Read the Gospels in 40 Days
The Transfiguration on the Mountain(A)
17 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, [L and led them] up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 ·While they watched [In their presence; In front of them], Jesus’ appearance was ·changed [transformed; T transfigured]; his face ·became bright [shined] like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. [C God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see Mark 6:15); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.]
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will put up three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; Lev. 23:42] here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [C Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.]
5 While Peter was talking, [L look; T behold] a bright cloud ·covered [overshadowed; Ex. 24:15] them. A voice came from the cloud and said, “This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; Ps. 2:7; Gen. 22:2], ·and I am very pleased with him [in whom I take great delight; Is. 42:1; Matt. 3:17]. Listen to him [Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22]!”
6 When his ·followers [disciples] heard the voice, they were so frightened they fell ·to the ground [L on their faces]. 7 But Jesus went to them and touched them and said, “Stand up. Don’t be afraid.” 8 ·When they looked up [Lifting up their eyes], they saw ·Jesus was now alone [L no one except Jesus alone].
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ·commanded [instructed] them not to tell anyone about ·what they had seen [the vision] until the Son of Man had ·risen [been raised] from the dead.
10 Then his ·followers [disciples] asked him, “Why do the ·teachers of the law [scribes] say that Elijah must come first [C that is, before the Messiah comes; Mal. 3:1; 4:5]?”
11 Jesus answered, “·They are right to say that Elijah is coming and that [L Elijah is indeed coming, and] he will ·make everything the way it should be [restore/prepare everything]. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him. They did to him whatever they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man; those same people will make the Son of Man suffer.” 13 Then the ·followers [disciples] understood that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy(B)
14 When Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus and ·bowed [knelt] before him. 15 The man said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He ·has epilepsy [has seizures; or is demented/a lunatic; C the word for epilepsy could also mean “moonstruck” or demented; Mark 9:17 says the boy was demon possessed] and is suffering ·very much [terribly], because he often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your ·followers [disciples], but they could not ·cure [heal] him.”
17 Jesus answered, “·You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong [L O faithless/unbelieving and perverse/corrupt generation]. How long must I ·put up [stay; L be] with you? How long must I ·continue to be patient [put up] with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that ·time on [moment; L hour].
19 The ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus when he was alone and asked, “Why couldn’t we ·force [drive; cast] the demon out?”
20 Jesus answered, “Because ·your faith is too small [you have so little faith]. I tell you the truth, if your faith is ·as big as [as small as; the size of; L as; like] a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. ·All things will be possible [L Nothing would be impossible] for you. |21 That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and fasting.|”[a]
Jesus Talks About His Death(C)
22 While Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] were gathering in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man will be ·handed over [betrayed/delivered over] to ·people [L human hands], 23 and they will kill him [C the “handing over” may be Judas’ betrayal or God’s actions in “giving up” his Son to accomplish salvation; Rom. 4:25]. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the ·followers [disciples] were ·filled with sadness [greatly distressed].
Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes
24 When ·Jesus and his followers [L they] came to Capernaum, the men who collected the ·Temple tax [L two-drachma; C the annual tax paid to support the Temple (Ex. 30:13–16)] came to Peter. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the ·Temple tax [L two-drachma]?”
25 Peter answered, “Yes.”
Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, “What do you think? From whom do the kings of the earth collect ·different kinds of taxes [tribute/tolls or taxes]—the king’s ·children [or own people/citizens] or ·others [or foreigners; C perhaps tribute paid by defeated nations]?”
26 Peter answered, “·Other people pay the taxes [L From others].”
Jesus said to Peter, “Then the ·children [or people; citizens] of the king ·don’t have to pay taxes [are exempt/free]. 27 But we don’t want to ·upset [offend] these tax collectors. So go to the lake and ·fish [throw out your hook]. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a ·coin [shekel; C Greek: stater, worth four drachma, or two payments of the Temple tax]. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me.”
Who Is the Greatest?(D)
18 At that time the ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his ·followers [disciples]. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you must ·change [or turn from your sins; convert; L turn] and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven [L therefore] is the one who makes himself humble [and becomes] like this [little] child.
5 “[L And] Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] a child ·in my name [C as a representative or follower of Jesus] ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [C indicates concern for the lowly; children had low social status]. 6 If someone causes one of these little children who believes in me to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], it would be better for that person to have a ·large stone [large millstone; L millstone of a donkey] tied around the neck and be ·drowned [L thrown] in the [L depths of the] sea. 7 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] ·the people of the world [L the world] because of ·the things that cause them to sin [temptations to sin; L stumbling blocks]. ·Such things will happen [L It is necessary for stumbling blocks to come], but ·how terrible for [L woe to] the one ·who causes them to happen [L through whom the stumbling block comes]! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you ·to lose part of your body and live forever [L to enter life maimed or crippled] than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire]. 9 If your eye causes you to ·sin [lose faith; stumble], ·take [tear; gouge] it out and throw it away. It is better for you to ·have only one eye and live forever [L enter life one-eyed] than to have two eyes and be thrown into the ·fire of hell [L Gehenna of fire; 5:22].
A Lost Sheep(E)
10 “Be careful [Watch out; or See that you…]. Don’t ·think these little children are worth nothing [L despise/look down on one of these little ones]. [L For] I tell you that they have angels in heaven who are always ·with [in the presence of; L see the face of] my Father in heaven. |11 The Son of Man came to save ·lost people [that which was lost].|[b]
12 “[L What do you think?] If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the sheep ·gets lost [goes astray; wanders off], ·he will [L won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine on the ·hill [L hills; mountains] and go to look for the lost sheep. 13 I tell you the truth, if he finds it he ·is happier about [rejoices more over] that one sheep than ·about [over] the ninety-nine that ·were never lost [never went astray/wandered off]. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven ·does not want [is not willing that] any of these little children to ·be lost [perish].
When a Person Sins Against You(F)
15 “If your ·fellow believer [L brother (or sister)] sins against you,[c] go and ·tell him what he did wrong [L reprove/convict/correct him] ·in private [L between you and him alone]. If he listens to you, you have ·helped that person to be your brother or sister again [L gained/won back your brother (or sister)]. 16 But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every ·case [matter; charge] may be proved by [the testimony of; L the mouth of] two or three witnesses’ [Deut. 19:15]. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a ·person who does not believe in God [pagan; Gentile] or like a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, ·the things [whatever] you ·don’t allow [forbid; L bind] on earth will be ·the things God does not allow [forbidden/bound in heaven]. And ·the things [whatever] you ·allow [permit; L loose] on earth will be ·the things that God allows [permitted/L loosed in heaven].”
19 “·Also [Again], I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something ·and pray for it [L for which you have asked], it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 ·This is true because if [L For where] two or three people ·come [are assembled/gathered] together in my name, I am there ·with them [among them; in their midst].”
An Unforgiving Servant(G)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my ·fellow believer [L brother (or sister)] sins against me, how many times ·must [should] I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him not just seven times, but ·seventy times seven times [or seventy-seven times; C the Greek can mean either 490 or 77; the point is unlimited forgiveness]!
23 “[L Therefore; For this reason] The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to ·collect the money his servants owed him [L settle accounts with his servants/slaves]. 24 When the king began ·to collect his money [the settlement/reckoning], a ·servant [slave] who owed him ·several million dollars [or billions of dollars; L ten thousand talents; C a talent was worth about six thousand days’ wages; this is an impossibly high debt] was brought to him. 25 But ·the servant [L he] did not have enough money to pay his master. So the master ordered that ·the servant [L he] be sold, together with his wife and children and everything he owned, and the debt paid.
26 “But the ·servant [slave] fell ·on his knees [face down; in obeisance] and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt ·sorry [compassion] for ·his servant [that slave], so he let him go free and ·forgave [canceled] the debt.
28 “·Later [L After departing], that same ·servant [slave] found ·another servant [a fellow servant/slave] who owed him a ·few dollars [hundred denarii]. ·The servant [L He] grabbed him ·around the neck [L and began choking him] and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’
29 “The ·other servant [fellow servant/slave] fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’
30 “But ·the first servant [L he] refused. He threw ·the other servant [him] into prison until he could pay everything he owed. 31 When ·the other servants [his fellow servants/slaves] saw what had happened, they were very ·sorry [upset; distressed]. So they went and ·told [reported to] their master all that had happened.
32 “Then the master called ·his servant [L him] in and said, ‘You ·evil [wicked] ·servant [slave]! Because you ·begged [pleaded with] me, I forgave [canceled] all that debt. 33 ·You should have [L Shouldn’t you have…?] showed mercy to ·that other servant [your fellow servant/slave], just as I showed mercy to you.’ 34 The master was very angry and ·put the servant in prison to be punished [L delivered him to the tormenters/torturers] until he could pay everything he owed.
35 “·This king did what [L So also] my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.