Thematic Bible: Ecclesiasticism


Thematic Bible



But be ye not designated Rabbi, for one is your leader, the Christ, and ye are all brothers. And do not designate a father of you upon the earth, for one is your Father, he in the heavens. And be ye not designated leaders, for one is your leader, the Christ.

And it came to pass while he relaxed in the house, and behold, many tax collectors and sinners having come, they were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners? But Jesus having heard it, he said to them, Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who fare badly. read more.
But after going, learn what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners for repentance.

The scholars and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. All things therefore, however many they may tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not ye according to their works, for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and difficult to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they do not want to move them with their finger.

Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye close up the kingdom of the heavens ahead of men. For ye enter not in, nor do ye allow those who are entering to enter in. But woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye devour widows' houses, and praying long in pretence. Because of this ye will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye encompass the sea and the land to make one proselyte, and when it happens, ye make him twice more a son of hell than yourselves. read more.
Woe to you, ye blind guides, who say, Whoever may swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And, Whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gift upon it, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it. And he who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law--justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting t Ye blind guides, who strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of plunder and unrighteousness. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, so that the outside of them may also become clean. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. In this way also, ye indeed outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. So then ye testify to yourselves that ye are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Then fill ye up the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how will ye escape from the damnation of hell? Because of this, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scholars. And some of them ye will kill and crucify, and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will persecute from city to city, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

For every man will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt material. The salt material is good, but if the salt material becomes saltless, by what will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace among each other.


Then scholars and Pharisees from Jerusalem come to Jesus, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. And having answered, he said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God, because of your tradition? read more.
For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and thy mother, and, He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him perish in death. But ye say, Whoever may say to the father or the mother, Whatever thou might have benefited from me is an offering. And he will, no, not honor his father or mother. And ye have annulled the command of God because of your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, This people comes near me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far distant from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. And having called in the multitude, he said to them, Hear and understand. Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man. Then having come near, his disciples said to him, Know thou that the Pharisees were offended when they heard the saying? But having answered, he said, Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant, will be uprooted. Leave them. They are blind leaders of blind men, and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch. And having answered, Peter said to him, Explain this parable to us. And Jesus said, Are ye also still without understanding? Do ye not yet understand, that everything entering into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into a toilet? But the things coming out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things defile the man. For from the heart comes forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, FALSE witnessings, revilings. These are things defiling the man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.

And having seen some of his disciples eating their loaves with profane hands, that is, unwashed, they accused them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands carefully, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders. And coming from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they bathe. And there are many other things that they have taken in to retain: washings of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and beds.) read more.
Then the Pharisees and the scholars demand of him, Why do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands? And having answered, he said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far distant from me. But in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For having set aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men: washings of pots and cups and many other such like things ye do. And he said to them, Well do ye reject the commandment of God, so that ye may keep your tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother, and, He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him perish in death. But ye say, If a man should say to his father or mother, Whatever ye might be benefited from me is Corban, that is, an offering, then ye no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, annulling the word of God by your tradition that ye have delivered. And many such like things ye do. And having summoned all the people, he said to them, Hear me all of you, and understand. There is nothing outside the man, entering into him that can defile him, but the things coming out of him those are the things that defile the man. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he entered into a house from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. And he says to them, Are also ye so without understanding? Do ye not perceive that everything outside that enters into the man cannot defile him, because it does not enter into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the toilet (making all foods clean)? And he said, That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man. For from inside the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetings, wickednesses, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, reviling, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from inside, and defile the man.


And having seen a fig tree, one on the way, he came to it, and found nothing on it, except leaves only. And he says to it, Let fruit no longer be produced from thee into the age. And immediately the fig tree dried out. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree dry out immediately?

But what does it seem to you? A man had two children. And having come to the first, he said, Child, go work today in my vineyard. And having answered, he said, I do not want to, but having repented later, he went. And having come to the second, he said likewise. And having answered, he said, I, sir, and did not go. read more.
Which of the two did the will of the father? They say to him, The first. Jesus says to them, Truly I say to you, that the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in a way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him. And having seen it, ye did not repent afterward to believe him. Hear ye another parable. There was a certain man who was a house-ruler, who planted a vineyard, and placed a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and leased it to farmers, and went on a journey. And when the time of the fruits approached, he sent his bondmen to the farmers to receive his fruits. And the farmers having taken his bondmen, they beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other bondmen more than the first, and they did to them in like manner. But finally he sent to them his son, saying, They will be made ashamed by my son. But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him, and possess his inheritance. And having seized him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers? They say to him, Evil men, he will miserably destroy them, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus says to them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone that those who build rejected, this came to be in the head of the corner. This happened from Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Because of this I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing the fruits of it. And he who falls on this stone will be shattered, but on whomever it may fall, it will grind him to dust.


For they bind heavy burdens and difficult to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they do not want to move them with their finger.

But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, Behold, thy disciples do what is not permitted to do upon the Sabbath. But he said to them, Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those with him, how he entered into the house of God, and ate the loaves of the presentation, which was not permitted for him to eat, nor for those with him, except only for the priests? read more.
Or have ye not read in the law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? But I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here. But if ye had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the innocent.