Now great crowds were traveling with Him. So He turned and said to them:

Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him,

“Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with 10,000 to oppose the one who comes against him with 20,000?

All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him.

Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

He longed to eat his fill from the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any.

I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.

But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’

“‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

“‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.

“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’

“Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’

“‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.

“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him.

“‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—

“But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

“Which one of you having a slave tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?

Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’?

As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance

He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.

And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”

“Where, Lord?” they asked Him.

He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay to help them?

Some people were even bringing infants to Him so He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

A ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God.

When Jesus heard this, He told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

and after they flog Him, they will kill Him, and He will rise on the third day.”

“Jesus the Nazarene is passing by,” they told him.

Then those in front told him to keep quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him. When he drew near, He asked him,

“Receive your sight!” Jesus told him. “Your faith has healed you.”

Instantly he could see, and he began to follow Him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.”

So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully.

“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham.

“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us!’

“‘Well done, good slave!’ he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over 10 towns.’

“So he said to him, ‘You will be over five towns.’

“He told him, ‘I will judge you by what you have said, you evil slave! If you knew I was a tough man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow,

So he said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has 10 minas.’

“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has 10 minas.’

Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

Every day He was teaching in the temple complex. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were looking for a way to destroy Him,

and said to Him: “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Who is it who gave You this authority?”

They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’

At harvest time he sent a slave to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

He sent yet another slave, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

“But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so the inheritance will be ours!’

So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and if it falls on anyone, it will grind him to powder!”

Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on Him that very hour, because they knew He had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so they could catch Him in what He said, to hand Him over to the governor’s rule and authority.

They questioned Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You don’t show partiality, but teach truthfully the way of God.

They were not able to catch Him in what He said in public, and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up and questioned Him:

He is not God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to Him.”

And they no longer dared to ask Him anything.

David calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?”

“Teacher,” they asked Him, “so when will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”

Then all the people would come early in the morning to hear Him in the temple complex.

The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Him to death, because they were afraid of the people.

He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand Him over to them.

They were glad and agreed to give him silver.

So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them when the crowd was not present.

“Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked Him.

“Listen,” He said to them, “when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters.

When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.

“Lord,” he told Him, “I’m ready to go with You both to prison and to death!”

He went out and made His way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.

[Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.

While He was still speaking, suddenly a mob was there, and one of the Twelve named Judas was leading them. He came near Jesus to kiss Him,

but Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?”

But Jesus responded, “No more of this!” And touching his ear, He healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple police, and the elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal?

They seized Him, led Him away, and brought Him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter was following at a distance.

When a servant saw him sitting in the firelight, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with Him too.”

But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know Him!”

After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too!”

“Man, I am not!” Peter said.

About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with Him, since he’s also a Galilean.”

Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”

The men who were holding Jesus started mocking and beating Him.

After blindfolding Him, they kept asking, “Prophesy! Who hit You?”

And they were saying many other blasphemous things against Him.

When daylight came, the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the scribes, convened and brought Him before their Sanhedrin.

Then their whole assembly rose up and brought Him before Pilate.

They began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is the Messiah, a King.”

So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered him, “You have said it.”

Finding that He was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.

Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see Him because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by Him.