Resurrection Morning

28 After the Sabbath, p as the first day of the week was dawning, * Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. q 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow. r 4 The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men.

5 But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. s 6 He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. t 7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples, u ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.” v

8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news. 9 Just then w Jesus met them and said, “Good morning!” They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. x 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.” y

The Soldiers Are Bribed to Lie

11 As they were on their way, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the * chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests z had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13 and told them, “Say this, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole Him while we were sleeping.’ 14 If this reaches the governor’s ears, a we will deal with b him and keep you out of trouble.” c 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day. d

The Great Commission

16 The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. e 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped, f but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. g 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples h of i all nations, j baptizing k them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, l I am with you always, m to the end of the age.” n

The Question of Divorce

19 When Jesus had finished this instruction, x He departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan. y 2 Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. z 3 Some * Pharisees approached Him to test Him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?” a

4 “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that He who created b them in the beginning made them male and female,” c d 5 and He also said:

“For this reason a man will leave

his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two will become one flesh? e f

6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

7 “Why then,” they asked Him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers g and to send her away?”

8 He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts. But it was not like that from the beginning. 9 And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” h i

10 His disciples j said to Him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry!”

11 But He told them, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those it has been given k to. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

Blessing the Children

13 Then children were brought to Him so He might put His hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them. l 14 Then Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.” m n 15 After putting His hands on them, He went on from there.

The Rich Young Ruler

16 Just then someone came up and asked Him, o “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” p

17 “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” q He said to him. “There is only One who is good. r If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” s

18 “Which ones?” he asked Him. Jesus answered:

Do not murder;

do not commit adultery;

do not steal;

do not bear false witness; t

19 honor your father and your mother;

and love your neighbor as yourself. u v

20 “I have kept all these,” w the young man told Him. “What do I still lack?”

21 “If you want to be perfect,” x Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, y and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22 When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

Possessions and the Kingdom

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “* I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! z 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” a

25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”

26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” b

27 Then Peter responded to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You. So what will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “I assure you: In the Messianic Age, c d when the * Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, e you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, f children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life. g 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. h

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. i 2 After agreeing with the workers on one * denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine in the morning, j he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and at three, k he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five l he went and found others standing around, m and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’

7 “ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“ ‘You also go to my vineyard,’ he told them. n 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, o starting with the last and ending with the first.’ p

9 “When those who were hired about five q came, they each received one denarius. 10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: 12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day …