THE GOSPEL of MATTHEW (Part 4.

This week’s Reading covers Matthew 14-14 -19:19 (Part 4)

excerpted from MTFV R&S Edition

Topics Covered in MATTHEW Part 4.

Herod Mistakes Jesus for John the Baptizer p. 1

Miraculously Feeding Five Thousand p.1
Jesus Walks on Water p.2
Peter Walks on Water before Sinking p.2
Jesus Heals at Gennesaret. p.3
The Traditions of Men. p.3
What Contaminates a Person. p. 3
The Faith of the Canaanite Woman is Rewarded. p.4
Miraculously Feeding Four Thousand p.4
Religious Leaders Demand for a Sign p.5
The Leaven of Religious Leaders p.6
Peter’s Disclosure of Christ p.6
About the ‘Rocks’ - Petros and Petra P.6
Christ Reveals What He Must Soon Suffer p.7
Take Up Your Stauros p.7
The Transfiguration p.8
The Boy with a Demon p.9
The Power Behind Faith p.9
Another Announcement by Christ, of What he Must Suffer. p.9
Religious Tax. p.9
Greatness in GOD’s Kingdom p.10
Temptation and Sins. p.10
The Parable of the Lost Sheep p.10
When a Brother Sins Against You. p.11
Forgiving One Who WrongsYou. p.11
A Parable on Forgiveness p.11
About Divorce and Marriage. p 12
The Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Childlike Ones p.13
MATTHEW 14:1

Herod Mistakes Jesus for John the Baptizer.

[Mark 6:14–29, Luke 9:7–9]

1. About that time, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, was getting reports of what
people were saying about Jesus.2 So he said to his officials, "This must be John
the Baptizer! He has come back to life. That's why he has the power to perform
these miracles."3 Herod had earlier arrested John and chained and imprisoned
him. He did this because John had told him, "It wasn’t right for him to take
Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip." 5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he
feared the people who believed that John was a prophet. 6 Then, on Herod's
birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for him and his court. Herod was so
pleased with her that 7 he promised he would give her anything she asked for.

8 Herodias had told her daughter what to ask for. So, she said to Herod, "Give
me the head of John the Baptizer here on a plate." 9 Although King Herod was
saddened, he had promised to give the daughter anything she wanted. And the
people eating with Herod had heard his promise. So, he ordered what she asked
to be done.10 He sent men to the prison to cut off John's head. 11 And when the
men brought John's head on a plate and gave it to the girl, then she took the
head to her mother, Herodias.

12 John's followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went to tell
Jesus what happened.13 When Jesus heard what happened to John, he left in a
boat, wanting to be alone in a place where no one lived. But when the people
heard that Jesus had left, they left their towns and followed him. They travelled
by land to arrive at the same place Jesus was heading to.

Miraculously Feeding Five Thousand

[Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15]

14 When Jesus came ashore there was a great throng of people already there. He
was moved with compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 Later that
afternoon, his disciples came to Jesus and said, "No one lives in this place, and
it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food
for themselves."

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16 Jesus replied, "They don't have to leave. Why don't you give them something
to eat?" 17 His followers answered, "But we have only five loaves of bread and
two fish." 17 Jesus said, "Bring the bread and the fish you have to me." 18 Then
he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the
two fish, looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the
bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.

20 Everyone ate until they were full. When they finished eating, Jesus’ followers
filled twelve baskets with the food that was not eaten. 21The number of men,
women and children who ate was more than five thousand.

22 Then Jesus made his disciples get into the boat. He told them to go to the
other side of the lake where he said he would meet them later. Meanwhile He
stayed behind to tell everyone they could go home.

Jesus Walks on Water

[Mark 6:45–52, John 6:16–21]

23 After Jesus said his goodbyes to the people, he went up into the hills by
himself to pray. It was late, and he was there alone. 24 But by this time the boat
was out on the sea, many furlongs (a furlong is one-eighth of a mile) distant
from the land. It was being beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was
against them.

25 Between three and six o'clock in the morning, Jesus' followers were still in
the boat when Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. 26 When his
disciples saw him walking on the water, it scared them. "It's a ghost.!" they said,
screaming in fear.

27 Jesus spoke to them at once. He said, "Don't worry! It's me! Don't be afraid."
28 Peter said, "Lord, if that is really you, tell me to come to you by walking on
the water."

Peter Walks on Water before Sinking

29 Jesus said, "Come, Peter." Then Peter left the boat and walked on the water
to Jesus.30 But while Peter was walking on the water, he saw the wind and the
waves, and he became afraid and began sinking into the water. He shouted,
"Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately, Jesus reached out, caught hold of him, and
said, "You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?" 32 When Peter and Jesus

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were in the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those in the boat came to Jesus
and did homage, saying; truly, you are GOD's Son.

Jesus Heals at Gennesaret.

[Mark 6:53–56]

34 After crossing the lake, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 There some men
who saw Jesus knew who he was. So, they sent word to the other people
throughout that area that Jesus had come. The people brought all their sick
people to him. 36 They begged Jesus to just let them only touch the edge of his
coat, so they might be healed. All the sick people who touched his coat were
healed.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 15

The Traditions of Men.

(Mark 7:1–13)

MATTHEW 15:1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law from Jerusalem
came to Jesus. They asked him, 2 "Why is it that your disciples disobey the
teachings handed down by our ancestors? They don't even wash their hands in
the proper way before they eat!"

3 Jesus answered, "And why do you refuse to obey GOD's command so that you
can follow your own traditions? 4 For GOD commanded, saying; honor your
father and mother, also, he that curses his father or mother, let him die without
recourse. 5 But you let people get away without helping their parents when they
should. You condone their saying that what they have has been offered to GOD.

6. By this, in teaching them not to respect their parents you are teaching that it
is not important to do what GOD said. You think it is more important to follow
your own traditions. 7 You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke for
GOD about you; 8 “These people only honor me with the words of their mouths,
but I am not really important to them. 9 Their worship is worthless. The things
they teach are only the traditions, doctrines, and commands of men.

What Contaminates a Person.

[Mark 7:14–23]

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10. Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen to what I say
and try to understand!

11 It is not what goes into someone’s mouth that taints a person, but what
comes out of their mouth; this pollutes a person."

12 Then his disciples came over to him and said, "Don’t you know that you
insulted the Pharisees by what you said?" 13 Jesus answered, "Every plant that
my Father in heaven has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.14 Stay away
from the Pharisees. They lead the people, but they are like blind men leading
other blind men. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a
ditch."

15 Peter said, "Will you explain to us what you said earlier to the people."

16 Then Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? 16 Surely you
know that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes
out of the body. 17 But the words that come out of your mouth come from your
heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship GOD. 18 For from your
heart come wicked ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other
immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others.

19 These are the things that make people unacceptable to GOD. 20 Eating
without washing their hands will never make a person unacceptable to GOD."

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman is Rewarded.

[Mark 7:24–30]

21 Then Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre
and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. "Son of
David!" she cried out. "Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is
in a terrible condition." 23 But Jesus, seeming to ignore her, did not answer. So,
his disciples came to him and said, "Tell her to go away. She keeps crying out
and will not leave us alone." 24 Then Jesus replied, "I have only been sent to the
lost sheep of the people of Israel." 25 Then the woman came closer. She knelt
and begged, "Please help me, Lord!"

26 He answered, it is not right (proper, becoming, or fair) to take the children's

bread and throw it to the little dogs. 27 She replied, "Lord, that's true," the
woman said, "but even dogs get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table."

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28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! You will get what you
asked for." And right then her daughter was healed

Miraculously Feeding Four Thousand

[2 Kings 4:42–44, Mark 8:1–10]

29 Then Jesus went from there to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He went up on
a hill and sat down. 30 A large crowd of people came to him bringing many sick
people with them. Among them were people who could not walk, people who
were blind, crippled, or deaf, and many others. Jesus healed them all. 31 People
were amazed when they saw that those who could not speak were now able to
speak. Crippled people were made strong. Those who could not walk were now
able to walk and the blind were able to see. Everyone thanked the god of Israel
for this.

32 Jesus called his Disciples to him and said, "I feel sorry for these people. They
have been with us three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I do not want to
send them away hungry. They might faint while going home." 33 They asked
Jesus, "Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are a long
way from any town." 34 Then Jesus asked; "How many loaves of bread do you
have?" They answered, "We have seven loaves of bread and a few small fish."

35 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. 36 He took the seven loaves of
bread and the fish from his disciples. Then he gave thanks to GOD for the food
and broke the bread into pieces, which he gave back to the disciples, and they
gave the food to the people.

37 All the people ate until they were full. After this, the followers filled seven
baskets with the pieces of food that were left over. 38 There were about four
thousand men there who ate. Also, there were also some women and children.
39 After all had eaten, Jesus told the people they could go home. Then he got
into a boat and went to the area of Magadan.

MATTHEW 16:1

Religionists Demand for a Sign.

[Mark 8:11; Luke 12:54-56]

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1.There, some Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus wanting to trap him, so
they asked him to perform a miracle for them, to show that GOD approved of
him.

2 Jesus told them; "When you see the sun is setting, you say, 'We are going to
have fine weather, because the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, if the sky is
dark and red, you say that it will be a rainy day. These are signs of the weather.
When you see these signs in the sky you know what they mean. In the same way,
you should see the things that are happening now. These are also signs, but you
do not understand their meaning. 4 You want a sign because you are wicked and
will not believe! But the only sign you will be given is what happened to Jonah.
Then Jesus left.

The Leaven of Religionists

[Mark 8:14–21, Luke 12:1–3]

5 Jesus and his followers went across the lake. But his followers had neglected
to bring bread with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, "Be careful! Guard
against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." 7 They discussed the
meaning of this. They said, "Did Jesus say this because we forgot to bring
bread?"

8 Jesus knew that they were talking about this. So, he asked them, "Why are you
concerning yourselves about not having bread? What little faith you have!

9 Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the
5000 people and the many baskets you filled with the bread that was left? 10
And the seven loaves of bread that fed over 4000 people and the many baskets
you filled that time? 11 How could you think that I am concerned about bread? I
am telling you to be careful and guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the
Sadducees, "

12 Then the disciples understood what Jesus meant. He was not telling them to
guard against the yeast used in bread. He was telling them to guard against the
teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, religious leaders in their time.

Peter’s Disclosure of Christ

[Mark 8:27–30, Luke 9:18–20, John 6:67–71]

13 When Jesus was coming into the territory of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples this question; Who do men say that I, the Son of man am? 14.His

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disciples answered, "Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah
or Jeremiah or some other prophet." 15 Then Jesus asked them, "But who do
you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter spoke up, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God."

About the ‘Rocks’ Petros and Petra

17 Jesus told him: Simon, son of Jonah, you are truly blessed! You did not
discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. 18 So I
will call you Peter (Petros), which means "a small rock." However, on this a large
rock (Petra) I will build my Ecclesia (Assembly or Church), and death itself will
not have any power over it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you prevent
(declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already
secured in heaven; and whatever you allow (declare lawful) on earth must be
what is already lawful in heaven. (Isa. 22:22.) 20 Then Jesus told his disciples
not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Christ Reveals What He Must Soon Suffer.

[Mark 8:31–33, Luke 9:21–22]

21 From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what was going to happen to
him. He said, "I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation's leaders, the chief
priests, and the teachers of the Law would make him suffer terribly and he
would be killed, but three days later he would rise to life."

22 Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, "GOD
would never let this happen to you, Lord. 23 Jesus turned around and said to
Peter, "Get away from me, ‘Satan’ (opposer, obstructer)! You are an obstacle in
my way, because these thoughts of yours do not come from GOD, but from your
human nature

Take Up Your Stauros.

[Mark8:34–38, Luke9:23–27]

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone of you wants to be my follower,
he must stop thinking about himself and what he wants. He must be willing to
carry the bstauros that is given to people for following me.

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25 For whoever is bent on saving his (temporal) life (his comfort and security
here) will lose his eternal life; and whoever loses his (temporal) life (comfort
and security here) for My sake shall find life everlasting.

26 For what will a man be benefited if he should gain the whole world, but
forfeits his life? What would a man give to get back his life? 27 The Son of Man
is going to come in the glory (majesty, splendor) of His Father with His angels.
Then He will render an account and reward every man in accordance with what
he has done. 28 Believe me when I say that there are some people standing here
who will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom before they die.

FOOTNOTES for CHAPTER SIXTEEN

a
large rock (Petra) = The large rock Christ was referring to was himself
(see context at Matt. 16:16) and also I Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:6),
not Peter, according to (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18).
b
stauros = the original word meaning torture stake which was wrongly
replaced by ‘cross’ in most of today’s Bibles.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 17:1

The Transfiguration
[Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36, 2 Peter 1:16–21]

MATTHEW 17:1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and
John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. 2 There in front
of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the
sun, and his clothes became a dazzling white. 3 Suddenly two men appeared
and were, talking with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah. 4 Peter spoke up and
said to Jesus, "Lord, how good it is that we are here! If you wish, I will make
three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5 While Peter was still speaking, the shadow of a cloud of light passed over
them. From that cloud a voice came and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased; listen to what he says”.

6 When the disciples heard the voice, they were so frightened that they threw
themselves face downward on the ground. 7 Jesus came and touched them,
saying "Get up," and "Don't be afraid!" 8 Then they looked up saw no one there
but Jesus.

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9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying:
Do not tell anyone about what you have seen till the Son of man has risen from
the dead. 10

The disciples asked Jesus, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must
come before the Messiah comes?" 11 Jesus answered, "They are right in saying
Elijah must come. And it is true that Elijah will set things right, the way they
should be. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come. People did not know who
he was, and they treated him badly, doing whatever they wanted to do. It is the
same with the Son of Man. Those same people will make the Son of Man suffer."
13 Then the disciples understood that when Jesus said Elijah, he was really
talking about John the Baptizer.

The Boy with a Demon

(Mark 9:14–29, Luke 9:37–42)

14 When they arrived back down at the foot of the mountain, a huge crowd was
waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 "Lord, be
kind to my son. He suffers so much from the seizures he has. He often falls into
the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but none of them
could heal him."

17 Jesus answered, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long
must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here
to me!"18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it departed out of him. And the
child was cured from that very moment.
[Luke 17:5,6]

19 Later the disciples went to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why couldn't we
drive out the demon?" 20 Jesus answered, "You were not able to make the
demon go out, because your faith is not great enough. Believe me when I tell
you, if your faith were only as big as a mustard seed you could say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. With great enough faith
you will be able to do anything." 21 However, this kind of demon still requires
prayer and fasting to enable you to drive it out.

Another Announcement by Christ, of What he Must Suffer.

[Mark 9:30–32, Luke 9:43–45]

22 Later, when the disciples were traveling together in Galilee. Jesus said to
them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to the control of other men, 23 who

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will kill him. But on the third day he will be raised from death." When they
heard this, they were deeply and exceedingly grieved and distressed.

Religious Tax.
24 When Jesus and the others arrived in Capernaum, the collectors for the
temple tax approached Peter and asked, "Does your teacher pay the two-
drachma temple tax?" 25 "Yes, he does," Peter answered.

After they had returned home, Jesus went up to Peter and asked him, "Simon,
what do you think? Do the kings of this earth collect taxes and fees from their
own family or from others?" 26 Peter answered, "From others." Jesus replied,
"Then their own people don't have to pay”. 27 But we do not want to cause
trouble. So, you go and cast a line into the lake. Pull out the first fish you hook
and open its mouth. There you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that coin and
give it to the tax collectors. That will pay your taxes and mine."

MATTHEW 18:1

Greatness in GOD’s Kingdom

[Mark 9:33–4, Luke 9:46–50]

1. During that same hour the apostles came to Jesus and asked him who among
them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 2 Jesus called a little
child over to come to him and stood the child in front of the followers. 3 Then
he said, "The truth is, unless you have a change of heart and become like little
children, you will never even enter GOD's kingdom.

4 The greatest person in GOD's kingdom is the one who humbles himself like
this child. 5 And whoever accepts and welcomes one little child like this in my
name and for my sake receives and accepts and welcomes Me. 6 It will be
terrible for people who cause even one of my childlike followers to sin. Such
people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a
heavy stone tied around their necks!

Temptation and Sins.

[Mark 9:42–48, Luke 17:1–4]

7 I feel sorry for the people in the world because of all the things that make
people sin. It is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the person on
whose account or by whom the temptation comes!

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8 Therefore if your hand or your foot causes you to fall, cut them off and rid
yourself of it. 9 It is better for you to enter into life crippled or maimed, then
having two hands or two feet and cast into an eternal fire (everlasting
destruction). 10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you
that their angels in Heaven are always in the presence of my Father in heaven.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

[Luke 15:1–7]

11 The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 12 What do you think?
If there be any man who has a hundred sheep, and one of them strays away, will
he not leave the ninety-nine in the hillside to go and look for the one who
strayed? 13 And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier about that one sheep
than about the ninety-nine sheep that were never lost. I can assure you, 14 It is
the same with your Father in heaven, he does not want any of these little
children to be lost.

When a Brother Sins Against You

[Deuteronomy 19:15–21]

15 "If your brother or sister in GOD's family does something wrong against you,
go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this privately and when you are alone
with them. If they listen to you, then you have helped them to be your brother
or sister again. 16 But if they refuse to listen to you, take one or two other
persons with you, so that 'every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of
two or more witnesses,' as the scripture dictates. 17. If a follower refuses to
listen to them, report the matter to the assembly of believers (Gr. ecclesia, called
out ones). Anyone who refuses to listen to the Ecclesia must be treated like an
unbeliever or a tax collector.

18 I am telling you this. Whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and
unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever
you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already
permitted in heaven.

19 And I tell you also, whenever two of you on earth agree on what you pray for,
it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For wherever two or three are
gathered (drawn together as my followers) into My name, I will be among them.

Forgiving One Who Wrongs You.

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[Romans 12:14–21]

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, when someone won't stop doing
wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?" 22 Jesus
answered, "I tell you; you must forgive them more than seven times. You must
continue to forgive them even if they do wrong to you seventy-seven times."

A Parable on Forgiveness

23 Because the Kingdom of heaven is like this; Once there was a king who
decided to check on his servants' accounts. So, he called in his officials and
asked them to give an account of what had been owed him. 24 In response to his
demand one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins. 25
But he did not have any money to pay what he owed so the king ordered him to
be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he owned, to pay off the
debt. 26 The official got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on
me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!" 27 The king felt sorry for him and let
him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the
money.

28 Later, that same official sought out another servant who owed him a
hundred silver coins. He grabbed him by the throat and said, 'Pay me the money
you owe me!' 29 "The other servant fell on his knees and begged him, 'Be
patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.' 30 "But the official refused to
be patient. He told the judge that the other servant owed him money, and that
servant was put in jail until he could pay everything he owed.

31 All the king’s other servants saw what happened. They felt deeply sorry for
the man, so they went and told their master everything that happened. 34 The
king was very angry, and he ordered the first official to be sent to jail to be
punished until he should pay back everything he owed.

35 "This king did the same as my heavenly Father will do to you. If you do not
forgive your brother or sister with all your heart, for things they may offend you
with, my heavenly Father will not forgive you.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 19

About Divorce and Marriage.

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[Mark 10:2–12]

MATTHEW 19:1 When Jesus finished teaching, he left Galilee and went to the
part of Judea east of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he
healed sick people who were among them 3 Once again, some Pharisees
approached, wanting to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right
for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

4 Jesus answered, "Surely you have read the Scriptures where they say; When
GOD made the world, 'he made people male and female.' 5 And He said, 'That is
why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the
two people will become one.' 6 So if they are no longer two, but one, and GOD
has joined them together, no one must separate them."

7 The Pharisees asked Jesus; “Then, why did Moses say that a man could write
out divorce papers and send his wife away?" 8 Jesus replied: Because Moses did
so for reasons of the hardness of your hearts, because you refused to accept
GOD's teaching, he permitted you to put away your wives. But this is not the
way it was from the beginning. 9 I tell you, that any man who divorces his wife
for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries
some other woman. He has committed adultery against the wife GOD gave him
in marriage."

10 The disciples said to Him; if that is the case of a man with his wife, it is
neither profitable nor advisable to marry. 11 He answered them, "Not everyone
can do what you suggest. Only those who have that gift can’. 12 Some are
incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were
made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can do what you have suggested, then he
should yield to it.

The Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Childlike Ones

[Mark 10:13–16, Luke 18:15–17]

14 But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Do not stop them! For the
Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." 15 And He put His hands upon a
child, in a blessing and then went on His way.

The Parable about a Wealthy Young Man’s Dilemma

[Mark 10:17–31, Luke 18:18–30]

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16 Once a wealthy young man came to Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what good
things must I do to receive everlasting life?" 17 Jesus said to him, "Why do you
ask me about good things? Only God is good. If you want to have eternal life,
you must obey his commandments." 18 "Which commandments?" the man
asked. Jesus answered, "Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal.
Do not tell lies about others. 19 Respect your father and mother. And love
others as much as you love yourself." 20 The young man said to him: All these
have I kept from my youth, what else must I do?

21 Jesus answered him; If you would be perfect, that is, have the spiritual
maturity which accompanies a self-sacrificing character, go and sell what you
have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be my
disciple and follow Me.

22 When the young man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was
sad and did not want to do this, because he was very wealthy. So, he walked
away from Jesus. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you it will be
exceedingly difficult for a rich man to make it into the kingdom of Heaven. 24
In fact, it's easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
person to get into GOD's kingdom."
25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly puzzled
Next Week’s Reading Continues at Matthew 19:26

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