Matthew 3:1
The Ministry of John the Baptist
3:1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming,
Matthew 17:1--19:30
The Transfiguration
17:1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain.
17:2 And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
17:3 Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him.
17:4 So Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!”
17:6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.
17:7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.”
17:8 When they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.
17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
17:10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?”
17:11 He answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things.
17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
The Disciples’ Failure to Heal
17:14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,
17:15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water.
17:16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him.”
17:17 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.”
17:18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment.
17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?”
17:20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.”
17:21 [[EMPTY]]
Second Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
17:22 When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.
17:23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.
The Temple Tax
17:24 After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?”
17:25 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes – from their sons or from foreigners?”
17:26 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
17:27 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
Questions About the Greatest
18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
18:2 He called a child, had him stand among them,
18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
18:5 And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.
18:6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea.
18:7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.
18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
18:10 “See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
18:11 [[EMPTY]]
18:12 What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray?
18:13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
18:14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.
Restoring Christian Relationships
18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.
18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.
18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
18:18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.
18:20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
18:21 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?”
18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.
18:24 As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him.
18:25 Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.
18:26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’
18:27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt.
18:28 After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
18:29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’
18:30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt.
18:31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place.
18:32 Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me!
18:33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’
18:34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed.
18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Questions About Divorce
19:1 Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River.
19:2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
19:3 Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?”
19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female,
19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
19:6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
19:7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?”
19:8 Jesus said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way.
19:9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”
19:10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!”
19:11 He said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given.
19:12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, and some who were made eunuchs by others, and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
Jesus and Little Children
19:13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them.
19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
19:15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way.
The Rich Young Man
19:16 Now someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?”
19:17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
19:18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
19:19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?”
19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.
19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!
19:24 Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”
19:25 The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?”
19:26 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.”
19:27 Then Peter said to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
19:28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth: In the age when all things are renewed, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
19:29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.