The Gospels

by Sarah Ruden

  39 And he sent the crowds off, boarded a boat, and went into the district of Magadan.*147

  Chapter 16

  1 Now the Farisaioi and the Saddoukaioi approached and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from the sky. 2 And he answered by telling them, [“When evening comes, you say, ‘Fair weather, since the sky is blazing red.’ 3 And at dawn: ‘There’ll be a storm today, because the sky is blazing red and gloomy.’ You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of critical times?]*148 4 A worthless and unfaithful generation keeps looking for a sign, but the only sign that’s going to be given to it is the sign of Iōnas.”*149 And he left them and went away.

  5 But when the students had come to the opposite shore, they found they had forgotten to take any loaves. 6 And Iēsous said to them, “See that you’re wary of the yeast of the Farisaioi and the Saddoukaioi.”*150 7 But they tried to work it out among themselves and said, “It means we didn’t take any loaves.” 8 And perceiving this, Iēsous said to them, “Why are you trying to work it out among yourselves that it’s because you don’t have any loaves—you with so little trust? 9 Don’t you realize yet, and don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand people, and how many baskets you took up? 10 And don’t you remember the seven loaves for the four thousand people, and how many hampers you took up? 11 How can you not realize that I wasn’t talking to you about loaves? Look out for the yeast of the Farisaioi and the Saddoukaioi!” 12 Then they understood that he hadn’t told them to look out for the yeast in bread, but rather for the teachings of the Farisaioi and the Saddoukaioi.*151

  13 Then, as Iēsous was coming to the region of Kaisareia of Filippos,*152 he questioned his students, saying, “Who do men say the son of mankind is?” 14 And they said, “Some say that you’re Iōannēs the baptizer, and others that you’re Ēlias, and others that you’re Ieremias*153 or another one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simōn Petros answered him and said: “You’re the anointed one, the son of the living god.” 17 And Iēsous answered, telling him, “You are fortunate, Simōn Bariōna,*154 because flesh and blood didn’t reveal that to you—no, it was my father in the skies. 18 But it’s me telling you that you are Petros, and that on this rock I’ll build my assembly hall,*155 and the gates of hades won’t gain the victory over it.*156 19 I’ll give you the keys to the kingdom of the skies, and whatever you chain up on earth will be chained up in the skies, and whatever you unlock on earth will be unlocked in the skies.”*157 20 Then he stringently warned the students not to tell anyone that he was the anointed one.

  21 From that time on, Iēsous began to point out to his students that it was necessary for him to go to Hierosoluma and endure many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and the scholars, and to be killed, and be raised to his feet again after three days.*158 22 But Petros, taking him aside, began to scold him, saying, “May you be spared, master! This must never happen to you!” 23 But he turned around and said to Petros, “Get behind me, satanas! You’re an obstacle for me, because it’s not the things that belong to god you’re thinking of, but instead the things that belong to human beings.”

  24 Then Iēsous said to his students: “If someone wants to walk behind me, let him renounce all claim to himself and pick up the stake he’ll be hung from and follow me. 25 Whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 What kind of profit, tell me, does a person realize from the entire universe, if he loses his life? Or what would a person give in exchange for his life? 27 The son of mankind is in fact about to come in the glory of his father with his messengers, and he’ll give each person what he’s earned by what he’s done. 28 Amēn I tell you, there are some standing here who won’t taste death until they see the son of mankind coming in his kingdom.”

  Chapter 17

  1 Then after six days, Iēsous took Petros and Iakōbos, and Iōannēs the brother of Iakōbos, and brought them up onto a high mountain, on their own. 2 And his form changed before their eyes, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light. 3 And look, Mōüsēs and Ēlias were seen by them, talking with him. 4 Petros now responded by saying to Jesus, “Master, it’s good that we’re here: if you want, I’ll make three shelters here, one for you and one for Mōüsēs and one for Ēlias.” 5 While he was still speaking, look, a cloud full of light overshadowed them, and look, there was a voice from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I’ve taken delight: listen to him.” 6 And when the students heard, they fell facedown, and they were terribly frightened. 7 But Iēsous approached, touched them, and said, “Get up, and don’t be frightened.” 8 And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Iēsous himself, only him.

  9 Then as they were coming down from the mountain, Iēsous gave them a command, saying, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the son of mankind has awakened from among the dead.” 10 And his students questioned him, saying, “So what do the scholars mean when they say, ‘It’s necessary for Ēlias to come first’?” 11 And he said to them, “Ēlias does come, and he will reestablish everything. 12 But I tell you that Ēlias came already, and they didn’t know him—instead, they did everything they wanted to him. In the same way, the son of mankind too is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the students understood that he’d spoken to them about Iōannēs the baptizer.*159

  14 Then as they came to the crowd, a man approached him and fell on his knees, 15 and he said, “Master, have pity on my son, since he’s moonstruck and suffering terribly. Often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your students, but they didn’t have the power to heal him.” 17 And Iēsous said in answer, “You faithless generation, completely distorted! How long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you?*160 Bring him here to me.” 18 And Iēsous berated the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour on.

  19 Then Iēsous’ students approached him privately and asked, “What’s the reason we didn’t have the power to expel it?” 20 And he said to them, “The reason is that your trust is puny.*161 Amēn, I tell you, if you have trust the size of a mustard seed, you’ll be able to tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. And nothing will be beyond your power.”*162

  22 When they gathered together in Galilaia, Iēsous said to them, “The son of humankind is about to be turned over to human hands, 23 and they’ll kill him, and on the third day, he’ll awaken and get up.” And they were overcome with anguish.

  24 Then after they came into Kafarnaoum, collectors of the double drachma came to Petros and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay [the] double drachma?” 25 He said, “Yes.” But when he went home, Iēsous got ahead of him by asking, “What do you think, Simōn? From whom do the kings of the earth collect excise taxes or the individual tax? From their sons,*163 or from strangers?” 26 And when he said, “From strangers,” Iēsous said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. 27 But so that we don’t create an obstacle for them, make your way to the sea, throw in a hook, and take up the first fish that rises to it, and when you open its mouth, you’ll find a stater. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”*164

  Chapter 18

  1 On that occasion, the students approached Iēsous, saying, “Who, then, is greatest in the kingdom of the skies?” 2 And he called a child to him, had it stand in the center of the gathering, 3 and said, “Amēn I tell you, if you don’t turn around and become like children, you’ll never enter into the kingdom of the skies. 4 Whoever lowers himself to be like this child, he’s greatest in the kingdom of the skies. And whoever takes in a child like this one, he’s greatest in the kingdom of the skies. 5 And whoever takes in a child like this one in my name takes me in.*165

  6 “Whoever sets a trap for one of these little ones who trust in me would be better off having a millstone—a big one drawn by a donkey�
�hung around his neck and being sunk in the deep sea. 7 The world, because of its traps, has it coming! Of course it’s unavoidable that traps occur, but the person who’s responsible for a trap occurring has it coming! 8 If your hand or your foot sets a trap for you, cut it off and throw it away from you. It’s better for you to enter maimed or crippled into life than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the fire that lasts for all of time. 9 And if your eye sets a trap for you, pull it out and throw it away from you. It’s better for you to enter into life one-eyed than to be thrown with both your eyes into ge’enna with its fire.*166

  10 “See that you don’t sneer at a single one of these little ones, since I tell you that their messengers in the skies never stop looking into the face of my father in the skies.*167

  12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and set off to look for the wandering one? 13 And if he happens to find it, amēn I tell you, he feels more joy over it than over the ninety-nine that haven’t wandered. 14 In just this way, your father in the skies is not willing for a single one of these little ones to be lost.

  15 “And if your brother wrongs [you], go and prove to him what he’s done, just between him and you. If he listens, then you have a brother to your credit. 16 But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that every statement gets confirmed from the mouth of two or three witnesses.*168 17 But if he refuses to listen to them, tell the assembly.*169 And if he refuses to listen even to the assembly, let him be to you like someone belonging to another nation, or a tax-collector.*170 18 Amēn I tell you, whatever you all chain up on earth will remain chained up in the skies, and whatever you unchain on earth will be unchained in the skies.*171

  19 “Again [amēn] I tell you that if two among you agree on earth about anything they ask for, it will be granted to them by my father in the skies. 20 In fact, where two or three gather because of my name, I’m there in the middle of that gathering.”

  21 Then Petros approached and asked him, “Master, how many times can my brother do wrong to me and still have me pardon him? As many as seven times?” 22 Iēsous told him, “I don’t tell you seven times, but rather as many as seventy times seven.”

  23 “That’s the reason that the kingdom of the skies can be compared to a king, who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 And when he began to settle them, a debtor to the amount of ten thousand talents was brought to him.*172 25 As he didn’t have the means to pay it back, the master ordered him to be sold along with his wife and children and everything he owned, and the debt to be paid in this way.*173 26 Then the slave fell down and groveled at his feet, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay it all back to you.’ 27 And the master was wrung with pity for that slave and let him go, and remitted his loan. 28 But when that slave went out, he found one of his fellow slaves, who owed him a hundred denarii,*174 and he grabbed him and choked him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe!’ 29 His fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ 30 But he didn’t accept that. Instead, he went and had him thrown in prison until he paid what was owed.*175 31 So his fellow slaves were quite outraged when they saw what had happened, and they went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then his master called him in and said to him, ‘You useless slave! I remitted that whole debt of yours, since you pleaded with me. 33 Didn’t you need to have pity on your fellow slave, the way I pitied you?’ 34 And in a fit of rage, the master handed him over to the torturers, until he paid everything that was owed. 35 That’s how my father in the skies is going to treat you all, if each of you doesn’t pardon his brother, and you need to have your hearts in it.”

  Chapter 19

  1 It happened that when Iēsous had finished saying these things, he left Galilaia and went to the region of Ioudaia that’s across the Iordanēs.*176 2 And large crowds followed him, and he cured them there.

  3 Then, approaching him, the Farisaioi tested him by asking whether it was lawful for a man to let his wife go for any cause. 4 And he answered by saying, “Haven’t you read that the founder of the world from the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and that he said, ‘Because of this, a man is to leave his father and mother and be fused with his wife, and the two will become one body’? 6 That means that they won’t be two any longer, but one body. So what god has yoked together, a human being must not take apart.” 7 They said to him, “So why did Mōüsēs command a man to provide a written notice of putting her away, and to let [her] go?” 8 He said to them, “It was because your hearts were calloused and unfeeling that Mōüsēs allowed you to let your wives go. But from the beginning, it wasn’t like that. 9 I tell you that whoever lets his wife go, except on grounds that she’s whoring, and marries another woman violates marriage.”*177

  10 [His] students said to him, “If this is the charge that a man has to bring against his wife, then it’s no advantage to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone accepts [this] reasoning, but only those to whom it’s been granted. 12 There are of course eunuchs who were born that way from their mothers’ wombs, and there are eunuchs who become eunuchs at human hands,*178 and there are eunuchs who make themselves eunuchs because of the kingdom of the skies. Whoever can accept it had better accept it.”*179

  13 Then children were brought to him so that he could put his hands on them and pray. Now, the students scolded them. 14 But Iēsous said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t stop them from coming to me, since the kingdom of the skies belongs to people like this.”*180 15 And once he had put his hands on them, he set off from there on a journey.

  16 But look, someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what excellent thing must I do to have life for all time?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about excellence? Only one is excellent.*181 But if you want to enter into life, guard and observe the commands.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Iēsous told him, “ ‘You are not to commit murder,’ ‘You are not to violate marriage,’ ‘You are not to steal,’ ‘You are not to give lying testimony,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘You are to love the one next to you the way you love yourself.’ ”*182 20 The young man said to him, “I’ve observed all of these. What’s still missing for me?” 21 Iēsous said to him, “If you want to be as you were meant to be, then go and sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you’ll have a storehouseful in the skies, and come and follow me.” 22 But when he heard this condition, the young man went away, stung, as he possessed a great deal.

  23 Then Iēsous said to his students, “Amēn I tell you that a rich man will have a hard time entering the kingdom of the skies. 24 And I tell you again: It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter god’s kingdom.” 25 But when his students heard, they were quite stunned,*183 and they said, “Then who can be rescued?” 26 Looking intently at them, Iēsous said to them, “With human beings, this is impossible. But everything is possible with god.”

  27 Then, as a response, Petros said to him, “Look, we’ve left behind everything and followed you. What will we have, then?” 28 Iēsous said to them, “Amēn I tell you, at the rebirth, when the son of mankind sits on the throne of his glory, all of you as well who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israēl. 29 And everyone who’s left behind houses or brothers or sisters or a father or a mother or children or fields because of my name will get a hundred times more, and will inherit life for all time.*184 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

  Chapter 20

  1 The kingdom of the skies is like the head of a household, who went out right at dawn to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 And he agreed with the workers on a denarius a day*185 and sent them into his vineyard. 3 Then he went out around the third hour*186 and saw others standing in the m
arketplace, doing nothing, 4 and he said to them, ‘You too, get going to the vineyard, and whatever’s right, I’ll pay you.’ 5 And they went, and he came out again around the sixth and the ninth hour and did the same. 6 And around the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here doing nothing the whole day?’ 7 They told him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He told them, “You too, get going to the vineyard.’ 8 And when it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, starting from the last to come and ending with the first.’ 9 And when those from the eleventh hour came up, they got a denarius apiece. 10 So when the earliest workers came up, they thought they would get more. But they also got a denarius apiece. 11 And once they got it, they whined to the head of the household, 12 saying, ‘These people who came last put in just one hour, and now you’ve put them on an equal footing with us, who shouldered the whole load of the day, including the heat.’ 13 But he answered by saying to one of them, ‘I’m not treating you wrong, pal. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? 14 Take what’s yours and get out of here. I want to pay this man who’s come last the same as I pay you. 15 [Or] aren’t I allowed to do as I like with what belongs to me? Or is your view of me malicious because I’m good?’ 16 In this way, the last will be first, and the first last.”*187