One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 247
23Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,G5119G2980G2424G3793G2532G846G3101 2"The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.G3004G1122G2532G5330G2523G1909G3475G2515 3So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach.G3956G3767G302G3745G2036G5213G5083G5083G2532G4160G1161G4160G3361G2596G846G2041G1063G3004G2532G4160G3756 4They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.G1063G1195G926G5413G2532G1419G2532G2007G1909G444G5606G1161G2309G3756G2795G846G846G1147 5"Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.G1161G3956G846G2041G4160G4314G2300G444G1161G4115G846G5440G2532G3170G2899G846G2440 6And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.G5037G5368G4411G1722G1173G2532G4410G1722G4864 7They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi.'G2532G783G1722G58G2532G2564G5259G444G4461G4461 8"Don't let anyone call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.G1161G2564G3361G5210G2564G4461G1063G1520G2076G5216G2519G5547G1161G3956G5210G2075G80 9And don't address anyone here on earth as 'Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.G2532G2564G3361G5216G3962G1909G1093G1063G1520G2076G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772 10And don't let anyone call you 'Teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.G3366G2564G2519G1063G1520G2076G5216G2519G5547 11The greatest among you must be a servant.G1161G3187G5216G2071G5216G1249 12But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.G1161G3748G5312G1438G5013G2532G3748G5013G1438G5312 13"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either.G1161G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G2808G932G3772G1715G444G1063G5210G3761G1525G3756G863G1525G1525 14G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G2719G5503G3614G2532G4392G4336G3117G4336G1223G5124G2983G4055G2917 15"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G4013G2281G2532G3584G4160G1520G4339G2532G3752G1096G4160G846G1362G5207G1067G5216 16"Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear 'by God's Temple,' but that it is binding to swear 'by the gold in the Temple.'G3759G5213G5185G3595G3588G3004G3739G302G3660G1722G3485G2076G3762G1161G3739G302G3660G1722G5557G3485G3784 17Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?G3474G2532G5185G1063G5101G2076G3187G5557G2228G3485G37G5557 18And you say that to swear 'by the altar' is not binding, but to swear 'by the gifts on the altar' is binding.G2532G3739G1437G3660G1722G2379G2076G3762G1161G3739G302G3660G1722G1435G1883G846G3784 19How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?G3474G2532G5185G1063G5101G3187G1435G2228G2379G37G1435 20When you swear 'by the altar,' you are swearing by it and by everything on it.G3767G3660G1722G2379G3660G1722G846G2532G1722G3956G1883G846 21And when you swear 'by the Temple,' you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.G2532G3660G1722G3485G3660G1722G846G2532G1722G2730G846 22And when you swear 'by heaven,' you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.G2532G3660G1722G3772G3660G1722G2362G2316G2532G1722G2521G1883G846 23"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G586G2238G2532G432G2532G2951G2532G863G926G3551G2920G2532G1656G2532G4102G5023G1163G4160G3361G863G2548G863 24Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!G5185G3595G1368G2971G1161G2666G2574 25"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G2511G1855G4221G2532G3953G1161G2081G1073G1537G724G2532G192 26You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.G5185G5330G2511G4412G1787G4221G2532G3953G2443G1622G846G1096G2513G2532 27"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G3945G2867G5028G3748G3303G5316G5611G1855G1161G2081G1073G3498G3747G2532G3956G167 28Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.G3779G5210G2532G3303G1855G5316G1342G444G1161G2081G2075G3324G5272G2532G458 29"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G3618G5028G4396G2532G2885G3419G1342 30Then you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.'G2532G3004G1487G2258G1722G2250G2257G3962G302G3756G2258G2844G846G1722G129G4396 31"But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.G5620G3140G1438G3754G2075G5207G5407G4396 32Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.G4137G5210G4137G2532G3358G5216G3962 33Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?G3789G1081G2191G4459G5343G575G2920G1067 34"Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.G1223G5124G2400G1473G649G4314G5209G4396G2532G4680G2532G1122G2532G1537G846G615G2532G4717G2532G1537G846G3146G1722G5216G4864G2532G1377G575G4172G1519G4172 35As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.G3704G1909G5209G2064G3956G1342G129G1632G1909G1093G575G129G1342G6G2193G129G2197G5207G914G3739G5407G3342G3485G2532G2379 36I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.G281G3004G5213G3956G5023G2240G1909G5026G1074 37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me.G2419G2419G615G4396G2532G3036G649G4314G846G4212G2309G1996G4675G3739G5043G1996G5158G3733G1996G1438G3556G5259G4420G2532G2309G3756 38And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.G2400G5216G3624G863G5213G2048 39For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!'"G1063G3004G5213G1492G3364G1492G3165G575G737G2193G302G2036G2127G2064G1722G3686G2962
24As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.G2532G2424G1831G4198G575G2411G2532G846G3101G4334G1925G846G3619G2411 2But he responded, "Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!"G1161G2424G2036G846G991G3756G3956G5023G281G3004G5213G863G3364G863G5602G3037G1909G3037G3739G2647G3364G2647 3Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?"G1161G846G2521G1909G3735G1636G3101G4334G846G2596G2398G3004G2036G2254G4219G2071G5023G2071G2532G5101G4592G4674G3952G2532G4930G165 4Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you,G2532G2424G611G2036G846G991G3361G5100G4105G5209 5for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many.G1063G4183G2064G1909G3450G3686G3004G1473G1510G5547G2532G4105G4183 6And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately.G1161G3195G191G4171G2532G189G4171G3708G2360G3361G2360G1063G3956G1163G1096G235G5056G2076G3768 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.G1063G1484G1453G1909G1484G2532G932G1909G932G2532G2071G3042G2532G3061G2532G4578G2596G5117 8But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.G1161G3956G5023G746G5604 9"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.G5119G3860G5209G3860G1519G2347G2532G615G5209G2532G2071G3404G5259G3956G1484G1223G3450G3686 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.G2532G5119G4183G4624G2532G3860G240G2532G3404G240 11And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.G2532G4183G5578G1453G2532G4105G4183 12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.G2532G1223G458G4129G26G4183G5594 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved.G1161G5278G1519G5056G3778G4982 14And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.G2532G5124G2098G932G2784G1722G3650G3625G1519G3142G3956G1484G2532G5119G5056G2240 15"The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place." (Reader, pay attention!)G3752G3767G1492G946G2050G4483G1223G1158G4396G2476G2476G1722G40G5117G314G3539 16"Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.G5119G1722G2449G5343G1909G3735 17A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.G1909G1430G3361G2597G142G5100G1537G846G3614 18A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.G2532G3361G1722G68G1994G3694G142G846G2440 19How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.G1161G3759G2192G1722G1064G2532G2337G1722G1565G2250 20And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.G1161G4336G3363G5216G5437G1096G3363G5494G3366G1722G4521 21For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.G1063G5119G2071G3173G2347G3634G1096G3756G575G746G2889G2193G3568G3761G3364G1096 22In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.G2532G1508G1565G2250G2856G3756G302G3956G4561G4982G1161G1223G1588G1565G2250G2856 23"Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't believe it.G5119G1437G5100G2036G5213G2400G5602G5547G2228G5602G4100G3361 24For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.G1063G1453G5580G2532G5578G2532G1325G3173G4592G2532G5059G5620G1487G1415G4105G2532G1588 25See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.G2400G4280G5213G4280 26"So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!G3767G1437G2036G5213G2400G2076G1722G2048G1831G3361G1831G2400G1722G5009G4100G3361 27For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.G1063G5618G796G1831G575G395G2532G5316G2193G1424G3779G2071G2532G3952G5207G444G2071 28Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.G1063G1437G3699G4430G5600G1563G4863G105G4863 29"Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.G1161G2112G3326G2347G1565G2250G2246G4654G2532G4582G1325G3756G1325G846G5338G2532G792G4098G575G3772G2532G1411G3772G4531 30And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.G2532G5119G5316G4592G5207G444G1722G3772G2532G5119G2875G3956G5443G1093G2875G2532G3700G5207G444G2064G1909G3507G3772G3326G1411G2532G4183G1391 31And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.G2532G649G846G32G3326G3173G5456G4536G2532G1996G846G1588G1537G5064G417G575G206G3772G2193G206G846 32"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.G1161G3129G3850G575G4808G3752G846G2798G1096G2235G527G2532G1631G5444G1097G3754G2330G1451 33In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.G3779G2532G5210G3752G1492G3956G5023G1097G3754G2076G1451G1909G2374 34I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.G281G3004G5213G3778G1074G3364G3928G302G2193G3956G5023G1096 35Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.G3772G2532G1093G3928G1161G3450G3056G3928G3364G3928 36"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.G1161G4012G1565G2250G2532G5610G1492G3762G3761G32G3772G1508G3450G3962G3441 37"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.G1161G5618G2250G3575G3779G2071G2532G3952G5207G444G2071 38In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.G1063G5618G1722G2250G2258G4253G2627G5176G2532G4095G1060G2532G1547G891G2250G3739G3575G1525G1519G2787 39People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.G2532G1097G3756G2193G2627G2064G2532G142G537G142G3779G2071G2532G3952G5207G444G2071 40"Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.G5119G2071G1417G2071G1722G68G1520G3880G2532G1520G863 41Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.G1417G229G1722G3459G3391G3880G2532G3391G863 42"So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming.G1127G3767G3754G1492G3756G4169G5610G5216G2962G2064 43Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.G1161G1097G1565G3754G1487G3617G1492G4169G5438G2812G2064G302G1127G2532G302G3756G1439G846G3614G1358 44You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.G1223G5124G1096G5210G2532G2092G3754G3739G5610G1380G3756G5207G444G2064 45"A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.G5101G686G2076G4103G2532G5429G1401G3739G846G2962G2525G1909G846G2322G1325G846G5160G1722G2540 46If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.G3107G1565G1401G3739G846G2962G2064G2147G3779G4160 47I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.G281G3004G5213G3754G2525G846G2525G1909G3956G846G5224 48But what if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,'G1161G1437G1565G2556G1401G2036G1722G846G2588G3450G2962G5549G2064 49and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?G2532G756G5180G4889G1161G2068G2532G4095G3326G3184 50The master will return unannounced and unexpected,G2962G1565G1401G2240G1722G2250G3739G4328G3756G2532G1722G5610G3739G1097G3756G1097 51and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.G2532G1371G846G1371G2532G5087G846G3313G3326G5273G1563G2071G2805G2532G1030G3599
92[A psalm. A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day.] It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.H4210H7892H7676H3117H2896H3034H3068H2167H8034H5945 2It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,H5046H2617H1242H530H3915 3accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.H6218H5035H3658H1902 4You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.H3068H8055H6467H7442H4639H3027 5O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts.H3068H1431H4639H4284H3966H6009 6Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this.H1198H376H3045H3684H995 7Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.H7563H6524H6212H6466H205H6692H8045H5703 8But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.H3068H4791H5769 9Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.H341H3068H341H6H6466H205H6504 10But you have made me as strong as a wild ox. You have anointed me with the finest oil.H7161H7311H7214H1101H7488H8081 11My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.H5869H5027H7790H241H8085H7489H6965 12But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.H6662H6524H8558H7685H730H3844 13For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.H8362H1004H3068H6524H2691H430 14Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.H5107H7872H1879H7488 15They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”H5046H3068H3477H6697H5766H5766
Dublin, OH
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