10 "Be careful not to despise these little ones. I can guarantee that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father, who is in heaven.a The Lost Sheep-Luke 15:1-7 12 "What do you think? Suppose a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays. Won't he leave the 99 sheep in the hills to look for the one that has strayed? 13 I can guarantee this truth: If he finds it, he is happier about it than about the 99 that have not strayed. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost.

Dealing with Believers When They Do Wrong 15 "If a believer does something wrong,b go, confront him when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back that believer. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you so that every accusation may be verified by two or three witnesses. 17 If he ignores these witnesses, tell it to the community of believers. If he also ignores the community, deal with him as you would a heathen or a tax collector. 18 I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.

19 "I can guarantee again that if two of you agree on anything here on earth, my Father in heaven will accept it. 20 Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them."

Personally Forgiving Others 21 Then Peter came to Yeshua and asked him, "Lord, how often do I have to forgive a believer who wrongs me? Seven times?"

22 Yeshua answered him, "I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven.

23 "That is why the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to do this, a servant who owed him millions of dollars was brought to him. 25 Because he could not pay off the debt, the master ordered him, his wife, his children, and all that he had to be sold to pay off the account. 26 Then the servant fell at his master's feet and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will repay everything!'

27 "The master felt sorry for his servant, freed him, and canceled his debt. 28 But when that servant went away, he found a servant who owed him hundreds of dollars. He grabbed the servant he found and began to choke him. 'Pay what you owe!' he said.

29 "Then that other servant fell at his feet and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will repay you.' 30 But he refused. Instead, he turned away and had that servant put into prison until he would repay what he owed.

31 "The other servants who worked with him saw what had happened and felt very sad. They told their master the whole story.

32 "Then his master sent for him and said to him, 'You evil servant! I canceled your entire debt, because you begged me. 33 Shouldn't you have treated the other servant as mercifully as I treated you?'

34 "His master was so angry that he handed him over to the torturers until he would repay everything that he owed. 35 That is what my Father in heaven will do to you if each of you does not sincerely forgive other believers."

A Discussion about Divorce and Celibacy-Mark 10:1-12 19 1 When Yeshua finished speaking, he left Galilee and traveled along the other side of the Jordan River to the territory of Judea. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3 Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, "Can a man divorce his wife for any reason?"

4 Yeshua answered, "Haven't you read that the Creator made them male and female in the beginning 5 and that he said, 'That's why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, and the two will be one'? 6 So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, don't let anyone separate what God has joined together."

7 The Pharisees asked him, "Why, then, did Moses order a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her?"

8 Yeshua answered them, "Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you're heartless. It was never this way in the beginning. 9 I can guarantee that whoever divorces his wife for any reason other than her unfaithfulness is committing adultery if he marries another woman."

10 The disciples said to him, "If that is the only reason a man can use to divorce his wife, it's better not to get married."

11 He answered them, "Not everyone can do what you suggest. Only those who have that gift can. 12 For example, some men are celibate because they were born that way. Others are celibate because they were castrated. Still others have decided to be celibate because of the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can do what you've suggested, then he should do it."

Jesus Blesses Children-Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17 13 Then some people brought little children to Yeshua to have him bless them and pray for them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.

14 Yeshua said, "Don't stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of the kingdom of God." 15 After Yeshua blessed them, he went away from there.

Eternal Life in the Kingdom-Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 16 Then a man came to Yeshua and said, "Teacher, what good deed should I do to gain eternal life?"

17 Yeshua said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, obey the commandments."

18 "Which commandments?" the man asked.

Yeshua said, "Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as you love yourself."

20 The young man replied, "I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do?"

21 Yeshua said to him, "If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!"

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he owned a lot of property.

23 Yeshua said to his disciples, "I can guarantee this truth: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 I can guarantee again that 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."

25 He amazed his disciples more than ever when they heard this. "Then who can be saved?" they asked.

26 Yeshua looked at them and said, "It is impossible for people to save themselves, but everything is possible for God."

27 Then Peter replied to him, "Look, we've given up everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?"

28 Yeshua said to them, "I can guarantee this truth: When the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the world to come, you, my followers, will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who gave up homes, brothers or sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 However, many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

A Story about Vineyard Workers 20 1 "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day's wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard. 3 About 9 a.m. he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. 4 He said to them, 'Work in my vineyard, and I'll give you whatever is right.' So they went.

5 "He went out again about noon and 3 p.m. and did the same thing. 6 About 5 p.m. he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, 'Why are you standing here all day long without work?'

7 "'No one has hired us,' they answered him.

"He said to them, 'Work in my vineyard.'

8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told the supervisor, 'Call the workers, and give them their wages. Start with the last, and end with the first.'

9 "Those who started working about 5 p.m. came, and each received a day's wages. 10 When those who had been hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them received a day's wages. 11 Although they took it, they began to protest to the owner. 12 They said, 'These last workers have worked only one hour. Yet, you've treated us all the same, even though we worked hard all day under a blazing sun.'

13 "The owner said to one of them, 'Friend, I'm not treating you unfairly. Didn't you agree with me on a day's wages? 14 Take your money and go! I want to give this last worker as much as I gave you. 15 Can't I do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity towards others?'

16 "In this way the last will be first, and the first will be last."

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life-Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34 17 When Yeshua was on his way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve apostles aside and said to them privately, 18 "We're going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in Moses' Teachings. They will condemn him to death 19 and hand him over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him. But on the third day he will be brought back to life."

A Mother Makes a Request-Mark 10:35-45 20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Yeshua with her two sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor.

21 "What do you want?" he asked her.

She said to him, "Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

22 Yeshua replied, "You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink the cup that I'm going to drink?"

"We can," they told him.

23 Yeshua said to them, "You will drink my cup. But I don't have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. My Father has already prepared these positions for certain people."

24 When the other ten apostles heard about this, they were irritated with the two brothers. 25 Yeshua called the apostles and said, "You know that the rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. 26 But that's not the way it's going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. 27 Whoever wants to be most important among you will be your slave. 28 It's the same way with the Son of Man. He didn't come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people."

Jesus Gives Two Blind Men Their Sight-Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Yeshua. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Yeshua was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

31 The crowd told them to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

32 Yeshua stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

33 They told him, "Lord, we want you to give us our eyesight back."

34 Yeshua felt sorry for them, so he touched their eyes. Their sight was restored at once, and they followed him.

The King Comes to Jerusalem-Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19 21 1 When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two disciples ahead of him. 2 He said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you. You will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them. That person will send them at once."

4 This happened so that what the prophet had said came true: 5 "Tell the people of Zion, 'Your king is coming to you.

He's gentle, riding on a donkey, on a colt, a young pack animal.'"

6 The disciples did as Yeshua had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them for Yeshua to sit on. 8 Most of the people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowd that went ahead of him and that followed him was shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

10 When Yeshua came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, "Who is this?"

11 The crowd answered, "This is the prophet Yeshua from Nazareth in Galilee."

Jesus Throws Out the Moneychangers-Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48 12 Yeshua went into the temple courtyard and threw out everyone who was buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers' tables and the chairs of those who sold pigeons. 13 He told them, "Scripture says, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you're turning it into a gathering place for thieves!"

14 Blind and lame people came to him in the temple courtyard, and he healed them.

15 When the chief priests and the experts in Moses' Teachings saw the amazing miracles he performed and the children shouting in the temple courtyard, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were irritated. 16 They said to him, "Do you hear what these children are saying?"

Yeshua replied, "Yes, I do. Have you never read, 'From the mouths of little children and infants, you have created praise'?"

17 He left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree-Mark 11:12-14, 20-25 18 In the morning, as Yeshua returned to the city, he became hungry. 19 When he saw a fig tree by the road, he went up to the tree and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, "May fruit never grow on you again!" At once the fig tree dried up.

20 The disciples were surprised to see this. They asked, "How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?"

21 Yeshua answered them, "I can guarantee this truth: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, 'Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. 22 Have faith that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Jesus' Authority Challenged-Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8 23 Then Yeshua went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, "What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?"

24 Yeshua answered them, "I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I'll tell you why I have the right to do these things. 25 Did John's right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?"

They discussed this among themselves. They said, "If we say, 'from heaven,' he will ask us, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'from humans,' we're afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet." 27 So they answered Yeshua, "We don't know."

Yeshua told them, "Then I won't tell you why I have the right to do these things.

A Story about Two Sons 28 "What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go to work in the vineyard today.'

29 "His son replied, 'I don't want to!' But later he changed his mind and went.

30 "The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, 'I will, sir,' but he didn't go.

31 "Which of the two sons did what the father wanted?"

"The first," they answered.

Yeshua said to them, "I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 John came to you and showed you the way that God wants you to live, but you didn't believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn't change your minds and believe him.

A Story about a Vineyard-Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19 33 "Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.

34 "When the grapes were getting ripe, he sent his servants to the workers to collect his share of the produce. 35 The workers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third to death. 36 So the landowner sent more servants. But the workers treated them the same way.

37 "Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, 'They will respect my son.'

38 "When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Let's kill him and get his inheritance.' 39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 "Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those workers?"

41 They answered, "He will destroy those evil people. Then he will lease the vineyard to other workers who will give him his share of the produce when it is ready."

42 Yeshua asked them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

The Lord is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see'?

43 That is why I can guarantee that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what God wants. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken. If the stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person."a 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they knew that he was talking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.

A Story about a Wedding Reception 22 1 Again Yeshua used stories as illustrations when he spoke to them. He said, 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who planned a wedding for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the wedding, but they refused to come. 4 He sent other servants to tell the people who had been invited, 'I've prepared dinner. My bulls and fattened calves have been butchered. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding!'

5 "But they paid no attention and went away. Some went to work in their own fields, and others went to their businesses. 6 The rest grabbed the king's servants, mistreated them, and then killed them.

7 "The king became angry. He sent his soldiers, killed those murderers, and burned their city.

8 "Then the king said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited don't deserve the honor. 9 Go where the roads leave the city. Invite everyone you find to the wedding.' 10 The servants went into the streets and brought in all the good people and all the evil people they found. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 "When the king came to see the guests, he saw a person who was not dressed in the wedding clothes provided for the guests. 12 He said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without proper wedding clothes?'

"The man had nothing to say. 13 Then the king told his servants, 'Tie his hands and feet, and throw him outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.'

14 "Therefore, many are invited, but few of those are chosen to stay."

A Question about Taxes-Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26 15 Then the Pharisees went away and planned to trap Yeshua into saying the wrong thing. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with Herod's followers. They said to him, "Teacher, we know that you tell the truth and that you teach the truth about the way of God. You don't favor individuals because of who they are. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not?"

18 Yeshua recognized their evil plan, so he asked, "Why do you test me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me a coin used to pay taxes."

They brought him a coin. 20 He said to them, "Whose face and name is this?"

21 They replied, "The emperor's."

Then he said to them, "Very well, give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God."