Study Desk

Then his disciples asked him, "Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?"

After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.

"Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.

In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.

He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

"But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.'

Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

"His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,' he pleaded.

But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: "Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

And he said, "‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.'

"Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?" they asked.

And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful."

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus replied, "I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

"For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."