Study Desk

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds.

Consider how the lilies grow; they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.

God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So how much more will God clothe you? Don't have so little faith!

But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well.

But suppose the servant thinks to himself, ‘My master will not come back soon,' and he begins to beat the other servants, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.

"The servant who knows what his master wants but is not ready, or who does not do what the master wants, will be beaten with many blows!

But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected.

No, I tell you. But unless you change your hearts and lives, you will be destroyed as they were!

No, I tell you. But unless you change your hearts and lives, you will all be destroyed too!"

Jesus told this story: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none.

So the man said to his gardener, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down. Why should it waste the ground?'

But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some fertilizer.

If the tree produces fruit next year, good. But if not, you can cut it down.'"

When Jesus said this, all of those who were criticizing him were ashamed, but the entire crowd rejoiced at all the wonderful things Jesus was doing.

"Try hard to enter through the narrow door, because many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able.

When the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside and knock on the door and say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.'

But he will say to you, ‘I don't know you or where you come from. Go away from me, all you who do evil!'

You will cry and grind your teeth with pain when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, but you yourselves thrown outside.

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me.

But they would not answer his question. So Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him away.