18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
2 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men.
3 And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,
5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.
7 Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help?
8 I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
9 To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’
13 But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.
16 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
18 Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”
21 “All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.
22 On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
23 But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.
24 Seeing the man’s sadness, Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
28 “Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had to follow You.”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
30 will fail to receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.”
31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.
33 They will flog Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”
34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.
35 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.
36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.
38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and directed that the man be brought to Him. When he had been brought near, Jesus asked him,
41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
“
Lord,”
he said, “
let me see again.”
42 “Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.”
43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this gave praise to God.
19:1 Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy.
3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.
5 When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6 So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully.
7 And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
11 While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently.
12 So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return.
13 Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.
14 But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’
15 When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned.
16 The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’
17 His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
18 The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’
19 And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’
20 Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth.
21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
22 His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
23 Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’
24 Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 ‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
27 And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”
28 After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples,
30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them.
33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 “The Lord needs it,” they answered.
35 Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it.
36 As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
41 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it
42 and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.
43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.
44 They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
45 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there.
46 He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
47 Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.
48 Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
