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The Gospel of Mark (Part Seven)

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 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="MAT.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Beheaded</div><div class="p"> 1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, &#8220;This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip&#8217;s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: &#8220;It is not lawful for you to have her.&#8221; 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.</div><div class="p"> 6On Herod&#8217;s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, &#8220;Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.&#8221; 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John&#8217;s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand</div><div class="p"> 13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.</div><div class="p"> 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, &#8220;This is a remote place, and it&#8217;s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Jesus replied, &#8220;They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,&#8221; they answered.</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;Bring them here to me,&#8221; he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Walks on the Water</div><div class="p"> 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.</div><div class="p"> 25Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. &#8220;It&#8217;s a ghost,&#8221; they said, and cried out in fear.</div><div class="p"> 27But Jesus immediately said to them: &#8220;Take courage! It is I. Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;Lord, if it&#8217;s you,&#8221; Peter replied, &#8220;tell me to come to you on the water.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Come,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p">Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, &#8220;Lord, save me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. &#8220;You of little faith,&#8221; he said, &#8220;why did you doubt?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, &#8220;Truly you are the Son of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="MAT.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">That Which Defiles</div><div class="p"> 1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2&#8220;Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don&#8217;t wash their hands before they eat!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Jesus replied, &#8220;And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, &#8216;Honor your father and mother&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and &#8216;Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is &#8216;devoted to God,&#8217; 6they are not to &#8216;honor their father or mother&#8217; with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:</div><div class="q1"> 8 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;These people honor me with their lips,</div><div class="q2"> but their hearts are far from me.</div><div class="q1"> 9 They worship me in vain;</div><div class="q2"> their teachings are merely human rules.&#8217; # 15:9 
 Isaiah 29:13
 &#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, &#8220;Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone&#8217;s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then the disciples came to him and asked, &#8220;Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13He replied, &#8220;Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides.#15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Peter said, &#8220;Explain the parable to us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;Are you still so dull?&#8221; Jesus asked them. 17&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person&#8217;s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts&#8212;murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Faith of a Canaanite Woman</div><div class="p"> 21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, &#8220;Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, &#8220;Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24He answered, &#8220;I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25The woman came and knelt before him. &#8220;Lord, help me!&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p"> 26He replied, &#8220;It is not right to take the children&#8217;s bread and toss it to the dogs.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;Yes it is, Lord,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Then Jesus said to her, &#8220;Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.&#8221; And her daughter was healed at that moment.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand</div><div class="p"> 29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.</div><div class="p"> 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, &#8220;I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33His disciples answered, &#8220;Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34 &#8220;How many loaves do you have?&#8221; Jesus asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Seven,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;and a few small fish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="MAT.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">The Demand for a Sign</div><div class="p"> 1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.</div><div class="p"> 2He replied, &#8220;When evening comes, you say, &#8216;It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,&#8217; 3and in the morning, &#8216;Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.&#8217; You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.#16:2,3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes&#8230; of the times. 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.&#8221; Jesus then left them and went away.</div><div class="s1">The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees</div><div class="p"> 5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6&#8220;Be careful,&#8221; Jesus said to them. &#8220;Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7They discussed this among themselves and said, &#8220;It is because we didn&#8217;t bring any bread.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, &#8220;You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don&#8217;t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don&#8217;t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.&#8221; 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.</div><div class="s1">Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah</div><div class="p"> 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, &#8220;Who do people say the Son of Man is?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14They replied, &#8220;Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15 &#8220;But what about you?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Who do you say I am?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Simon Peter answered, &#8220;You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Jesus replied, &#8220;Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,#16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock. and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades#16:18 That is, the realm of the dead will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be#16:19 Or will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be#16:19 Or will have been loosed in heaven.&#8221; 20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death</div><div class="p"> 21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.</div><div class="p"> 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. &#8220;Never, Lord!&#8221; he said. &#8220;This shall never happen to you!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus turned and said to Peter, &#8220;Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, &#8220;Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life#16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26. will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father&#8217;s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="MAT.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">The Transfiguration</div><div class="p"> 1After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.</div><div class="p"> 4Peter said to Jesus, &#8220;Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters&#8212;one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, &#8220;This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. &#8220;Get up,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221; 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.</div><div class="p"> 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, &#8220;Don&#8217;t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10The disciples asked him, &#8220;Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Jesus replied, &#8220;To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.&#8221; 13Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy</div><div class="p"> 14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15&#8220;Lord, have mercy on my son,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17 &#8220;You unbelieving and perverse generation,&#8221; Jesus replied, &#8220;how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.&#8221; 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.</div><div class="p"> 19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, &#8220;Why couldn&#8217;t we drive it out?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20He replied, &#8220;Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, &#8216;Move from here to there,&#8217; and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.&#8221; [21]#17:21 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 9:29.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time</div><div class="p"> 22When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, &#8220;The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.&#8221; And the disciples were filled with grief.</div><div class="s1">The Temple Tax</div><div class="p"> 24After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, &#8220;Doesn&#8217;t your teacher pay the temple tax?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25&#8220;Yes, he does,&#8221; he replied.</div><div class="p">When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. &#8220;What do you think, Simon?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes&#8212;from their own children or from others?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26&#8220;From others,&#8221; Peter answered.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;Then the children are exempt,&#8221; Jesus said to him. 27&#8220;But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven</div><div class="p"> 1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, &#8220;Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3And he said: &#8220;Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.</div><div class="s1">Causing to Stumble</div><div class="p"> 6 &#8220;If anyone causes one of these little ones&#8212;those who believe in me&#8212;to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Wandering Sheep</div><div class="p"> 10 &#8220;See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11]#18:11 Some manuscripts include here the words of Luke 19:10.</div><div class="p"> 12 &#8220;What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.</div><div class="s1">Dealing With Sin in the Church</div><div class="p"> 15 &#8220;If your brother or sister # 18:15 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verses 21 and 35. sins,#18:15 Some manuscripts sins against you go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that &#8216;every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.&#8217;#18:16 Deut. 19:15 17If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be # 18:18 Or will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be#18:18 Or will have been loosed in heaven.</div><div class="p"> 19 &#8220;Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant</div><div class="p"> 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, &#8220;Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Jesus answered, &#8220;I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.#18:22 Or seventy times seven</div><div class="p"> 23 &#8220;Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold#18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer&#8217;s wages. was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.</div><div class="p"> 26 &#8220;At this the servant fell on his knees before him. &#8216;Be patient with me,&#8217; he begged, &#8216;and I will pay back everything.&#8217; 27The servant&#8217;s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. # 18:28 Greek a hundred denarii ; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2). He grabbed him and began to choke him. &#8216;Pay back what you owe me!&#8217; he demanded.</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, &#8216;Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 30 &#8220;But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.</div><div class="p"> 32 &#8220;Then the master called the servant in. &#8216;You wicked servant,&#8217; he said, &#8216;I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn&#8217;t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?&#8217; 34In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.</div><div class="p"> 35 &#8220;This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="MAT.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">Divorce</div><div class="p"> 1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.</div><div class="p"> 3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, &#8220;Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4 &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you read,&#8221; he replied, &#8220;that at the beginning the Creator &#8216;made them male and female,&#8217;#19:4 Gen. 1:27 5and said, &#8216;For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh&#8217;#19:5 Gen. 2:24? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;Why then,&#8221; they asked, &#8220;did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Jesus replied, &#8220;Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10The disciples said to him, &#8220;If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Jesus replied, &#8220;Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others&#8212;and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Little Children and Jesus</div><div class="p"> 13Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.</div><div class="p"> 14Jesus said, &#8220;Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.&#8221; 15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.</div><div class="s1">The Rich and the Kingdom of God</div><div class="p"> 16Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, &#8220;Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17 &#8220;Why do you ask me about what is good?&#8221; Jesus replied. &#8220;There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18&#8220;Which ones?&#8221; he inquired.</div><div class="p">Jesus replied, &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,&#8217;#19:19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20 and &#8216;love your neighbor as yourself.&#8217;#19:19 Lev. 19:18&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;All these I have kept,&#8221; the young man said. &#8220;What do I still lack?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21Jesus answered, &#8220;If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.</div><div class="p"> 23Then Jesus said to his disciples, &#8220;Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, &#8220;Who then can be saved?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26Jesus looked at them and said, &#8220;With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Peter answered him, &#8220;We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Jesus said to them, &#8220;Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife#19:29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife. or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
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 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard</div><div class="p"> 1 &#8220;For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius#20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer. for the day and sent them into his vineyard.</div><div class="p"> 3 &#8220;About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, &#8216;You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.&#8217; 5So they went.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, &#8216;Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 7 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Because no one has hired us,&#8217; they answered.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;He said to them, &#8216;You also go and work in my vineyard.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8 &#8220;When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, &#8216;Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 9 &#8220;The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12&#8216;These who were hired last worked only one hour,&#8217; they said, &#8216;and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 13 &#8220;But he answered one of them, &#8216;I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn&#8217;t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don&#8217;t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;So the last will be first, and the first will be last.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time</div><div class="p"> 17Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18&#8220;We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">A Mother&#8217;s Request</div><div class="p"> 20Then the mother of Zebedee&#8217;s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.</div><div class="p"> 21 &#8220;What is it you want?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">She said, &#8220;Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22 &#8220;You don&#8217;t know what you are asking,&#8221; Jesus said to them. &#8220;Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;We can,&#8221; they answered.</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus said to them, &#8220;You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25Jesus called them together and said, &#8220;You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave&#8212; 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Two Blind Men Receive Sight</div><div class="p"> 29As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, &#8220;Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, &#8220;Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32Jesus stopped and called them. &#8220;What do you want me to do for you?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p"> 33&#8220;Lord,&#8221; they answered, &#8220;we want our sight.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch22" data-usfm="MAT.22">
 <div class="label">22</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Wedding Banquet</div><div class="p"> 1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2&#8220;The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.</div><div class="p"> 4 &#8220;Then he sent some more servants and said, &#8216;Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 5 &#8220;But they paid no attention and went off&#8212;one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.</div><div class="p"> 8 &#8220;Then he said to his servants, &#8216;The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.&#8217; 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.</div><div class="p"> 11 &#8220;But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12He asked, &#8216;How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?&#8217; The man was speechless.</div><div class="p"> 13 &#8220;Then the king told the attendants, &#8216;Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 14 &#8220;For many are invited, but few are chosen.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar</div><div class="p"> 15Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. &#8220;Teacher,&#8221; they said, &#8220;we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren&#8217;t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax#22:17 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens to Caesar or not?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, &#8220;You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax.&#8221; They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them, &#8220;Whose image is this? And whose inscription?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;Caesar&#8217;s,&#8221; they replied.</div><div class="p">Then he said to them, &#8220;So give back to Caesar what is Caesar&#8217;s, and to God what is God&#8217;s.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.</div><div class="s1">Marriage at the Resurrection</div><div class="p"> 23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24&#8220;Teacher,&#8221; they said, &#8220;Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27Finally, the woman died. 28Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Jesus replied, &#8220;You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31But about the resurrection of the dead&#8212;have you not read what God said to you, 32&#8216;I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob&#8217;#22:32 Exodus 3:6? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.</div><div class="s1">The Greatest Commandment</div><div class="p"> 34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36&#8220;Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37Jesus replied: &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.&#8217;#22:37 Deut. 6:5 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: &#8216;Love your neighbor as yourself.&#8217;#22:39 Lev. 19:18 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Whose Son Is the Messiah?</div><div class="p"> 41While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42&#8220;What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;The son of David,&#8221; they replied.</div><div class="p"> 43He said to them, &#8220;How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him &#8216;Lord&#8217;? For he says,</div><div class="q1"> 44 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;The Lord said to my Lord:</div><div class="q2"> &#8220;Sit at my right hand</div><div class="q1"> until I put your enemies</div><div class="q2"> under your feet.&#8221;&#8198;&#8217; # 22:44 
 Psalm 110:1
 </div><div class="m"> 45 If then David calls him &#8216;Lord,&#8217; how can he be his son?&#8221; 46No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.</div>
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21 Day Fast, Read, PraySample

We believe that without prayer, a fast is no more than a diet.

As a starting guide, pray how Jesus taught us to pray!

As for WHAT to pray, here is a list to get you started. Don't forget to add your own specific daily prayer points!

After you pray, give God room to speak to you.

Scripture

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