The Gospel of Luke for Readers Part 4

If thy whole body is full of light, with no dark parts, the whole shall be full of light, and, like the bright s.h.i.+ning of a candle, it gives off the light.

Later, a Pharisee who had invited Him to dinner marvelled that He had not first washed before sitting at the meal. Jesus said to him, You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the platter clean; but inside they are full of poison and wickedness. Fools, did not He who made what is on the outside, make what is inside also? Give of what you have, then all things will be clean to you.

But woe to you, Pharisees! You t.i.the mint and rue and all kinds of herbs, and ignore judgment and the love of G.o.d. These you ought to have done without ignoring the others also.

Woe to you, Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are as empty as graves that others walk over and do not see.

One of the lawyers said, Master, in saying this you reproach us also.

Jesus said, Woe to you also, ye lawyers! You load men with unbearable burdens and you yourselves do not so much as lay a finger on one of these burdens.

Woe to you! You build shrines to the prophets and your fathers killed them. You bear witness that you sanction the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them and you build their shrines.

The wisdom of G.o.d said: I will send them prophets and apostles. Some of them they shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation. The blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple shall be required of this generation.

Woe to you, lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You entered not in yourselves but prevented any others from entering in.

And, as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge and provoke Him to speak of many things. They were laying in wait and trying to catch something He said that they could use against Him.

12 Later, Jesus drew His disciples together and taught them saying, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; nor hidden that shall not be known. Therefore, whatever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have whispered shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. My friends, Be not afraid of those who kill the body because, after that, there is no more they can do. But I will forewarn you who to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has power to cast you into h.e.l.l. Yes, fear him.

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins and not one of them is forgotten by G.o.d? Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered by Him. Fear not, then, because you are of more value than many sparrows.

Also, I tell you, Whoever confesses me before men, the Son of man will also confess before the angels of G.o.d. But he that denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of G.o.d. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.

Now, when they bring you to the synagogues, and before magistrates and powers, take no thought how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. The Holy Ghost shall tell you what to say on the spot.

One of the group said, Master, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. Jesus replied, Who made me a judge or a divider over you? Take heed, and beware of covetousness. A man's life does not consist of the abundance of things he possesses.

Then Jesus spoke a parable to them. He said, The ground of a rich man yielded a plentiful harvest. He wondered and said, What shall I do? I have no room to store my fruit. Finally he said, I will pull down my barns and build larger ones and there will I store my fruit and all my goods. I will say to my soul, Thou has enough goods laid up to last many years. It is time to take ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But G.o.d said to him, Thou fool, tonight thy soul shall be required of thee; then to whom shall all those things belong which thou has stored away?

So it is with whoever lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward G.o.d.

Jesus said to His disciples, Therefore, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; or for the body, what ye shall put on. Life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Consider the ravens. They neither sow nor reap. They have no storehouse or barn. G.o.d feeds them. How much better than the fowls are ye? And who of you, by thinking or reasoning, can add to his stature one cubit? If you are not able to do that which is so little, why take thought for the rest?

Consider the lilies and how they grow! They toil not, they spin not; and yet, I say to you, Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. If G.o.d, then, so clothes the gra.s.s, which is today in the field and tomorrow cast into the oven; how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Seek not what ye shall eat or drink. Neither be of a doubtful mind.

For these same things do all the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that ye have need of these things. Instead, seek ye the kingdom of G.o.d and all these things shall be added to you.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves with purses that do not wear out, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, nor moth corrupts. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Let your loins be girded about and your lights kept burning. Be like those who wait for their lord to return from the wedding that, when he comes and knocks, they are ready to welcome him instantly. Blessed are those servants, who, when the lord comes, He finds ready and waiting.

And consider this, if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not suffered his house to be broken into. So, be ready because the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.

Then Peter said to Him, Lord, will you speak more about this parable to us, or even to all? The Lord said, Who, then, is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household to justly give out the portions of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, shall find already doing so. I tell you, he will make him ruler over all that he has.

But if a servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming; and so begins to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink to excess; the lord of that servant will come in a day when the servant does not look for him and at an hour when he is not aware. His lord will cast him aside and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

That servant, who knew his lord's will but did not prepare or act according to his lord's will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

But he that did not know and committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten lightly. To whomever much is given, of him much is required.

To whomever much is entrusted, of him even much more will be demanded.

I came to set the earth on fire; and I wish it was already kindled.

But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and am I bound until it is accomplished!

Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, No; but rather division. From now on there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Then Jesus said to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, ye say, A shower is coming; and so it is. When ye see the south wind blow, ye say, It is going to be hot; and it comes to pa.s.s. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? And why do you not judge, within yourselves, what is right?

When you go with your adversary to court, settle along the way so you may be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. You will not leave there until you have paid every last cent.

13 Among those present were some who said that Pilate mingled blood of the Galilaeans with their sacrifices. Jesus said to them, Do you suppose these Galilaeans were sinners above all other Galilaeans because they suffered such things? I tell you, No: but, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Or the eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed; do you think they were sinners above all men who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you again, No: but, unless you repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Jesus told this parable. A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard.

He came out to get some fruit and found none. He said to the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down; why have it take up s.p.a.ce?

His dresser said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit, all is well, and, if not, then afterward it shall be cut down.

He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. He saw a woman who, for eighteen years, had been bowed over and could not stand upright. When Jesus recognized her, He called her to Him, and said, Woman, thou art loosed from this infirmity. He laid His hands on her and, immediately she was made straight, and glorified G.o.d.

The ruler of the synagogue, filled with indignation because Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, said to the people, There are six days in which men ought to work. On those days, therefore, come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

The Lord said to the ruler of the synagogue, Thou hypocrite, does not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his a.s.s from the stall, and lead him to be watered? Here is a woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years. Should she not be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? Upon saying this, Jesus' adversaries were ashamed and the rest of the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

Then He said, I will tell you what the the Kingdom of G.o.d is like. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which was cast into a garden. It grew up and turned into such a great tree that the fowls of the air lodged in its branches. And He said, The kingdom of G.o.d is like leaven that is put in a few small measures of meal and, in a while, the whole batch is leavened.

Journeying toward Jerusalem, Jesus stopped and taught in many cities and villages along the way. And a follower came forward and asked, Lord, are there only a few that can be saved? Jesus looked out on the group and replied, Strive to enter in at the strait gate. Many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Once the master of the house is risen up, the door is closed. From outside you will knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open the door to us; but He will answer, I do not know who you are.

Then you will say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou has taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I do not know you; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnas.h.i.+ng of teeth when ye see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of G.o.d, and you are left outside.

They shall come from the east, the west, the north, and the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of G.o.d. And, behold, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.

Then one of the Pharisees said to Him, Get out. Leave here for Herod will kill thee. Jesus said, Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following for it cannot be that a prophet perish anywhere but Jerusalem.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and ye would not have it! Behold, your house is left desolate and, verily I say to you, Ye shall not see me until the time comes when ye say, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.

14 It came to pa.s.s, Jesus went to eat at the house of one of the chief Pharisees on the sabbath day. A man was there who had the dropsy. Jesus, observing that He was being carefully watched, said to the lawyers and Pharisees, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

They held their peace.

Jesus healed the afflicted man and then said, Which of you shall have an a.s.s or an ox fall into a pit and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? Again, they could not answer Him.

Jesus told a parable. He said, When you are invited to a wedding, do not sit down in the highest room; lest one more honorable than you has been invited. The host would have to come and tell you the room was for someone else and, with shame, you move to the lowest room.

Instead, sit down in the lowest room. Then the host may come to you and say, Friend, go up higher. You will, then, have the respect of the other guests. Whoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.

Then Jesus said to his host, When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends, or your brethren, or kinsmen, or rich neighbors; lest they also invite you in return, and you incur an obligation. When you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. You will be blessed because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.