The Question of Divorce

1Hea set out from there and went to the region of Judeab and across the Jordan.c Then crowds converged on Him again and, as He usually did, He began teachingd them once more. 2Some •Phariseese approached Him to testf Him. They asked, “Is it lawfulg for a man to divorceh his wife? ”i

3He replied to them, “What did Mosesj command you? ”

4They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papersk and send her away.”l

5But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts.m 6But from the beginningn of creationo Godp made them male and female.q,r

7For this reason a man will leaves

his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,t

8and the two will become one flesh.u,v

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”w

10Now in the house the disciples questioned Him again about this matter. 11And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wifex and marriesy another commits adulteryz against her. 12Also, if she divorces her husbandaa and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Blessing the Children

13Someab people were bringing little childrenac to Him so He might touch them, but His disciples rebukedad them. 14When Jesus saw it, He was indignantae and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me.af Don’t stopag them, for the kingdom of Godah belongs to such as these. 15•I assure you:ai Whoever does not welcomeaj,ak the kingdom of God like a little childal will never enter it.” 16After taking them in His arms, He laid His hands onam them and blessedan them.

The Rich Young Ruler

17Asao He was setting out on a journey,ap a man ran up, knelt downaq before Him, and asked Him, “Goodar Teacher,as what must I do to inheritat eternal life? ”au

18“Why do you call Me good? ” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One — God.av 19You know the commandments:

Do not murder;aw

do not commit adultery;ax

do not steal;ay

do not bear false witness;az

do not defraud;ba

honorbb your father and mother.”bc,bd

20He said to Him, “Teacher,be I have kept all these from my youth.”

21Then, looking at him, Jesus loved himbf and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor,bg and you will have treasurebh in heaven.bi Then come,bj follow Me.”bk 22But he was stunnedbl at this demand, and he went away grieving,bm because he had many possessions.bn

Possessions and the Kingdom

23Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealthbo to enter the kingdom of God! ”bp 24But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children,bq how hard it isbr to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a richbs person to enter the kingdom of God.”

26So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved? ”bt

27Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible,bu but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”

28Peterbv began to tell Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”

29“I assure you,”bw Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house, brothers or sisters, mother or father,bx children, or fields because of Me and the gospel,by 30who will not receive 100 timesbz more, now at this timeca — houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutionscb — and eternal lifecc in the age to come.cd 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”ce

The Third Prediction of His Death

32Theycf were on the road, going up to Jerusalem,cg and Jesus was walking ahead of them. They were astonished, but those who followed Him were afraid.ch Taking the Twelve aside again, He began to tell them the things that would happen to Him.ci

33“Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The •Son of Mancj will be handed over to the •chief priests and the •scribes,ck and they will condemn Him to death. Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles,cl 34and they will mock Him, spit on Him, flogcm Him, and kill Him, and He will risecn after three days.”co

Suffering and Service

35Thencp Jamescq and John,cr the sons of Zebedee,cs approached Him and said, “Teacher,ct we want You to do something for us if we ask You.”

36“What do you want Me to do for you? ” He asked them.

37They answered Him, “Allow us to sit at Your right and at Your left in Your glory.”cu

38But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking.cv Are you able to drink the cupcw I drink or to be baptized with the baptismcx I am baptized with? ”cy

39“We are able,” they told Him.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with.cz 40But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to give; instead, it is for those it has been prepared for.” 41When the other 10 disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John.da

42Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominatedb them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them. 43But it must not be like that among you.de On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,df 44and whoever wants to be first among you must be a •slavedg to all. 45For even the Son of Mandh did not come to be served, but to serve,di and to give His lifedj — a ransomdk for many.”dl,dm

A Blind Man Healed

46Theydn came to Jericho.do And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blinddp beggar,dq was sitting by the road.dr 47When he heard that it was Jesus the •Nazarene,ds he began to cry out, “Son of David,dt Jesus, have mercydu on me! ”dv 48Many people told him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me,dw Son of David! ”

49Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage!dx Get up; He’s calling for you.” 50He threw off his coat,dy jumped up, and came to Jesus.

51Then Jesus answered him, “What do you wantdz Me to do for you? ”

“Rabbouni,”ea, eb the blind man told Him, “I want to see! ”

52“Go your way,” Jesus told him. “Your faith has healed you.”ec Immediately he could see and began to follow Him on the road.