Part 10

Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, commits adultery. Whoever marries a woman that has been put away from her husband commits adultery.

There was a rich man who wore clothes of purple and fine linen, and who dined sumptuously each day. Lying at his gate, was a poor man named Lazarus. He was covered with sores, and often the dogs came and licked them. He would gladly accept the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.

When the poor man died, he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and, from hell, he lifted his eyes, in torment, and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his bosom. He cried out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that you received your good things during your lifetime and Lazarus got the evil things. Now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And, beside all this, there is a great gulf between us that cannot be crossed from either side.

Then the rich man said, Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house. I have five brothers. Let him testify to them so they do not also come into this place of torment.

Abraham answered, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. The rich man said, No, father Abraham. Only if one went to them from the dead will they repent. Then Abraham said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded by one who rose from the dead.

17 Then He said to the disciples, It is certain that offences must come: but woe to him, through whom they come! It would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck and he be cast into the sea, than to have offended one of these little ones.

Take heed: If thy brother trespasses against thee, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day, repents; forgive him. Then the apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith.

The Lord said, If you have faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this tree, Be thou plucked up by the root and planted in the sea; and it will obey you.

Who among you, when your servant comes in from plowing or feeding cattle, will say, Go and sit down to eat? Instead, you say to him, Wash yourself and change your clothes; prepare and serve me my supper; and then you shall eat and drink. Does the servant deserve thanks because he did what he was obliged to do? Likewise, when you have done all the things which are required of you, say, I am an unprofitable servant. I have done that which was my duty to do.

It came to pass, as Jesus continued toward Jerusalem, He passed through the middle of Samaria and Galilee. As He went into a village, ten lepers met Him. Standing at a distance, they lifted their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. When He saw them, Jesus said, Go show yourselves to the priests. And, it happened that, as they went, they were cleansed.

When one of them, a Samaritan, saw that he was healed, he turned back, and with a loud voice, glorified God. He fell down at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. Jesus said, Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Of the ten, the only one to return thanks to God is the foreigner. Jesus said to him, Arise and go thy way. Thy faith has made thee whole.

When the Pharisees demanded to know when the kingdom of God should come, He answered, The kingdom of God does not come by observation. No one will say, Look here! or, look there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Then He said to the disciples, The days will come, when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of man, but you will not see it. They will say to you, See here; or, see there. Do not go after them or follow them. For just as lightning flashes and lights the heavens from one part to another; so also shall the Son of man be in His day.

But first you must suffer many things, and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. People ate and drank, they married and were given in marriage up until the day that Noah entered the ark when the flood came and destroyed them all.

It was the same in the days of Lot. They ate and drank, bought and sold, planted and built. But the same day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

This is how it shall be on the day when the Son of man is revealed. On that day, he who is up on the housetop, and his belongings downstairs in the house should not go down for them. He who is in the field should not turn back. Remember Lot's wife.

Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life will save it. In that night there will be two sleeping in a bed; one will be taken, the other will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and the other left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Then they asked Him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Wherever the body is, there will also the vultures be gathered.

18 Jesus told another parable. In a certain city, there was a judge who feared neither God nor man. A widow in that city came to him and said, Avenge me of my adversary. At first, the judge gave her no attention. But afterward he said to himself, Though I do not fear God nor man; I will avenge her because she bothers me and her continual coming to me will wear me out.

The Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. Shall God not avenge His own elect, who cry day and night to Him, though He has great patience with them? I tell you, He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?

He spoke this parable to those who trusted in their own righteousness, and despised others: Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed, God, I thank thee that I am not like other men who are extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even publicans. I fast twice a week and I give tithes of all that I possess.

The publican, standing far off, would not so much as lift his eyes to heaven, but struck his breast, said, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this second man went home justified, but not the first man, for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

Many people brought infants to Jesus that He would touch them. But when the disciples saw the large crowd, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, Let the little children come to me. Do not forbid them for of such is the kingdom of God. Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no way enter therein.

A certain ruler asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one, that is, God. Know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother.

And he said, All these commandments I have kept from my youth up. Then Jesus said to him, Yet you lack one thing. Sell all you have and give to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.

When he heard this, he was very sorrowful because he was very rich and had many possessions. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Those who heard this asked, Who then can be saved? Jesus answered, The things which are not possible for men are possible for God. And Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. Jesus said to them, Verily I say to you, There is no one who has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive a great reward in this present time and in life everlasting.

Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem where all things that are written by the prophets about the Son of man will be accomplished. He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully treated, and spit on. They will scourge Him and put Him to death. And, on the third day, He shall rise again.