Study Desk

"If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life!

It will be very bad for anyone who makes one of these little children sin. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea.

Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could lay his hands on them to bless them. But when the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this.

But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, "Let the little children come to me. Don't stop them, because God's kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children.

Jesus said, "I can promise that everyone who has left their home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for God's kingdom

"Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and had no children, his brother must marry his widow. Then they will have children for the dead brother.

One time there were seven brothers. The first brother married a woman but died. He had no children.

And the third brother married the woman, and he died. The same thing happened with all the other brothers. They all died and had no children.

In that life people are like angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they have been raised from death.

But Jesus turned and said to the women, "Women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children too.

The time is coming when people will say, ‘The women who cannot have babies are the ones God has blessed. It's really a blessing that they have no children to care for.'

But some people did accept him. They believed in him, and he gave them the right to become children of God.

They became God's children, but not in the way babies are usually born. It was not because of any human desire or plan. They were born from God himself.

So you are doing what your own father did." But they said, "We are not like children who never knew who their father was. God is our Father. He is the only Father we have."

Yes, he would die for the Jewish people. But he would also die for God's other children scattered all over the world. He would die to bring them all together and make them one people.

So put your trust in the light while you still have it. Then you will be children of light." When Jesus finished saying these things, he went away to a place where the people could not find him.

Jesus said, "My children, I will be with you only a short time more. You will look for me, but I tell you now what I told the Jewish leaders: Where I am going you cannot come.

This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself."

But God did not give Abraham any of this land, not even a foot of it. But God promised that in the future he would give Abraham this land for himself and for his children. This was before Abraham had any children.

This king tricked our people. He treated them badly, making them leave their children outside to die.