Temptations and Trespasses

(Matthew 18:7-9; Mark 9:42-50)

1And he said unto the disciples, ‘It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but wo [to him] through whom they come; 2it is more profitable to him if a weighty millstone is put round about his neck, and he hath been cast into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3‘Take heed to yourselves, and, if thy brother may sin in regard to thee, rebuke him, and if he may reform, forgive him, 4and if seven times in the day he may sin against thee, and seven times in the day may turn back to thee, saying, I reform; thou shalt forgive him.’

The Power of Faith

(Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-42)

5And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Add to us faith;’ 6and the Lord said, ‘If ye had faith as a grain of mustard, ye would have said to this sycamine, Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea, and it would have obeyed you.

7‘But, who is he of you — having a servant ploughing or feeding — who, to him having come in out of the field, will say, Having come near, recline at meat? 8but will not [rather] say to him, Prepare what I may sup, and having girded thyself about, minister to me, till I eat and drink, and after these things thou shalt eat and drink? 9Hath he favour to that servant because he did the things directed? I think not. 10‘So also ye, when ye may have done all the things directed you, say — We are unprofitable servants, because that which we owed to do — we have done.’

Jesus Heals Ten Lepers

(2 Kings 5:1-14)

11And it came to pass, in his going on to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, 12and he entering into a certain village, there met him ten leprous men, who stood afar off, 13and they lifted up the voice, saying, ‘Jesus, master, deal kindly with us;’ 14and having seen [them], he said to them, ‘Having gone on, shew yourselves to the priests;’ and it came to pass, in their going, they were cleansed, 15and one of them having seen that he was healed did turn back, with a loud voice glorifying God, 16and he fell upon [his] face at his feet, giving thanks to him, and he was a Samaritan. 17And Jesus answering said, ‘Were not the ten cleansed, and the nine — where? 18There were not found who did turn back to give glory to God, except this alien;’ 19and he said to him, ‘Having risen, be going on, thy faith hath saved thee.’

The Coming of the Kingdom

20And having been questioned by the Pharisees, when the reign of God doth come, he answered them, and said, ‘The reign of God doth not come with observation; 21nor shall they say, Lo, here; or lo, there; for lo, the reign of God is within you.’

22And he said unto his disciples, ‘Days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not behold [it]; 23and they shall say to you, Lo, here; or lo, there; ye may not go away, nor follow; 24for as the lightning that is lightening out of the one [part] under heaven, to the other part under heaven doth shine, so shall be also the Son of Man in his day; 25and first it behoveth him to suffer many things, and to be rejected by this generation. 26‘And, as it came to pass in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man; 27they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were given in marriage, till the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the deluge came, and destroyed all; 28in like manner also, as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29and on the day Lot went forth from Sodom, He rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed all. 30‘According to these things it shall be, in the day the Son of Man is revealed; 31in that day, he who shall be on the house top, and his vessels in the house, let him not come down to take them away; and he in the field, in like manner, let him not turn backward; 32remember the wife of Lot. 33Whoever may seek to save his life, shall lose it; and whoever may lose it, shall preserve it. 34‘I say to you, In that night, there shall be two men on one couch, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left; 35two women shall be grinding at the same place together, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left; 36two men shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left.’ 37And they answering say to him, ‘Where, sir?’ and he said to them, ‘Where the body [is], there will the eagles be gathered together.’