”


book: Luke
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Wanting to justify himself, he questioned Jesus further, saying, “What do you mean by ‘my neighbor’?”


book: Luke
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Jesus replied, “Listen and I will tell you. There was once a Jewish man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when bandits robbed him along the way. They beat him severely, stripped him naked, and left him half dead.


book: Luke
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“Soon, a Jewish priest walking down the same road came upon the wounded man. Seeing him from a distance, the priest crossed to the other side of the road and walked right past him, not turning to help him one bit.


book: Luke
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“Later, a religious man, a Levite, came walking down the same road and likewise crossed to the other side to pass by the wounded man without stopping to help him.


book: Luke
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“Finally, another man, a Samaritan, came upon the bleeding man and was moved with tender compassion for him.


book: Luke
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He stooped down and gave him first aid, pouring olive oil on his wounds, disinfecting them with wine, and bandaging them to stop the bleeding. Lifting him up, he placed him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn. Then he took him from his donkey and carried him to a room for the night.


book: Luke
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The next morning he took his own money from his wallet and gave it to the innkeeper with these words: ‘Take care of him until I come back from my journey. If it costs more than this, I will repay you when I return.’


book: Luke
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So, now, tell me, which one of the three men who saw the wounded man proved to be the true neighbor?”


book: Luke
contenido:
The religious scholar responded, “The one who demonstrated kindness and mercy.” Jesus said, “You must go and do the same as he.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Visits Martha and Mary As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared.


book: Luke
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But Martha became exasperated by finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.”


book: Luke
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The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important?


book: Luke
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Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Teaches about Prayer One day, as Jesus was in prayer, one of his disciples came over to him as he finished and said, “Would you teach us a model prayer that we can pray, just like John did for his disciples?”


book: Luke
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So Jesus taught them this prayer: “Our heavenly Father, may the glory of your name be the center on which our life turns. May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us. Manifest your kingdom on earth.


book: Luke
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Forgive our sins as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us. And rescue us every time we face tribulations.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Then Jesus gave this illustration: “Imagine what would happen if you were to go to one of your friends in the middle of the night and pound on his door and shout, ‘Please! Do you have some food you can spare?


book: Luke
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But your friend says, ‘Why are you bothering me? The door’s locked and my family and I are all in bed. Do you expect me to get up and give you our food?’


book: Luke
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But listen—because of your shameless impudence, even though it’s the middle of the night, your friend will get up out of his bed and give you all that you need.


book: Luke
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So it is with your prayers. Ask and you’ll receive. Seek and you’ll discover. Knock on heaven’s door, and it will one day open for you. Every persistent person will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he needs. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.


book: Luke
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“Let me ask you this: Do you know of any father who would give his son a snake on a plate when he asked for a serving of fish? Of course not!


book: Luke
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Do you know of any father who would give his daughter a spider when she had asked for an egg? Of course not!


book: Luke
contenido:
If imperfect parents know how to lovingly take care of their children and give them what they need, how much more will the perfect heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit’s fullness when his children ask him.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Responds to Controversy One day there was a crowd gathered around Jesus, and among them was a man who was mute. Jesus drove out of the man the spirit that made him unable to speak. Once the demon left him, the mute man’s tongue was loosed and he was able to speak again. The stunned crowd saw it all and marveled in amazement over this miracle!


book: Luke
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But there were some in the crowd who protested, saying, “He casts out demons by the power of Satan, the demon king.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Others were skeptical and tried to persuade Jesus to perform a spectacular display of power to prove that he was the Messiah.


book: Luke
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Jesus, well aware of their every thought, said to them, “Every kingdom that is split against itself is doomed to fail and will eventually collapse.


book: Luke
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If Satan gives me the power to cast out his demons, who is it that gives your exorcists their power? Let them become your judges! Go and ask them and they will tell you.


book: Luke
contenido:
Yet if I am casting out demons by God’s mighty power, God’s kingdom realm is now released upon you—but you still reject it!


book: Luke
contenido:
“Satan’s belongings are undisturbed as he stands guard over his fortress kingdom, strong and fully armed with an arsenal of many weapons.


book: Luke
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But when one stronger than he comes to attack and overpower him, the stronger one will empty the arsenal in which he trusted. The conqueror will ransack his kingdom and distribute all the spoils of victory.


book: Luke
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This is a war, and whoever is not on my side is against me, and whoever does not gather the spoils with me will be forever scattered.


book: Luke
contenido:
“When a demon is cast out of a person, it goes to wander in the waterless realm, searching for rest. But finding no place to rest it says, ‘I will go back to the body of the one I left.’


book: Luke
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When it returns, it finds the person like a house that has been swept clean and made tidy but is empty.


book: Luke
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Then it goes and enlists seven demons more evil than itself, and they all enter and possess the person, leaving that one with a much worse fate than before.”


book: Luke
contenido:
While he was saying all this, a woman shouted from the crowd, “God bless the one who gave you birth and nursed you as a child!”


book: Luke
contenido:
“Yes,” said Jesus. “But God will bless all who listen to the word of God and carefully obey everything they hear.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Miracle Sign of Jonah the Prophet As the crowds swelled even more, Jesus went on to say, “How evil is this generation! For when you demand a mighty display of power simply to prove who I am, you demonstrate your unbelief. The only sign given you will be a repeat of the miracle of Jonah.


book: Luke
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For in the same way Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.


book: Luke
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“The Queen of Sheba will rise up on the day of judgment to accuse and condemn this generation for its unbelief. She journeyed from a far and distant land just to listen to the wisdom of King Solomon. There is one greater than Solomon speaking with you today, but you refuse to listen.


book: Luke
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Yes, the people of Nineveh will also rise up on the day of judgment to accuse and condemn this generation. For they all repented when they heard the preaching of Jonah, but you refuse to repent. Yet there is one greater than Jonah who is preaching to you today.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Revelation Light “No one would think of lighting a lamp and then hiding it in the basement where no one would benefit. A lamp belongs on a lampstand, where all who enter may see its light.


book: Luke
contenido:
The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. When your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place.


book: Luke
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Open your heart and consider my words. Watch out that you do not mistake your opinions for revelation-light!


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If your spirit burns with light, fully illuminated with no trace of darkness, you will be a shining lamp, reflecting rays of truth by the way you live.”


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contenido:
Jesus Warns Hypocrites After Jesus finished saying this, a Jewish religious leader, one of the “separated ones,” asked him to come for a meal at his home. When everyone had been seated at the table, the religious leader noticed that Jesus hadn’t performed the cleansing ritual before he began eating. He was shocked.


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The Lord said, “You Pharisees are religiously strict to your customs and obsessed with the peripheral issues. You are like one who will wipe clean only the outside of a cup or bowl, leaving the inside filthy.


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You are foolish to ignore the greed and wickedness within you! Shouldn’t the one who cleans the outside also be concerned with cleaning the inside?


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If you free your heart of greed, showing compassion and true generosity to the poor, you have more than clean hands; you will be clean within.


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“You Pharisees are hopeless frauds! For you are obsessed with peripheral issues, like paying meticulous tithes on the smallest herbs that grow in your gardens. These matters you should do. Yet when you unjustly cheat others, you ignore the most important duty of all: to walk in the love of God. Readjust your values and place first things first.


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“You Pharisees are hopeless frauds! For you love to be honored before men with your titles of respect, seeking public recognition as you aspire to become important among others.


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“You Pharisees, what hopeless frauds! Your true character is hidden, like an unmarked grave that hides the corruption inside, defiling all who come in contact with you.”


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Just then a specialist in interpreting religious law blurted out, “But Teacher, don’t you realize that your words insult me and those of my profession? You’re being rude to us all!”


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Jesus responded, “Yes, and you are also hopeless frauds, you experts of the law! For you crush people beneath the burden of obeying impossible religious regulations, yet you would never even think of doing them yourselves. What hypocrites!


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What hopeless frauds! You build monuments to honor the prophets of old, yet it was your murdering ancestors who killed them. The only prophet you’ll honor is a dead one!


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In fact, by erecting monuments to the prophets they killed, you demonstrate your agreement with your murdering ancestors and bear witness to their deeds. You’re no better than they!


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contenido:
That accounts for the wisdom of God, saying, ‘I will send to them apostles and prophets though some they will murder and others they will chase away.’


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“This generation will be held accountable for every drop of blood shed by every murdered prophet from the beginning of time until now,


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from the blood of Abel, who was killed by his brother, to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered in the middle of the temple court. Yes, the blood-guilt of all your ancestors will be laid before you in this generation.


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“You are nothing but hopeless frauds, you experts of religion! You take away from others the key that opens the door to the house of knowledge. Not only do you lock the door and refuse to enter, you do your best to keep others from the truth.”


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The religious leaders and experts of the law became enraged and began to furiously oppose him. They harassed Jesus all the way out the door, spewing out their hostility, arguing over everything he said—wanting nothing more than to find a reason to entrap him with his own words.


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Jesus Warns against Hypocrisy By now a crowd of many thousands had gathered around Jesus. So many people pushed to be near him, they began to trample on one another. Jesus turned to his disciples and warned them, “Make sure you are not influenced by the hypocrisy and phoniness of the religious leaders. It permeates everything they do and teach, for they are merely serving their own interests.


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Everything hidden and covered up will soon be exposed. For the facade is falling down, and nothing will be kept secret for long.


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Whatever you have spoken in private will be public knowledge, and what you have whispered secretly behind closed doors will be broadcast far and wide for all to hear.


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“Listen, my beloved friends, don’t fear those who may want to take your life but nothing more. It’s true that they may kill your body, but they have no power over your soul.


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The one you must fear is God, for he has both the power to take your life and the authority to cast your soul into hell. Yes, the only one you need to fear is God.


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“What is the value of your soul to God? Could your worth be defined by an amount of money? God doesn’t abandon or forget even the small sparrow he has made. How then could he forget or abandon you? What about the seemingly minor issues of your life? Do they matter to God? Of course they do! So you never need to worry, for you are more valuable to God than anything else in this world.


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“I can assure you of this: If you don’t hold back, but freely declare in public that I am the Son of Man, the Messiah, I will freely declare to all the angels of God that you are mine.


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If anyone speaks evil of me, the Son of Man, he can be forgiven. But if anyone scornfully speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will never be forgiven.


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And remember this: When people accuse you before everyone and forcefully drag you before the religious leaders and authorities, do not be troubled. Don’t worry about defending yourself or be concerned about how to answer their accusations.


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Simply be confident and allow the Spirit of Wisdom access to your heart, and he will reveal in that very moment what you are to say to them.”


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Jesus Condemns Greed Just then someone spoke up from the crowd and said, “Master, you should tell my older brother that he has to divide the family inheritance and give me my fair share!”


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Jesus answered, “My friend, you can’t expect me to help you with this. It’s not my business to settle arguments between you and your brother—that’s yours to settle.”


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Speaking to the people, Jesus continued, “Be alert and guard your heart from greed and always wishing for what you don’t have. For your life can never be measured by the amount of things you possess.”


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Jesus then gave them this illustration: “A wealthy land owner had a farm that produced bumper crops. In fact, it filled his barns to overflowing!


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I know what I’ll do! I’ll tear down the barns and build one massive barn that will hold all my grain and goods.


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Then I can just sit back, surrounded with comfort and ease. I’ll enjoy life with no worries at all.’


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“God said to him, ‘What a fool you are to trust in your riches and not in me. This very night the messengers of death are demanding to take your life. Then who will get all the wealth you have stored up for yourself?’


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Don’t Worry Jesus taught his disciples, saying, “Listen to me. Never let anxiety enter your hearts. Never worry about any of your needs, such as food or clothing.


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Take the carefree birds as your example. Do you ever see them worry? They don’t grow their own food or put it in a storehouse for later. Yet God takes care of every one of them, feeding each of them from his love and goodness. Isn’t your life more precious to God than a bird? Be carefree in the care of God!


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So if worrying adds nothing, but actually subtracts from your life, why would you worry about God’s care of you?


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“Think about the lilies. They grow and become beautiful, not because they work hard or strive to clothe themselves. Yet not even Solomon, wearing his kingly garments of splendor, could be compared to a field of lilies.


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If God can clothe the fields and meadows with grass and flowers, can’t he clothe you as well, O struggling one with so many doubts?


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I repeat it: Don’t let worry enter your life. Live above the anxious cares about your personal needs.


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People everywhere seem to worry about making a living, but your heavenly Father knows your every need and will take care of you.


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So don’t ever be afraid, dearest friends! Your loving Father joyously gives you his kingdom realm with all its promises!


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“So, now, go and sell what you have and give to those in need, making deposits in your account in heaven, an account that will never be taken from you. Your gifts will become a secure and unfailing treasure, deposited in heaven forever.


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Where you deposit your treasure, that is where your thoughts will turn to—and your heart will long to be there also.”


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Be like the servants who anticipate their master’s return from a wedding celebration. They are ready to unlock and open the door for him at a moment’s notice.


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What great joy is ahead for the awakened ones who are waiting for the Master’s return! He himself will become their servant and wait on them at his table as he passes by.


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He may appear at midnight or even later, but what great joy for the awakened ones whenever he comes!


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Of course, if they knew ahead of time the hour of the master’s appearing, they would be alert, just as they would be ready if they knew ahead of time that a thief was coming to break into their house.


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So keep being alert and ready at all times. For I can promise you that the Son of Man will surprise you and will appear when you don’t expect him.”


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The Faithful Servant “Lord,” Peter asked, “does this apply only to the twelve of us, or is it for everyone else as well?”


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The Lord said, “A trustworthy and thoughtful manager who understands the ways of his master will be given a ministry of responsibility in his master’s house, serving others exactly what they need at just the right time.


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And when the master returns, he will find that his servant has served him well. I can promise you, he will be given a great reward and will be placed as an overseer of everything the master owns.


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“But what if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master delays his coming, and who knows when he will return?’ Because of the delay, the servant elevates himself and mistreats those in his master’s household. Instead of caring for the ones he was appointed to serve, he abuses the other servants, both men and women. He throws drunken parties for his friends and gives himself over to every pleasure.


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Let me tell you what will happen to him. His master will suddenly return at a time that shocks him, and he will remove the abusive, selfish servant from his position of trust. He will be severely punished and assigned a portion with the unbelievers.


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“Every servant who knows full well what pleases his master, yet who does not make himself ready and refuses to put his master’s will to action, will be punished with many blows.


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But the servant who does not know his master’s will and unwittingly does what is wrong will be punished less severely. For those who have received a greater revelation from their master are required a greater obedience. And those who have been entrusted with great responsibility will be held more responsible to their master.”


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Jesus Brings Fire to the Earth “I have come to set the earth on fire. And how I long for every heart to be already ablaze with this fiery passion for God!


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But first I must be immersed into the baptism of God’s judgment, and I am consumed with passion as I await its fulfillment.


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Don’t think for a moment that I came to grant peace and harmony to everyone. No, for my coming will change everything and create hostility among you.


book: Luke
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Fathers will be split off against sons and sons against fathers; mothers will be against daughters and daughters against mothers; mothers-in-law will be against brides and brides against mothers-in-law—all because of me.”


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Discerning the Time Jesus then said to the crowds gathered around him, “When you see a cloud forming in the west, don’t you say, ‘A storm is brewing’? And then it arrives.


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What hypocrites! You are such experts at forecasting the weather, but you are totally unwilling to understand the spiritual significance of the time you’re living in.


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“When you are wrong, it is better that you agree with your adversary and settle your dispute before you have to go before a judge. If not, you may be dragged into court, and the judge may find you guilty and


book: Luke
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The Need for True Repentance Some of those present informed Jesus that Pilate had slaughtered some Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices at the temple, mixing their blood with the sacrifices they were offering.


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Jesus turned and asked the crowd, “Do you believe that the slaughtered Galileans were the worst sinners of all the Galileans?


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Or what about the eighteen who perished when the tower of Siloam fell upon them? Do you really think that they were more guilty than all of the others in Jerusalem?


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The Parable of the Barren Tree Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was a man who planted a fig tree in his orchard. But when he came to gather fruit from his tree he found none, for it was barren and had no fruit.


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So he said to his gardener, ‘For the last three years I’ve come to gather figs from my tree but it remains fruitless. What a waste! Go ahead and cut it down!’


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“But the gardener said, ‘Sir, we should leave it one more year. Let me fertilize and cultivate it, then let’s see if it will produce fruit.


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he encountered a seriously handicapped woman. She was crippled and had been doubled over for eighteen years. Her condition was caused by a demonic spirit of bondage that had left her unable to stand up straight.


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When Jesus saw her condition, he called her over and gently laid his hands on her. Then he said, “Dear woman, you are free. I release you forever from this crippling spirit.” Instantly she stood straight and tall and overflowed with glorious praise to God!


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The Jewish leader who was in charge of the synagogue was infuriated over Jesus healing on the Sabbath day. “Six days you are to work,” he shouted angrily to the crowd. “Those are the days you should come here for healing, but not on the seventh day!”


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The Lord said, “You hopeless frauds! Don’t you care for your animals on the Sabbath day, untying your ox or donkey from the stall and leading it away to water?


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If you do this for your animals, what’s wrong with allowing this beloved daughter of Abraham, who has been bound by Satan for eighteen long years, to be untied and set free on a Sabbath day?”


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When they heard this, his critics were completely humiliated. But the crowds shouted with joy over the glorious things Jesus was doing among them.


book: Luke
contenido:
Parables of Jesus Jesus taught them this parable: “How can I describe God’s kingdom realm? Let me illustrate it this way.


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It is like the smallest of seeds that you would plant in a garden. And when it grows, it becomes a huge tree, with so many spreading branches that various birds make nests there.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus taught them another parable: “How can I describe God’s kingdom realm? Let me give you this illustration:


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contenido:
It is like something as small as yeast that a woman kneads into a large amount of dough. It works unseen until it permeates the entire batch and rises high.”


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The Way of the Kingdom Jesus ministered in one town and village after another, teaching the people as he made his way toward Jerusalem.


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“There is a great cost for anyone to enter through the narrow doorway to God’s kingdom realm. I tell you, there will be many who will want to enter but won’t be able to.


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For once the head of the house has shut and locked the door, it will be too late. Even if you stand outside knocking, begging to enter, and saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us,’ he will say to you, ‘I don’t know who you are. You are not a part of my family.’


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And he will reply, ‘Don’t you understand? I don’t know who you are, for you are not a part of my family. You cannot enter in. Now, go away from me! For you are all disloyal to me and do evil.’


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“You will experience great weeping and great anguish when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with all the prophets of Israel, enjoying God’s kingdom realm while you yourselves are barred from entering.


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And you will see people streaming from the four corners of the earth, accepting the invitation to feast in God’s kingdom, while you are kept outside looking in.


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And take note of this: There are some who are despised and viewed as the least important now, but will one day be placed at the head of the line. And there are others who are viewed as ‘elite’ today who will become least important then.”


book: Luke
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Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem Just then some Jewish religious leaders came to Jesus to inform him that Herod was out to kill him and urged him to flee from that place.


book: Luke
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Jesus told them, “Go and tell that deceiver that I will continue to cast out demons and heal the sick today and tomorrow, but on the third day I will bring my work to perfection.


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For everyone knows I am safe until I come to Jerusalem, for that is where all the prophets have been killed.


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O city of Jerusalem, you are the city that murders your prophets! You are the city that pelts to death with stones the very messengers who were sent to deliver you! So many times I have longed to gather your wayward children together around me, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you were too stubborn to let me.


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And now it is too late, since your house will be left in ruins. You will not see me again until you are able to say, ‘We welcome the one who comes to us in the name of the Lord.’”


book: Luke
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Jesus Heals on the Sabbath One day Jesus was on his way to dine with a prominent Jewish religious leader for a Sabbath meal. Everyone was watching him to see if he would heal anyone on the Sabbath.


book: Luke
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Jesus asked the experts of the law and the Pharisees who were present, “Is it permitted within the law to heal a man on the Sabbath day? Is it right or wrong?”


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No one dared to answer. So Jesus turned to the sick man, took hold of him, and released healing to him, then sent him on his way.


book: Luke
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Jesus said to them all, “If one of your children or one of your animals fell into a well, wouldn’t you do all you could to rescue them even if it was a Sabbath day?”


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Humility and Hospitality When Jesus noticed how the guests for the meal were all vying for the seats of honor, he shared this story with the guests around the table:


book: Luke
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“When you are invited to an important social function, don’t be quick to sit near the head of the table, choosing the seat of honor. What will happen when someone more distinguished than you arrives?


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The host will then bring him over to where you are sitting and ask for your seat, saying in front of all the guests, ‘You’re in the wrong place. Please give this person your seat.’ Disgraced, you will have to take whatever seat is left.


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Instead, when you’re invited to a banquet, you should choose to sit in the lowest place so that when your host comes and sees you there, he may say, ‘My friend, come with me and let me seat you in a better place.’ Then, in front of all the other guests at the banquet, you will be honored and seated in the place of highest respect.


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“Remember this: everyone with a lofty opinion of who he is and who seeks to raise himself up will be humbled before all. And everyone with a modest opinion of who he is and chooses to humble himself will be raised up before all.”


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Then Jesus turned to his host and said, “When you throw a banquet, don’t just invite your friends, relatives, or rich neighbors—for it is likely they will return the favor.


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It is better to invite those who never get an invitation. Invite the poor to your banquet, along with the outcast, the handicapped, and the blind—those who could never repay you the favor. Then you will experience a great blessing in this life, and at the resurrection of the godly you will receive a full reward.”


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When they heard this, one of the dinner guests said to Jesus, “Someday God will have a kingdom feast, and how happy and privileged will be the ones who get to share in that joy!”


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When the day for the feast arrived, the host instructed his servant to notify all the invited guests and tell them, ‘Come, for everything is now ready for you!’


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But one by one they all made excuses. One said, ‘I can’t come. I just bought some property and I’m obligated to go and look it over.’


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Another said, ‘Please accept my regrets, for I just purchased five teams of oxen and I need to make sure they can pull the plow.’


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“The servant reported back to the host and told him of all their excuses. So the master became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go at once throughout the city and invite anyone you find—the poor, the blind, the disabled, the hurting, and the lonely—and invite them to my banquet.’


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“When the servant returned to his master, he said, ‘Sir, I have done what you’ve asked, but there’s still room for more.’


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“So the master told him, ‘All right. Go out again, and this time bring them all back with you. Persuade the beggars on the streets, the outcasts, even the homeless. Urgently insist that they come in and enjoy the feast so that my house will be full.’


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“I say to you all, the one who receives an invitation to feast with me and makes excuses will never enjoy my banquet.”


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“When you follow me as my disciple, you must put aside your father, your mother, your wife, your sisters, your brothers—yes, you will even seem as though you hate your own life. This is the price you’ll pay to be considered one of my followers.


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And anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple.


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So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it?


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Otherwise he may lay the foundation and not be able to finish. The neighbors will ridicule him, saying,


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contenido:
“Have you ever heard of a commander who goes out to war without first sitting down with strategic planning to determine the strength of his army to win the war against a stronger opponent?


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If he knows he doesn’t stand a chance of winning the war, the wise commander will send out delegates to ask for the terms of peace.


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Likewise, unless you surrender all to me, giving up all you possess, you cannot be one of my disciples.


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It will never be useful again, not even fit for the soil or the manure pile! If you have ears opened by the Spirit, then hear the meaning of what I have said and apply it to yourselves.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Parable of the Lost Lamb Many dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often gathered around to listen as Jesus taught the people.


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This raised concerns with the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Indignant, they grumbled and complained, saying, “Look at how this man associates with all these notorious sinners and welcomes them all to come to him!”


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“There once was a shepherd with a hundred lambs, but one of his lambs wandered away and was lost. So the shepherd left the ninety-nine lambs out in the open field and searched in the wilderness for that one lost lamb. He didn’t stop until he finally found it. With exuberant joy he raised it up and placed it on his shoulders, carrying it back with cheerful delight!


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Returning home, he called all his friends and neighbors together and said, ‘Let’s have a party! Come and celebrate with me the return of my lost lamb. It wandered away, but I found it and brought it home.’”


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Jesus continued, “In the same way, there will be a glorious celebration in heaven over the rescue of one lost sinner who repents, comes back home, and returns to the fold—more so than for all the righteous people who never strayed away.”


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The Parable of the Lost Coin Jesus gave them another parable: “There once was a woman who had ten valuable silver coins. When she lost one of them, she swept her entire house, diligently searching every corner of her house for that one lost coin.


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When she finally found it, she gathered all her friends and neighbors for a celebration, telling them, ‘Come and celebrate with me! I had lost my precious silver coin, but now I’ve found it.’


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That’s the way God responds every time one lost sinner repents and turns to him. He says to all his angels, ‘Let’s have a joyous celebration, for that one who was lost I have found!’”


book: Luke
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The younger son came to his father and said, ‘Father, don’t you think it’s time to give me the share of your estate that belongs to me?’ So the father went ahead and distributed among the two sons their inheritance.


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Shortly afterward, the younger son packed up all his belongings and traveled off to see the world. He journeyed to a far-off land where he soon wasted all he was given in a binge of extravagant and reckless living.


book: Luke
contenido:
“With everything spent and nothing left, he grew hungry, for there was a severe famine in that land.


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So he begged a farmer in that country to hire him. The farmer hired him and sent him out to feed the pigs.


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The son was so famished, he was willing to even eat the slop given to the pigs, because no one would feed him a thing.


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contenido:
“Humiliated, the son finally realized what he was doing and he thought, ‘There are many workers at my father’s house who have all the food they want with plenty to spare. They lack nothing. Why am I here dying of hunger, feeding these pigs and eating their slop?


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I want to go back home to my father’s house, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you.


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I’ll never be worthy to be called your son. Please, Father, just treat me like one of your employees.”’


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“So the young son set off for home. From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. So the father raced out to meet him. He swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love.


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“Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’ “The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’


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“Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son.


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For this beloved son of mine was once dead, but now he’s alive again. Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy.


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“Now, the older son was out working in the field when his brother returned, and as he approached the house he heard the music of celebration and dancing.


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contenido:
“The servant replied, ‘It’s your younger brother. He’s returned home and your father is throwing a party to celebrate his homecoming.’


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contenido:
“The older son became angry and refused to go in and celebrate. So his father came out and pleaded with him, ‘Come and enjoy the feast with us!’


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contenido:
“The son said, ‘Father, listen! How many years have I been working like a slave for you, performing every duty you’ve asked as a faithful son? And I’ve never once disobeyed you. But you’ve never thrown a party for me because of my faithfulness. Never once have you even given me a goat that I could feast on and celebrate with my friends like he’s doing now.


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But look at this son of yours! He comes back after wasting your wealth on prostitutes and reckless living, and here you are throwing a great feast to celebrate—for him!’


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It’s only right to celebrate like this and be overjoyed, because this brother of yours was once dead and gone, but now he is alive and back with us again. He was lost but now he is found!’”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Dishonest Manager Jesus taught his disciples using this story: “There was once a very rich man who hired a manager to run his business and oversee all his wealth. But soon a rumor spread that the manager was wasting his master’s money.


book: Luke
contenido:
So the master called him in and said, ‘Is it true that you are mismanaging my estate? You need to provide me with a complete audit of everything you oversee for me. I’ve decided to dismiss you.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“The manager thought, ‘Now what am I going to do? I’m finished here. I can’t hide what I’ve done, and I’m too proud to beg to get my job back.


book: Luke
contenido:
I have an idea that will secure my future. It will win me favor and secure friends who can take care of me and help me when I get fired!’


book: Luke
contenido:
“So the dishonest manager hatched his scheme. He went to everyone who owed his master money, one by one, and he asked them, ‘How much do you owe my master?’


book: Luke
contenido:
One debtor owed twenty thousand dollars, so he said to him, ‘Let me see your bill. Pay me now and we’ll settle for twenty percent less.’ The clever manager scratched out the original amount owed and reduced it by twenty percent. And to another who owed two hundred thousand dollars, he said, ‘Pay me now and we’ll reduce your bill by fifty percent.’ And the clever manager scratched out the original amount owed and reduced it by half.


book: Luke
contenido:
“Even though his master was defrauded, when he found out about the shrewd way this manager had feathered his own nest, he congratulated the clever scoundrel for what he’d done to lay up for his future needs.” Jesus continued, “Remember this: The sons of darkness are more shrewd than the sons of light in their interactions with others.


book: Luke
contenido:
It is important that you use the wealth of this world to demonstrate your friendship with God by winning friends and blessing others. Then, when this world fails and falls apart, your generosity will provide you with an eternal reward.


book: Luke
contenido:
“The one who manages the little he has been given with faithfulness and integrity will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. But those who cheat with the little they have been given will not be considered trustworthy to receive more.


book: Luke
contenido:
If you have not handled the riches of this world with integrity, why should you be trusted with the eternal treasures of the spiritual world?


book: Luke
contenido:
And if you’ve not been proven faithful with what belongs to another, why should you be given wealth of your own?


book: Luke
contenido:
It is impossible for a person to serve two masters at the same time. You will be forced to love one and reject the other. One master will be despised and the other will have your loyal devotion. It is no different with God and the wealth of this world. You must enthusiastically love one and definitively reject the other.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Now, the Jewish religious leaders who were listening to Jesus were lovers of money. They laughed at what he said and mocked his teachings.


book: Luke
contenido:
So Jesus addressed them directly. “You always want to look spiritual in the eyes of others, but you have forgotten the eyes of God, which see what is inside you. The very things that you approve of and applaud are the things God despises.


book: Luke
contenido:
The law of Moses and the revelation of the prophets have prepared you for the arrival of the kingdom realm announced by John. And now, when this wonderful news of God’s kingdom realm is preached, people’s hearts burn with extreme passion to press in and receive it.


book: Luke
contenido:
Heaven and earth will disintegrate before even the smallest detail of the word of God will fail or lose its power.


book: Luke
contenido:
“It is wrong for you to divorce your wife so that you can marry another—that is adultery. And when you take that one you have lusted after as your wife, and contribute to the breakup of her marriage, you are once again guilty of adultery.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Rich Man and Lazarus Jesus continued. “There once was a very rich man who had the finest things imaginable, living every day enjoying his life of opulent luxury.


book: Luke
contenido:
Outside the gate of his mansion was a poor beggar named Lazarus. He lay there every day, covered with boils, and all the neighborhood dogs would come and lick his open sores. The only food he had to eat was the garbage that the rich man threw away.


book: Luke
contenido:
“The day came that the rich man also died. In hell he looked up from his torment and saw Abraham in the distance, and Lazarus the beggar was standing beside him in the glory.


book: Luke
contenido:
So the rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham! Father Abraham! Have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come to cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames of fire!’


book: Luke
contenido:
“But Abraham responded, ‘My friend, don’t you remember? While you were alive, you had all you desired, surrounded in luxury, while Lazarus had nothing. Now Lazarus is in the comforts of paradise and you are in agony.


book: Luke
contenido:
Besides, between us is a huge chasm that cannot be bridged, keeping anyone from crossing from one realm to the other, even if he wanted to.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“So the rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father Abraham, to please send Lazarus to my relatives.


book: Luke
contenido:
Tell him to witness to my five brothers and warn them not to end up where I am in this place of torment.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Abraham replied, ‘They’ve already had enough warning. They have the teachings of Moses and the prophets, and they must obey them.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“‘But what if they’re not listening?’ the rich man added. ‘If someone from the dead were to go and warn them, they would surely repent.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Abraham said to him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe even if someone was raised from the dead!’”


book: Luke
contenido:
Faith and Forgiveness One day Jesus taught his disciples this: “Betrayals are inevitable, but great devastation will come to the one guilty of betraying others.


book: Luke
contenido:
It would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment of betraying one of my dear ones! So be alert to your brother’s condition,


book: Luke
contenido:
and if you see him going the wrong direction, cry out and correct him. If there is true repentance on his part, forgive him.


book: Luke
contenido:
No matter how many times in one day your brother sins against you and says, ‘I’m sorry; I am changing; forgive me,’ you need to forgive him each and every time.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus responded, “If you have even the smallest measure of authentic faith, it would be powerful enough to say to this large tree, ‘My faith will pull you up by the roots and throw you into the sea,’ and it will respond to your faith and obey you.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus continued, “After a servant has finished his work in the field or with the livestock, he doesn’t immediately sit down to relax and eat. No, a true servant prepares the food for his master and makes sure his master is served his meal before he sits down to eat his own.


book: Luke
contenido:
So learn this lesson: After doing all that is commanded of you, simply say, ‘We are mere servants, undeserving of special praise, for we are just doing what is expected of us and fulfilling our duties.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Heals Ten Lepers Jesus traveled on toward Jerusalem and passed through the border region between Samaria and Galilee.


book: Luke
contenido:
As he entered one village, ten men approached him, but they kept their distance, for they were lepers.


book: Luke
contenido:
When Jesus stopped to look at them, he spoke these words: “Go to be examined by the Jewish priests.” They set off, and they were healed while walking along the way.


book: Luke
contenido:
One of them, a foreigner from Samaria, when he discovered that he was completely healed, turned back to find Jesus, shouting out joyous praises and glorifying God.


book: Luke
contenido:
When he found Jesus, he fell down at his feet and thanked him over and over, saying to him, “You are the Messiah.” This man was a Samaritan.


book: Luke
contenido:
They all refused to return to give thanks and give glory to God except you, a foreigner from Samaria?”


book: Luke
contenido:
Then Jesus said to the healed man lying at his feet, “Arise and go. It was your faith that brought you salvation and healing.”


book: Luke
contenido:
God’s Kingdom Realm within You Jesus was once asked by the Jewish religious leaders, “When will God’s kingdom realm come?” Jesus responded, “God’s kingdom realm does not come simply by obeying principles or by waiting for signs.


book: Luke
contenido:
The kingdom is not discovered in one place or another, for God’s kingdom realm is already expanding within some of you.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Later, Jesus addressed this again with his apostles, saying, “The time is coming when a great passion will be awakened within you to see me again. Yes, you will long to see the beginning of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t be able to find me.


book: Luke
contenido:
You will hear reports from some who will say, ‘Look, he has returned,’ ‘He’s over here,’ or, ‘He’s over there!’ Don’t believe it or run after them, for their claims will be false.


book: Luke
contenido:
The day of the Son of Man will burst forth with the brightness of a lightning strike that shines from one end of the sky to the other, illuminating the earth.


book: Luke
contenido:
“But before this takes place, the Son of Man must pass through great suffering and rejection from this generation.


book: Luke
contenido:
They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were given in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark and the devastating flood came and swept them all away.


book: Luke
contenido:
“The days of the Son of Man can also be compared to the days of Lot. The people of that time lived their lives as normal. They got married, raised families, built homes and businesses, yet they were totally unaware of what was coming until the day Lot departed from Sodom. The sky opened up and rained fire and burning sulfur upon them, destroying everyone and everything they had built. So it will be on the day of the unveiling of the Son of Man.


book: Luke
contenido:
“In the day of my appearing, if one is outside, he won’t even have time to go back into the house to gather his belongings. And those toiling in their fields won’t have time to run back home.


book: Luke
contenido:
All who are obsessed with being secure in life will lose it all—including their lives. But those who let go of their lives and surrender them to me will discover true life.


book: Luke
contenido:
For in that night there will be two lying in their bed; one will be suddenly swept away while the other will be left alive.


book: Luke
contenido:
There will be two women working together at household duties; one will be suddenly swept away while the other will be left alive.”


book: Luke
contenido:
His apostles asked, “Lord, where will this judgment happen?” Jesus responded, “It will be obvious, for wherever there are those spiritually dead, there you will find the eagles circling.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Gives a Parable about Prayer One day Jesus taught the apostles to keep praying and never stop or lose hope. He shared with them this illustration:


book: Luke
contenido:
“In a certain town there was a civil judge, a thick-skinned and godless man who had no fear of others’ opinions.


book: Luke
contenido:
And there was a poor widow in that town who kept pleading with the judge, ‘Grant me justice and protect me against my oppressor!’


book: Luke
contenido:
“He ignored her pleas for quite some time, but she kept asking. Eventually he said to himself, ‘This widow keeps annoying me, demanding her rights, and I’m tired of listening to her. Even though I’m not a religious man and don’t care about the opinions of others, I’ll just get her off my back by answering her claims for justice and I’ll rule in her favor. Then she’ll leave me alone.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Lord continued, “Did you hear what the ungodly judge said—that he would answer her persistent request?


book: Luke
contenido:
Don’t you know that God, the true judge, will grant justice to all of his chosen ones who cry out to him night and day? He will pour out his Spirit upon them. He will not delay to answer you and give you what you ask for.


book: Luke
contenido:
God will give swift justice to those who don’t give up. So be ever praying, ever expecting, just like the widow was with the judge. Yet when the Son of Man comes back, will he find this kind of persistent faithfulness in his people?”


book: Luke
contenido:
Humility in Prayer Jesus taught this parable to those who were convinced they were morally upright and those who trusted in their own virtue yet looked down on others with disgust:


book: Luke
contenido:
“Once there were two men who went into the temple to pray. One was a proud religious leader, the other a despised tax collector.


book: Luke
contenido:
The religious leader stood apart from the others and prayed, ‘How I thank you, O God, that I’m not wicked like everyone else. They’re cheaters, swindlers, and crooks—like that tax collector over there. God, you know that I never cheat or commit adultery; I fast from food twice a week and I give you a tenth of all I make.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“The tax collector stood off alone in the corner, away from the Holy Place, and covered his face in his hands, feeling that he was unworthy to even look up to God. Beating his breast, he sobbed with brokenness and tears saying, ‘God, please, in your mercy and because of the blood sacrifice, forgive me, for I am nothing but the most miserable of all sinners!’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Which one of them left for home that day made right with God? It was the humble tax collector and not the religious leader! For everyone who praises himself will one day be humiliated before all, and everyone who humbles himself will one day be lifted up and honored before all.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Blesses Children The people brought their babies and small children to Jesus so that he might lay his hands on them to bless them. When the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents and told them to stop troubling the Master.


book: Luke
contenido:
But Jesus called for the parents, the children, and his disciples to come and listen to him. Then he told them, “Never hinder a child from coming to me. Let them all come, for God’s kingdom realm belongs to them as much as it does to anyone else. They demonstrate to you what faith is all about.


book: Luke
contenido:
Learn this well: unless you receive the revelation of the kingdom realm the same way a little child receives it, you will never be able to enter in.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Speaks with a Young, Wealthy Official One day a wealthy Jewish nobleman of high standing posed this question to Jesus: “Wonderful Teacher, what must I do to be saved and receive eternal life?”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus answered, “Why would you call me wonderful when there is only one who is wonderful—and that is God alone?


book: Luke
contenido:
You already know what is right and what the commandments teach: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not lie, and respectfully honor your father and your mother.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
The wealthy leader replied, “These are the very things I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember.”


book: Luke
contenido:
“Ah,” Jesus said. “But there’s still one thing you’re missing in your life.” “What is that?” asked the man. “You must go and sell everything you own and give all the proceeds to the poor so you will have eternal treasures. Then come and follow me.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus saw his disappointment, and looking right at him he said, “It is next to impossible for those who have everything to enter into God’s kingdom realm.


book: Luke
contenido:
Nothing could be harder! It could be compared to trying to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus responded, “What appears humanly impossible is more than possible with God. For God can do what man cannot.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus replied, “Listen to my words: anyone who leaves his home behind and chooses God’s kingdom realm over wife, children, parents, and family, it will come back to him many more times in this lifetime. And in the age to come, he will inherit even more than that—he will inherit eternal life!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Prophesies His Death and Resurrection Jesus took the Twelve aside in private and told them, “We are going to Jerusalem so that everything prophesied about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.


book: Luke
contenido:
They will betray him and hand him over to the people, and they will mock him, insult him, and spit in his face.


book: Luke
contenido:
And after they have abused and flogged the Son of Man, they will kill him. But in three days he will rise again.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The disciples didn’t have a clue what he was saying, for his words were a mystery that was hidden from them.


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar As Jesus and his followers arrived at Jericho, there was a blind beggar sitting on the roadside.


book: Luke
contenido:
Those who were in the front of the crowd scolded him and warned him to be quiet. But the blind beggar screamed out even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Suddenly Jesus stopped. He told those nearby, “Bring the man over to me.” When they brought him before Jesus, he asked the man,


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus said, “Now you will see. Receive your sight this moment. For your faith in me has given you sight and new life.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Instantly he could see again. His eyes popped opened, and he saw Jesus. He shouted loud praises to God and he followed Jesus. And when the crowd saw what happened, they too erupted with shouts of praise to God.


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus and Zacchaeus In the city of Jericho there lived a very wealthy man named Zacchaeus, who was the supervisor over all the tax collectors. As Jesus made his way through the city, Zacchaeus was eager to see Jesus. He kept trying to get a look at him, but the crowd around Jesus was massive. Zacchaeus was a very short man and couldn’t see over the heads of the people.


book: Luke
contenido:
So he ran on ahead of everyone and climbed up a blossoming fig tree so he could get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed by.


book: Luke
contenido:
When Jesus got to that place, he looked up into the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry on down, for I am appointed to stay at your house today!”


book: Luke
contenido:
As Jesus left to go with Zacchaeus, many in the crowd complained, “Look at this! Of all the people to have dinner with, he’s going to eat in the house of a crook.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Zacchaeus joyously welcomed Jesus and was amazed over his gracious visit to his home. Zacchaeus stood in front of the Lord and said, “Half of all that I own I will give to the poor. And Lord, if I have cheated anyone, I promise to pay back four times as much as I stole.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus said to him, “This shows that today life has come to you and your household, for you are a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek out and to give life to those who are lost.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Parable of a Prince and His Servants At this time Jesus was getting close to entering Jerusalem. The crowds that followed him were convinced that God’s kingdom realm would fully manifest when Jesus established it in Jerusalem.


book: Luke
contenido:
So he told them this story to change their perspective: “Once there was a wealthy prince who left his province to travel to a distant land, where he would be crowned king and then return.


book: Luke
contenido:
Before he departed he summoned his ten servants together and said, ‘I am entrusting each of you with fifty thousand dollars to trade with while I am away. Invest it and put the money to work until I return.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Some of his countrymen despised the prince and sent a delegation after him to declare before the royals, ‘We refuse to let this man rule over us! He will not be our king!’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Nevertheless, he was crowned king and returned to his land. Then he summoned his ten servants to see how much each one had earned and what their profits came to.


book: Luke
contenido:
“The first one came forward and said, ‘Master, I took what you gave me and invested it, and it multiplied ten times.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“‘Splendid! You have done well, my excellent servant. Because you have shown that you can be trusted in this small matter, I now grant you authority to rule over ten fortress cities.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“Another came before the king and said, ‘Master, here is the money you entrusted to me. I hid it for safekeeping.


book: Luke
contenido:
You see, I live in fear of you, for everyone knows you are a strict master and impossible to please. You push us for a high return on all that you own, and you always want to gain from someone else’s efforts.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“The king said, ‘You wicked servant! I will judge you using your own words. If what you said about me is true, that I am a harsh man, pushing you for a high return and wanting gain from others’ efforts,


book: Luke
contenido:
“The king said to his other servants, ‘Take the money he has and give it to the faithful servant who multiplied my money ten times over.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“‘Yes,’ replied the king. ‘But to all who have been faithful, even more will be given them. And for the ones who have nothing, even the little they seem to have will be taken from them.


book: Luke
contenido:
Now, bring all those rebellious enemies of mine who rejected me as their king—bring them here before me and execute them!’”


book: Luke
contenido:
When he arrived at the stables of Annia near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ahead, saying,


book: Luke
contenido:
“When you enter the next village, you will find tethered there a donkey’s young colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me.


book: Luke
contenido:
And if anyone stops you and asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just tell them this: ‘It is needed for the Lord of All.’”


book: Luke
contenido:
They brought the colt to Jesus. Then they placed their prayer shawls on its back, and Jesus rode it as he descended the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem. As he rode along, people spontaneously threw their prayer shawls on the path in front of him like a carpet.


book: Luke
contenido:
As soon as he got to the bottom of the Mount of Olives, the crowds of his followers shouted with a loud outburst of ecstatic joy over all the mighty wonders of power they had witnessed.


book: Luke
contenido:
They shouted over and over, “Highest praises to God for the one who comes as King in the name of the Lord! Heaven’s peace and glory from the highest realm now comes to us!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Some Jewish religious leaders who stood off from the procession said to Jesus, “Teacher, you must order your followers at once to stop saying these things!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus responded, “Listen to me. If my followers were silenced, the very stones would break forth with praises!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem When Jesus caught sight of the city, he burst into tears with uncontrollable weeping over Jerusalem,


book: Luke
contenido:
saying, “If only you could recognize that this day peace is within your reach! But you cannot see it.


book: Luke
contenido:
For the day is soon coming when your enemies will surround you, pressing you in on every side, and laying siege to you.


book: Luke
contenido:
They will crush you to pieces, and your children too! And when they leave, your city will be totally destroyed. Since you would not recognize God’s day of visitation, your day of devastation is coming!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Cleanses the Temple Courts Jesus entered the temple area and forcibly threw out all the merchants from their stalls.


book: Luke
contenido:
He rebuked them, saying, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Father’s house is to be filled with prayer—a house of prayer, not a cave of bandits!’”


book: Luke
contenido:
From then on Jesus continued teaching in the temple area, but all the while, the high priests, the experts of the law, and the prominent men of the city kept trying to find a way to accuse Jesus, for they wanted him dead.


book: Luke
contenido:
They could find no reason to accuse him, for he was a hero to the people and the crowds were awestruck by every word he spoke.


book: Luke
contenido:
A Day of Controversy One day Jesus was teaching in the temple courts and sharing with the people the wonderful news of salvation. The high priest and the experts of the law were there with the prominent men of the city. They confronted Jesus and asked him,


book: Luke
contenido:
“We want to know right now by what authority you’re doing this. Who gave you the authority to teach these things here in the temple?”


book: Luke
contenido:
His interrogators pulled aside to discuss this among themselves. “What should we say? If we say that John’s mandate was from heaven, he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him and get baptized?’


book: Luke
contenido:
But if we say, ‘John’s mandate was merely from men,’ then all the people around him will stone us, for they believe John was a prophet of God.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Story of the Vine Growers Jesus taught the people this story: “Once there was a man who planted a vineyard, then leased it out to tenants and left to go abroad and was away for a long time.


book: Luke
contenido:
When the harvest season arrived, the owner sent one of his servants to the tenants to collect the landowner’s share of the harvest. But the tenants sent him away, beaten and empty-handed.


book: Luke
contenido:
So the owner dispatched another one of his servants to collect his portion. But the tenants treated him the same way. They cursed him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.


book: Luke
contenido:
Finally the owner of the vineyard said to his son, ‘Perhaps if I send you, my own cherished son, they will be ashamed of what they’ve done.’


book: Luke
contenido:
“But when the tenants saw the son coming, they schemed among themselves. ‘This is the heir of the vineyard! If we kill him, the inheritance will be ours.’


book: Luke
contenido:
So they threw the son off the property and killed him. “I ask you, what do you think the owner of the vineyard will do to those who murdered his son?


book: Luke
contenido:
He will come and destroy them and give his vineyard to another.” When the people heard this story, they all agreed, “This should never happen!”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus looked straight at the people and said, “What do you think this verse means: ‘The worthless, rejected stone has become the cornerstone, the most important stone of all’?


book: Luke
contenido:
Everyone who falls in humility upon that stone will be broken. But if that stone falls on you, it will grind you to pieces!”


book: Luke
contenido:
When the high priests and experts of the law realized that this story was about them, they wanted to have Jesus arrested that very moment, but they were afraid of all the people.


book: Luke
contenido:
Paying Taxes So they sent spies who pretended to be honest seekers, but who watched closely for an opportunity to entangle Jesus by his words. Their plan was to catch him saying something against the government, and then they could hand him over to the jurisdiction of the Roman authorities to be killed.


book: Luke
contenido:
At the right time they asked him this question: “Teacher, we know that all you say is straightforward and what you teach us is right, giving us the true ways of God. You’re one who doesn’t show favoritism to anyone’s status. So we ask you—


book: Luke
contenido:
Show me one of the Roman coins. Whose head is on the coin? Whose title is stamped on it?” They answered, “Why, it’s Caesar’s.”


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus said, “Precisely. The coin bears the image of the Emperor Caesar, and you should give back to Caesar all that belongs to him. But you bear the image of God. So give back to God all that belongs to him.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The imposters were left speechless and amazed in the presence of all the people, unable to trap Jesus with his words.


book: Luke
contenido:
A Question about the Resurrection Some of the Sadducees, a religious group that denies there is a resurrection of the dead, came to ask Jesus this question:


book: Luke
contenido:
But suppose there was a family with seven brothers, and the oldest married and died without children.


book: Luke
contenido:
Then his brother married the widow, but he too died with no children. And so it happened, one brother after another brother, until each of the seven had married the widow and died childless.


book: Luke
contenido:
Whose wife will the woman be when she’s resurrected from the dead? Which of the brothers will be her husband, for all seven were once married to her?”


book: Luke
contenido:
But those who are worthy of the resurrection from the dead into glory become immortal, like the angels, who never die nor marry. When the dead come to life again, they will be sons of God’s life—the sons of the resurrection.


book: Luke
contenido:
In fact, it was Moses who taught the resurrection of the dead when he wrote of the Lord God who was at the burning bush and described him as ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’


book: Luke
contenido:
Don’t you agree that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living? For in his eyes, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive forevermore. He must be the God who raises the dead.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Messiah, Both God and Man Jesus then posed this question to the people: “How can the experts of the law say that Christ the Messiah is David’s son?


book: Luke
contenido:
Haven’t you read in the Psalms where David himself wrote: The Lord Jehovah said to my Lord, ‘Sit near me in the place of authority


book: Luke
contenido:
Jesus Denounces the Experts of the Law Within earshot of all the people, Jesus warned his disciples,


book: Luke
contenido:
“Don’t follow the example of these pretentious experts of the law! They love to parade around in their clergy robes so that they are honored wherever they go, sitting right up front in every meeting and pushing for the head table at every banquet.


book: Luke
contenido:
And for appearances’ sake they will pray long religious prayers at the homes of widows for an offering, cheating them out of their very livelihood. Beware of them all, for they will one day be stripped of honor, and the judgment they receive will be severe.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Widow’s Offering Jesus was in the temple, observing all the wealthy wanting to be noticed as they came with their offerings.


book: Luke
contenido:
For the rich only gave out of their surplus, but she sacrificed out of her poverty and gave to God all that she had to live on.”


book: Luke
contenido:
The Signs of the End of the Age Some of the disciples remarked about the beauty of the temple. They pointed out all the lovely adornments and how it was built with excellence from the gifts given to God. Jesus said,


