The parable of the widow and the judge
1Jesus told his disciples a parable. He wanted them to understand that one must keep on praying and never get tired of praying. 2He said:
‘In a town there was a judge who did not believe in God and he did not care about people. 3There was also a widow in that town. She went to the judge and she told him: “There is a man who is doing wicked things to me. Please help me and protect me from him.” 4But the judge did not help her. She came again and again and after a long time the judge said to himself: “I do not believe in God and I do not care about people, 5but I will help this widow because she keeps on coming to me, asking me to help her. If I don't help her, she will make me mad.” ’
6Then the Lord said:
‘Listen to what that bad judge said. He said he would help the widow. 7God will also help his people, this is sure. He chose his people to belong to Him and when they pray to Him in the day or in the night, He listens to them. He will not wait a long time. He will help them. 8Yes, I tell you: He will help them immediately. You must continue to pray. The Son of man will come. You must pray that when He comes, He will find people who believe in Him.’
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector who prayed
9There were some people who thought that they were better than other people. They thought that they were good enough for God. Then Jesus told this parable to them. He said:
10‘One day 2 men went to the temple to pray. One man was a Pharisee and the other man was a tax-collector. 11The Pharisee prayed to God and he said: “My God, I thank You that I am not as bad as other people. They steal and do bad things like committing_adultery. And I thank You very much that I am not a bad person like this tax-collector. 12I fast 2 times every week and I give one 10th of everything that I get to God.” 13The tax-collector did not stand near other people. He did not look up to heaven because he thought he was not good enough for God. He beat_his_chest and said: “My God, I am a sinner. Please feel sorry for me and forgive me.” ’
14Then Jesus said: ‘I tell you: When this tax-collector went away from the temple, he was right with God, but the Pharisee was not. God will humiliate everyone who thinks he is important and God will lift up everyone who is humble. God will make them important.’
Jesus blesses little children
15The people brought their little children to Jesus so that He could put his hands on them and bless them, but his disciples rebuked them and told them to go away. 16But Jesus called the children and He said: ‘Let the children come to Me and do not stop them, because God is King over people like them. 17I tell you this and it is sure: You must be like these children. If you do not believe like these children believe, then you will not be able to go in where God is King in heaven.’
Rich people and money
18A leader_of_the_Jews said to Jesus: ‘You are a good Teacher. Please tell me what I must do to get eternal_life.’
19Jesus asked him: ‘Why do you say I am good? Only God is good, no one else. 20You know what God said in his laws. He said:
You may not kill someone,
you may not have sex with a person
if you are not married to that person,
you may not steal,
you may not tell lies about other people,
and you must love and obey your father and your mother.’
21The man said to Jesus: ‘I have done everything that the laws of God say, from the time that I was a little boy.’
22Then Jesus said to him: ‘You must do one more thing. Go and sell everything that you have and give the money to the poor people. Then you will be rich in heaven. Then come and follow Me.’
23The man was very sad when he heard what Jesus said. He went away because he was very rich. 24When Jesus saw how sad the rich man was, He said: ‘Rich people will not easily go in where God is King. 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get in where God is King in heaven.’
26The people who heard this said: ‘If it is so difficult to get in where God is King in heaven, then who will be able to go to heaven? No one.’ 27Jesus said to them: ‘People can not come to God with their own power. It is impossible for them. But God can do it.’
28Peter said to Jesus: ‘Look at us. We gave everything away to follow You.’ 29Jesus said: ‘I tell you this and it is sure: If someone leaves his home or his brothers or his sisters or his mother or his father or his children or his field for Me and the Good_News, 30then he will get much more in this_life, and in the time that will come, he will have eternal_life.’
Jesus says the 3rd time that He will die and live again
31Jesus took his 12 disciples away from the other people and He told them: ‘We are going to Jerusalem now, and all the things that the prophets said about the Son of man will happen to Me. 32The Jewish_leaders will give Me to the Gentiles and the Gentiles will mock Me. They will do bad things to Me and spit on Me. 33They will beat Me with a whip and kill Me. But on the 3rd day I will rise and live again.’
34The disciples did not understand what Jesus said because God did not help them to understand what these words meant. That is why they did not understand it.
Jesus heals a blind man near the city of Jericho
35When Jesus came near the city of Jericho, there was a blind man sitting next to the road where he begged. 36The blind man heard all the people who walked past him and he asked them what was happening. 37They told him: ‘It is Jesus of Nazareth. He is coming here.’
38The blind man started to shout and he said: ‘Jesus, Son of David, please feel sorry for me and help me.’ 39The people who walked with Jesus told the blind man to stop shouting and to keep quiet, but he shouted again and again and said: ‘Son of David, please feel sorry for me and help me.’
40Jesus stopped and He told them to bring the blind man to Him. Jesus asked the blind man: 41‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man said: ‘Lord, I want to see again.’
42Jesus said to him: ‘Now you can see because you believed in Me.’ 43The blind man could immediately see and he followed Jesus and he praised God. When the people saw this, they also praised God.
