Matthew 22

The wedding feast
(Lk 14:15)
1 Jesus went on speaking to them in parables:
2 “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king celebrated the wedding of his son.

3 He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but the guests refused to come.
4 Again he sent other servants ordering them to say to the invited guests: ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready; come then, to the wedding feast.’

5 But they paid no attention and went away, some to their fields, and others to their work. 6 While the rest seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.
7 The king became angry. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

8 Then he said to his servants: ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy.

9 Go, then, to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’
10 The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests.
11 The king came in to see those who were at table, and he noticed a man not wearing the festal garment.

12 So he said to him: ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding garment?’ But the man remained silent.

13 So the king said to his servants: ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the dark where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 Know that many are called, but few are chosen.”

Paying taxes to Caesar
(Mk 12:13; Lk 20:20)
15 The Pharisees went out and took counsel on how they could trap Jesus with his own words.

16 They then sent their disciples with the members of Herod’s party for this purpose.
They said to Jesus, “Master, we know that you are an honest man and truly teach God’s way; you are not influenced by others nor are you afraid of anyone.

17 Tell us, then, what you think: is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus understood their evil intent, and said to them, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me?

19 Show me the coin with which you pay the taxes.”
They showed him a denarius,

20 and Jesus said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose name?”

21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus replied, “Therefore, return to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 Astonished by his answer, they left him and went away.
The resurrection of the dead
(Mk 12:18; Lk 20:27)
23 That same day, some of the Sadducees came to Jesus. Since they claim that there is no resurrection, they questioned him in this way,

24 “Master, Moses said that if anyone dies without any children, his brother must take the wife and have a child who will be considered the child of the deceased man.

25 Now, there were seven brothers. The first married a wife, and he died; since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.

26 The same thing happened to the second and to the third until the seventh. 27 Then, last of all, the woman also died. 28 Now, in the resurrection of the dead, to which of the seven will she be wife, for all had her as wife?”
29 Jesus answered, “You are totally wrong because you understand neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

30 First of all, in the resurrection of the dead, neither men nor women will marry, but they will be like the angels in heaven.

31 As for the resurrection of the dead, have you never reflected on what God said to you:

32 I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead but of the living.”
33 The people who heard him were astonished at his teaching.
34 When the Pharisees heard how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together.

35 One of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to test him with this question,

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.

38 This is the first and the most important of the commandments.

39 But after this there is another one very similar to it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 The whole Law and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments.”

The Messiah, Son of God
(Mk 12:35; Lk 20:41)
41 As the Pharisees were gathered there, Jesus asked them,

42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he to be?” They answered, “David’s.”
43 Jesus then asked, “Why did David, inspired by God, call the Messiah Lord? For he says in a psalm:

44 The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right until I put your enemies under your feet.

45 If David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”
46 No one could answer him, not even a word. From that day on, no one dared question him anymore.

Matthew 21

Jesus enters Jerusalem
(Mk 11:1; Lk 19:28; Jn 12:12)
1 When they drew near Jerusalem and arrived at Bethphage, on the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,

2 saying, “Go to the village in front of you, and there you will find a donkey tied up with its colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone says something to you, say: The Lord needs them but he will send them back immediately.”
4 This happened in fulfillment of what the prophet said:

5 Say to the daughter of Zion: See, your king comes to you in all simplicity, riding on a donkey, a beast of burden, with its colt.
6 The disciples went as Jesus had instructed them,

7 and they brought the donkey with its colt. Then they threw their cloaks on its back, and Jesus sat on them.
8 Many people also spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 The people who walked ahead of Jesus and those who followed him began to shout: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna, glory in the highest!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was disturbed. The people asked, “Who is this man?”

11 And the crowd answered, “This is the Prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus expels the dealers
(Mk 11:11; Lk 13:35; Jn 2:14)
12 So Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all who were buying and selling in the temple area. He overturned the tables of the money changers, and the stools of those who sold pigeons.

13 And he said to them, “It is written: My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
14 The blind and the lame also came to him in the Temple and Jesus healed them.
15 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law saw the wonderful things Jesus had just done, and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” 16 They became indignant and said to Jesus, “Do you hear what they say?” Jesus answered them, “Yes. Have you never read this text: From the mouths of children and infants you have got perfect praise?”
17 So leaving them he went out of the city and came to Bethany where he spent the night.

Jesus curses the fig tree
(Mk 11:12; Lk 13:6)
18 While returning to the city early in the morning, Jesus felt hungry.

19 He noticed a fig tree by the road, went up to it and found nothing on it but leaves. Then he said to the tree, “Never again bear fruit!” And immediately, the fig tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were astonished and they said, “How did the fig tree suddenly dry up!”

21 Jesus told them, “Truly, I say to you: if you had faith and did not doubt, not only could you do what I have done with the fig tree, but you could even say to that mountain: ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ and it would be done. 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer full of faith, you will receive.”

Jesus’ response to the authorities
(Mk 11:27; Lk 20:1)
23 Jesus had entered the Temple and was teaching when the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities came to him and asked, “What authority have you to act like this? Who gave you authority to do all this?”
24 Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you a question, only one. And if you give me an answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. When John began to baptize, was it a work of God, or was it merely something human?”
25 They reasoned out among themselves, “If we reply that it was a work of God, he will say: Why, then, did you not believe him?

26 And if we say: The baptism of John was merely something human, beware of the people: since all hold John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things.”

The parable of the two sons

28 Jesus went on to say, “What do you think of this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said to him: ‘Son, today go and work in my vineyard.’

29 And the son answered: ‘I don’t want to.’ But later he thought better of it and went.

30 Then the father went to the second and gave him the same command. This son replied: ‘I will go, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 Which of the two did what the father wanted?” They answered, “The first.” And Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you: the publicans and the prostitutes are ahead of you on the way to the kingdom of heaven.

32 For John came to show you the way of goodness but you did not believe him, yet the publicans and the prostitutes did. You were witnesses of this, but you neither repented nor believed him.

The parable of the tenants
(Mk 12:1; Lk 20:9)
33 Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants and then went to a distant country.

34 When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. 35 But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned another.
36 Again the owner sent more servants, but they were treated in the same way.
37 Finally, he sent his son, thinking: ‘They will respect my son.’

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they thought: ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him and his inheritance will be ours.’

39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?”

41 They said to him, “He will bring those evil to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others who will pay him in due time.”
42 And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; and we marvel at it.

43 Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a people who will yield a harvest.
44 (Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will ground to dust on whom it falls.)”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realized that Jesus was referring to them.

46 They would have arrested him, but they were afraid of the crowd who regarded him as a prophet.

Matthew 20

The workers in the vineyard
1 This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

2 He agreed to pay the workers a salary of a silver coin for the day, and sent them to his vineyard.
3 He went out again at about nine in the morning, and seeing others idle in the square,

4 he said to them: ‘You, too, go to my vineyard and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went.
The owner went out at midday and again at three in the afternoon,

5 and he did the same.

6 Finally he went out at the last working hour – it was the eleventh – and he saw others standing there. So he said to them: ‘Why do you stay idle the whole day?’

7 They answered: ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said: ‘Go and work in my vineyard.’
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager: ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’

9 Those who had come to work at the eleventh hour turned up and were given a denarius each (a silver coin).

10 When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more.

11 But they, too, received a denarius each. So, on receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
12 They said: ‘These last hardly worked an hour, yet you have treated them the same as us who have endured the day’s burden and heat.’

13 The owner said to one of them: ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on a denarius a day?

14 So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you.

15 Don’t I have the right to do as I please with my money? Why are you envious when I am kind?’
16 So will it be: the last will be first, the first will be last.”

Third prophecy of the passion(Mk 10:32; Lk 18:31)
17 When Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve aside and said to them on the way,

18 “See, we are going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law who will condemn him to death.

19 They will hand him over to the foreigners who will mock him, scourge him and crucify him. But he will be raised to life on the third day.”

The mother of James and John asks for the first seats
(Mk 10:35)
20 Then the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down to ask a favor.

21 Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here you have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left, when you are in your kingdom.”
22 Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.”

23 Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to grant. That will be for those for whom the Father has prepared it.”
24 The other ten heard all this and were angry with the two brothers.

25 Then Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and the powerful oppress them.

26 It shall not be so among you; whoever wants to be more important in your group shall make himself your servant. 27 And if you want to be first, make yourself the servant of all. 28 Be like the Son of Man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.”
29 As they left Jericho, a great crowd followed them on the way. 3

0 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they began to call out, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

31 The people told them to keep quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

32 Jesus stopped, called out to them and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 They said, “Lord, open our eyes.”
34 Jesus was moved with compassion and touched their eyes. Immediately they recovered their sight and they began to follow Jesus.

Matthew 19

Jesus speaks about divorce
(Mk 10:2; Mt 5:31; Lk 16:18)
1 When Jesus had finished this teaching, he left Galilee and arrived at the border of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan River.

2 A great crowd was with him and there, too, he healed their sick.
3 Some Pharisees approached him. They wanted to test him and asked, “Is a man allowed to divorce his wife for any reason he wants?”
4 Jesus replied, “Have you not read that in the beginning the Creator made them male and female,

5 and he said: Man has now to leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body?

6 So they are no longer two but one body; let no one separate what God has joined.”
7 They asked him, “Then, why did Moses command us to write a bill of dismissal in order to divorce?”

8 Jesus replied, “Moses knew your stubborn heart, so he allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not so in the beginning.

9 Therefore I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, unless it be for concubinage, and marries another, commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said, “If that is the condition of a married man, it is better not to marry.”

11 Jesus said to them, “Not everybody can accept what you have just said, but only those who have received this gift. 12 There are eunuchs born so from their mother’s womb. Some have been made that way by others. But there are some who have given up the possibility of marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who can accept it, accept it.”

Jesus and the children
(Mk 10:13; Lk 18:15)
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them with a prayer. But the disciples scolded those who brought them.

14 Jesus then said, “Let them be! Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to people such as these.”

15 So Jesus laid his hands on them and went his way.

The rich young man
(Mk 10:17-22; Lk 18:18-23)
16 It was then that a young man approached him and asked, “Master, what good work must I do to receive eternal life?”

17 Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Only one is Good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.”

18 The young man said, “Which commandments?” Jesus replied, “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,

19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these commandments, what is still lacking?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all that you possess and give the money to the poor and you will become the owner of a treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.”
22 On hearing this answer, the young man went away sad for he was a man of great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you: it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 Yes, believe me: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
25 On hearing this the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked steadily at them and answered, “For humans it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter spoke up and said, “You see we have given up everything to follow you: what will be our lot?”
28 Jesus answered, “You who have followed me, listen to my words: on the Day of Renewal, when the Son of Man sits on his throne in glory, you, too, will sit on twelve thrones to rule the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 As for those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or property for my Name’s sake, they will receive a hundredfold and be given eternal life.

30 Many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.

Matthew 18

Who is the greatest? Scandals
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples,

3 and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whoever becomes lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,

5 and whoever receives such a child in my name receives me.
6 If any of you should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and fall, it would be better for you to be thrown into the depths of the sea with a great millstone around your neck.
7 Woe to the world because of so many scandals! Scandals necessarily come, but woe to the one who has brought it about.
8 If your hand or foot drags you into sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life without a hand or a foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with your two hands and two feet.

9 And if your eye drags you into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to be thrown into the fire of hell with your two eyes.
10 See that you do not despise any of these little ones, for I tell you: their angels in heaven continually see the face of my heavenly Father.
11 (The Son of Man has come to save the lost).
12 What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? 13 And I tell you: when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that did not get lost. 14 It is the same with your Father in heaven: there they don’t want even one of these little ones to be lost.

Living together in the Church
(Lk 17:3)
15 If your brother or sister has sinned against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are in private, and if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

16 If you are not listened to, take with you one or two others so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

17 If he still refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard such a one as a pagan or a publican.
18 I say to you: whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.
19 In like manner, I say to you: if on earth two of you are united in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father.

20 For where two or three are gathered in my Name, I am there among them.”
21 Then Peter asked him, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
The unmerciful servant
23 This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants.

24 Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots.

25 As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.
26 The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’

27 The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt.
28 This official then left the king’s presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

29 His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’

30 The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.
31 His companions saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord.

32 Then the lord summoned his official and said,

‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so.

33 Weren’t you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?’

34 The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.”
35 Jesus added, “So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister.”

Matthew 17

The transfiguration of Jesus
(Mk 9:2; Lk 9:28)
1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone.

 

2 Jesus’ appearance was changed before them: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as light.

 

3 Just then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. If you so wish, I will make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 Peter was still speaking when a bright cloud covered them in its shadow, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, my Chosen One. Listen to him.”
6 On hearing the voice, the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear.

 

7 But Jesus came, touched them and said, “Stand up, do not be afraid.”

 

8 When they raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus.

 

9 And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead.
10 The disciples then asked him, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?”

 

11 And Jesus answered, “So it is: first comes Elijah to set everything as it has to be.

 

12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased. And they will also make the Son of Man suffer.”
13 Then the disciples understood that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist.
Jesus heals an epileptic boy
(Mk 9:14; Lk 9:37)
14 When they met the people, a man approached Jesus, knelt before him and said,

 

15 “Sir, have pity on my son who is an epileptic and is in a wretched state. He has often fallen into the fire and at other times into the water.

 

16 I brought him to your disciples but they could not heal him.”
17 Jesus replied, “You, faithless and evil people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”

 

18 And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.
19 The disciples then gathered around Jesus and asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive out the spirit?”

 

20 Jesus said to them, “Because you have little faith. I say to you: if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey. Nothing would be impossible to you.

 

21 (Only prayer and fasting can drive out this kind of spirit.”)
22 While Jesus was in Galilee with the Twelve, he said to them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into human hands, 23 and they will kill him. But he will rise on the third day.” The Twelve were deeply grieved.
The Temple tax
24 When they returned to Capernaum, the Temple tax collectors came to Peter and asked him, “Does your master pay the temple tax?”

 

25 He answered, “Certainly.”
Peter then entered the house, but immediately Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? Who pay taxes or tributes to the kings of the earth: their sons or the other people?” 26 Peter replied, “The others.” And Jesus told him, “The sons, then, are tax-free.

 

27 But so as not to offend these people, go to the sea, throw in a hook and open the mouth of the first fish you catch. You will find a coin in it, take it and let it pay for you and for me.”

Matthew 16

The Pharisees ask for a sign
(Mk 8:11; Lk 11:16; 12:54)
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees appeared. They wanted to put Jesus to the test and asked him for some heavenly sign.
2 Jesus answered, “(When evening comes, you say: ‘It will be a good day for the sky is red.’

 

3 And in the morning you say: ‘Stormy weather today, for the sky in the east is red.’ If you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, why can’t you interpret the signs of the times?)

 

4 An evil and unbelieving people want a sign, but no sign will be given them except the sign of Jonah.”
So Jesus left them and went away.
5 When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread.

 

6 It was then that Jesus said to them, “Beware and do not trust the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And the disciples said to one another, “He means the bread we did not bring.”
8 Jesus was aware of this, so he said to them, “You of little faith! Why do you speak about the bread you haven’t got?

 

9 Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered?

 

10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many wicker baskets you gathered?
11 How can you fail to understand that I was not talking of bread when I told you: Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?”

 

12 Then they understood that he was not talking of yeast for bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter’s faith; Jesus’ promises
(Mk 8:27; Lk 9:18; Jn 6:69)
13 After that Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of man is?”

 

14 They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?”

 

16 Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 

17 Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.
18 And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”
20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Jesus predicts his death
(Mk 8:31; Lk 9:22; 12:9; 14:27)
21 From that day Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem; he would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed and be raised on the third day.
22 Then Peter took him aside and began to reproach him, “Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to you.”

 

23 But Jesus turned to him and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path. You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.

 

25 For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 What will one gain by winning the whole world if he destroys himself? There is nothing you can give to recover your own self.
27 Know that the Son of Man will come in the Glory of his Father with the holy angels, and he will reward each one according to his deeds.

 

28 Truly, I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the Son of Man coming as king.”

Matthew 15

God’s command and human tradition
(Mk 7:1)
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. And they said to him,

 

2 “Why don’t your disciples follow the tradition of the elders? In fact, they don’t wash their hands before eating.”
3 Jesus answered, “And you, why do you break God’s command for the sake of your traditions?

 

4 For God commanded: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and: whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death.

 

5 But you say that anyone may say to his father or mother: ‘What you could have expected from me, I have reserved for the Temple.’

 

6 In this case, according to you, a person is freed of his duty to his father and mother. And so, you have nullified the command of God for the sake of your traditions.
7 Hypocrites! Isaiah rightly prophesied of you when he said:

 

8 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

 

9 The worship they offer me is worthless, for they only teach human rules.”

 

Washing hands and cleanness of heart
(Mk 7:14; Lk 6:39)
10 Jesus then called the people near him and said to them, “Listen and understand:

 

11 what enters into the mouth does not make a person unclean, what defiles one is what comes out of his mouth.”
12 After a while the disciples gathered around Jesus and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you said?”

 

13 Jesus answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted.

 

14 Pay no attention to them! They are blind leading the blind. When a blind person leads another, the two will fall into a pit.”
15 Peter said to him, “Explain this sentence to us.”

 

16 Jesus replied, “So even you, too, are dull?

 

17 Do you not see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach, and then out of the body?

 

18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and that is what makes a person unclean.
19 Indeed, it is from the heart that evil desires come – murder, adultery, immorality, theft, lies, slander.

 

20 These are the things that make a person unclean; but eating without washing the hands does not make a person unclean.”
The faith of the Canaanite woman
(Mk 7: 24)
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

 

22 Now a Canaanite woman came from those borders and began to cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

 

23 But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached him and said, “Send her away: see how she is shouting after us.”
24 Then Jesus said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”
25 But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus and said, “Sir, help me!”

 

26 Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to the little dogs.”

 

27 The woman replied, “It is true, sir, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said, “Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Second miracle of the loaves
(Mk 7:31)
29 From there Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills where he sat down.

 

30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities. The people carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he healed them.

 

31 All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled healed and the blind able to see; so they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “I am filled with compassion for these people; they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way.”

 

33 His disciples said to him, “And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?”

 

34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
35 So Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground.

 

36 Then he took the seven loaves and the small fish and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who distributed them to the people.
37 They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover broken pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

 

38 Four thousand men had eaten, besides women and children.

 

39 Then Jesus sent away the crowd, got into the boat and went to Magdala.

Chapter 14

John the Baptist beheaded
(Mk 6:14; Lk 9:7)
1 At that time the news about Jesus reached King Herod.

2 And he said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. John has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Herod had, in fact, ordered that John be arrested, bound in chains and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.

4 For John had said to him, “It is not right for you to have her as wife.”

5 Herod wanted to kill him but he did not dare, because he feared the people who regarded John as a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of the guests; she so delighted Herod

7 that he promised under oath to give her anything she asked.

8 The girl, following the advice of her mother, said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a dish.”
9 The king was very displeased, but because he had made this promise under oath in the presence of the guests, he ordered it to be given her.

10 So he had John beheaded in prison 11 and his head brought on a dish and given to the girl. The girl then took it to her mother.
12 Then John’s disciples came to take his body and bury it. And they went to bring the news to Jesus.

First miracle of the loaves
(Mk 6:32; Jn 6)

3 On hearing this, Jesus set out secretly by boat for a secluded place. But the people heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their towns.

14 When Jesus went ashore, he saw the crowd gathered there and he had compassion on them. And he healed their sick.
15 Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, “We are in a lonely place and it is now late. You should send these people away, so they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat.”
16 But Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.”

17 They answered, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.” 18 Jesus said to them, “Bring them here to me.”
19 Then he made everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people.

20 And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets.

21 About five thousand men had eaten there besides women and children.

Jesus walks on the water
(Mk 6:45; Jn 6:16)
22 Immediately Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowd away.
23 And having sent the people away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. At nightfall, he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves for the wind was against it.
25 At daybreak, Jesus came to them walking on the lake. 26 When they saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear.

27 But at once Jesus said to them, “Courage! Don’t be afraid. It’s me!”

28 Peter answered, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water.”
29 Jesus said to him, “Come.” And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to Jesus.

30 But, in face of the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 As they got into the boat, the wind dropped.

33 Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God!”
34 They came ashore at Gennesareth.

35 The local people recognized Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought all the sick to him, 36 begging him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

Matthew 13

The parable of the sower
(Mk 4:1; Lk 8:4; 10:23; 13:20)
1 That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside.
2 As many people gathered around him, he got in a boat. There he sat while the whole crowd stood on the shore,
3 and he spoke to them in parables about many things.
4 Jesus said, “The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and ate them up.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep.
6 But as soon the sun rose the plants were scorched and withered because they had no roots.
7 Again other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants.
8 Still other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop; some produced a hundredfold, others sixty and others thirty.

 

9 If you have ears, then hear!”
10 Then his disciples came to him with the question, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
11 Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. 12 For the one who has, will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has.

 

13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because they look and do not see; they hear, but they do not listen or understand.
14 In them the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: Much as you hear, you do not understand; much as you see, you do not perceive.
15 For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back and I would heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
17 For I tell you that many prophets and upright people would have longed to see the things you see, but they did not, and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear it.
18 Now listen to the parable of the sower.
19 When a person hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.
20 The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy.

 

21 But this fickle and has no roots. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.
22 The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear fruit.
23 As for the seed that fell on good soil it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”
The parable of the weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

 

25 While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left.
26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared.

 

27 Then the servants of the owner came to him and said: ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’
28 He answered them: ‘This is the work of an enemy.’ They asked him: ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ 29 He told them: ‘No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them.

 

30 Let them just grow together until harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the workers: Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.”
The mustard seed and the yeast
(Mk 4:30; Lk 13:18)

 

31 Jesus put another parable before them, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it has fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the birds come and rest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast that a woman took and buried in three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to rise.”
34 Jesus taught all this to the crowds by means of parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So what the Prophet had said was fulfilled: I will speak in parables. I will proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of the world.
36 Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

 

37 Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

 

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the Kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. 39 The enemy who sows them is the devil; the harvest is the end of time and the workers are the angels.
40 Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of time.

 

41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil. 42 And these will be thrown in the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

43 Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.
The treasure, the pearl and the net
44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The one who finds it buries it again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field.
45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who is looking for fine pearls.

 

46 Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught.

 

48 When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless ones away.

 

49 That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”
51 Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.

 

52 So he said to them, “You will see that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old.”
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left the place.

 

54 He went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers?

 

55 Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers?

 

56 Aren’t all his sisters living here? How did he get all this?” 57 And so they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.”

 

58 And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.