the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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October 16 - Straight Thru the Bible
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Matthew 23:1-25:13
Chapter 23
Religious Hypocrites Denounced
1 Then(a) Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:(b) 2 "The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. [a](c) 3 Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don't do what they do,[b] because they don't practice what they teach.(d) 4 They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry[c] and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger[d] to move them.(e) 5 They do everything[e] to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries [f](f) and lengthen their tassels. [g](g) 6 They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues,(h) 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi' by people.
8 "But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,' because you have one Teacher,[h] and you are all brothers.(i) 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.(j) 10 And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master,[i] the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(k) 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (l)
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don't go in, and you don't allow those entering to go in. (m)
[14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and make long prayers just for show.[j] This is why you will receive a harsher punishment.] [k]
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte,(n) and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell[l] as you are!
16 "Woe to you, blind guides,(o) who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath(p) by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.'[m] 17 Blind fools![n] For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? 18 Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.'[o] 19 Blind people![p] For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?(q) 20 Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. 21 The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells(r) in it. 22 And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God's throne(s) and by Him who sits on it. (t)
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of[q] mint, dill, and cumin,[r] yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice,(u) mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides!(v) You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed[s] and self-indulgence!(w) 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,[t] so the outside of it[u] may also become clean.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,(x) which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every impurity. 28 In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn't have taken part with them in shedding the prophets' blood.'[v] 31 You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' sins! [w](y)
33 "Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? [x](z) 34 This is why I am sending you prophets,(aa) sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues(ab) and hound from town to town. 35 So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you,[y] from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah,(ac) son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.(ad) 36 I assure you: All these things will come on this generation! (ae)
Jesus' Lamentation over Jerusalem
37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem!(af) She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks[z] under her wings, yet you were not willing!(ag) 38 See, your house is left to you desolate.(ah) 39 For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One' !" (ai)[aa]
Chapter 24
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
1 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple complex,(a) His disciples(b) came up and called His attention to the temple buildings. 2 Then He replied to them, "Don't you see all these things? I assure you: Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!"
Signs of the End of the Age
3 While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached Him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?"(c)
4 Then Jesus replied to them: "Watch out that no one deceives(d) you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many.(e) 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines [a](f) and earthquakes in various places.(g) 8 All these events are the beginning of birth pains. (h)
Persecutions Predicted
9 "Then they will hand you over for persecution,[b] and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name.(i) 10 Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets(j) will rise up and deceive many. 12 Because lawlessness(k) will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.[c] 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[d] as a testimony to all nations.(l) And then the end will come. (m)
The Great Tribulation
15 "So when you see the abomination that causes desolation , [e][f] spoken of by the prophet Daniel,(n) standing in the holy place" (o) (let the reader understand[g]), 16 "then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 A man on the housetop[h] must not come down to get things out of his house.(p) 18 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation,(q) the kind that hasn't taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 22 Unless those days were limited, no one would[i] survive.[j] But those days will be limited because of the elect. (r)
23 "If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!'(s) or, ‘Over here!' do not believe it!(t) 24 False messiahs[k] and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,(u) if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘Look, He's in the wilderness!' don't go out; ‘Look, He's in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (v) 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[l] will gather. (w)
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 "Immediately after the tribulation(x) of those days:
The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not shed its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the celestial powers will be shaken.
30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[m] will mourn;[n] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.(y) 31 He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet,(z) and they will gather His elect from the four winds,(aa) from one end of the sky to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 "Now learn this parable(ab) from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize[o] that He[p] is near—at the door!(ac) 34 I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.(ad) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away,(ae) but My words will never pass away. (af)
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 "Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son[q] —except the Father only.(ag) 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.(ah) 39 They didn't know[r] until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.(ai) 42 Therefore be alert, since you don't know what day[s] your Lord is coming.(aj) 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time[t] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.(ak) 44 This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (al)
Faithful Service to the Messiah
45 "Who then is a faithful and sensible slave,(am) whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?(an) 46 That slave whose master finds him working(ao) when he comes will be rewarded. 47 I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,' 49 and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,(ap) 50 that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces[u] and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Chapter 25
The Parable of the 10 Virgins
1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins[a] who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.(a) 2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible.(b) 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they didn't take olive oil with them. 4 But the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. 5 Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 "In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here's the groom! Come out to meet him.'
7 "Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 But the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.'
9 "The sensible ones answered, ‘No, there won't be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.'
10 "When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. (c)
11 "Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!'
12 "But he replied, ‘I assure you: I do not know you!'
13 "Therefore be alert, because you don't know either the day or the hour. [b]
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