Matthew 8
1When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.
2Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him,
6“Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.”
7“I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.
8The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
10When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
14When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.
15So He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.
16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
18When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.
19And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
21Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
23When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
24Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.
25The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
28When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
29“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
30In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding.
31So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32“Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.
33Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men.
34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
Matthew 25
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.
4But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
5When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’
12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
13Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
14For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.
15To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.
16The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more.
17Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.
18But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
22The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’
23His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
24Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’
26‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.
28Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.
29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
30And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.
32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
34Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
37Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?
38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
41Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
44And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Luke 9
1Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases.
2And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3“Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.
4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that area.
5If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony against them.”
6So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
7When Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that John had risen from the dead,
8others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that a prophet of old had arisen.
9“I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this man I hear such things about?” And he kept trying to see Jesus.
10Then the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away privately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida.
11But the crowds found out and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed healing.
12As the day neared its end, the Twelve came to Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside for lodging and provisions. For we are in a desolate place here.”
13But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
14(There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15They did so, and everyone was seated.
16Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
17They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
18One day as Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of old has arisen.”
20“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
21Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.
22“The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
23Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
25What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?
26If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27But I tell you truly, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
28About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray.
29And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
30Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.
31They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with Him.
33As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”
36After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was present with them. The disciples kept this to themselves, and in those days they did not tell anyone what they had seen.
37The next day, when they came down from the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd.
38Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39A spirit keeps seizing him, and he screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him.
40I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”
41“O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43And they were all astonished at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, He said to His disciples,
44“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
45But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
46Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
47But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.
48And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
49“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
50“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
51As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
52He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
53But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.
54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
55But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
56And He and His disciples went on to another village.
57As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
58Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
59Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
62Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 12
1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4There are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
5There are different ministries, but the same Lord.
6There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people.
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit,
9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.
12The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.
13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
14For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.
15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design.
19If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.”
22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty,
24whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another.
26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.
28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.
29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
31But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
