Luke's Story

by JERRY JENKINS

  55But He turned and rebuked them,a and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s >Jelives but to save them.”a And they went to another village.

  The Cost of Discipleship

  57Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

  58And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

  59Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”

  But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

  60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

  61And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

  62But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

  The Seventy Sent Out

  9:50 aNU-Text reads you. bNU-Text reads your. 9:54 aNU-Text omits just as Elijah did. 9:55 aNU-Text omits the rest of this verse. 9:56 aNU-Text omits the first sentence of this verse. 10:1 aNU-Text reads seventy-two others.

  10 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also,a and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 9But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11‘The very dust of your city which clings to usa we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12Buta I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

  Woe to the Impenitent Cities

  13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the m/b>And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.a 16He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

  The Seventy Return with Joy

  17Then the seventya returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

  18And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rathera rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

  Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit

  21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22Alla things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

  23Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

  The Parable of

  the Good Samaritan

  25And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

  26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

  27So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’a and ‘your neighbor as yourself. ’ ”b

  28And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

  29But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

  10:20 aNU-Text and M-Text omit rather. 10:22 aM-Text reads And turning to the disciples He said, “All . . . 10:27 aDeuteronomy 6:5 bLeviticus 19:18

  30Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when e="3"hen he saw him, he had compassion. 34So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35On the next day, when he departed,a he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

  37And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

  Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

  Mary and Martha

  Worship and Serve

  38Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’a feet and heard His word. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

  41And Jesusa answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

  The Model Prayer

  11 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

  2So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

  Our Father in heaven,a

  Hallowed be Your name.

  Your kingdom come.b

  Your will be done

  On earth as it is in heaven.

  3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

  4 And forgive us our sins,

  For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

  And do not lead us into temptation,

  But deliver us from the evil one.” a

  10:35 aNU-Text omits when he departed. 10:39 aNU-Text reads the Lord’s. 10:41 aNU-Text reads the Lord. 11:2 aNU-TEXT omits Our and in heaven. bNU-Text omits t dMore than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

  Seeking a Sign

  29And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.a 30For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

  The Lamp of the Body

  11:29 aNU-Text omits the prophet.

  33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body
also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

  Woe to the Pharisees

  and Lawyers

  37And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

  39Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

  42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!a For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

  45Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”

  46And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and . Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

  11:44 aNU-Text omits scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.

  52“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

  53And as He said these things to them,a the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.a

  Beware of Hypocrisy

  12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

  Jesus Teaches the Fear of God

  4“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

  6“Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?a And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

  Confess Christ Before Men

  8“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

  10“And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

  11:53 aNU-Text reads And when He left there. 11:54 aNU-Text omits and seeking and that they might accuse Him. 12:6 aGreek assarion, a coin of very small value

  11“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.

  The Parable of the Rich Fool

  13Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

  14But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, a for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

  16Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

  21“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

  Do Not Worry

  22Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

  29“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31But seek the kingdom of God, and all these thingsa shall be added to you.

  32“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

  The Faithful Servant

  and the Evil Servant

  35“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37Blesse judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”

  Repent or Perish

  13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

  The Parable of

  the Barren Fig Tree

  6He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after thata you can cut it down.’”

  A Spirit of In
firmity

  10Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 12And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

  14But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

  15The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite!a Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.