Study Desk

The Transfiguration^(a)(b)

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John^(c) the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.^(d) Listen to him!"^(e)

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid."^(f)

When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone^(g) what you have seen, until the Son of Man^(h) has been raised from the dead."⁽ⁱ⁾

The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.^(j)

But I tell you, Elijah has already come,^(k) and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.^(l) In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer^(m) at their hands."

Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.⁽ⁿ⁾

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.

"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures^(p) and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."

"You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."

Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith^(q) as small as a mustard seed,^(r) you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move.^(s) Nothing will be impossible for you."

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When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man^(t) is going to be delivered into the hands of men.

They will kill him,^(u) and on the third day^(v) he will be raised to life."^(w) And the disciples were filled with grief.

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax^(x) came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"

"Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes^(y)—from their own children or from others?"

"From others," Peter answered. "Then the children are exempt," Jesus said to him.

"But so that we may not cause offense,^(z) go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven^(a)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.

And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,^(b) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^(c)

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.^(d)

And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.^(e)

"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.^(f)

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!^(g)

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble,^(h) cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

And if your eye causes you to stumble,⁽ⁱ⁾ gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.^(j)

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels^(l) in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

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"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

"If your brother or sister^[b] sins,^[c] go and point out their fault,^(m) just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'^[d](n)

If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church;^(o) and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.^(p)

"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be^[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[f] loosed in heaven.^(q)

"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them^(r) by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."^(s)

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?^(t) Up to seven times?"^(u)

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[g](v)

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like^(w) a king who wanted to settle accounts^(x) with his servants.

As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold^[h] was brought to him.

Since he was not able to pay,^(y) the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold^(z) to repay the debt.

"At this the servant fell on his knees before him.^(aa) ‘Be patient with me,' he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.'

The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.^[i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.'

"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,' he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'

In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."^(ab)

Divorce^(a)

When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(b) he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.

Large crowds followed him, and he healed them^(c) there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife^(d) for any and every reason?"

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,'^[a](e)

and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'^[b]?^(f)

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"^(g)

Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."^(h)

The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.⁽ⁱ⁾

For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them^(k) and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs^(l) to such as these."^(m)

When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life^(o)?"^(p)

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments."^(q)

"Which ones?" he inquired. Jesus replied, "‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,^(r) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,

honor your father and mother,'^[c](s) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.'^[d]"^(t)

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect,^(u) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,^(v) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(w) Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich^(x) to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."^(y)

Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you!^(z) What then will there be for us?"

Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,^(aa) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.^(ab)

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.^(ac)

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.^(ad)