64.20 Discourse on who shall be Saved
LK 13:22-33
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and
journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to him, "Lord, will those
who are saved be few?" And he said to them, 24 "Strive to enter through
the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not
be able. 25 When once the owner of the house has risen up and shut the
door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying,
'Lord, open for us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you come
from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your
presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, 'I tell
you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers
of iniquity!'28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you
see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of
God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And men will come from east and
west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who
will be last."
31 At that very time some Pharisees came, and said to him, "Get
away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32 And he said to them,
"Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures
today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.' 33
Nevertheless I must journey today and tomorrow, and the day following;
for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
65.10 Jesus Heals a Man of Dropsy on the Sabbath
LK 14:1-6
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who
belonged to the Pharisees, they watched him. 2 And behold, there was a
man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and
Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" 4 But
they kept silent. And he took him and healed him, and let him go. 5
Then he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has
fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath
day?" 6 And they could not reply to this.
65.20 Parable of the Great Supper
LK 14:7-24
7 So he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noted
how they chose the places of honor, saying to them: 8 "When you are
invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of
honor, lest one more distinguished than you be invited by him; 9 and he
who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this
man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10
But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when
your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you
will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted." 12 Then he also said to the one who invited
him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends
or your brothers, your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also
invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast,
invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be
blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the
resurrection of the just."
15 When one of those who sat at table with him heard this, he
said to him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
16 Then he said to him, "A certain man gave a great banquet and invited
many. 17 And at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to
those who had been invited, 'Come, for all is now ready.' 18 But they
all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought
a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to have me excused.'
19 And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going
to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' 20 Still another said, 'I
have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the servant
came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house
became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets
and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the maimed, the blind
and the lame.' 22 And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has
been done, and still there is room.' 23 Then the master said to the
servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come
in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men
who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
66.10 The Price of Discipleship
LK 14:25-35
25 Now great multitudes went with him; and he turned and said to
them, 26 "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own
life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross
and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending
to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether
he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid the
foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock
him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, will not sit
down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet
him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while
the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks
terms of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not give up all
that he has cannot be my disciple.
34 Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall it
be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill;
men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
67.10 The Lost Sheep Parable
LK 15:1-7
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to
hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This
man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So he told them this
parable: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of
them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after
the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he
lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls
together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me,
for I have found my sheep which was lost.' 7 I tell you that in the
same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
67.20 The Parable of the Lost Silver
LK 15:8-10
8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin,
does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until
she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her
friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the
coin which I had lost.' 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in
the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
67.30 The Parable of the Prodigal Son
LK 15:11-32
11 Then he said: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the
younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of
property that falls to me.' So he divided his living between them. 13
Not many days after, the younger son gathered together all he had and
took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his
property in loose living. 14 And when he had spent everything, there
arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in want. 15
So he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, who sent
him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled
his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him
anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my
father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and here I
perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father and will say to
him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no
longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired
servants."' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was
still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion for him,
and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to
him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no
longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his
servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on
his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf and kill
it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.
25 "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew
near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of
the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him,
'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf,
because he has received him safe and sound.' 28 But he was angry and
refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 But
he answered his father, 'Behold, these many years I have been serving
you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a young
goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But when this son of
yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for
him the fatted calf!' 31 And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with
me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make
merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive again;
he was lost, and is found.'"
68.10 The Parable of the Unjust Steward
LK 16:1-18
1 He also said to his disciples: "There was a certain rich man
who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man
was wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, 'What is
this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can
no longer be steward.' 3 The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong
enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so
that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the
stewardship.' 5 So he called in each one of his master's debtors, and
he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 And he said,
'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and
sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, 'And how
much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said
to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 So the master commended
the dishonest steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of
this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than
the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by
means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails, they may receive
you into the eternal dwellings. 10 He who is faithful in a very little
is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is
dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the
unrighteous mammon, who will trust you with the true riches? 12 And if
you have not been faithful in what is another's, who will give you what
is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one
and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and
they scoffed at him. 15 He said to them, "You are those who justify
yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly
esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law
and the prophets were until John. Since that time the good news of the
kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one dot of
the law to fail. 18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband
commits adultery.
68:20 The Parable of Lazarus After Death
LK 16:19-31
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and
fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And a certain beggar
named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 longing to be fed
with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and
licked his sores. 22 So the beggar died, and was carried by the angels
to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in
Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have
mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' 25 But Abraham
said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good
things, and Lazarus received evil things; but now he is comforted here
and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a
great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to
you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 27 And he
said, ' Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, 28
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come
to this place of torment.' 29 Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and
the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham;
but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He
said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"
69.10 Discourse on Forgiveness, Faith and Humility
LK 17:1-10
1 Then he said to his disciples, "Things that cause people to sin
are bound to come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would
be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were
thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones
to sin. 3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him,
and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven
times in a day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you
must forgive him."
5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6 So the
Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,' and it would
obey you.
7 "Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping
sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and
sit down to eat'? 8 Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare my supper,
and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you
shall eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what
he was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that is
commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what
was our duty.'"
70.10 The Cleansing of the Ten Lepers
LK 17:11-19
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria
and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men who were lepers met
him, who stood at a distance. 13 And they lifted up their voices and
said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said
to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they
were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed,
turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face
at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then said
Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found
to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 And he said
to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."
71.10 Jesus Foretells His Sufferings and His Second Coming
LK 17:20-37
20 Now when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God
would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God does not come with
observation; 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for
behold, the kingdom of God is within you." 22 Then he said to the
disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the
days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say
to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow
them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one
part to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first
he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just
as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the
Son of Man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in
marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came
and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was in the days of Lot: they
ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29
but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulfur rained from
heaven and destroyed them all. 30 So will it be on the day when the Son
of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let him who is on the housetop,
with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away. And
likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's
wife. 33 Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses
his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be
two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will
be grinding together; one will be taken and the other left." 37 And
they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is,
there the eagles will be gathered together."
71.20 The Parable of the Unrighteous Judge
LK 18:1-8
1 Then he told them a parable, to show that they ought always to
pray and not lose heart. 2 He said: "In a certain city there was a
judge who neither feared God nor regarded man. 3 And there was a widow
in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice
against my adversary.' 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said
to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because
this widow bothers me, I will give her justice, or she will wear me out
by her continual coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust
judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his elect, who
cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you
that he will bring about justice for them speedily. Nevertheless, when
the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
71.20 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican
LK 18:9-14
9 Also he told this parable to some who trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 "Two men went up to
the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that
I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like
this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I
get.' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift
up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful
to me a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will
be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."