SFJ Bible Reading Plan

Matthew 23

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,¹ and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi² by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.³ 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.⁴ 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell⁵ as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah,⁶ whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Footnotes

[1] 23:4 Some manuscripts omit hard to bear

[2] 23:7 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8

[3] 23:8 Or brothers and sisters

[4] 23:13 Some manuscripts add here (or after verse 12) verse 14: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation

[5] 23:15 Greek Gehenna; also verse 33

[6] 23:35 Some manuscripts omit the son of Barachiah

(ESV)

Matthew 22

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22:1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants¹ to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.² 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.³ 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44   “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
  “Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Footnotes

[1] 22:3 Or bondservants; also verses 4, 6, 8, 10

[2] 22:16 Greek for you do not look at people’s faces

[3] 22:19 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

(ESV)

Going Deeper

The Rich Young Man (4-11-15)

Grab your Bible and let’s go deeper into Matthew 19.

Read Matthew 19:16-26:

Matthew 19:16-17  “And behold, a man came up to him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.’”

Jesus (knowing the man’s heart and hang ups) is already trying to correct the man’s over belief that “man” can be and is good.

In other words, he is wanting the man to rethink his idea of what is good since there is no one who is ultimately good or righteous other than God as Romans 3:10 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”

This brings us to the root of our problem… our sin!

Every man… has sinned!  Our sin… fully and rightly separates us from a holy God.

Our pursuit of Self Salvation

Matthew 19:17b-20  “’If you would enter life, keep the commandments.’ 18 He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 20 The young man said to him, ‘All these I have kept. What do I still lack?’”

Jesus directs him to consider the 10 commandments.  The man is excited because this is an area he feels he has nailed.

Jesus being an all-knowing God, knows that this man feels he has earned eternal life because he has kept the laws well and is simply asking his teacher, “Did I get a passing grade on my test?”

Now, this is Religion 101. If there was a banner or phrase that described what religion is, it’s this.

“I obey therefore I am accepted.”

This is the mantra of a religion. “I do these things and because I do these things, God will accept me, God will forgive me, God will be nice to me, and God will bless me.”

In our sin, man has pridefully and self righteously tried to live their lives with the goal of achieving a certain identity, life of significance, level of security, purpose, and joy.

When we try to achieve these things on our own, it is called SELF SALVATION.

Life becomes about our achievement.  We think, “ I have to be more, do more, and prove myself.”

Our sin tells us that we must achieve, on some level, to find a sense of identity, significance, purpose, or joy- job, friends, love, family being proud of you, family, house, car, bank account, recognition/awards.

             It becomes, “Can I achieve to the point of self salvation?”

HEAR THIS:  As long as you live in achieve mode you will live as a slave!

But there is good news…..

Instead of slaving away at trying to achieve, you can receive!   Receive what?

RECEIVE the gospel, which brings us to a different way of salvation.

You need to turn Godward and receive the life of Christ who stands in your place to achieve all that is needed to be restored to the living God and who ultimately is your identity, personal significance, sense of security, and purpose for living.  You need to find in him your happiness and joy.

You need to understand that Jesus came and achieved what you and I could not.  He took upon himself our deserved wrath and died in our place so that we no longer have to achieve, but could be free to RECEIVE his life in our place.

IN Christ we RECEIVE an identity with God that we could never gain nor can we ever lose!

In achieve mode you can constantly search for self salvation but will never find it.  All it will equal is eternal death.   All your trophies,  recognition, bank accounts, toys will be swallowed up and lost forever.

OR

In receive mode we can have Christ’s salvation and truly receive from him all that we truly long for.

Let me be really clear- receiving Jesus is not coming to church long enough so that you are okay or obeying the laws of God well enough to get your life straight or rectifying the wrongs from your PAST.

All of that would just be more achieving by which you would claim some of the worship and glory.

That’s religion.

The gospel is all together different because Christ achieved what we could not.

He makes us a forever part of the church.  He empowers us to straighten our life to honor him. He rectifies the wrongs of our past on the cross.

Now,  there is another way our sin causes us to deny the gracious gift of the gospel.

Back to our text in

…

Our Idolatry- Love for counterfeit gods

Matthew 19: 21-22  “Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

Riches in this world are not necessarily the blessing many attribute them to be.  Instead they often and quickly become a curse.  Why?  Because anything that the heart makes ultimate is a betrayal to the one who IS ultimate and is a disease that leaves the heart never satisfied as only God can satisfy.

The building blocks that erect our temporary kingdoms on earth are the very weights that keep the heart from embracing the eternal kingdom of God.

The rich young man thinks he has kept the commandments, but the commandments he has kept are only regarding other people.  What he is omitting is the commandments regarding God directly.    Like the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.”  Exodus 20:3

This commandment basically says, “Do not make anything more necessary or fundamental or valuable than me.”

In our sin, we do this all the time.  We lift up idols in our hearts and make them more necessary or fundamental or valuable than God.

A way we like to define an IDOL is: something within creation that is inflated to function as God. 

 –Richard Keyes says,  ”All sorts of things are potential idols,

An idol can be a physical object, a property, a person, an activity, a role, an institution, a hope,

an image, an idea, a pleasure, a hero – anything that can try to substitute for God.”

Another way to define Idolatry is: taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing.

Idolatry happens when you and I try to find our identity, personal significance, sense of security, purpose for living, happiness and joy in these things, people or status… INSTEAD OF IN GOD!

The rich young man’s two big problems were:

1. He thought he could earn his way through obeying the laws in religious self- salvation.
2. As Jesus helps him see, his greatest affection, his idol was his money. He loved his money more than God. And he walked away from Christ that day because if having God meant giving up his greatest love for his money, he chose his money.

Do you see how enslaved to his idol he was?   We have to see we are just as enslaved to our idols.

The truth is, you become a slave to your idols and they begin to control you.

They become a functional counterfeit god in your life.  They become your master.

Herein lies the irony for all those who intentionally say no to God because they don’t want to be to controlled by God.

What they don’t realize is: they are inevitably controlled by the idol of their heart.

Now, every one of us thinks we can control it in the beginning, but it gains power and priority over you and, in the end, controls you.  So much so that you become a slave to your idol.

It looks like Jesus gives this guy a way to save himself- a work to complete. But this is not so.  He is revealing his IDOL.  He is showing him the reality found in  Matthew 6:24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Jesus is using the man’s love for money to reveal where his heart is, where his treasure really is, and who his God really is!   In the end, the man did what so many of us do. We want God’s kingdom for eternal security not because we want God.

The rich young man kept his possessions and his status in this world but in doing so, he never knew true life- life with God.    Instead of his riches being just the beginning, they are his end.

Our Idolatry at work

Matthew 19: 23-24  “And Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 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.’”

There are so many reasons that this is true.

Rich people have a lot of ways to distract themselves from the beauty of God’s grace.

When the wealthy feel lonely, when they feel afraid, they can easily go on a vacation or buy a new trinket.

And trinkets have an amazing amount of power, don’t they?

A new car, a new phone, a new television- they just make things better for a bit.

Here is what many of us must realize.  We are incredibly wealthy by the world’s standards and the opportunity to do this is very much at our doorstep all of the time.

Now watch this, I believe it is God’s mercy on us when he takes away our idols or when he turns our life upside down because in those moments, we are freed up to finally embrace him and to see through the cloud of lies that have told us for too long that all we need is our idol.   NO… all we need is Jesus.  Anything else you say that you need is a lie, a distraction, and an idol that owns you.

Now, the crowd who just saw this happen is beginning to freak out. Here’s why….

Because if this guy isn’t saved, then what does it even look like to be a believer?

Here’s this guy- he’s wealthy, powerful, he looks blessed by God in all of his dealings, he is morally upright, he teaches Saturday school at the synagogue and if he’s not in… then who gets to be in?

This needs to be our burning question in the room today too….

How is one free of their deadly grip on self salvation and idolatry?

How does one inherit the kingdom of God?   

How can this life not be our end or our best but instead be our beginning and the worst we will know forever?

Our Salvation

Matthew 19: 25-26  “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

The truth is:  it is impossible for man to set down their idols or for man to stop pursuing their self salvation.

Why?  Because in our sin, man is spiritually bankrupt.  Even worse, we are spiritually dead!

A DEAD MAN HAS NO ABILITY TO SAVE THEMSELVES- NO ABILITY TO UNSHACKLE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR SLAVERY TO THEIR IDOLS.

The good news is, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

We call this the act of regeneration – to be free from our slavish hold on sin and our idolatry.

God must free us.  If we are ever going to see the gospel as TRULY good news, we must have our hearts awakened.  We must be reborn.  The only one who can and does do this is God the Holy Spirit.

In God’s divine providence, he awakens hearts to life when he decides.  What this means is we are utterly dependent on God for this.

Now, we must understand that this is why the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is the greatest news we can ever know.  Because it is the NEWS that God has acted and provided a way for us to be redeemed.  If God is opening your heart to him, then you will not respond like the rich young ruler who denied God to keep his slavish love for his money.  You will be like the little children who run to be in God’s embrace and receive his ransom for your sin.

When God has opened your heart to him, you will respond with two actions- repentance and belief.

Repentance- a clear picture of the wickedness of your sin and a turn towards honoring God with your life or “taking up a new course in light of the gospel”.

Unlike the rich young ruler, you will give up everything to have God not because you have to, but because it is your joy to!

Matt 13:44  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Matt 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

These parables describe how someone is converted and brought into the kingdom of heaven.

A person discovers a treasure and is compelled by joy to sell all that he has in order to have this treasure.

The kingdom of heaven is the home of the King.

The longing to be there is not the longing for heavenly real estate, but for deep relationship with the King.

The treasure in the field is the fellowship of God in Christ.

I love how John Piper says this in his book, Desiring God….

“We must be deeply converted in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.

We are converted when Christ becomes for us a treasure chest of holy joy—

a crucified and risen Savior who pardons all our sins, provides all our righteousness, and becomes in His own fellowship our greatest pleasure.”

The second part of our conversion, in addition to repentance, is belief!

Saving faith or belief is trusting Jesus with your life!

It is the confidence that if you sell all you have and forsake all sinful pleasures, the hidden treasure of holy joy will satisfy your deepest desires.

Saving faith is the heartfelt conviction not only that Christ is reliable, but also that He is desirable.

It is the confidence that He will come through with His promises and that what He promises is more to be desired than all the world.

Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.”

So to review…  How does one inherit the kingdom of God?

1. Regeneration: regeneration is the work of God making our dead, sinful heart come to life. This work is impossible for man but possible for God!

2. Conversion: conversion is repentance (turning from sin and unbelief) and faith (trusting in Christ alone for salvation).

Please don’t miss what is meant by believe!

We are surrounded by unconverted people who think they do believe in Jesus.

Drunks on the street say they believe.

Unmarried couples sleeping together say they believe.

Elderly people who haven’t truly served God for forty years say they believe.

Belief about Jesus and a life-transforming belief in Jesus are two very different things.

All kinds of lukewarm, world-loving church attenders say they believe.

The world abounds with millions of unconverted people who say they believe in Jesus.

Let me ask a different way:  a way that relates to what Jesus asked the rich young ruler.

 “Do you receive Jesus as your treasure?”

Not just Savior (because everybody wants out of hell, but not to be with Jesus).

Not just Lord (because you might submit begrudgingly).

The key is: Do you treasure Him more than everything else?

Do you agree with Paul and can say, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

Although you may struggle with the practical application of this verse in your daily life, your salvation is real if God is your treasure and not your self salvation or idols of the heart.

Praise be to God that he makes this possible for us through the life, death and resurrection of his Son and by his saving grace.  May we hold loosely all that He has entrusted to us so that he remains our treasure in all things!

For His glory and by His grace,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC

National Chaplain

Matthew 21

The Triumphal Entry

21:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5   “Say to the daughter of Zion,
  ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt,¹ the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple² and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

  “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
    you have prepared praise’?”

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants³ to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

  “‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;⁴
  this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”⁵

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Footnotes

[1] 21:5 Or donkey, and on a colt

[2] 21:12 Some manuscripts add of God

[3] 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36

[4] 21:42 Greek the head of the corner

[5] 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44

(ESV)

Matthew 20

Laborers in the Vineyard

20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius¹ a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’² 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

A Mother’s Request

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,³ 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,⁴ 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,⁵ have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Footnotes

[1] 20:2 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

[2] 20:15 Or is your eye bad because I am good?

[3] 20:26 Greek diakonos

[4] 20:27 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)

[5] 20:30 Some manuscripts omit Lord

(ESV)