Warnings and
Encouragements
1 Meanwhile, when a crowd
of many
thousands
had
gathered,
so that
they were
trampling
on one
another,
Jesus
began to
speak
first to
his
disciples,
saying:
“Be
on your
guard
against
the yeast
of the
Pharisees,
which is
hypocrisy.
2 There is
nothing
concealed
that will
not be
disclosed,
or hidden
that will
not be
made
known.
3 What
you have
said in
the dark
will be
heard in
the
daylight,
and what
you have
whispered
in the ear
in the
inner
rooms will
be
proclaimed
from the
roofs.
4 “I tell you, my friends,
do not be
afraid of
those who
kill the
body and
after that
can do no
more.
5 But
I will
show you
whom you
should
fear: Fear
him who,
after your
body has
been
killed,
has
authority
to throw
you into
hell. Yes,
I tell
you, fear
him.
6 Are
not five
sparrows
sold for
two
pennies?
Yet not
one of
them is
forgotten
by God.
7 Indeed,
the very
hairs of
your head
are all
numbered.
Don’t be
afraid;
you are
worth more
than many
sparrows.
8 “I tell you, whoever
publicly
acknowledges
me before
others,
the Son of
Man will
also
acknowledge
before the
angels of
God.
9 But
whoever
disowns me
before
others
will be
disowned
before the
angels of
God.
10 And
everyone
who speaks
a word
against
the Son of
Man will
be
forgiven,
but anyone
who
blasphemes
against
the Holy
Spirit
will not
be
forgiven.
11 “When you are brought
before
synagogues,
rulers and
authorities,
do not
worry
about how
you will
defend
yourselves
or what
you will
say,
12 for
the Holy
Spirit
will teach
you at
that time
what you
should
say.”
The Parable of the
Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd
said to
him,
“Teacher,
tell my
brother to
divide the
inheritance
with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man,
who
appointed
me a judge
or an
arbiter
between
you?”
15 Then he
said to
them,
“Watch
out! Be on
your guard
against
all kinds
of greed;
life does
not
consist in
an
abundance
of
possessions.”
16 And he told them this
parable:
“The
ground of
a certain
rich man
yielded an
abundant
harvest.
17 He
thought to
himself,
‘What
shall I
do? I have
no place
to store
my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is
what I’ll
do. I will
tear down
my barns
and build
bigger
ones, and
there I
will store
my surplus
grain.
19 And
I’ll say
to myself,
“You have
plenty of
grain laid
up for
many
years.
Take life
easy; eat,
drink and
be
merry.”’
20 “But God said to him,
‘You fool!
This very
night your
life will
be
demanded
from you.
Then who
will get
what you
have
prepared
for
yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be
with
whoever
stores up
things for
themselves
but is not
rich
toward
God.”
Do Not Worry
22 Then Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Therefore
I tell
you, do
not worry
about your
life, what
you will
eat; or
about your
body, what
you will
wear.
23 For
life is
more than
food, and
the body
more than
clothes.
24 Consider
the
ravens:
They do
not sow or
reap, they
have no
storeroom
or barn;
yet God
feeds
them. And
how much
more
valuable
you are
than
birds!
25 Who
of you by
worrying
can add a
single
hour to
your life?
26 Since
you cannot
do this
very
little
thing, why
do you
worry
about the
rest?
27 “Consider how the wild
flowers
grow. They
do not
labor or
spin. Yet
I tell
you, not
even
Solomon in
all his
splendor
was
dressed
like one
of these.
28 If that
is how God
clothes
the grass
of the
field,
which is
here
today, and
tomorrow
is thrown
into the
fire, how
much more
will he
clothe
you—you of
little
faith!
29 And
do not set
your heart
on what
you will
eat or
drink; do
not worry
about it.
30 For the pagan world
runs after
all such
things,
and your
Father
knows that
you need
them.
31 But
seek his
kingdom,
and these
things
will be
given to
you as
well.
32 “Do not be afraid,
little
flock, for
your
Father has
been
pleased to
give you
the
kingdom.
33 Sell
your
possessions
and give
to the
poor.
Provide
purses for
yourselves
that will
not wear
out, a
treasure
in heaven
that will
never
fail,
where no
thief
comes near
and no
moth
destroys.
34 For
where your
treasure
is, there
your heart
will be
also.
Watchfulness
35 “Be dressed ready for
service
and keep
your lamps
burning,
36 like
servants
waiting
for their
master to
return
from a
wedding
banquet,
so that
when he
comes and
knocks
they can
immediately
open the
door for
him.
37 It
will be
good for
those
servants
whose
master
finds them
watching
when he
comes.
Truly I
tell you,
he will
dress
himself to
serve,
will have
them
recline at
the table
and will
come and
wait on
them.
38 It
will be
good for
those
servants
whose
master
finds them
ready,
even if he
comes in
the middle
of the
night or
toward
daybreak.
39 But
understand
this: If
the owner
of the
house had
known at
what hour
the thief
was
coming, he
would not
have let
his house
be broken
into.
40 You
also must
be ready,
because
the Son of
Man will
come at an
hour when
you do not
expect
him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are
you
telling
this
parable to
us, or to
everyone?”
42 The Lord answered, “Who
then is
the
faithful
and wise
manager,
whom the
master
puts in
charge of
his
servants
to give
them their
food
allowance
at the
proper
time?
43 It
will be
good for
that
servant
whom the
master
finds
doing so
when he
returns.
44 Truly I
tell you,
he will
put him in
charge of
all his
possessions.
45 But
suppose
the
servant
says to
himself,
‘My master
is taking
a long
time in
coming,’
and he
then
begins to
beat the
other
servants,
both men
and women,
and to eat
and drink
and get
drunk.
46 The
master of
that
servant
will come
on a day
when he
does not
expect him
and at an
hour he is
not aware
of. He
will cut
him to
pieces and
assign him
a place
with the
unbelievers.
47 “The servant who knows
the
master’s
will and
does not
get ready
or does
not do
what the
master
wants will
be beaten
with many
blows.
48 But
the one
who does
not know
and does
things
deserving
punishment
will be
beaten
with few
blows.
From
everyone
who has
been given
much, much
will be
demanded;
and from
the one
who has
been
entrusted
with much,
much more
will be
asked.
Not Peace but
Division
49 “I have come to bring
fire on
the earth,
and how I
wish it
were
already
kindled!
50 But I
have a
baptism to
undergo,
and what
constraint
I am under
until it
is
completed!
51 Do you
think I
came to
bring
peace on
earth? No,
I tell
you, but
division.
52 From
now on
there will
be five in
one family
divided
against
each
other,
three
against
two and
two
against
three.
53 They
will be
divided,
father
against
son and
son
against
father,
mother
against
daughter
and
daughter
against
mother,
mother-in-law
against
daughter-in-law
and
daughter-in-law
against
mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the
Times
54 He said to the crowd:
“When you
see a
cloud
rising in
the west,
immediately
you say,
‘It’s
going to
rain,’ and
it does.
55 And
when the
south wind
blows, you
say, ‘It’s
going to
be hot,’
and it is.
56 Hypocrites!
You know
how to
interpret
the
appearance
of the
earth and
the sky.
How is it
that you
don’t know
how to
interpret
this
present
time?
58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”