Month: July 2024

Watching for their opportunity, the leaders send spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so that he would arrest Jesus. “Teacher”, they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. No tell us – is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

He saw through their trickery and said, “Shoe me a roman coin. Whose picture is stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well then”, he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

So they failed to trap Him by what He said in front of the people. Instead they were amazed at his answer, and they became silent.” (vv. 20-26, NLT)

Jesus entered Jericho and made His way through the town. There was a man there named Zaccchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tired to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he rand ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

When Jesus cam by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest at your home today.”

Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (vv. 1-10, NLT)

One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” He said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for awhile, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear Good or care abut people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!'”

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think that God will surely give you justice to His chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will He keep putting them of? I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?” (vv. 1-8, NLT)

One day, Jesus said to His disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck that to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. So watch yourselves!”

“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Then the apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted an thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!

When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me?’ No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey Me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.” (vv. 1-10, NLT)

To illustrate further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. They younger told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.”

“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs look good to him But no one gave him anything.”

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and her I am dying of hunger!I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”

“So he returned home to his father. Snd while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.”

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and how he was returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going one. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years, I’ve slaved for you and never once refused ot do a single thing you told me to do. And in al that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet this sone of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing a fattened calf!’

“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'” (vv. 11-32, NLT)

A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison -your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.”

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there was enough to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!'”

“Or what king would go to war agains another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own.”

“Salt is good for seasoning, but if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (vv. 25-35, NLT)

About this time, Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think that those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of our sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? Nom and I tell you again, unless you repent, you will perish, too.” (vv. 1-5, NLT)

Meanwhile, the crowd grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to His disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees – their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and al that is secret will be made know to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops for all to hear!”

“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do anything more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and throw you into hell. Yes, He is the one to fear.”

“What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

“I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges Me publicly her on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. But anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.:”

“And when you are brought into trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.” (vv 1-12, NLT)

One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed, but some of them said, “No wonder He casts out demons. He gets His power from Satan, the prince of demons.” Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that He show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove His authority.

He knew their thoughts, so He said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. You say that I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive? And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, he possessions are safe – until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.”

“Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against me.”

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I cam from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they will all enter the person who lives there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

As he was speaking, a woman in the crown called out. “God bless Your mother – the womb from which You came, and the breasts that nursed You!””

Jesus replied,”But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” (vv. 14-28, NLT)

At that same time, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank You for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the child-like. Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way. “

“My Father has entrusted everything to Me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then when they were alone, He turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” (vv. 21-24, NLT)