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TUESDAY
THE DAY OF CONTROVERSY

The Lesson From the Withered Fig Tree
And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away
from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, “Rabbi,
behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.”
And Jesus answering saith unto them, “Have faith in God. Verily I say unto
you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou taken up and cast
into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that
what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. Therefore I say unto you,
All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them. And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye
have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses.”
The Challenge
of Christ’s Authority
And they came again to Jerusalem. And all the people came early in the
morning to him in the temple to hear him. And as he was teaching the
people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, there came upon him the
chief priests and the scribes with the elders; and they spake, saying unto
him, “Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he
that gave thee this authority?”
And Jesus answered, and said unto them, “I also will ask you one question,
which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these
things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men?”
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we shall say, ‘From heaven;
he will say unto us, ‘Why did ye not believe him?’ But if we shall say,
‘From men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John
was a prophet.”
And they answered Jesus, and said, “We know not.”
And Jesus said unto them, “Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
things.”
The Two Sons
“But what
think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go
work to-day in the vineyard.’ And he answered and, said, ‘I will not’: but
afterward he repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, and
said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, Sir’: and went not. Which
of the two did the will of his father?”
They say, “The first.”
Jesus saith, unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the
harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in
the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and
the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent
yourselves afterward that ye might believe him.”
The Wicked
Husbandmen
“Hear another
parable: There was a man who was a householder, who planted a vineyard,
and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower,
and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. And when the
season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen to
receive his fruits. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more
than the first; and they did unto them in like manner. But afterward he
sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’ But the
husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the
heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.’ And they took him,
and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the
lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?”
They say unto him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and
will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the
fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus saith unto them, “Did ye never read in the scriptures,
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
The same was made the head of the corner;
This was from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you,
and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And he
that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it
shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.”
And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they
perceived that he spake of them. And when they sought to lay hold on him,
they feared the multitudes, because they took him for a prophet.
The Marriage of the King’s Son
And Jesus
answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, “The kingdom of
heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his
son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
marriage feast: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other
servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, ‘Behold, I have made ready my
dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come
to the marriage feast.’ But they made light of it, and went their ways,
one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest laid hold on
his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. But the king
was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned their city. Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready,
but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the
partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the
marriage feast’: And those servants went out into the highways, and
gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good; and the
wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to behold the
guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith
unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a
wedding-garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the
servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the outer
darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. For many
are called, but few chosen.”
Tribute to Caesar
Then went the
Pharisees, and took counsel how they might ensnare him in his talk so as
to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. And
they send to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we
know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest
not for any one: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us
therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar,
or not?”
But Jesus perceived their craftiness, and said, “Why make ye trial of me,
ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money.”
And they brought unto him a denarius. And he saith unto them, “Whose is
this image and superscription?”
They say unto him, “Caesar’s.”
Then he saith unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
And when they heard it, they marvelled, and left him, and went away.
The Question
of the Resurrection
And there
came to him certain of the Sadducees, they that say that there is no
resurrection; and they asked him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote unto us,
that if a man’s brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his
brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There
were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died
childless; and the second; and the third took her; and likewise the seven
also left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the
resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she be? for the seven had
her to wife.”
And Jesus said unto them, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the
power of God. The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage; but
they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: for
neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are
sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised,
even Moses showed, in the place concerning the Bush, when he calleth the
Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now
he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”
And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
And one of
the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he
had answered them well, asked him, “What commandment is the first of all?”
Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord
is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second
is this, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ There is none other
commandment greater than these.”
And the scribe said unto him, “Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said
that he is one: and there is none other but he: and to love him with all
the heart, and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and
to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole
burnt-offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, “Thou
art not far from the kingdom of God.”
The
Unanswerable Question of Jesus
Now while the
Pharisees were gathered together Jesus asked them a question, saying,
“What think ye of the Christ? whose son is he?”
They say unto him, “The son of David.”
He saith unto them, “How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord,
saying,
‘The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand,
Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet?’
If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son?”
And no one was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that
day forth ask him any more questions.
And the common people heard him gladly.
Discourse of Jesus Against the Scribes and Pharisees
Then spake
Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the
Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat: all things therefore whatsoever they bid
you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say,
and do not. Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay
them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their
finger. But all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad
their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love
the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the
salutations in the market-places, and to be called of men, ‘Rabbi: But be
not ye called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he
who is in heaven., Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master,
even the Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and whosoever shall
humble himself shall be exalted.
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites because ye shut the
kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them that are entering in to enter.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold
more a son of hell than yourselves.
“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the
temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the
temple, he is a debtor.’ Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the
gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? And, ‘Whosoever shall
swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift
that is upon it, he is a debtor.’ Ye blind: for which is greater, the
gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? He therefore that sweareth
by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And he that
sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by
him that sitteth thereon.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and
anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law,
justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to
have left the other undone. Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and
swallow the camel!
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from
extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the
cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto
whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full
of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly
appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the
sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, and
say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Wherefore ye witness to
yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. Fill ye up
then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of
hell? Therefore, behold. I send unto You prophets, and wise men, and
scribes: some of them shall Ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye
scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: that upon you
may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel
the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew
between the sanctuary and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these
things shall come upon this generation.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that
are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you, desolate. For I say unto you, Ye
shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord.’
The Widow’s Two Mites
And he sat
down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money
into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a
poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And he
called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, “Verily, I say unto
you, This poor widow cast in more than all they that are casting into the
treasury: for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her
want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
The Gentiles
Seek Jesus
Now there
were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast:
these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked
him, saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”
Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell
Jesus.
And Jesus answereth them, saying, “The hour is come, that the Son of man
should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of
wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it
die, it beareth much fruit. He that loveth his life loseth it: and he that
hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man
serve me, let him follow me: and where I am, there shall also my servant
be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor. Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for
this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.”
There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, “I have both glorified
it, and will glorify it again.”
The multitude, therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it had
thundered: others said, “An angel hath spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice hath not come for my sake, but for
your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of
this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
all men unto myself.”
But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die.
The multitude therefore answered him, “We have heard out of the law that
the Christ abideth forever: and how sayest thou, ‘The Son of man must be
lifted up’? who is this Son of man?”
Jesus therefore said unto them, “Yet a little while is the light among
you. Walk while ye have the light that darkness overtake you not: and he
that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have
the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light.
These things spake Jesus, and he departed and hid himself from them.
The Jews Reject Jesus
But though he
had done so many signs before them, yet they believed not on him: that the
word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake,
“Lord, who hath believed our report?
And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again,
“He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart;
Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive, with their heart, and
should turn,
And I should heal them.”
These things said Isaiah, because he saw his glory; and he spake of him.
Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the
Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue: for they loved the glory that is of men more than the glory
that is of God.
And Jesus cried and said, “He that believeth on me, believeth not on me,
but on him that sent me. And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent
me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may
not abide in the darkness. And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them
not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the
world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last,
day. For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath
given me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. And I
know that his commandment is life eternal: the things therefore which I
speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak.”
Discourse Concerning the Future
And Jesus
went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came
to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
But he answered and said unto them, “See ye not all these things? Verily I
say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that
shall not be thrown down!’
And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and
James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when shall these
things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to
be accomplished?”
And Jesus began to say unto them, “Take heed that no man lead you astray.
Many shall come in my name, saying, ‘I am he: and shall lead many astray.
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled: these
things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be
earthquakes in divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the
beginning of the travail.
“But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to
councils; and in synagogues shall ye be beaten, and before governors and
kings shall ye stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them. And the
gospel must first be preached unto all the nations. And when they lead you
to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall
speak; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for
it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit. But ye shall be delivered up
even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends: and some of you
shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name’s sake.
“And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall
hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many
astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many
shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
“But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her
desolation is at hand. Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the
mountains; let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the
things that are in his house; and let him that is in the field not return
back to take his cloak. For these are days of vengeance, that all things
which are written may be fulfilled.
“But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those
days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a
Sabbath: for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from
the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. And except
those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the
elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto
you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘Here,’ believe it not. For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and
wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible even the elect. But take ye
heed: behold, I have told you all things beforehand. If, therefore, they
shall say unto you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ go not forth:
‘Behold, he is in the inner chambers,” believe it not. For as the
lightning cometh forth from the east and is seen even unto the west, so
shall be the coming of the Son of man. Wheresoever the carcase is, there
will the eagles be gathered together.
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall
appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and shall gather together his elect from
the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part
of heaven.
“Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become
tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh,
even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass
away till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth
no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father
only.
“But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on
you suddenly as a snare; for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on
the face of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making
supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
“And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered
into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all
away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Then shall two men be in
the field; one is taken, and one is left; two women shall be grinding at
the mill; one is taken, and one is left. Watch therefore: for ye know not
on what day your Lord cometh.
“But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch
the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered
his house to be broken through. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour
that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. It is as
when a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and
given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded also the
porter to watch. Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the
house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in
the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say
unto you I say unto all, Watch.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the lord hath set over
his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say
unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. But if that evil
servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord tarrieth; and shall begin to beat
his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of
that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour
when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion
with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of
teeth.”
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
“Then shall
the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps
and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and
five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil
with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now
while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But at
midnight there is a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet
him.’ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the
foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going
out!’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Peradventure there will not be
enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for
yourselves!’
“And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.’
“Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.”
The Parable of the Talents
“For it is as when a man. going into another country called his own
servant and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five
talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several
ability; and he went on his journey. Straightway he that received the five
talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. In like
manner he also that received the two gained other two. But he that
received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s
money.
“Now after a long time the lord of these servants cometh, and maketh a
reckoning with them. And he that received the five talents came and
brought other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five
talents: lo, I have gained other five talents! His lord said unto him,
‘Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy
lord!
“And he also that received the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents!
“His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter
thou into the joy of thy lord!
“And he also that had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew
thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and
gathering where thou didst not scatter; and I was afraid, and went away
and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own.’
“But his lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful
servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I
did not scatter; thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the
bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with
interest. Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him
that hath the ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given,
and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, even that which
be hath shall be taken away. And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into
the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.’
The Judgment Scene
“But when the
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then
shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered
all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the
shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep
on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto
them on his right hand, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was
hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was
a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and
ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when saw we thee
hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? And when saw we
thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And when
saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?’ And the King shall
answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it
unto one of these my children, even these least, ye did it unto me.’
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, ye
cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his
angels: for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty,
and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked,
and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.’ Then
shall they also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or
athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not
minister unto thee?’ Then shall he answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto
me.’ And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous
into eternal Life.”
The Conspiracy Against Jesus
And it came
to pass, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his
disciples, “Ye know that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son
of man is delivered up to be crucified.”
Then were gathered together the chief priests, the elders of the people,
unto the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas; and they took
counsel together that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. But
they said, “Not during the feast, lest a tumult arise among the people.”
And Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot, being of the number
of the twelve. And he went away and communed with the chief priests and
captains, how he might deliver him unto them. And they were glad, and they
weighed unto him thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought
opportunity to deliver him unto them in the absence of the multitude.
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