Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Everyone Should Be Sorry for Their Sins and Turn from Them

13 At this time some people came to Jesus. They told Him that Pilate had killed some people from the country of Galilee. It was while they were giving gifts of animals on the altar in worship to God. ² Pilate put their blood together with the blood of the animals. Jesus said to them, “What about these people from Galilee? Were they worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee because they suffered these things? ³ No, I tell you. But unless you are sorry for your sins and turn from them, you too will all die. ⁴ What about those eighteen men who were killed when the high building in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were the worst sinners living in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you. But unless you are sorry for your sins and turn from them, you too will all die.”

The Picture-Story of the Fig Tree Which Had No Fruit

⁶ Then He told them this picture-story: “A man had a fig tree in his grape-field. He looked for fruit on it but found none. ⁷ He said to his servant, ‘See! For three years I have been coming here looking for fruit on this fig tree. I never find any. Cut it down. Why does it even waste the ground?’ ⁸ The servant said, ‘Sir! Leave it here one more year. I will dig around it and put plant food on it. ⁹ It may be that it will give fruit next year. If it does not, then cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest

¹⁰ Jesus was teaching in one of the Jewish places of worship on the Day of Rest. ¹¹ A woman was there who had suffered for eighteen years because of a demon. She was not able to stand up straight. ¹² Jesus saw her and said, “Woman, you are now free from your trouble!” ¹³ Then He put His hand on her. At once she stood up straight and gave thanks to God.

¹⁴ The leader of the Jewish place of worship was angry because Jesus healed on the Day of Rest. The leader said to the people, “There are six days in which work should be done. Come on those days and get healed. Do not come to be healed on the Day of Rest.” ¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “You pretend to be someone you are not! Do not each of you let his cow or his donkey out and lead them to water on the Day of Rest? ¹⁶ Should not this Jewish woman be made free from this trouble on the Day of Rest? She has been chained by Satan for eighteen years.” ¹⁷ When He said this, all those who were against Him were ashamed. All the many people were glad for the great things being done by Him.

The Picture-Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast ^(A)

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the holy nation of God like? What can I use to show you? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field. It grew and became a tree. The birds of the sky stayed in its branches.” ²⁰ Again Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what the holy nation of God is like? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman put into three pails of flour until it was all full of yeast.”

Jesus Teaches on the Way to Jerusalem

²² Jesus taught the people as He went through the cities and towns on His way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved from the punishment of sin?” Jesus said to them, ²⁴ “Work hard to go in through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to go in but will not be able to go in. ²⁵ The owner of the house will get up and shut the door. You who are on the outside will knock on the door and say, ‘Lord, let us in.’ Then He will say, ‘I do not know you.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with You when You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you. Go away from Me. You are sinful.’

²⁸ “There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the early preachers in the holy nation of God, but you will be put out. ²⁹ Those who sit at the table in the holy nation of God will come from the east and west and from the north and south. ³⁰ Listen! Some are last who will be first. Some are first who will be last.”

³¹ That same day some of the proud religious law-keepers came to Jesus. They said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill You.” ³² Jesus said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘See. I put out demons and heal the sick. I will do these things today and tomorrow. And the third day My work will be finished.’ ³³ But I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day after. One who speaks for God cannot die except at Jerusalem.

Jesus Sorrows Over Jerusalem

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the early preachers and throw stones on those sent to you. How many times I wanted to gather your children around me, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, but you would not let Me. ³⁵ See! Your house is empty. And I tell you, you will not see Me again until the time comes when you will say, ‘Great and honored is the One Who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Another Man Healed on the Day of Rest

14 On the Day of Rest Jesus went into the house of one of the leaders of the proud religious law-keepers to eat. They all watched Jesus to see what He would do. ² A man who had very large arms and legs because of a sickness was put before Jesus. ³ Jesus asked the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers, “Does the Law say it is right to heal on the Day of Rest, or not?” ⁴ They did not answer. Jesus took hold of the man and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ Then Jesus said to the leaders, “If one of you had a cow or donkey that fell into a hole, would you not go at once and pull it out on the Day of Rest?” ⁶ And they were not able to answer His questions.

Jesus Teaches about How to Live with Others

⁷ Jesus had been watching those who were asked to come to supper. They were all trying to get the important seats. He told them a picture-story, saying, ⁸ “When you are asked by someone to a wedding supper, do not take the important seat. Someone more important than you may have been asked to come also. ⁹ The one who asked both of you to come may say to you, ‘The important seat is for this man.’ Then you will be ashamed as you take the last place. ¹⁰ But when you are asked to come to the table, sit down on the last seat. Then the one who asked you may come and say to you, ‘Friend, go to a more important place.’ Then you will be shown respect in front of all who are at the table with you. ¹¹ Whoever makes himself look more important than he is will find out how little he is worth. Whoever does not try to honor himself will be made important.”

¹² Then Jesus said to the man who asked Him to eat in his house, “When you have a supper, do not ask your friends or your brothers or your family or your rich neighbors. They will ask you to come to their place for a supper. That way you will be paid back for what you have done. ¹³ When you have a supper, ask poor people. Ask those who cannot walk and those who are blind. ¹⁴ You will be happy if you do this. They cannot pay you back. You will get your pay when the people who are right with God are raised from the dead.”

¹⁵ When one of those eating at the table with Jesus heard this, he said, “Everyone is happy who will eat in the holy nation of God.”

The Picture-Story of the Big Supper ^(B)

¹⁶ Then Jesus said to the leader of the proud religious law-keepers, “There was a man who was giving a big supper. He asked many people to come to eat. ¹⁷ When it was about time to eat, he sent one of the servants he owned to tell those he had asked, saying, ‘Come, everything is ready now.’ ¹⁸ They all gave different reasons why they could not come. The first said, ‘I have bought some land and I must go and see it. Do not expect me to come.’ ¹⁹ Another one said, ‘I have bought ten cows to use for working in my fields. I must go and try them out. Do not expect me to come.’ ²⁰ And another one said, ‘I have just been married and I cannot come.’

²¹ “The servant went back to his owner and told him these things. Then his owner became angry. He said to his servant, ‘Hurry into the streets and narrow roads of the city and bring poor people here. Bring those whose bodies are diseased. Bring those who cannot walk and those who are blind.’ ²² The servant came back and said, ‘Sir, what you told me to do has been done. But there are still some empty places.’ ²³ Then the owner said to his servant, ‘Go out along the roads leading away from the city and into the fields. Tell them they must come. Do this so my house will be filled. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those I had asked will eat of my supper.’”

Giving Up Things of This Earth ^(C)

²⁵ Many people followed Jesus. Then He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If any man comes to Me and does not have much more love for Me than for his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My follower. ²⁷ If he does not carry his cross and follow Me, he cannot be My follower.

²⁸ “If one of you wanted to build a large building, you would sit down first and think of how much money it would take to build it. You would see if you had enough money to finish it, ²⁹ or when the base of the building is finished, you might see that you do not have enough money to finish it. Then all who would see it would make fun of you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

³¹ “What if a king is going to war with another king? Will he not sit down first and decide if he is able to go with 10,000 men against the other king who is coming with 20,000 men? ³² Or, he will send a soldier to the other king while he is still a long way off. He will ask what can be done to have peace. ³³ In the same way, whoever does not give up all that he has, cannot be My follower.

³⁴ “Salt is good. But if salt has lost its taste, how can it be made to taste like salt again? ³⁵ It is no good for the field or the waste place. Men throw it away. You have ears, then listen!”