And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It's better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

But Jesus told them, "It was because of your hardness of heart that he wrote this command for you.

Some people were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

You know the commandments: "Never murder.' "Never commit adultery.' "Never steal.' "Never give false testimony.' "Never cheat.' "Honor your father and mother.'"

Then Jesus looked around and told his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were startled by these words, but Jesus told them again, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their wealth to get into the kingdom of God!

The disciples were utterly amazed and asked one another, "Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "For humans it's impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."

Jesus said, "I tell all of you with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the gospel

But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Now Jesus and his disciples had been on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking ahead of them. They were astonished, and the others who followed were afraid.

They asked him, "Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left."

But Jesus told them, "You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink from the cup that I'm going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I'm going to be baptized?"

Jesus told them, "You will drink from the cup that I'm going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I'm going to be baptized. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others."

Jesus called his disciples and told them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them.

That's not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road.

Jesus told him, "Go. Your faith has made you well." At once the man could see again, and he began to follow Jesus down the road.

If anyone asks you, "Why are you doing this?,' say, "The Lord needs it,' and he will send it back here at once."

So they went and found the colt outside in the street tied up next to a doorway. While they were untying it,

some men standing there asked them, "What are you doing untying that colt?"

Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, "Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

How blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus became hungry.

So he told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" Now his disciples were listening to this.

When they came to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling and those who were buying in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers' tables and the chairs of those who sold doves.

When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

While they were walking along early the next morning, they saw the fig tree dried up to its roots.

"Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.

But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins."

and asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority to do them?"

Was John's authority to baptize from heaven or from humans? Answer me."

But if we say, "From humans'"?" They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone really thought John was a prophet.

This was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?"

They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.

They came and told him, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don't favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn't we?"

Seeing through their hypocrisy, Jesus replied to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."

So they brought one. Then he asked them, "Whose face and name are on this?" They told him, "Caesar's."

So Jesus told them, "Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were utterly amazed at him.

There were seven brothers. The first one married and died without having children.

Jesus answered them, "Aren't you mistaken because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power?

When people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"

Jesus answered, "The most important is, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord,

and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

The second is this: "You must love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices."

When Jesus saw how wisely the man answered, he told him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one dared to ask him another question.

David himself said by the Holy Spirit, "The Lord told my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet."'

As Jesus sat facing the offering box, he watched how the crowd was dropping their money into it. Many rich people were dropping in large amounts.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him privately,

because nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These things are only the beginning of the birth pains."

"As for yourselves, be on your guard! People will hand you over to local councils, and you will be beaten in their synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings to testify to them because of me.

"So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

"How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days!

"At that time, if anyone says to you, "Look! Here is the Messiah!', or, "Look! There he is!' don't believe it,

So be on your guard! I've told you everything before it happens."

"No one knows when that day or hour will come not the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father.

So keep on watching, because you don't know when the master of the house is coming whether in the evening, at three o'clock in the morning, or at dawn.

Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death,

Irritated, some who were there asked one another, "Why was the perfume wasted like this?

But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me,

After they had listened to him, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he began to look for a good opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?"

When he goes into a house, say to its owner that the Teacher asks, "Where is my room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'

While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell all of you with certainty, one of you is going to betray me, one who is eating with me."

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to them, saying, "Take some. This is my body."

Going on a little farther, he fell to the ground and kept praying that if it were possible the hour might pass from him.

He kept repeating, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want."

When he went back, he found his disciples asleep. "Simon, are you asleep?" he asked Peter. "You couldn't stay awake for one hour, could you?

He came back a third time. "Are you still sleeping and resting?" he asked. "Enough of that! The time has come. Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Just then, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. A crowd armed with swords and clubs was with him. They were from the high priests, the scribes, and the elders.

But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear.

Jesus asked them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a bandit?

Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council were looking for some testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death, but they couldn't find any.

Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Don't you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?"

But he kept silent and didn't answer at all. The high priest asked him again, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?"

"You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?" All of them condemned him as deserving death.

When she saw Peter warming himself, she glared at him and said, "You, too, were with Jesus from Nazareth."

But he denied it, saying, "I don't know or even understand what you're talking about!" Then he went out into the entryway. Just then a rooster crowed.

The servant girl saw him and again told those who were standing around, "This man is one of them!"

Again he denied it. After a little while, the people who were standing there began to say to Peter again, "Obviously you're one of them, because you are a Galilean!"

Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "You say so."

Those who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days

In the same way, the high priests, along with the scribes, were also making fun of him among themselves. They kept saying, "He saved others, but can't save himself!

Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, since seeing is believing!" Even the men who were crucified with him kept insulting him.

Now there were women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of young James and Joseph, and Salome.

They used to accompany him and care for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with him were there, too.

Now Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph observed where the body had been laid.

Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just come up, they were going to the tomb.

As they went into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were utterly astonished.

But he told them, "Stop being astonished! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid him.

So they left the tomb and ran away, overwhelmed by shock and astonishment. They didn't say a thing to anyone, because they were afraid.

She went and told those who had been with Jesus and who now were grieving and crying.

After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to two disciples as they were walking into the country.

Finally he appeared to his eleven disciples while they were eating. He rebuked them for their unbelief and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had risen.

These are the signs that will accompany those who believe: In my name they'll drive out demons, they'll speak in new languages,