Study Desk

But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

As they were going up the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, but those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him:

But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Many people admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs.

Then He began to teach them and declare, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"

"Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.

But if we say, 'From men'..." they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a prophet.

But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

But the tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'

At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.

But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, "Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect."

"Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother's widow and raise up offspring for him.

Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.

But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"

"Right, Teacher," the scribe replied. "You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him,