Study Desk

Those servants might have to wait until midnight or later for their master. But they will be glad they did when he comes in and finds them still waiting.

Peter said, "Lord, did you tell this story for us or for all people?"

When the master comes and finds him doing the work he gave him, it will be a day of blessing for that servant!

But what about the servant who does not know what his master wants? He also does things that deserve punishment. But he will get less punishment than the servant who knew what he should do. Whoever has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more."

"Why can't you decide for yourselves what is right?

Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing.

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

He had a servant who took care of his garden. So he said to his servant, ‘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?'

A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her. It had made the woman crippled for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight.

The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don't come for healing on the Sabbath day."

This woman that I healed is a true descendant of Abraham. But Satan has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be made free from her sickness on a Sabbath day!"

When Jesus said this, all those who were criticizing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things he was doing.

If a man locks the door of his house, you can stand outside and knock on the door, but he won't open it. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, ‘I don't know you. Where did you come from?'

"So when someone invites you, go sit in the seat that is not important. Then they will come to you and say, ‘Friend, move up here to this better place!' What an honor this will be for you in front of all the other guests.

One of the men sitting at the table with Jesus heard these things. The man said to him, "It will be a great blessing for anyone to eat a meal in God's kingdom!"

"Later, the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.'

If he thinks he cannot defeat the other king, he will send some men to ask for peace while that king's army is still far away.

"It is the same for each of you. You must leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower.

"Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it.

In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don't need to change.