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Jesus 365 - October October 1 Can you drink the cup I am going to drink or be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with? You will drink the cup I drink and be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father. Mt20:22 & 23 / Mk10:38 & 39-40 d October 2 You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mt20:25-28 / Mk10:42-45 d October 3 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. L19:10 October 4 A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. The first one came to him and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.' Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them - bring them here and kill them in front of me.' L19:12-27 m October 5 It is written... 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,' but you have made it a 'den of robbers.' Mt21:13 / Mk11:17 / L19:46 (Isaiah 56:7 & Jeremiah 7:11) h October 6 Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go and throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that you Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mt21:21-22 / Mk11:22-25 d October 7 What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. Mt21:28-32 h October 8 Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a long journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of his vineyard. But they seized him, beat him up and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants, and give the vineyard to others. Haven't you read this scripture: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. Mt21:33-44 / Mk11:1-11 / L20:9-18 (Psalm 118:22-23) h October 9 The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' But they paid no attention and went off - one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners, and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen. Mt22:1-14 h October 10 Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Mt22:21 / Mk12:17 / L20:25 h October 11 You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they will be like the angels in heaven. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. But about the resurrection - have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive. You are badly mistaken! Mt22:29-32 / Mk12:24-27 / L20:34-38 (Exodus 3:6) h October 12 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' This is the first and greatest commandment, the most important one. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Mt22:37-40 / Mk12:29-31 (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 / Leviticus 19:18) h October 13 How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, in the Book of Psalms, calls him 'Lord'. For he declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet."' If then David calls him 'Lord,' how then can he be his son? Mt22:42-45 / Mk12:35-37 / L20:41-44 (Psalm 110:1) d October 14 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tip up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for men to see: Beware of the teachers of the law. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels of their prayer shawls long; they like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the market places and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the place of honour at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely. And they love to have men call them 'Rabbi'. But you are not to be called 'Rabbi', for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father', for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Mt23:2-12 / Mk12:38-40 / L20:46-47 m October 15 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Mt23:13-14 h October 16 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you will make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Mt23:15 h October 17 Woe to you blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. Mt23:16-22 h October 18 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Mt23:17-18 h October 19 I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal. In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day - for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' Mt23:37-39 / L13:32-35 (Psalm 118:26) October 20 I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more into the treasury than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on. Mk12:43-44 / L21:3-4 d October 21 Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and, 'The time is near,' and will deceive many. Do not follow them. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, and revolutions, but see to it that you are not alarmed or frightened. Such things must happen first, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilence and earthquakes in various places, and fearful events and great signs in the heavens. All these are the beginning of the birth pains. Mt24:5-8 / Mk13:5-8 / L21:8-11 d October 22 You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues and prisons. On account of my name you will stand before governors and kings. This will result in your being witnesses to them. And the gospel of the kingdom must be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves and about what to say. I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Brother will betray brother to death, and father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me, but not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm to the end you will save yourselves and be saved. Mt24:9-14 / Mk13:9-13 / L21:12-19 d October 23 When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. So when you see standing where it does not belong, in the holy place, 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. For this is the time of punishment in fulfilment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. For those will be days of great distress, unequalled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now - and never to be equalled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he will shorten those days. Mt24:15-22 / Mk13:14-20 / L21:20-26 (Daniel 9:27,11:31 & 12:11) d October 24 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive the elect - if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Where there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Mt24:23-26 / Mk13:21-23 / L17:37 d October 25 But in those days, immediately following that distress, there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity, at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world: 'The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds of the sky, with great power and glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. Mt24:29-31 / Mk13:24-27 / L21:25-28 (Isaiah 13:10 & 34:4) d October 26 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree and all the trees: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you can see for yourselves that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Mt24:32-35 / Mk13:28-31 / L21:29-33 d October 27 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in a field; one will be taken away and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live upon the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Be on your guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watching because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' Mt24:36-44 / Mk13:32-37 / L21:34-36 d October 28 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the crying out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 'No,' they relied, 'there may not be enough for both of us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others came. Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Mt25:1-13 d October 29 Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave the first five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of the servants returned and settled account with them. The man who had received the first five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' His master replied, You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 'Take the talent from him and give to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Mt25:14-30 d October 30 When the Son of Man comes in glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, and I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Mt25:31-46 d October 31 ... She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. It was meant that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. Mt26:10-13 / Mk14:6-9 / J12:7-8 d
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