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Faith and Forgivin'

¹ One day Jesus spoke to his twelve cowboys, "Folks will always be inclined to sin, but it is sure going to turn out bad for someone who talks another person into it. ² It'd be better for that person if an anvil was tied around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. You don't want to be the person who tries to lure the Boss's kids away from him. ³ And I ain't talkin' about other people. I'm talking to you.

"If a cowboy on God's crew starts sinning, talk to him about it and warn him. If he listens and gets back on the right trail, then forgive him. ⁴ Even if this happens over and over and over, if they turn from their sorry ways, you must forgive."

⁵ Then the twelve cowboys said, "Show us how to have more faith!"

⁶ Jesus answered, "If you had the faith of an alfalfa seed, you could tell that oak tree, 'Climb out of the ground and go plant yourself in the bottom of the ocean,' and it would do what you said. ⁷ When a cowboy comes in from checking fence, does the ranch owner tell him, 'Let me unsaddle your horse and rub it down while you go in and get something to eat?' ⁸ No, he tells him, 'Go milk the cow and bring it to me while I eat supper. After that, then you can go eat.' ⁹ Does the ranch owner praise the cowboy for doing his job? Of course not. ¹⁰ In the same way, when you ride for me you should say, 'We're just happy to ride for you and do what you tell us to do.'"

Ten Townspeople Healed

¹¹ Jesus continued riding toward Jerusalem. When he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria, ¹² he rode through a village. Ten townspeople stood at a distance ¹³ and hollered out to Jesus, "Jesus, Boss, help us, please!"

¹⁴ He looked over at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the preachers." And as they went in faith, they were healed.

¹⁵ One of these who was healed came back and said to Jesus, "Praise the Boss!" ¹⁶ He then got down on one knee in front of Jesus and thanked him for what he'd done. This man wasn't even Jewish, he was a half-breed Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, "Where are the other nine that I healed? ¹⁸ Has not one of the Boss's kids from Israel returned to give glory to God? Is this foreigner the only one?" ¹⁹ Then Jesus said to him, "You may stand and go. Your faith in me has healed you."

God's Outfit Is Comin'

²⁰ One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Boss's outfit get here?"

Jesus said, "You won't be able to see it with your eyes. ²¹ You won't be able to say, 'Ah, there it is!' or 'I found it. It's right here!' For the Boss's outfit is inside of you."

²² Then he told his twelve cowboys, "There will come a day when you wish the Top Hand would come back, but you won't see it happen. ²³ There will be people saying, 'Look, over there! or, 'Here he is over here!' But don't believe those people. ²⁴ Just like lightning will light up the sky from horizon to horizon, so it will be when the Top Hand comes ridin' back on his horse.

²⁵ "But before all that, the Top Hand must suffer the humiliation and rejection of his own people. ²⁶ When the Top Hand returns, it will be like in the days of Noah. ²⁷ People paid no mind to God and only cared about eating and drinking and taking care of themselves. They were all still doing this when Noah entered his boat and sealed up the door. Then the flood came, and everyone else was destroyed. ²⁸ It'll be a repeat of the time of Lot. Everyone was just doing their own thing, not worried about anyone else besides their own sin and pleasure. ²⁹ They didn't even notice the day Lot left Sodom and fire and brimstone rained down and destroyed everyone. ³⁰ This is how it will be on the day the Top Hand returns.

³¹ "On that day, a cowboy repairing the roof of a barn shouldn't even go back to the bunkhouse to pack a bag. A person gathering cattle in the field shouldn't even return home. ³² Don't forget what happened to Lot's wife when she turned around to look at what she was leaving! ³³ If you try to go back for anything, you will lose your life. But if you give everything up for me, then you will live. ³⁴ That night, there will be two people sleeping in the bunkhouse. One will be taken, and the other left behind. ³⁵ Two ladies will be fixing grub. One will be taken, and the other left behind."

³⁷ "Where will this happen, Boss?" the cowboys asked him.

Jesus said, "Just like buzzards gather around the dead, these signs will gather when the end is close."