Study Desk

Jesus ^(C1)entered Jericho and was passing through.

And ^(F1)there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.

Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable due to the crowd, because he was short in stature.

So he ran on ahead and climbed up a ^(F1)(C1)sycamore tree in order to see Him, because He was about to pass through that way.

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

And he hurried and came down, and received Him ^(F1)joyfully.

When the people saw this, they all began to complain, saying, "He has gone in ^(F1)to be the guest of a man who is a sinner!"

But Zaccheus stopped and said to ^(C1)the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I am giving to the poor, and if I have ^(C2)extorted anything from anyone, I am giving back ^(C3)four times as much."

And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is ^(C1)a son of Abraham.

"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Now while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because ^(C1)He was near Jerusalem and they thought that ^(C2)the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

So He said, "^(C1)A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then to return.

"And he called ten of his own slaves and gave them ten ^(F1)minas, and said to them, 'Do business with this money ^(F2)until I come back.'

"But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'

"When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be summoned to him so that he would learn how much they had made by the business they had done.

"The first slave appeared, saying, '^(F1)Master, your ^(F2)mina has made ten minas more.'

"And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave; since you have been ^(C1)faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.'

"The second one came, saying, 'Your ^(F1)mina, ^(F2)master, has made five minas.'

"And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'

"And then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept tucked away in a handkerchief;

for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.'

"He ^(*)said to him, '^(F1)From your own lips I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow?

'And so why did you not put my money in the bank, and when I came back, I would have collected it with interest?'

"And then he said to the other slaves who were present, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'

"And they said to him, 'Master, he already has ten minas.'

'^(C1)I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

'But as for ^(C1)these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and ^(C2)slaughter them in my presence.'"

After Jesus said these things, He ^(C1)was going on ahead, ^(C2)going up to Jerusalem.

^(C1)When He approached Bethphage and ^(C2)Bethany, near the ^(F1)mountain that is called ^(C3)Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,