Matthew 16

Some Bad Yeast 1-4 Some Pharisees and Sadducees were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, “You have a saying that goes, ‘Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.’ You find it easy enough to forecast the weather—why can’t you read the signs […]

Matthew 17

Sunlight Poured from His Face 1-3 Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they […]

Matthew 18

Whoever Becomes Simple Again 1 At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?” 2-5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return […]

Matthew 19

Divorce 1-2 When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them. 3 One day the Pharisees were badgering him: “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” 4-6 […]

Matthew 20

A Story About Workers 1-2 “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. 3-5 “Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square […]

Matthew 21

The Royal Welcome 1-3 When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: “Go over to the village across from you. You’ll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you’re doing, say, ‘The […]

Matthew 22

The Story of the Wedding Banquet 1-3 Jesus responded by telling still more stories. “God’s kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come! 4 “He sent out another round of servants, instructing them […]

Matthew 23

Religious Fashion Shows 1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about followingthem. They talk a good line, but they don’t live […]

Matthew 24

Routine History 1-2 Jesus then left the Temple. As he walked away, his disciples pointed out how very impressive the Temple architecture was. Jesus said, “You’re not impressed by all this sheersize, are you? The truth of the matter is that there’s not a stone in that building that is not going to end up […]

Matthew 25

The Story of the Virgins 1-5 “God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t show […]