McCracken New Testament Reading; 31-35 Luke 13:22 - Luke 24:53

Ond aesaf, pan gras jaethau drw Bainyddol £2 Charmi4 Push el steak £2. Rei worais broedd ynlo, Piod XIII, D-22, Dgynodonlw Ddwychem ganillau, dron hon ffordd sy'n prif wnaeth a cymgefid allwcio fel Twitteril a nodigau cael ei beth ddwydu yr unPhyd. Ryn fi â confirmeth ydi cyfrydd y gallu, y llain yn tousneudаньau, mae'r buwnd plant hon yma. Fy draws oes yn pandraethan dyd ond for I tell you that many will try to enter and not be able. When once the Master of the House has got up, and locked the door, you may stand outside and knock and say, Sir, let us in, but He will only answer, I do not know where

you come from. ëThen you will begin to say, ëWe sat at table with you, and you taught in our streets. But he will repeat, I tell you I do not know where you come from, out of my sight, all of you, you and your wicked ways. There will be wailing and grinding of teeth there. cure leule lland y Nastwyr yn y Ddeillatiadau fel creceäng, a c Perfectbydlleneau eig yn Wrth yn grolau fo… …diolg Michry paints ym pasingor Covid, gyda daygu fine a'foshnyn yn allohol😘 fo wnal ac attend nine fydd yn tro 4 o cl level o cdu cefnw Yddamaor​ …au panyddo, Mae'n gydion hynny, mae'n i sicrhau hynny byddョ wneud yndd��eddädau At that time, a number of Pharisees came to him and said,

you should leave this place, and go on your way. Herod is out to kill you. He replied, go and tell that fox. Listen! Today and tomorrow, I shall be casting out devils and working cures. On the third day, I reach my goal. However, I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is unthinkable for a prophet to meet his death anywhere but in Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that murders the prophets and stones the messengers sent to her. How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wings? But you would not let me. Look, look, there is your temple forsaken by God.

And I tell you, you shall never see me until the time comes when you say blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord. Once Sabbath, he went to have a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and they were watching him closely. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the lawyers and the Pharisees, is it permitted to cure people on the Sabbath or not? They said nothing. So he took the man, cured him, and sent him away. Then he turned to them and said, if one of you has a donkey or an ox and it falls into a well, will he hesitate to haul it up on the Sabbath day? To this they could find no reply.

When he noticed how the guests were trying to secure the places of honour, he spoke to them in a parable. When you are asked by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the place of honour. It may be that some person more distinguished than yourself has been invited, and the host will come and say to you, give this man your seat. Then you will look foolish as you begin to take the lowest place. No. When you receive an invitation, go and sit down in the lowest place so that when your host comes, he will say, come up higher, my friend. Then all your fellow guests will see the respect in which you are held. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Then he said to his host, when you give a lunch or dinner party. Do not invite your friends, your brothers or other relations or your rich neighbours. They will only ask you back again, and so you will be repaid. But when you give a party, ask the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, and so find happiness. For they have no means of repaying you, but you will be repaid on the day when good men rise from the dead. One of the company, after hearing all this, said to him, happy the man who shall sit at the feast in the kingdom of God. Jesus answered, a man was giving a big dinner party, and had sent out many invitations. At dinner time he sent his servant with a message for his guests,

please come. Everything is now ready. They began one and all to excuse themselves. The first said, I have bought a piece of land, and I must go and look it over. Please accept my apologies. The second said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies. The next said, I have just got married, and for that reason I cannot come. When the servant came back, he reported this to his master. The master of the house was angry, and said to him, go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring me in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. The servant said, Sir, your orders have been carried out, and there is still room. The master replied,

go out onto the highways, and along the hedge rows, and make them come in, I want my house to be full. I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my banquet. Once, when great crowds were accompanying him, he turned to them and said, if anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine. No one who does not carry his cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine. Would any of you think of building a tower, without first sitting down and calculating the cost, to see whether he could afford to finish it? Otherwise, if he has laid its foundation,

and then is not able to complete it, all the onlookers will laugh at him. There is the man, they will say, who started to build and could not finish. Or, what king will march to battle against another king, without first sitting down to consider whether, with ten thousand men, he can face an enemy coming to meet him with twenty thousand. If he cannot, then long before the enemy approaches, he sends envoys and asks for terms. So also, none of you can be a disciple of mine, without taking leave of all his possessions. Salt is a good thing, but if salt itself becomes tasteless, what will you use to season it? It is useless, either on the land or on the dung heap. It can only be thrown away.

If you have ears to hear with, hear. Another time, the text gatherers and other bad characters were all crowding in to listen to him, and the Pharisees and the doctors of the law began grumbling among themselves. This fellow, they said, welcomes sinners and eats with them. He answered them with this parable. If one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the missing one until he has found it? How delighted he is then, he lifts it on to his shoulders and home he goes to call his friends and neighbors together. Rejoice with me, he cries, I have found my lost sheep. In the same way I tell you, there will be greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent. Or again, if a woman has ten silver pieces and loses one of them, does she not light the lamp, sweep out the house and look in every corner till she has found it? And when she has, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me, I have found the peace that I lost. In the same way I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Again, he said, there was once a man who had two sons, and the younger said to his father, father, give me my share of the property. So he divided his estate between them.

A few days later, the younger son turned the whole of his share into cash and left home for a distant country where he squandered it in reckless living. He had spent it all when a severe famine fell upon that country and he began to feel the pinch. So he went and attached himself to one of the local landowners who sent him onto his farm to mind the pigs. He would have been glad to fill his belly with the ponds that the pigs were eating and no one gave him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, how many of my father's paid servants have more food than they can eat? And here am I starving to death. I will set off and go to my father and say to him, father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son, treat me as one of your paid servants.

So he set out for his father's house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and his heart went out to him. He ran to meet him, flung his arms around him and kissed him. The son said, father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son. But the father said to his servants quick, fetch a robe, my best one, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet, bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us have a feast to celebrate the day. For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life, he was lost and is found. And the festivities began.

Now the elder son was out on the farm, and on his way back as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked him what it meant. The servant told him, your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound. But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him, but he retorted, you know how I have slaved for you all these years. I never once disobeyed your orders, and you never gave me so much as a kid for a feast with my friends, but now that this son of yours turns up. After running through your money with his women, you killed the fatted calf for him. My boys said the father, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. How could we help celebrating this happy day? Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found.

He said to his disciples, there was a rich man who had a billiff, and he received complaints that this man was squandering the property. So he sent for him and said, what is this that I hear, produce your accounts, for you cannot be manager here any longer. The billiff said to himself, what am I to do now that my employer is dismissing me? I am not strong enough to dig, and too proud to beg. I know what I must do, to make sure that when I have to leave there will be people to give me house and home. He summoned his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, how much do you owe my master? He replied, a thousand gallons of olive oil. He said, here is your account. Sit down and make it 500 and be quick about it.

Then he said to another, and you, how much do you owe? He said, a thousand bushels of wheat and was told, take your account and make it 800. And the master applauded the dishonest billiff for acting so astutely. For the worldly are more astute than the other worldly in dealing with their own kind. So I say to you, use your worldly wealth to win friends for yourselves so that when money is a thing of the past, you may be received into an eternal home. The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted also in great, and the man who is dishonest in little things is dishonest also in great things. If then you have not proved trustworthy with the wealth of this world, who will trust you with the wealth that is real? And if you have proved untrustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?

No servant can be the slave of two masters. For either he will hate the first and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and think nothing of the second. And you cannot serve God and money. The Pharisees who loved money heard all this and scoffed at him. He said to them, you are the people who impress your fellow men with your righteousness, but God sees through you. For what sits itself up to be admired by men is detestable in the sight of God. Until John, it was the law and the prophets. Since then there is the good news of the kingdom of God, and everyone forces his way in. It is easier for heaven and earth to come to an end than for one dot or stroke of the law to lose its force.

A man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. There was once a rich man who dressed in purple and the finest linen, and feasted in great magnificence every day. At his gate, covered with sores, lay a poor man named Lazarus, who would have been glad to satisfy his hunger with the scraps from the rich man's table. Even the dogs used to come and lick his sores. One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up, and there far away was Abraham with Lazarus close beside him.

Abraham, my father, he called out, take pity on me, send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am in an agony in this fire. But Abraham said, remember my child, that all the good things fell to you while you were alive, and all the bad to Lazarus? Now he has his consolations here, and it is you who are in agony. But that is not all. There is a great chasm fixed between us, no one from our side who wants to reach you can cross it, and none may pass from your side to us. Then father, he replied, will you send him to my father's house, where I have five brothers to warn them, so that they too may not come to this place of torment.

But Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them. No father Abraham, he replied, but if someone from the dead visits them, they will repent. Abraham answered, if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will pay no heed, even if someone should rise from the dead. The reading has concluded with the 31st verse of the 16th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. The Gospel according to Luke chapter 17 verse 1. He said to his disciples, causes of stumbling are bound to arise, but woe betide the man through whom they come.

It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round his neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble, keep watch on yourselves. If your brother wrongs you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he wrongs you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times saying, I am sorry, you are to forgive him. The apostles said to the Lord, increase our faith, and the Lord replied, if you had faith no bigger even than a mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, be rooted up and replanted in the sea, and it would at once obey you. Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or minding sheep. When he comes back from the fields, will the master say, come along at once and sit down?

Will he not rather say, prepare my supper, buckle your belt, and then wait on me while I have my meal. You can have yours afterwards. Is he grateful to the servant for carrying out his orders? So with you, when you have carried out all your orders, you should say, we are servants, and deserve no credit, we have only done our duty. In the course of his journey to Jerusalem, he was travelling through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, he was met by ten men with leprosy. They stood some way off, and called out to him, Jesus, master, take pity on us. When he saw them, he said, go and show yourselves to the priests, and while they were on their way, they were made clean.

One of them, finding himself cured, turned back, praising God aloud. He threw himself down at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. At this, Jesus said, we are not all ten cleansed, the other nine. Where are they? Could none be found come back, and give praise to God except this foreigner? And he said to the man, stand up, and go on your way. Your faith has cured you. The Pharisees asked him, when will the kingdom of God come? He said, you cannot tell by observation when the kingdom of God comes. There will be no saying, look, here it is, or there it is, for in fact the kingdom of God is among you.

He said to the disciples, the time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. They will say to you, look, there, and look, here, do not go running off in pursuit for, like the lightning flash, that lights up the earth from end to end, will the Son of Man be when His day comes. But first He must endure much suffering, and be repudiated by this generation. As things were in Noah's days, so will they be in the days of the Son of Man, they ate, and drank, and married, until the day that Noah went into the ark, and the flood came, and made an end of them all. As things were in Noah's days also, they ate, and drank, they bought, and sold, they planted, and built. But the day that Noah went out from Sodom, it rained, fire, and sulfur from heaven, and made an end of them all, it will be like that on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

On that day, the man who is on the roof, and his belongings in the house, must not come down to pick them up. He too, who is in the fields, must not go back. Remember, Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses it will save it, and live. I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bend. One will be taken, the other left. There will be two women together, grinding corn. One will be taken, the other left. When they heard this, they asked, where, Lord, he said, where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. He spoke to them in a parable to show that they should keep on praying and never lose heart. There was once a judge who cared nothing for God or man, and in the same town there was a widow, who constantly came before him demanding justice against her opponent.

For a long time he refused, but in the end he said to himself, through, I care nothing for God or man, but this widow is so great and useless that I will see her righted before she wears me out with her persistence. The Lord said, you hear what the unjust judge says and will not God vindicate his chosen who cry out to him day and night while he listens patiently to them. I tell you, he will vindicate them soon enough. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? And here is another parable that he told. It was aimed at those who were sure of their own goodness and looked down on everyone else.

Two men went up to the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee, and the other, a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood up and prayed thus. I thank the O God that I am not like the rest of men, greedy, dishonest, adulterous, or for that matter, like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes on all that I get. But the other kept his distance, and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat upon his breast, saying, oh God, have mercy on me, sinner that I am. It was this man I tell you, and not the other who went home acquitted of his sins, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

They even brought babies for him to touch, but when the disciples saw them, they scolded them for it. But Jesus called for the children and said, let the little ones come to me. Do not try to stop them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you that whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. A man of the ruling class put this question to him, good master, what must I do to win eternal life? Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments? Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false evidence, honor your father and mother. The man answered, I have kept all these since I was a boy. On hearing this, Jesus said, there is still one thing lacking. Sell everything you have, and distribute to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven, and come, follow me.

At these words his heart sank, for he was a very rich man. When Jesus saw it, he said, how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Those who heard asked, then who can be saved? He answered, what is impossible for man is possible for God. Peter said, here are we who gave up our belongings to become your followers. Jesus said, I tell you this, there is no one who has given up home or wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God, who will not be repaid many times over in this age, and in the age to come have eternal life.

He took the twelve aside and said, we are now going up to Jerusalem, and all that was written by the prophets will come true for the Son of Man. He will be handed over to the foreign power. He will be mocked, maltreated, and spat upon. They will flog him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise again. But they understood nothing of all this. They did not grasp what he was talking about. Its meaning was concealed from them. As he approached Jericho, a blind man sat at the roadside begging. Hearing a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. Then he shouted out, Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me. The people in front told him sharply to hold his tongue, but he called out all the more Son of David, have pity on me.

Jesus stopped, and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came up, he asked him, what do you want me to do for you? Sir, I want my sight back, he answered. Jesus said to him, have back your sight, your faith has cured you. He recovered his sight instantly, and he followed Jesus, praising God, and all the people gave praise to God for what they had seen. Entering Jericho, he made his way through the city. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was superintendent of taxes, and very rich. He was eager to see what Jesus looked like, but being a little man he could not see him for the crowd. So he ran on ahead, and climbed a sickamortry in order to see him, for he was to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said,

Zacchaeus, be quick and come down. I must come and stay with you today. He climbed down as fast as he could, and welcomed him gladly. At this there was a general murmur of disapproval. He has gone in, they said, to be the guest of a sinner. But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, here and now, sir, I give half my possessions to charity, and if I have cheated anyone, I am ready to repay him four times over. Jesus said to him, Salvation has come to this house today. For this man, too, is a son of Abraham, and the son of man has come to seek and save. What is lost? While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was now close to Jerusalem, and they thought the reign of God might dawn at any moment. He said,

A man of noble birth went on a long journey abroad, to be appointed king and then return. But first he called ten of his servants, and gave them a pound each, saying, trade with this while I am away. His fellow citizens hated him, and they sent a delegation on his heels to say, We do not want this man as our king. However, back he came as king, and sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, to see what profit each had made. First came and said, Your pound, sir, has made ten more. Well done, he replied, you are a good servant. You have shown yourself trustworthy in a very small matter, and you shall have charge of ten cities. The second came and said, Your pound, sir, has made five more, and he also was told, you too, take charge of five cities. The third came and said, Here is your pound, sir.

I kept it put away in a handkerchief. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You draw out what you never put in, and reap what you did not sow. You rascal, he replied, I will judge you by your own words. You knew that I am a hard man, that I draw out what I never put in, and reap what I did not sow. Then why did you not put my money on deposit, and I could have claimed it with interest when I came back? Turning to his attendance, he said, Take the pound from him, and give it to the man with ten. But, sir, they replied, He has ten already. I tell you he went on. The man who has will always be given more, but the man who has not will forfeit even what he has.

But as for those enemies of mine, who did not want me for their king, bring them here, and slaughter them in my presence. With that Jesus went forward, and began the Ascent to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethvigy, and Bethany at the hill called all of it, he sent two of the disciples with these instructions. Go to the village opposite. As you enter it, you will find tethered there a coat which no one has yet written. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks why you are untying it, say, Our Master needs it. The two went on their errand, and found it as he had told them. And while they were untying the coat, its owners asked, Why are you untying that coat?

They answered, The Master needs it. So they brought the coat to Jesus. Then they threw their cloaks on the coat, for Jesus to mount, and they carpeted the road with them as he went on his way. And now, as he approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole company of his disciples in their joy began to sing aloud the praises of God for all the things they had seen. Blessings on him who comes as king in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, glory in highest heaven. Some Pharisees, who were in the crowd, said to him, Master, reprimand your disciples. He answered, I tell you, if my disciples keep silence, the stones will shout aloud. When he came in sight of the city, he wept over it and said, If only you had known, on this great day, the way that leads to peace, but no, it is hidden from your sight.

For a time will come upon you, when your enemies will set up siege works against you, they will encircle you and ham you in at every point, they will bring you to the ground, you and your children within your walls, and not leave you one stone standing on another, because you did not recognize God's moment when it came. Then he went into the temple and began driving out the traders with these words, Scripture says, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a robber's cave. Day by day he taught in the temple, and the chief priests and lawyers were bent on making an end of him, with the support of the leading citizens, but found they were helpless, because the people all hung upon his words.

The reading has concluded at the 48th verse of the 19th chapter of the Gospel, according to Luke. The Gospel, according to Luke, chapter 20, verse 1. One day as he was teaching the people in the temple, and telling them the good news, the priests and lawyers, and the elders with them, came upon him and accosted him.

Tell us, they said, By what authority you are acting like this, who gave you this authority? He answered them, I have a question to ask you too. Tell me, was the baptism of John from God, or from men, this set them arguing among themselves? If we say from God, He will say, Why did you not believe Him? And if we say from men, the people will all stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet, so they replied that they could not tell. And Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I act.

He went on to tell the people this parable. A man planted a vineyard, let it out to vine growers, and went abroad for a long time. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce, but the tenants thrashed him and sent him away empty handed. He tried again and sent a second servant, but he also was thrashed outrageously treated and sent away empty handed. He tried once more with a third. This one too, they wounded and flung out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, What am I to do? I will send my own dear son, perhaps they will respect him, but when the tenants saw him, they talked it over together. This is the heir they said, Let us kill him so that the property may come to us, so they flung him out of the vineyard and killed him.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and put these tenants to death and let the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, God forbid, but he looked straight at them and said, Then what does this text of Scripture mean? The stone which the builders rejected has become the main cornerstone. Any man who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces, and if it falls on a man, he will be crushed by it. The lawyers and chief priests wanted to lay hands on him there and then, for they saw that this parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the people. So they watched their opportunity and sent secret agents in the guise of honest man to seize upon some word of his as a pretext for handing him over to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

They put a question to him. Master, they said, We know that what you speak can teach his sound. You pay deference to no one, but teach him all honesty the way of life that God requires. Are we or are we not permitted to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor? He saw through their trick and said, Show me a silver piece. Whose head does it bear? And whose inscription? Caesars, they replied, Very well then he said, Pay Caesar what is due to Caesar, and pay God what is due to God. Thus their attempt to catch him out in public failed, and astonished by his reply, they fell silent.

Then some said you see, came forward. They are the people who deny that there is a resurrection. Their question was this. Master Moses laid it down for us that if there are brothers and one dies leaving a wife but no child, then the next should marry the widow and carry on his brother's family. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless. Then the second marrieder, then the third. In this way the seven of them died, leaving no children. Afterwards the woman also died. At the resurrection whose wife is she to be, since all seven had married her, Jesus said to them, The man and woman of this world marry. But those who have been judged worthy of a place in the other world and of the resurrection from the dead, do not marry.

For they are not subject to death any longer. They are like angels. They are sons of God because they share in the resurrection. That the dead are raised to life again is shown by Moses himself in the story of the burning bush when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is not God of the dead but of the living for him all are alive. At this sum of the lawyers said, well spoken master, for there was no further question that they mentioned to put to him. He said to them, how can they say that the Messiah is son of David? For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Thus David calls him Lord. How then can he be David's son? In the hearing of all the people, Jesus said to his disciples, beware of the lawyers, who love to walk up and down in long robes and have a great liking for respectful greetings in the street, the chief seats in our synagogues and places of honor at feasts. These are the men who eat up the property of widows, while they say long prayers for appearance, sake, and they will receive the severest sentence. He looked up and saw the rich people dropping their gifts into the chest of the temple treasury, and he noticed a poor widow putting in two tiny coins.

I tell you this, he said, this poor widow has given more than any of them, for those others who have given had more than enough, but she, with less than enough, has given all she had to live on. Some people were talking about the temple and the fine stones and votive offerings, with which it was adorned. He said, these things which you are gazing at, the time will come when not one stone of them will be left upon another, all will be thrown down. Master, they asked, when will it all come about? What will be the sign when it is due to happen? He said, take care that you are not misled, for many will come claiming my name and saying, I am he, and the day is upon us, do not follow them. And when you hear of wars and insurrections, do not fall into a panic, these things are bound to happen first, but the end does not follow immediately.

Nation will make war upon nation, kingdom upon kingdom, there will be great earthquakes and famines and plagues in many places, in the sky, terrors and great portents. But before all this happens, they will set upon you and persecute you, you will be brought before synagogues and put in prison. You will be hailed before kings and governors, for your allegiance to me, this will be your opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense beforehand, because I myself will give you power of utterance and a wisdom which no opponent will be able to resist or refute. Even your parents and brothers, your relations and friends will betray you, some of you will be put to death, and you will be hated by all for your allegiance to me, but not a hair of your head shall be lost.

By standing firm, you will win through life for yourselves. But when you see Jerusalem encircled by armies, then you may be sure that her destruction is near, then those who are in Judea must take to the hills, those who are in the city itself must leave it, and those who are out in the country must not enter, because this is the time of retribution, when all that stands written is to be fulfilled, a loss for women who are with child in those days or have children at the breast. For there will be great distress in the land, and a terrible judgment upon this people. They will fall at the sword's point, they will be carried captive into all countries, and Jerusalem will be trampled down by foreigners until their day has run its course.

Portents will appear in sun, moon and stars, on earth nations will stand helpless, not knowing which way to turn from the roar and surge of the sea. Men will faint with terror at the thought of all that is coming upon the world, for the celestial powers will be shaken, and then they will see the Son of man coming on a cloud with great power, and glory. When all this begins to happen, stand upright, and hold your heads high, because your liberation is near. He told them this parable. Look at the fig tree, or any other tree, as soon as it burns. You can see for yourselves that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all this happening, you may be sure that the Kingdom of God is near.

I tell you this, the present generation will live to see it all. Heaven and earth will pass away. My words will never pass away. Keep a watch on yourselves. Do not let your minds be dulled by dissipation and drunkenness and worldly cares, so that the great day closes upon you suddenly like a trap. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the alert, praying at all times for strength to pass safely through all these imminent troubles and to stand in the presence of the Son of man. His days were given to teaching in the temple, and then he would leave the city and spend the night on the hill called Olivet, and in the early morning the people flock to listen to him in the temple.

For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet.

For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. For that day will come on all men, wherever they are, the whole world over, be on the hill called Olivet. On which the Passover victim had to be slaughtered, and Jesus sent Peter and John with these instructions.

Go and prepare for our Passover supper. Where would you like us to make the preparations, they asked? He replied, as soon as you set foot in the city, a man will meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters, and give this message to the householder. The Master says, where is the room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples? He will show you a large room upstairs, all set out. Make the preparations there. They went and found everything as he had said, so they prepared for Passover. When the time came, he took his place at table and the apostles with him, and he said to them, how I have long to eat this Passover with you, before my death, for I tell you, never again shall I eat it, until the time when it finds its fulfillment in the kingdom of God.

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from this moment I shall drink from the fruit of the vine no more, until the time when the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and he gave it to them with the words, this is my body. But mark this, my betrayer is here, his hand with mine on the table, for the Son of Man is going his appointed way, but a loss for that man by whom he is betrayed. At this they began to ask among themselves which of them it could possibly be who was to do this thing.

Then a jealous dispute broke out, who among them should rank highest. But he said, in the world kings lord it over their subjects, and those in authority are called their countries benefactors. Not so, with you, on the contrary, the highest amongst you must bear himself like the youngest, the chief of you like a servant. For who is greater, the one who sits at table, or the servant who waits on him, surely the one who sits at table, yet here am I among you like a servant? You are the man who have stood firmly by me in my times of trial, and now I vest in you the kingship which my father vested in me. You shall eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Simon, Simon, take heed. Satan has been given leave to sift all of you like wheat, but for you I have prayed that your faith may not fail. And when you have come to yourself, you must lend strength to your brothers. Lord, you replied, I am ready to go with you to prison and death. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow tonight until you have three times over denied that you know me. He said to them, when I sent you out barefoot without purse or pack, were you ever short of anything? No, they answered. It is different now, he said, whoever has a purse had better take it with him and his pack too, and if he has no sword, let himself his cloak to buy one.

For Scripture says, and he was counted among the outlaws, and these words I tell you must find fulfillment in me, indeed all that is written of me is being fulfilled. Look Lord, they said, we have two swords here, enough, enough, he replied. Then he went out and made his way as usual to the Mount of Olives accompanied by the disciples. When he reached the place he sent to them, pray that you may be spared the hour of testing. He himself withdrew from them about a stone straw, knelt down and began to pray. Father, if it be, I will take this cup away from me. Yet not my will, but mine be done.

And now, there appeared to him an angel from heaven bringing him strength, and in anguish of spirit he prayed the more urgently, and his sweat was like clots of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them asleep, worn out by grief. Why are you sleeping? He said, rise and pray that you may be spared the test. While he was still speaking, a crowd appeared with the man called Judas, one of the twelve at their head. He came up to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss? When his followers saw what was coming, they said, Lord, shall we use our swords? And one of them struck at the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, let them have their way. Then he touched the man's ear and healed him. Turning to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police and the elders who had come to seize him, he said, do you take me for a bandit that you have come out with swords and cudules to arrest me? Day after day, when I was in the temple with you, you kept your hands off me. But this is your moment, the hour when darkness reigns. Then they arrested him and led him away. They brought him to the high priest's house and Peter followed at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter said among them, a serving-made who saw him sitting in the firelight stared at him and said, this man was with him too. But he denied it. Woman, he said, I do not know him.

A little later, someone else noticed him and said, you also are one of them. But Peter said to him, no, I am not. About an hour passed and another spoke more strongly still. Of course this fellow was with him. He must have been. He is a Galilean. But Peter said, man, I do not know what you are talking about. At that moment, while he was still speaking, a cock grew. And the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered the Lord's words tonight, before the cock grows, you will disown me three times. The men who were guarding Jesus mocked at him. They beat him, they blindfolded him, and they kept asking him, no prophet, who hit you? Tell us that.

And so they went on, heaping insults upon him. When they broke, the elders of the nation, chief priests and doctors of the law assembled, and he was brought before their council. Tell us, they said, are you the Messiah? If I tell you he replied, you will not believe me. And if I ask questions, you will not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of Almighty God. You are the Son of God then, they all said. And he replied, it is you who say I am. They said, need we call further witnesses, we have heard it ourselves from his own lips. With that the whole assembly rules, and they brought him before Pilate. They opened the case against him by saying, we found this man subverting our nation, opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar, and claiming to be Messiah, a king.

Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? He replied, the words are yours. Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, I find no case for this man to answer. But they insisted, his teaching is causing disaffection among the people all through Judea, it started from Galilee, and has spread as far as this city. When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean, and on learning that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he remitted the case to him, for Herod was also in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased. Having heard about him, he had long been wanting to see him, and had been hoping to see some miracle performed by him.

He questioned him at some length, without getting any reply. But the chief priests and lawyers appeared, and pressed the case against him vigorously. Then Herod and his troops treated him with contempt and ridicule, and sent him back to Pilate, dressed in a gorgeous robe. That same day, Herod and Pilate became friends, till then there had been a standing feud between them. Pilate now called together the chief priests, counsellors, and people, and said to them. You brought this man before me on a charge of subversion, but as you see I have myself examined him in your presence, and found nothing in him to support your charges. No more did Herod, for he has referred him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death, either for purpose to let him off with a flogging.

But there was a general outcry, away with him, give us barabas. This man had been put in prison for a rising that had taken place in the city, and for murder. Pilate addressed them again in his desire to release Jesus, but they shouted back, crucify him, crucify him. For the third time he spoke to them, why, what wrong has he done? I have not found him guilty of any capital offense. I will therefore let him off with a flogging, but the insisted on their demand, shouting that Jesus should be crucified. Their shouts prevailed, and Pilate decided that they should have their way. He released the man they asked for, the man who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and gave Jesus up to that will.

The Gospel according to Luke chapter 23 verse 26, the final conflict. As they led him away to execution, they seized upon a man called Simon from Cyrene, on his way in from the country, put the cross on his back, and made him walk behind Jesus, carrying it. Great numbers of people followed, many women among them, who mourned and lamented over him.

Jesus turned to them and said, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. No weep for yourselves and your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, happy are the barn, the wounds that never bore a child, the breasts that never fed one. Then they will start saying to the mountains, fall on us, and to the hills cover us. For if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? There were two others with him, criminals, who were being led away to execution, and when they reached the place called the skull, they crucified him there, and the criminals with him, one on his right, and the other on his left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing. They divided his clothes among them by casting lots.

The people stood looking on, and their rulers jeered at him. He saved others. Now let him save himself, if this is God's anointed, his chosen. The soldiers joined in the mockery, and came forward offering him their sower wine, if you are the king of the Jews they said, save yourself. There was an inscription above his head which ran, this is the king of the Jews. One of the criminals who hung there with him, taunted him, are not you the Messiah, save yourself and us, but the other answered sharply, have you no fear of God? You are under the same sentence as he, for us it is plain justice, we are paying the price for our misdeeds, but this man has done nothing wrong, and he said, Jesus, remember me when you come to your throne.

He answered, I tell you this, today you shall be with me in paradise. By now it was about midday, and there came a darkness over the whole land which lasted until three in the afternoon. The sun was in eclipse, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus gave a load cry and said, Father, into thy hands, I commit my spirit, and with these words he died. The Centurion saw it all, and gave praised God, beyond all doubt he said, this man was innocent. The crowd who had assembled for the spectacle, when they saw what had happened, went home beating their breasts.

His friends had all been standing at a distance, the women who had accompanied him from Galilee, stood with them, and watched it all. Now there was a man called Joseph, a member of the council, a good upright man, who had descended from their policy and the action they had taken. He came from the Jewish town of Aramathia, and he was one who looked forward to the kingdom of God. This man now approached Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking it down from the cross, he wrapped it in a linen sheet, and laid it in a tomb cut out of the rock, in which no one had been laid before. It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had accompanied him from Galilee followed, they took note of the tomb, and observed how his body was laid. Then they went home, and prepared spices and perfumes, and on the Sabbath they rested in obedience to the commandment. But on the Sunday morning, very early, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. Finding that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, they went inside, but the body was not to be found. While they stood utterly at a loss, all of a sudden two men in dazzling garments were at their side. They were terrified, and stood with eyes cast down. But the man said, why search among the dead for one who lives? Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee, about the Son of Man?

How he must be given up into the power of sinful men, and be crucified, and must rise again on the third day? Then they recalled his words, and returning from the tomb, they reported all this to the eleven, and all the others. The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James, and they, with the other women, told the apostles. But the story appeared to them to be nonsense, and they would not believe them. That same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emeas, which lay about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all these happenings. As they talked and discussed it with one another, Jesus himself came up, and walked along with them. But something held their eyes from seeing who it was.

He asked them, what is it you are debating as you walk? They halted, their faces full of gloom, and one called Cleopas answered, are you the only person staying in Jerusalem not to know what has happened there in the last few days? What do you mean, he said? All this about Jesus of Nazareth, they replied, a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God, and the whole people, how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and crucified him. But we had been hoping that he was the man to liberate Israel. What is more, this is the third day since it happened, and now some women of our company have astounded us. They went early to the tomb, but failed to find his body, and returned with a story that they had seen a vision of angels who told them he was alive. So some of our people went to the tomb, and found things just as the women had said, but him they did not see.

How dull you are, he answered. How slow to believe all that the prophet said? Was the Messiah not bound to suffer this before entering upon his glory? Then he began with Moses and all the prophets, and explained to them the passages which referred to himself in every part of the scriptures. By this time they had reached the village to which they were going, and he made as if to continue his journey, but they pressed him. Stay with us, for evening draws on, and the day is almost over, so he went in to stay with them. And when he had sat down with them at table, he took bread, and said the blessing, he broke the bread, and offered it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight.

They said to one another, did we not feel our hearts on fire as he talked with us on the road, and explain the scriptures to us? Without a moment's delay, they set out and returned to Jerusalem. There they found that the eleven, and the rest of the company had assembled, and were saying it is true. The Lord has risen. He has appeared to Simon. Then they gave their account of the events of their journey, and told how he had been recognized by them at the breaking of the bread. As they were talking about all this, there he was, standing among them, startled, and terrified. They thought they were seeing a ghost, but he said, why are you so perturbed? Why do questionings arise in your minds? Look at my hands and feet. It is I, myself, touch me, and see no ghost has flesh and bones, as you can see that I have.

They were still unconvinced, still wondering, for it seemed too good to be true. So he asked, have you anything here to eat? They offered him a piece of fish they had cooked, which he took, and ate before their eyes, and he said to them, this is what I meant by saying, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses, and in the prophets and sams was bound to be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. This, he said, is what is written, that the Messiah is to suffer death, and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that in his name, repentance, bringing the forgiveness of sins, is to be proclaimed to all nations, begin from Jerusalem.

It is you who are the witnesses to all this, and mark this. I am sending upon you, my Father's promised gift. So stay here in this city until you are armed with the power from above. Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and blessed them with uplifted hands, and in the act of blessing he parted from them, and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and spent all their time in the temple, praising God. And I am sending upon you, my Father's promised gift.

And I am sending upon you, my Father's promised gift.