Part 5

Verily I say to you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter in. Jesus took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.

Along the road, a young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before Him and asked, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said, Why call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother.

The young man replied, Master, all these I have observed from my youth. Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said to him, You lack one thing: Go and sell whatever thou has and give the proceeds to the poor. Thou shall have treasure in heaven. Then come, take up the cross, and follow me. Upon hearing this the young man was sad and went away grieving because he had many possessions.

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said, How hard it shall be for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God! The disciples were astonished at His words. Jesus and said to them, Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The disciples were astonished beyond measure, saying among themselves, Who, then, can be saved? Jesus, looking upon them, said, With men it is impossible, but not with God. With God all things are possible.

Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. Jesus answered, Anyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's, shall receive a hundredfold now and in eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Jesus led them to Jerusalem and, along the way, began to tell them the things that would happen to Him. He said, In Jerusalem the Son of man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and scourge Him. They will spit on Him. And they will kill him. On the third day He shall rise again.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him and said, Master, we have a desire to tell you about. Jesus said to them, What should I do for you? They said, Grant that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. Jesus answered, Ye know not what ye ask. Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? Can ye be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We can.

Jesus said, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of. Ye shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give. It shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.

When the other ten disciples heard this, they became greatly displeased with James and John. Jesus called them and said, Ye know that those who are appointed to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and their great ones heavily influence them. But it shall not be like this among you. Whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister. Whosoever will be your master shall be servant to all. Even the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give His life as a ransom for many.

They came to Jericho. As Jesus passed through Jericho with His disciples, many, including blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat begging by the side of the highway. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was going by, he began to cry out, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Many told him to be silent, but he cried the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus stood still. Then He called the blind man to Him and said, Be of good comfort. Rise. I call thee.

Casting away his garment, he rose up and went to Jesus. He said to the man, What shall I do for thee? The blind man said, Lord, that I might receive my sight. Jesus said to him, Go thy way. Thy faith has made thee whole. Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus.

11 They came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany. At the mount of Olives, He beckoned to two of His disciples and said, Go into the village opposite here. As soon as ye enter it, ye shall find tied a colt that has never been sat upon. Loose him and bring him here. If a man asks why ye do this, say that the Lord has need of him; and immediately he will send him.

They went to the village and found the colt tied outside the door in a place where two ways met. As they untied him, a man said to them, What are ye doing, loosing the colt? They said to him what Jesus commanded and he let them go.

They brought the colt, cast their garments on him, and Jesus sat upon him. Many people spread their garments in the way. Others cut branches off the trees, and strewed them in the way. Those who went before, and those that followed, cried, Hosanna. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Jesus came into Jerusalem and went to the temple. When He had looked around and upon all things, it drew on to the evening. He went out to Bethany with the twelve. The next morning, coming back from Bethany, Jesus was hungry. From a distance, He spotted a fig tree that might offer something to eat. When He got to it, He found nothing but leaves for it was not yet the time for figs. Jesus said to it, No man shall eat the fruit of thee ever again. The disciples heard this.

They came to Jerusalem and Jesus went into the temple. He cast out those who sold and bought in the temple. He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves. He would not allow any man to carry any vessel through the temple. Jesus said to them all, It is written: My house shall be called, by all nations, the house of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The scribes and chief priests heard this and considered how they might destroy Him. They feared Him because all the people were astonished at His doctrine. When evening came, He went out of the city. The following morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. Peter called to Jesus, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursed. It is withered away. Jesus answered, Have faith in God. Whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says.

Whatever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have anything against anyone, so that your Father which is in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. If ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

In Jerusalem, as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. They questioned Him and said, By what authority do thou do these things? Who gave thee this authority to do these things?

Jesus answered, I will also ask you a question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or of men? They discussed this among themselves and said, If we say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we must face the people who considered John a prophet. Finally, they answered and said to Jesus, We cannot tell. Jesus then said, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

12 He began to speak to them by parables. A man planted a vineyard. He set a hedge around it. He dug a place for the winevat and built a tower. The man let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country. At the end of the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen to collect the fruit of the vineyard.

The husbandmen caught and beat up the servant. They sent him away empty. The man sent another servant. They cast stones and wounded this servant in the head. They shamefully handled him and sent him away. The man sent another and they killed him as well as many others; beating some, and killing some. Finally, the man sent his only son whom he loved very much. He reasoned, They will respect my son. But the husbandmen said, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours. They took the son, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What, then, shall the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen and let out the vineyard to others.

Have ye not read this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone of the whole foundation. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

The chief priests and elders sought to lay hold of Jesus, but they feared the people. They knew that He had spoken this parable about them. When they left, they sent certain of the Pharisees and Herodians to try to catch Jesus in His words. They asked, Master, we know that thou art true, and regard not the person of men, but teach the way of God. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?

Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, answered, Why test me? Whose image and superscription is on a coin? They said, Caesar's. Jesus replied, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. They marvelled at Him.

Then came the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection. They asked, Master, Moses wrote to us, If a man's brother dies and leaves his wife behind him, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up seed to his brother. Now there were seven brethren. The first took a wife and, dying, left no seed. The second took her and, dying, left no seed. The third brother likewise and this through all seven brothers. The seven had her, and left no seed. Last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection. when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be since all the seven had her as wife.

Jesus answered, Ye err because ye know not the scriptures or the power of God. When they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage. They are as the angels who are in heaven. And, as touching on the dead and that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him in the bush and said, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Ye, therefore, do greatly err.