New Testament Plan

¹Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,

²"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

³And he sent his servants to call those who had [previously] been invited to the wedding feast, but they refused to come.

⁴Then he sent out some other servants, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Look, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened calves are butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'

⁵But they paid no attention [they disregarded the invitation, treating it with contempt] and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.

⁶The rest [of the invited guests] seized his servants and mistreated them [insulting and humiliating them] and killed them.

⁷The king was enraged [when he heard this], and sent his soldiers and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding [feast] is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

⁹So go to the main highways that lead out of the city, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.'

¹⁰Those servants went out into the streets and gathered together all the people they could find, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests [sitting at the banquet table].

¹¹"But when the king came in to see the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed [appropriately] in wedding clothes,

¹²and he said, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wearing the wedding clothes [that were provided for you]?' And the man was speechless and without excuse.

¹³Then the king said to the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].'

¹⁴For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen."

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and conspired together plotting how to trap Him by [distorting] what He said.

¹⁶They sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are sincere and that You teach the way of God truthfully, without concerning Yourself about [what] anyone [thinks or says of Your teachings]; for You are impartial and do not seek anyone's favor [and You treat all people alike, regardless of status].

¹⁷Tell us then, what do You think? Is it permissible [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"

¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, asked, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

¹⁹Show me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius [a day's wage].

²⁰And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"

²¹They said, "[ The Emperor Tiberius] Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

²²When they heard this, they were caught off guard, and they left Him and went away.

²³On that day some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection [of the dead], came to Him and asked Him a question,

²⁴saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, leaving no children, his brother as next of kin shallmarry his widow, and raise children for his brother.'

²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother.

²⁶The second also [died childless], and the third, down to the seventh.

²⁷Last of all, the woman died.

²⁸So in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her."

²⁹But Jesus replied to them, "You are all wrong because you know neither the Scriptures [which teach the resurrection] nor the power of God [for He is able to raise the dead].

³⁰For in the resurrection neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven [who do not marry nor produce children].

³¹But as to the resurrection of the dead—have you not read [in the Scripture] what God said to you:

³²'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

³³When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

³⁴Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together.

³⁵One of them, a lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law], asked Jesus a question, to test Him:

³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

³⁷And Jesus replied to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment.

³⁹The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].'

⁴⁰The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments."

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were [still] gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:

⁴²"What do you [Pharisees] think of the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David."

⁴³Jesus asked them, "How is it then that David by the inspiration of the Spirit, calls Him 'Lord,' saying,

⁴⁴'The Lord (the Father) said to my Lord (the Son, the Messiah), "Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies under Your feet"'?

⁴⁵So then, if David calls Him (the Son, the Messiah) 'Lord,' how is He David's son?"

⁴⁶No one was able to say a word to Him in answer, nor from that day on did anyone dare to question Him again.

¹Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,

²saying: "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses' chair [of authority as teachers of the Law];

³so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them.

⁴The scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter].

⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their tassels long.

⁶They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation],

⁷and to be greeted [with respect] in the market places and public forums, and to have people call them Rabbi.

⁸But do not be called Rabbi (Teacher); for One is your Teacher, and you are all [equally] brothers.

⁹Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

¹⁰Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ.

¹¹But the greatest among you will be your servant.

¹²Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.

¹³"But woe (judgment is coming) to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are [in the process of] entering to do so.

¹⁴[Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you swallow up widows' houses, and to cover it up you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.]

¹⁵"Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte (convert to Judaism), and when he becomes a convert, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

¹⁶"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears [an oath] by the sanctuary of the temple, that is nothing (non-binding); but whoever swears [an oath] by the gold of the temple is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].'

¹⁷You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the sanctuary of the temple that sanctified the gold?

¹⁸And [you scribes and Pharisees say], 'Whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, that is nothing (non-binding), but whoever swears [an oath] by the offering on it, he is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].'

¹⁹You [spiritually] blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

²⁰Therefore, whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, swears both by it and by everything [offered] on it.

²¹And whoever swears [an oath] by the sanctuary of the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells within it.

²²And whoever swears [an oath] by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

²³"Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you give a tenth (tithe) of your mint and dill and cumin [focusing on minor matters], and have neglected the weightier [more important moral and spiritual] provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the [primary] things you ought to have done without neglecting the others.

²⁴You [spiritually] blind guides, who strain out a gnat [consuming yourselves with miniscule matters] and swallow a camel [ignoring and violating God's precepts]!

²⁵"Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and robbery and self-indulgence (unrestrained greed).

²⁶You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God's precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.

²⁷"Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.

²⁸So you, also, outwardly seem to be just and upright to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹"Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets and decorate and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

³⁰and you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

³²Fill up, then, the [allotted] measure of the guilt of your fathers' sins.

³³You serpents, you spawn of vipers, how can you escape the penalty of hell?

³⁴"Therefore, take notice, I am sending you prophets and wise men [interpreters, teachers] and scribes [men educated in the Mosaic Law and the writings of the prophets]; some of them you will kill and even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues, and pursue and persecute from city to city,

³⁵so that on you will come the guilt of all the blood of the righteous shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah [the priest], the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

³⁶I assure you and most solemnly say to you, [the judgment for] all these things [these vile and murderous deeds] will come on this generation.

³⁷" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who murders the prophets and stones [to death] those [messengers] who are sent to her [by God]! How often I wanted to gather your children together [around Me], as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

³⁸Listen carefully: your house is being left to you desolate [completely abandoned by God and destitute of His protection]!

³⁹For I say to you, you will not see Me again [ministering to you publicly] until you say, 'Blessed [to be celebrated with praise] is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

¹Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the [magnificent and massive] buildings of the temple.

²And He said to them, "Do you see all these things? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, not one stone here will be left on another, which will not be torn down."

³While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, "Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?"

⁴Jesus answered, "Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].

⁵For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, 'I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),' and they will mislead many.

⁶You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age].

⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

⁸But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].

⁹"Then they will hand you over to [endure] tribulation, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

¹⁰At that time many will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will fall away [from the One whom they should trust] and will betray one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will hate one another.

¹¹Many false prophets will appear and mislead many.

¹²Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold.

¹³But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved.

¹⁴This good news of the kingdom [the gospel] will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end [of the age] will come.

¹⁵"So when you see theabomination of desolation [the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand),

¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains [for refuge].

¹⁷"Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things that are in his house [because there will not be enough time].

¹⁸"Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

¹⁹And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

²⁰Pray that your flight [from persecution and suffering] will not be in winter, or on a Sabbath [when Jewish laws prohibit travel].

²¹For at that time there will be a great tribulation (pressure, distress, oppression), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will [again].

²²And if those days [of tribulation] had not been cut short, no human life would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (God's chosen ones) those days will be shortened.

²³Then if anyone says to you [during the great tribulation], 'Look! Here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe it.

²⁴For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God's chosen ones).

²⁵Listen carefully, I have told you in advance.

²⁶So if they say to you, 'Look! He is in the wilderness,' do not go out there, or, 'Look! He is in the inner rooms [of a house],' do not believe it.

²⁷For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming [in glory] of the Son of Man [everyone will see Him clearly].

²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will flock together.

²⁹"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor].

³¹And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet and they will gather together His elect (God's chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³²"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its young shoots become tender and it puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near;

³³so you, too, when you see all these things [taking place], know for certain that He is near, right at the door.

³⁴I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.

³⁵Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁶"But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.

³⁷For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah.

³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark,

³⁹and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment].

⁴⁰At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.

⁴²"So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming.

⁴³But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁴Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.

⁴⁵"Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others [in the house] their food and supplies at the proper time?

⁴⁶Blessed is that [faithful] servant when his master returns and finds him doing so.

⁴⁷I assure you and most solemnly say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁸But if that servant is evil and says in his heart, 'My master is taking his time [he will not return for a long while],'

⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards;

⁵⁰the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware,

⁵¹and will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].