Beware of the Pharisees
1 As the crowd grew to tens of thousands, to the point that they were stepping on each other, Jesus turned to speak only to his disciples: “Beware of the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees, which is their fakeness. 2 Everything that has been covered up will surely be revealed, and everything that has been concealed will surely be made known. 3 For whatever you say in the dark will be heard in the light, and whatever you whisper in the back rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Fear God, not anyone or anything else
4 ”Now I say to you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body but can do no more beyond that. 5 Let me show you who you should fear: the One who, after killing the body, has the authority to throw you into Gehenna! Yes, I tell you, fear this One!5
6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for dirt cheap? Yet not one of them passes from God’s sight. 7 In fact, even the hairs on your head are counted! So don’t be afraid; you are worth so much more than many sparrows.
8 “Now I say this to you all: Whoever acknowledges me in front of other people is the one the Human will acknowledge in front of the angels of God. 9 Yet whoever renounces me in front of other people will be completely renounced in front of the angels of God. 10 Everyone who speaks against the Human will be forgiven, but everyone who slanders the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 So whenever they may bring you before the synagogues and their rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you should say, 12 because the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say at that time.”
The parable of the rich fool
13 Now someone from the crowd said, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the estate with me!” 14 But Jesus replied, “You there— who appointed me as the judge or executor of your estate?” 15 And then he said to them, “Watch and be on your guard against all kinds of greed, because your life is not found in the abundance of your possessions.”
16 Then he gave them this parable: “There was a rich person whose farm produced a bumper crop. 17 And he began to think to himself, ‘What will I do with all this? I have no place to put it.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know… I’ll demolish the existing barns and build bigger ones! Then I will fill them with all my grain and possessions, 19 and say to myself, “Man, you have it made for many years to come. Let the party begin!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Dimwit! This very night your life will be demanded back from you; then who will benefit from all your preparations?’ 21 And so it will also be for those who store up only for themselves but are not rich with the things of God.”
Worry helps no one
22 Then he turned back toward his disciples and said, “This is why I tell you not to worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. 23 For your life is more than its food, and your body is more than its clothing. 24 Take a good look at the ravens; they don’t plant or harvest, and they have no barns. But God feeds them, and you are so much more valuable than birds! 25 Yet which of you by worrying can add an hour to your life? 26 So if you can’t do such a little thing as that, then why worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the lilies grow; they don’t toil or weave cloth, yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his majesty was as nicely dressed as one of these! 28 And if God so clothes the grass of the field which is here one day and burned up the next, then how much more will he also clothe you, you skeptics? 29 So don’t focus on what you will eat or drink; don’t keep in suspense about these things. 30 All the other people in the world do this, but your Father is aware that you need them. 31 Focus instead on his kingdom, and all these other things will be added to you.
Treasures in heaven
32 “Don’t be afraid, little flock, for your Father delighted in giving you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and donate them to the poor. Make for yourselves money pouches that don’t wear out, a limitless treasure in the heavens where the thief cannot come near and the moth cannot cause decay. 34 For wherever your treasure is, that’s where your thoughts will be.
Keep watch for Jesus to return
35 “Prepare yourselves for travel, light your lamps! 36 Be like people who are anticipating their master after he leaves a wedding, so that when he comes and knocks they can quickly open the door for him. 37 Happy are those slaves the master finds in a state of alertness! I tell you truly that he will dress himself like a slave and wait on them at the table. 38 Those slaves will be happy if he finds them ready, even if he doesn’t come until the middle of the night or the early morning hours.
39 “But understand this: if the homeowner knew what time the thief would arrive, he wouldn’t let his house be broken into. 40 So you too must be ready, because the Human will come when you’re not expecting him.” 41 Then Peter asked him, “Master, are you giving this parable to us or to everyone?” 42 But Jesus continued: “So then, who is the trustworthy and thoughtful house manager, the one the master sets over the rest of the household help to give them their regular meals? 43 Blessed is that slave if the master comes and finds them doing their job! 44 I tell you truly that they will be put in charge of all the master’s possessions.
45 “But suppose the slave takes the attitude ‘my master is not coming for a long time’, and begins to beat the household help, eat all the food, and get drunk? 46 Then the master will come on a day the slave didn’t expect and couldn’t anticipate— and that slave will be cut in two and suffer the same fate as the unfaithful! 47 A slave who knows what their master wants but doesn’t prepare or perform their assigned duties will be severely beaten. 48 On the other hand, a slave who does not know what their master wants only deserves a light beating. Much will be required from those to whom much is given; much will be expected from those of whom much was asked.
Truth divides people
49 “I have come to throw fire on the earth, and oh how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But there is an immersion I must undergo, and oh the pressure I’m under until it is completed! 51 You assume that I came to bring peace to the earth; yet I tell you, it is not peace but division. 52 From now on, five people in one household will be divided three against two and two against three; 53 father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Discerning the times
54 Then he said to the crowd, “Whenever you see the clouds accumulating in the west, you instinctively know that a thunderstorm is coming. 55 Likewise, whenever the south wind blows, you know that the day will be a scorcher. 56 Pretenders! You know how to interpret the earth and sky, so how can you not interpret this era?
57 “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 If someone is pressing charges against you and is taking you to court, try to settle the dispute along the way. Otherwise they may drag you in front of the judge, the judge will hand you over to the police, and the police will throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will certainly not be released until you have paid the last little bit!”
- 5 Gehenna was the literal trash dump that was always burning due to a constant supply of material. But clearly the context in which Jesus is using it is metaphorical, with the eternal fire they could see representing the one they could not see.