Study Desk

Jesus looked at them and said, "This is something that people cannot do. But God can do anything."

Then the workers who were hired first came to get their pay. They thought they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received one silver coin.

They said, ‘Those people were hired last and worked only one hour. But you paid them the same as us. And we worked hard all day in the hot sun.'

"But the man who owned the field said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am being fair with you. You agreed to work for one silver coin. Right?

They will hand him over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him and beat him with whips, and then they will kill him on a cross. But on the third day after his death, he will be raised to life again."

Jesus said to them, "It is true that you will drink from the cup that I drink from. But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or my left. My Father has decided who will do that. He has prepared those places for them."

But it should not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be your leader must be your servant.

The people there criticized the blind men and told them to be quiet. But they shouted more and more, "Lord, Son of David, please help us!"

Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem. But first they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers into town.

Jesus said to them, "The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.' But you are changing it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.'"

He saw a fig tree beside the road and went to get a fig from it. But there were no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, "You will never again produce fruit!" The tree immediately dried up and died.

But we can't say John's baptism was from someone else. We are afraid of the people, because they all believe John was a prophet."

"The son answered, ‘I will not go.' But later he decided he should go, and he went.

"Then the father went to the other son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' He answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will go and work.' But he did not go.

John came showing you the right way to live, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed John. You saw that happening, but you would not change. You still refused to believe him.

"But the farmers grabbed the servants and beat one. They killed another one and then stoned to death a third servant.

So the man sent some other servants to the farmers. He sent more servants than he sent the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to them that they did the first time.

"But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the owner's son. This vineyard will be his. If we kill him, it will be ours.'

They wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to do anything, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.

He invited some people to the feast. When it was ready, the king sent his servants to tell the people to come. But they refused to come to the king's feast.