Category: Matthew

In Praise of John the Baptist

1 When Jesus had finished giving orders to His 12 disciples, He moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent a message by his disciples

3 and asked Him, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else? ”

4 Jesus replied to them,“Go and report to John what you hear and see:

5 the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed,the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.

6 And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.”

7 As these men went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John:“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?

8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear soft clothes are in kings’ palaces.

9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

10 This is the one it is written about:

Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You;

he will prepare Your way before You.

11 “I assure you: Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,and the violent have been seizing it by force.

13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John;

14 if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.

15 Anyone who has earsshould listen!

An Unresponsive Generation

16 “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to each other:

17 We played the flute for you,

but you didn’t dance;

we sang a lament,

but you didn’t mourn!

18 For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon! ’

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard,a friend of tax collectors and sinners! ’Yet wisdom is vindicatedby her deeds.”

20 Then He proceeded to denounce the towns where most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent:

21 “Woe to you, Chorazin!Woe to you, Bethsaida!For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago!

22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgmentthan for you.

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades.For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The Son Gives Knowledge and Rest

25 At that time Jesus said,“I praiseYou, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants.

26 Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure.

27 All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knowsthe Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desiresto reveal Him.

28 “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me,because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/11-cf6ea42c4b24163f14c97e28a46f3de8.mp3?version_id=72—

Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.His discipleswere hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawfulto do on the Sabbath! ”

3 He said to them,“Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry —

4 how he entered the house of God, and they atethe sacred bread, which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?

5 Or haven’t you read in the Lawthat on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?

6 But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here!

7 If you had known what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice,you would not have condemned the innocent.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Man with the Paralyzed Hand

9 Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue.

10 There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? ”

11 But He said to them,“What man among you, if he had a sheepthat fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?

12 A man is worth far more than a sheep,so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then He told the man,“Stretch out your hand.”So he stretched it out, and it was restored,as good as the other.

14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Servant of the Lord

15 When Jesus became aware of this, He withdrew from there. Huge crowdsfollowed Him, and He healed them all.

16 He warned them not to make Him known,

17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

18 Here is My Servant whom I have chosen,

My beloved in whom My soul delights;

I will put My Spirit on Him,

and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

19 He will not argue or shout,

and no one will hear His voice in the streets.

20 He will not break a bruised reed,

and He will not put out a smoldering wick,

until He has led justice to victory.

21 The nations will put their hope in His name.

A House Divided

22 Then a demon-possessed manwho was blind and unable to speak was brought to Him. He healed him, so that the mancould both speak and see.

23 And all the crowds were astounded and said, “Perhaps this is the Son of David! ”

24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “The man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

25 Knowing their thoughts,He told them:“Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

26 If Satandrives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges.

28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

29 How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties upthe strong man? Then he can rob his house.

30 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me,and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.

31 Because of this,I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy,but the blasphemy againstthe Spirit will not be forgiven.

32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man,it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.

A Tree and Its Fruit

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree badand its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflowof the heart.

35 A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good,and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.

36 I tell you that on the day of judgmentpeople will have to accountfor every careless word they speak.

37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

39 But He answered them,“An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights,so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation; and look — something greater than Jonah is here!

42 The queen of the southwill rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look — something greater than Solomon is here!

An Unclean Spirit’s Return

43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any.

44 Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ And returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order.

45 Then off it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man’s last condition is worse than the first.That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”

True Relationships

46 Hewas still speaking to the crowds when suddenly His mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to Him.

47 Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

48 But He replied to the one who told Him,“Who is My mother and who are My brothers? ”

49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples,He said,“Here are My mother and My brothers!

50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, that person is My brother and sister and mother.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/12-791d2dc561af4ebde37d728837ff98cf.mp3?version_id=72—

The Parable of the Sower

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.

2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

3 Then He told them many things in parables,saying:“Consider the sower who went out to sow.

4 As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up.

5 Others fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil, and they sprang up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep.

6 But when the sun came up they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered.

7 Others fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them.

8 Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop: some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown.

9 Anyone who has earsshould listen! ”

Why Jesus Used Parables

10 Then the disciplescame up and asked Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables? ”

11 He answered them,“Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,but it has not been given to them.

12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,and hearing they do not listen or understand.

14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You will listen and listen,

yet never understand;

and you will look and look,

yet never perceive.

15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;

their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes

and hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn back —

and I would cure them.

16 “But your eyes are blessedbecause they do see, and your ears because they do hear!

17 For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “You, then, listen to the parable of the sower:

19 When anyone hears the wordabout the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.

20 And the one sown on rocky ground — this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

21 Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecutioncomes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

22 Now the one sown among the thorns — this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this ageand the seductionof wealthchoke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23 But the one sown on the good ground — this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times what was sown.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

24 He presented another parable to them:“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weedsamong the wheat, and left.

26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared.

27 The landowner’s slavescame to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from? ’

28 “ ‘An enemy did this! ’ he told them.

“ ‘So, do you want us to go and gather them up? ’ the slaves asked him.

29 “ ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn.’ ”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Yeast

31 Hepresented another parable to them:“The kingdom of heavenis like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable:“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 poundsof flour until it spread through all of it.”

Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable,

35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

I will open My mouth in parables;

I will declare things kept secret

from the foundation of the world.

Jesus Interprets the Wheat and the Weeds

36 Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us.”

37 He replied:“The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;

38 the field is the world; and the good seed — these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

39 and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sinand those guilty of lawlessness.

42 They will throw them into the blazing furnacewhere there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Anyone who has earsshould listen!

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Priceless Pearl

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

46 When he found one pricelesspearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish,

48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones.

49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,

50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Storehouse of Truth

51 “Have you understood all these things? ”

“Yes,” they told Him.

52 “Therefore,”He said to them,“every student of Scriptureinstructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.”

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

Rejection at Nazareth

54 He went to His hometownand began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “How did this wisdom and these miracles come to Him?

55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?Isn’t His mother called Mary, and His brothers James,Joseph,Simon, and Judas?

56 And His sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does He get all these things? ”

57 And they were offended by Him.

But Jesus said to them,“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”

58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/13-2fd603d5bb5dc06e4204712932776df2.mp3?version_id=72—

John the Baptist Beheaded

1 At that timeHerod the tetrarchheard the report about Jesus.

2 “This is John the Baptist! ” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why supernatural powers are at work in him.”

3 For Herod had arrested John, chainedhim, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

4 since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawfulfor you to have her! ”

5 Though he wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, since they regarded him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced before themand pleased Herod.

7 So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

8 And prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter! ”

9 Although the king regretted it, he commanded that it be granted because of his oaths and his guests.

10 So he sent orders and had John beheaded in the prison.

11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

12 Then his disciples came, removed the corpse,buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.

Feeding 5,000

13 When Jesus heard about it,He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns.

14 As He stepped ashore,He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.

15 When evening came, the disciplesapproached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late.Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16 “They don’t need to go away,”Jesus told them.“You give them something to eat.”

17 “But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to Him.

18 “Bring them here to Me,”He said.

19 Then He commanded the crowds to sit downon the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

20 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces!

21 Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

Walking on the Water

22 ImmediatelyHemade the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

23 After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.

24 But the boat was already over a milefrom land,battered by the waves, because the wind was against them.

25 Around three in the morning,He came toward them walking on the sea.

26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost! ” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them.“Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter answered Him, “command me to come to You on the water.”

29 “Come! ”He said.

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But when he saw the strength of the wind,he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me! ”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him,“You of little faith, why did you doubt? ”

32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God! ”

Miraculous Healings

34 Once they crossed over,they came to land at Gennesaret.

35 When the men of that place recognized Him, they alertedthe whole vicinity and brought to Him all who were sick.

36 They were begging Him that they might only touch the tassel on His robe. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/14-67906417f7ea8d83211881106690ec0e.mp3?version_id=72—

The Tradition of the Elders

1 ThenPharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked,

2 “Why do Your disciplesbreak the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat! ”

3 He answered them,“And why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?

4 For God said:

Honor your father and your mother;and,

The one who speaks evil of father or mother

must be put to death.

5 But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple” —

6 he does not have to honor his father.’In this way, you have revoked God’s wordbecause of your tradition.

7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:

8 These peoplehonor Me with their lips,

but their heart is far from Me.

9 They worship Me in vain,

teaching as doctrines the commands of men.”

Defilement Is from Within

10 Summoning the crowd, He told them,“Listen and understand:

11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that defilesa man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

12 Then the disciples came up and told Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard this statement? ”

13 He replied,“Every plant that My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.

14 Leave them alone! They are blind guides.And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 Then Peter replied to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

16 “Are even you still lacking in understanding? ”Heasked.

17 “Don’t you realizethat whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?

18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man.

19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies,blasphemies.

20 These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

A Gentile Mother’s Faith

21 When Jesus left there,He withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.

22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out,“Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.”

23 Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciplesapproached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.”

24 He replied,“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25 But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me! ”

26 He answered,“It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table! ”

28 Then Jesus replied to her,“Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.”And from that momenther daughter was cured.

Healing Many People

29 Moving on from there,Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee.He went up on a mountain and sat there,

30 and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them.

31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.And they gave glory to the God of Israel.

Feeding 4,000

32 Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said,“I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.”

33 The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate placeto fill such a crowd? ”

34 “How many loaves do you have? ”Jesus asked them.

“Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”

35 After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground,

36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

37 They all ate and were filled. Then they collected the leftover pieces — seven large baskets full.

38 Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children.

39 After dismissing the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/15-b49c63a350f10d3ec7da650226442a37.mp3?version_id=72—

The Yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees approached,and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 He answered them:“When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’

3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ Youknow how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.

4 An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign ofJonah.”Then He left them and went away.

5 The disciples reached the other shore,and they had forgotten to take bread.

6 Then Jesus told them,“Watch out and beware of the yeastof the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7 And they discussed among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”

8 Aware of this, Jesus said,“You of little faith!Why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread?

9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected?

10 Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many large baskets you collected?

11 Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread? ”

12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the yeast in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s Confession of the Messiah

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,He asked His disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is? ”

14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But you,”He asked them,“who do you say that I am? ”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God! ”

17 And Jesus responded,“Simon son of Jonah,you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven.

18 And I also say to you that you are Peter,and on this rockI will build My church,and the forcesof Hades will not overpower it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,and whatever you bind on earth is already boundin heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosedin heaven.”

20 And He gave the disciples orders to tell no one that He wasthe Messiah.

His Death and Resurrection Predicted

21 Fromthen on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, “Oh no,Lord! This will never happen to You! ”

23 But He turned and told Peter,“Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns,but man’s.”

Take Up Your Cross

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples,“If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.

26 What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father,and then He will reward each according to what he has done.

28 I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/16-78e14758982a3f8aad3baecf333e9b3e.mp3?version_id=72—

The Transfiguration

1 After six daysJesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

2 He was transformedin front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light.

3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here! If You want, I will makethree tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud coveredthem, and a voice from the cloud said:

This is My beloved Son.

I take delight in Him.

Listen to Him!

6 When the disciplesheard it, they fell facedown and were terrified.

7 Then Jesus came up, touched them, and said,“Get up; don’t be afraid.”

8 When they looked up they saw no one except Him— Jesus alone.

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them,“Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raisedfrom the dead.”

10 So the disciples questioned Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? ”

11 “Elijah is comingand will restore everything,”He replied.

12 “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”

13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.

The Power of Faith over a Demon

14 When they reached the crowd,a man approached and knelt down before Him.

15 “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizuresand suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water.

16 I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

17 Jesus replied,“You unbelieving and rebelliousgeneration! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”

18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon,and itcame out of him,and from that momentthe boy was healed.

19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out? ”

20 “Because of your little faith,”Hetold them.“For I assure you: If you have faith the size ofa mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.Nothing will be impossible for you.

21 However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.”

The Second Prediction of His Death

22 Asthey were meetingin Galilee, Jesus told them,“The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.

23 They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”And they were deeply distressed.

Paying the Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the double-drachma taxapproached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your Teacher pay the double-drachma tax? ”

25 “Yes,” he said.

When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first,“What do you think, Simon? Who do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes from? From their sons or from strangers? ”

26 “From strangers,” he said.

“Then the sons are free,”Jesus told him.

27 “But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin.Take it and give it to them for Me and you.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/17-26c14d09d18a12240c91042fa0593fa6.mp3?version_id=72—

Who Is the Greatest?

1 At that timethe disciplescame to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ”

2 Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them.

3 “I assure you,”He said,“unless you are convertedand become like children,you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child — this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoever welcomesone child like this in My name welcomes Me.

6 “But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me — it would be better for him if a heavy millstonewere hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!

7 Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.

8 If your hand or your foot causes your downfall, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

9 And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire!

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones,because I tell you that in heaven their angelscontinually view the face of My Father in heaven.

11 For the Son of Manhas come to save the lost.

12 What do you think?If a man has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray?

13 And if he finds it, I assure you: He rejoices over that sheepmore than over the 99 that did not go astray.

14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Restoring a Brother

15 “If your brother sins against you,go and rebuke him in private.If he listens to you, you have won your brother.

16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the testimonyof two or three witnesses every fact may be established.

17 If he pays no attention to them, tell the church.But if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbelieverand a tax collector to you.

18 I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already boundin heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosedin heaven.

19 Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that youpray for, it will be done for youby My Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times? ”

22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,”Jesus said to him,“but 70 times seven.

23 For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.

24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talentswas brought before him.

25 Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.

26 “At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything! ’

27 Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii.He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe! ’

29 “At this, his fellow slave fell downand began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

30 But he wasn’t willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed.

31 When the other slaves saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you? ’

34 And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed.

35 So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brotherfrom hisheart.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/18-c2ffc1716b1a2b222a56d82bd26e2ec1.mp3?version_id=72—

The Question of Divorce

1 When Jesus had finished this instruction,He departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan.

2 Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

3 Some Pharisees approached Him to test Him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds? ”

4 “Haven’t you read,”He replied,“that He who createdthem in the beginning made them male and female,”

5 and He also said:

“For this reason a man will leave

his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two will become one flesh?

6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

7 “Why then,” they asked Him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papersand to send her away? ”

8 He told them,“Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts. But it was not like that from the beginning.

9 And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

10 His disciplessaid to Him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry! ”

11 But He told them,“Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those it has been givento.

12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

Blessing the Children

13 Then children were brought to Him so He might put His hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them.

14 Then Jesus said,“Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.”

15 After putting His hands on them, He went on from there.

The Rich Young Ruler

16 Just then someone came up and asked Him,“Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life? ”

17 “Why do you ask Me about what is good? ”He said to him.“There is only One who is good.If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones? ” he asked Him. Jesus answered:

Do not murder;

do not commit adultery;

do not steal;

do not bear false witness;

19 honor your father and your mother;

and love your neighbor as yourself.

20 “I have kept all these,”the young man told Him. “What do I still lack? ”

21 “If you want to be perfect,”Jesus said to him,“go, sell your belongings and give to the poor,and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22 When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

Possessions and the Kingdom

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples,“I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved? ”

26 But Jesus looked at them and said,“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27 Then Peter responded to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You. So what will there be for us? ”

28 Jesus said to them,“I assure you: In the Messianic Age,when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne,you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother,children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.

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

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/19-8ba71f6fb4fbb7c6406e4d2b5cefa7c3.mp3?version_id=72—

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 When he went out about nine in the morning,he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

4 To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went.

5 About noon and at three,he went out again and did the same thing.

6 Then about fivehe went and found others standing around,and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing? ’

7 “ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“ ‘You also go to my vineyard,’ he told them.

8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,starting with the last and ending with the first.’

9 “When those who were hired about fivecame, they each received one denarius.

10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each.

11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner:

12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat! ’

13 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?

14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you.

15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my business?Are you jealousbecause I’m generous? ’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The Third Prediction of His Death

17 While going up to Jerusalem,Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way:

18 “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death.

19 Then they will hand Him over to the Gentilesto be mocked, flogged,and crucified, and He will be resurrectedon the third day.”

Suffering and Service

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons.She knelt down to ask Him for something.

21 “What do you want? ”He asked her.

“Promise,”she said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom.”

22 But Jesus answered,“You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cupthat I am about to drink?”

“We are able,” they said to Him.

23 He told them,“You will indeed drink My cup.But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

24 When the 10 disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them over and said,“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them.

26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,and to give His life — a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Healed

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! ”

31 The crowd told them to keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! ”

32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said,“What do you want Me to do for you? ”

33 “Lord,” they said to Him, “open our eyes! ”

34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/MAT/20-f5aca3d80dd2d1a73ad631ca0af460d9.mp3?version_id=72—