Study Desk

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians⁽ⁱ⁾ to Jesus to catch him^(j) in his words.

They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax^[b] to Caesar or not?

Should we pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."

They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.

Then Jesus said to them, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."^(k) And they were amazed at him.

Then the Sadducees,^(m) who say there is no resurrection,⁽ⁿ⁾ came to him with a question.

"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.^(o)

Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children.

The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third.

In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.

At the resurrection^[c] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"

Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures^(p) or the power of God?

When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.^(q)

Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'^[d]?^(r)

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

One of the teachers of the law^(t) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[e]

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'^[f](u)

The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[g](v) There is no commandment greater than these."

"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.^(w)

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."^(x)

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."^(y) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.^(z)

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,^(ac) he asked, "Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?^(ad)

David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,^(ae) declared: "‘The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."'^[h](af)

David himself calls him ‘Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd^(ag) listened to him with delight.

As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,

and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.^(ah)

They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely."

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put^(aj) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.

But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."^(ak)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times^(a)

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"

"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."^(b)

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives^(c) opposite the temple, Peter, James, John^(d) and Andrew asked him privately,

"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.^(e)

Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,' and will deceive many.

When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues.^(f) On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.

And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.^(g)

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.^(h)

Everyone will hate you because of me,⁽ⁱ⁾ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.^(j)

"When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation'^[a](k) standing where it^[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out.

Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.

How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!^(l)

Pray that this will not take place in winter,

because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world,^(m) until now—and never to be equaled again.⁽ⁿ⁾

"If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!' or, ‘Look, there he is!' do not believe it.^(o)

For false messiahs and false prophets^(p) will appear and perform signs and wonders^(q) to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So be on your guard;^(r) I have told you everything ahead of time.

"But in those days, following that distress, "‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'^[c](s)

"At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds^(t) with great power and glory.

And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.^(u)

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it^[d] is near, right at the door.

Truly I tell you, this generation^(v) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.^(w)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.^(x)

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.^(y)

Be on guard! Be alert^[e]!^(z) You do not know when that time will come.

It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants^(aa) in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.

If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'"^(ab)

Jesus Anointed at Bethany^(a)(b)(c)

Now the Passover^(d) and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.^(e)

"But not during the festival," they said, "or the people may riot."

While he was in Bethany,^(f) reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.^(g)

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume?

It could have been sold for more than a year's wages^[a] and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

The poor you will always have with you,^[b] and you can help them any time you want.^(h) But you will not always have me.

She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.⁽ⁱ⁾

Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world,^(j) what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,^(k) went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.^(l)

They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.