51 As the time drew near for him to ascend
to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
52 He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan
village to prepare for his arrival.
53 But the people of the village did not
welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem.
54 When James and John saw this, they said
to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up ?”
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
56 So they went on to another
village.
57 As they were walking along, someone said
to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live
in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his
head.”
59 He said to another person, “Come, follow
me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my
father.”
60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually
dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of
God.”
61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow
you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a
hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 10 NLT
1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other
disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned
to visit.
2 These were his instructions to them:
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in
charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.
3 Now go, and remember that I am sending
you out as lambs among wolves.
4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a
traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on
the road.
5“Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say,
‘May God’s peace be on this house.’
6 If those who live there are peaceful,
the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to
you.
7 Don’t move around from home to home.
Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to
accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes
you, eat whatever is set before you.
9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The
Kingdom of God is near you now.’
10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go
out into its streets and say,
11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from
our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the
Kingdom of God is near!’
12 I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be
better off than such a town on judgment day.
13 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and
Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and
Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing
themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their
remorse.
14 Yes, Tyre and Sidon will be better off
on judgment day than you.
15 And you people of Capernaum, will you be
honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. ”
16 Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone
who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is
rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”
17 When the seventy-two disciples returned,
they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your
name!”
18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall
from heaven like lightning!
19 Look, I have given you authority over
all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and
crush them. Nothing will injure you.
20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits
obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
21 At that same time Jesus was filled with
the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise
and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased
you to do it this way.
22 “My Father has entrusted everything to
me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the
Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then when they were alone, he turned to
the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have
seen.
24 I tell you, many prophets and kings
longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear
what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”
25 One day an expert in religious law stood
up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to
inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of
Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the
LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all
your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will
live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions,
so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish
man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by
bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead
beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when
he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed
him by.
32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked
at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along,
and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.
34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed
his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on
his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.
35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two
silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than
this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say
was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him
mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on
their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named
Martha welcomed him into her home.
39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s
feet, listening to what he taught.
40 But Martha was distracted by the big
dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem
unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her
to come and help me.”
41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear
Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!
42 There is only one thing worth being
concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from
her.”
Luke 11 NLT
1 Once Jesus was in a certain place
praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord,
teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should
pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive
those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ”
5 Then, teaching them more about prayer,
he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting
to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a
visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’
7 And suppose he calls out from his
bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and
I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’
8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do
it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and
give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and
you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on
knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be
opened.
11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a
fish, do you give them a snake instead?
12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give
them a scorpion? Of course not!
13 So if you sinful people know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
14 One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man
who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The
crowds were amazed,
15 but some of them said, “No wonder he can
cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”
16Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he
show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
17 He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any
kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will
fall apart.
18 You say I am empowered by Satan. But if
Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom
survive?
19 And if I am empowered by Satan, what
about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you
for what you have said.
20 But if I am casting out demons by the power
of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
21 For when a strong man like Satan is
fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—
22 until someone even stronger attacks and
overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his
belongings.
23 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me,
and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
24 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it
goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I
will return to the person I came from.’
25 So it returns and finds that its former
home is all swept and in order.
26 Then the spirit finds seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there.
And so that person is worse off than before.”
27 As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd
called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the
breasts that nursed you!”
28 Jesus replied, “But even more blessed
are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
29 As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he
said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But
the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.
30 What happened to him was a sign to the
people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be
a sign to these people that he was sent by God.
31 “The queen of Sheba will stand up
against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a
distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is
here—but you refuse to listen.
32 The people of Nineveh will also stand up
against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of
their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is
here—but you refuse to repent.
33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it
or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its
light can be seen by all who enter the house.
34“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for
your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But
when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness.
35 Make sure that the light you think you
have is not actually darkness.
36 If you are filled with light, with no
dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were
filling you with light.”
37 As Jesus was speaking, one of the
Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the
table.
38 His host was amazed to see that he sat
down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by
Jewish custom.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “You
Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but
inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness!
40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as
well as the outside?
41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to
the poor, and you will be clean all over.
42 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For
you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but
you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not
neglect the more important things.
43 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For
you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful
greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.
44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are
like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the
corruption they are stepping on.”
45 “Teacher,” said an expert in religious
law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”
46 “Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also
awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable
religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.
47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build
monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.
48 But in fact, you stand as witnesses who
agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in
their crime by building the monuments!
49 This is what God in his wisdom said
about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some
and persecute the others.’
50 “As a result, this generation will be
held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the
world—
51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of
Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will
certainly be charged against this generation.
52 “What sorrow awaits you experts in
religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t
enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of
religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with
many questions.
54 They wanted to trap him into saying
something they could use against him.
Luke
12 NLT
1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until
thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to
his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their
hypocrisy.
2 The time is coming when everything that
is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to
all.
3 Whatever you have said in the dark will
be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be
shouted from the housetops for all to hear!
4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those
who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that.
5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear
God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the
one to fear.
6 “What is the price of five sparrows—two
copper coins ? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.
7 And the very hairs on your head are all
numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock
of sparrows.
8 “I tell you the truth, everyone who
acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in
the presence of God’s angels.
9 But anyone who denies me here on earth
will be denied before God’s angels.
10 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man
can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven.
11 “And when you are brought to trial in
the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to
defend yourself or what to say,
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at
that time what needs to be said.”
13 Then someone called from the crowd,
“Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge
over you to decide such things as that?”
15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against
every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man
had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.
17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I
don’t have room for all my crops.’
18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my
barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat
and other goods.
19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My
friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat,
drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You
will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up
earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus
said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have
enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear.
23 For life is more than food, and your
body more than clothing.
24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or
harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more
valuable to him than any birds!
25 Can all your worries add a single moment
to your life?
26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little
thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow.
They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not
dressed as beautifully as they are.
28 And if God cares so wonderfully for
flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will
certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
29 “And don’t be concerned about what to
eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things.
30 These things dominate the thoughts of
unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.
31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and he will give you everything you need.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For
it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
33 “Sell your possessions and give to those
in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of
heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can
steal it and no moth can destroy it.
34 Wherever your treasure is, there the
desires of your heart will also be.
35 “Be dressed for service and keep your
lamps burning,
36 as though you were waiting for your
master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the
door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.
37 The servants who are ready and waiting
for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat
them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!
38 He may come in the middle of the night
or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are
ready.
39 “Understand this: If a homeowner knew
exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken
into.
40 You also must be ready all the time, for
the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration
just for us or for everyone?”
42 And the Lord replied, “A faithful,
sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of
managing his other household servants and feeding them.
43 If the master returns and finds that the
servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
44 I tell you the truth, the master will
put that servant in charge of all he owns.
45 But what if the servant thinks, ‘My
master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants,
partying, and getting drunk?
46 The master will return unannounced and
unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the
unfaithful.
47 “And a servant who knows what the master
wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be
severely punished.
48 But someone who does not know, and then
does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been
given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been
entrusted with much, even more will be required.
49 “I have come to set the world on fire,
and I wish it were already burning!
50 I have a terrible baptism of suffering
ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished.
51 Do you think I have come to bring peace
to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!
52 From now on families will be split
apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.
53 ‘Father will be divided against son and
son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and
mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against
mother-in-law.’ ”
54Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When
you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’
And you are right.
55When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today
will be a scorcher.’ And it is.
56You fools! You know how to interpret the
weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the
present times.
57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves
what is right?
58 When you are on the way to court with
your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your
accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer,
who will throw you into prison.
59 And if that happens, you won’t be free
again until you have paid the very last penny. ”
Luke
13 NLT
1 About this time Jesus was informed that
Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices
at the Temple.
2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse
sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they
suffered?
3 Not at all! And you will perish, too,
unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.
4 And what about the eighteen people who
died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in
Jerusalem?
5 No, and I tell you again that unless you
repent, you will perish, too.”
6 Then Jesus told this story: “A man
planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was
any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.
7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve
waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just
taking up space in the garden.’
8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it
one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and
plenty of fertilizer.
9 If we get figs next year, fine. If not,
then you can cut it down.’”
10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in
a synagogue,
11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by
an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to
stand up straight.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over
and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!”
13 Then he touched her, and instantly she
could stand straight. How she praised God!
14 But the leader in charge of the
synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There
are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those
days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites!
Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey
from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water?
16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham,
has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she
be released, even on the Sabbath?”
17 This shamed his enemies, but all the
people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.
18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of
God like? How can I illustrate it?
19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a
man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests
in its branches.”
20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom
of God like?
21 It is like the yeast a woman used in
making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of
flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
