Study Desk

"What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, I want to see again."

Then the man was able to see. He followed Jesus, thanking God. Everyone who saw this praised God for what happened.

Jesus said, "Today is the day for this family to be saved from sin. Yes, even this tax collector is one of God's chosen people.

As the crowd listened to what he was saying, Jesus went on to tell a story. He was now near Jerusalem and knew that the people thought it was almost time for God's kingdom to come.

Jesus was coming close to Jerusalem. He was already near the bottom of the Mount of Olives. The whole group of followers was happy. They were very excited and praised God. They thanked God for all the powerful things they had seen.

Jesus came near Jerusalem. Looking at the city, he began to cry for it

He said, "The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer.' But you have changed it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.'"

Then Jesus told the people this story: "A man planted a vineyard. He leased the land to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time.

Later, it was time for the grapes to be picked. So the man sent a servant to those farmers so that they would give him his share of the grapes. But they beat the servant and sent him away with nothing.

So the man sent another servant. They beat this servant too and showed no respect for him. They sent the servant away with nothing.

So the Jewish leaders waited for the right time to get Jesus. They sent some men to him, who pretended to be sincere. They wanted to find something wrong with what Jesus said. (If they found something wrong, then they could hand him over to the governor, who had the authority to arrest him.)

Tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

"Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and had no children, his brother must marry his widow. Then they will have children for the dead brother.

"Be careful of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing clothes that look important. And they love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.

Some followers asked Jesus, "Teacher, when will these things happen? What will show us that it is time for these things to happen?"

There will be great earthquakes, sicknesses, and other bad things in many places. In some places there will be no food for the people to eat. Terrible things will happen, and amazing things will come from heaven to warn people.

"You will see armies all around Jerusalem. Then you will know that the time for its destruction has come.

During that time it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have small babies, because very bad times will come to this land. God will be angry with these people.

When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don't be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!"

It was almost time for the Jewish Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover.