Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It<n id="1" /> is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now<n id="1" /> one Sabbath when Jesus went to dine<n id="2" /> at the house of a leader<n id="3" /> of the Pharisees,<n id="4" /> they were watching<n id="5" /> him closely.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jesus<n id="1" /> said to his disciples, &#8220;Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe<n id="2" /> to the one through whom they come!

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,<n id="1" /> and I will raise him up at the last day.

So Jesus added,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

So the Jewish leaders<n id="1" /> began to say,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, &#8216;Where I am going you cannot come.&#8217;&#8221;

<p class="otpoetry"><b><i>The sun will be changed to darknessi>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>and the moon to bloodi>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>before the great and gloriousi>b><n id="1" /> <i><b>day of the Lord comesb>.i>p>

Philip, however, found himself<n id="1" /> at Azotus,<n id="2" /> and as he passed through the area,<n id="3" /> he proclaimed the good news<n id="4" /> to all the towns<n id="5" /> until he came to Caesarea.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">While<n id="1" /> Apollos was in Corinth,<n id="2" /> Paul went through the inland<n id="3" /> regions<n id="4" /> and came to Ephesus.<n id="5" /> He<n id="6" /> found some disciples there<n id="7" />

and I always ask<n id="1" /> in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God.<n id="2" />

But now there is nothing more to keep me<n id="1" /> in these regions, and I have for many years desired<n id="2" /> to come to you

Until<n id="1" /> certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this<n id="2" /> and separated himself<n id="3" /> because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision.<n id="4" />

It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree,<n id="1" /> so that the wild birds<n id="2" /> come and nest in its branches.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

Then Jesus said to his disciples, &#8220;If anyone wants to become my follower,<n id="1" /> he must deny<n id="2" /> himself, take up his cross,<n id="3" /> and follow me.

But Jesus said, &#8220;Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> Jesus<n id="2" /> called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, &#8220;If anyone wants to become my follower,<n id="3" /> he must deny<n id="4" /> himself, take up his cross,<n id="5" /> and follow me.

What did he mean by saying,<n id="1" /> &#8216;You will look for me<n id="2" /> but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come&#8217;?&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Jesus<n id="1" /> said to them again,<n id="2" /> &#8220;I am going away, and you will look for me<n id="3" /> but will die in your sin.<n id="4" /> Where I am going you cannot come.&#8221;

Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me,<n id="1" /> and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders,<n id="2" /> &#8216;Where I am going you cannot come,&#8217;<n id="3" /> now I tell you the same.<n id="4" />p>

I do not want you to be unaware,<n id="1" /> brothers and sisters,<n id="2" /> that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.<n id="3" />