Instructions
1 Jesus said to His disciples,“Stumbling blocks[temptations and traps set to lure one to sin]are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come!
2 It would be better for him if a millstone[as large as one turned by a donkey]were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of theselittle ones to stumble[in sin and lose faith].
3 Pay attentionandalways be on guard[looking out for one another]!If your brother sinsanddisregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repentsandchanges, forgive him.
4 Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him[that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled].”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith [our ability to confidently trust in God and in His power].”
6 And the Lord said,“If youhave[confident, abiding]faith in God[even as small]as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree[which has very strong roots],‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea’; and[if the request was in agreement with the will of God]it would have obeyed you.
7 “Which of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat?’
8 Will he not instead say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, andappropriatelyclothe yourself[for service]and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you may eat and drink?’
9 He does not thank the servant just because he did what he was ordered to do, does he?
10 So you too, when you have done everything that was assignedandcommanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants[undeserving of praise or a reward, for we have not gone beyond our obligation];we havemerelydone what we ought to do.’”
Ten Lepers Cleansed
11 While Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing [along the border] between Samaria and Galilee.
12 As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance;
13 and they raised their voices and called out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 When He saw them, He said to them,“Go and show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went, they were [miraculously] healedandmade clean.
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifyingandpraisingandhonoring God with a loud voice;
16 and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was aSamaritan.
17 Then Jesus asked,“Were not ten[of you]cleansed? Where are the[other]nine?
18 Was there no one found to return and to give thanksandpraise to God, except this foreigner?”
19 Jesus said to him,“Get up and go[on your way].Your faith[your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power]has restored you to health.”
20 Now having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied,“The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observedorwith a visible display;
21 nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is among you[because of My presence].”
Second Coming Foretold
22 Then He said to the disciples,“The time will come when you will long to see[even]one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
23 They will say to you, ‘Look[the Messiah is]there!’or‘Look[He is]here!’ Do not go away[to see Him],and do not run afterthem.
24 For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one partof the sky, gives light to the other partof the sky, so[visible]will the Son of Man be in His day.
25 But first He must suffer many things and be repudiatedandrejectedandconsidered unfit[to be the Messiah]by this[unbelieving]generation.
26 And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in thetime of[the second coming of]the Son of Man:
27 the people wereeating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage,[they were indifferent to God]until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 It was the same as it was in the days of Lot. People were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building[carrying on business as usual, without regard for their sins];
29 but on the[very]day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone (burning sulfur) from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day, whoever is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, must not come down[and go inside]to take them out; and likewise whoever is in the field must not turn back.
32 Remember[what happened to]Lot’s wife[when she looked back]!
33 Whoever seeks to save hislife will[eventually]lose it[through death],and whoever loseshis life[in this world]will keep it[from the consequences of sin and separation from God].
34 I tell you, on that night[when Messiah comes again]there will be two[sleeping]in one bed; theone (the non-believer) will be taken[away in judgment]and theother (the believer) will be left.
35 There will be two women grinding[at the mill]together; theone (the non-believer) will be taken[away in judgment]and the other (the believer) will be left.
36 [Two men will be in the field;one will be taken and the other will be left.”]
37 And they asked Him, “Where, Lord?” He answered,“Where the corpse is, there the vultures will be gathered.”