Warnings and Encouragements

12:2–9pp—Mt 10:26–33

12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Bea on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.y 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.z 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

4 “I tell you, my friends,a do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.b 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.c Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.d

8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.e 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disownedf before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Mang will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.h

11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,i 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”j

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”k

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!l This very night your life will be demanded from you.m Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’n

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”o

Do Not Worry

12:22–31pp—Mt 6:25–33

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.p And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your lifeb? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendorq was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!r 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Fathers knows that you need them.t 31 But seek his kingdom,u and these things will be given to you as well.v

32 “Do not be afraid,w little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.x 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor.y Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heavenz that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.a 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.b

Watchfulness

12:35,36pp—Mt 25:1–13; Mk 13:33–37
12:39,40; 42–46pp—Mt 24:43–51

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.c Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.d 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thiefe was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready,f because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

42 The Lordg answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.h He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.i 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.j From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Not Peace but Division

12:51–53pp—Mt 10:34–36

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptismk to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!l 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”m

Interpreting the Times

54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.n 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?o

57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.p 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”q

Repent or Perish

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilater had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?s 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloamt fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent,u you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.v 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!w Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,x 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.y She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her,z and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,a the synagogue leaderb said to the people, “There are six days for work.c So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?d 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham,e whom Satanf has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated,g but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

13:18,19pp—Mk 4:30–32
13:18–21pp—Mt 13:31–33

18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of Godh like?i What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree,j and the birds perched in its branches.”k

20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty poundsa of flour until it worked all through the dough.”l

The Narrow Door

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.m 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door,n because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’o

26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’p

28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth,q when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and westr and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”s

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

13:34,35pp—Mt 23:37–39
13:34,35Ref—Lk 19:41

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herodt wants to kill you.”

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’u 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophetv can die outside Jerusalem!

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,w and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate.x I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’b”y

Jesus at a Pharisee’s House

14:8–10Ref—Pr 25:6,7

14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,z he was being carefully watched.a 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,b “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”c 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a childa or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”d 6 And they had nothing to say.

7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,e he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”f

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,g 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”h

The Parable of the Great Banquet

14:16–24Ref—Mt 22:2–14

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feasti in the kingdom of God.”j

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’k

22 “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ”l

The Cost of Being a Disciple

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.m 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.n

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.o

34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?p 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.q

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”r