And he spake a parable unto those which were bidden there, because he saw them choose the places that were in the highest part of the sitting room: When a man invites thee to a feast, do not go and sit at the head of the room; lest there be there a man more honourable than thou, and he that invited you come and say unto thee, Give the place to this man: and thou be ashamed when thou risest and takest another place. But when thou art invited, go and sit last; so that when he that invited thee cometh, he may say unto thee, My friend, go up higher: and thou shalt have praise before all that were invited with thee. For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and every one that abaseth himself shall be exalted.
And he said also to him that had invited him, When thou makest a feast or a banquet, do not invite thy friends, nor even thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest haply they also invite thee, and thou have this reward. But when thou makest a feast, invite the poor, and those with withered hand, and the lame, and the blind: and blessed art thou, since they have not the means to reward thee; that thy reward may be at the rising of the righteous. And when one of them that were invited heard that, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
[10, 11] Jesus answered again in parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven hath been likened [Arabic, p. 115] to a certain king, which made a feast for his son, and prepared a great banquet, and invited many: and he sent his servants at the time of the feast to inform them that were invited, Everything is made ready for you; come. And they would not come, but began all of them with one voice to make excuse. And the first said unto them, Say to him, I have bought a field, and I must needs go out to see it: I pray thee to release me, for I ask to be excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them: I pray thee to release me, for I ask to be excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. And the king sent also other servants, and said, Say to those that were invited, that my feast is ready, and my oxen and my fatlings are slain, and everything is ready: come to the feast. But they made light of it, and went, one to his field, and another to his merchandise: and the rest took his servants, and entreated them shamefully, and killed them. And one of the servants came, and informed his lord of what had happened. And when the king heard, he became angry, and sent his armies; and they destroyed those murderers, and burned their cities. Then he said to his servants, The feast is prepared, but those that were invited were not worthy. Go out quickly into the markets and into the partings of the ways of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and those with pains, and the lame, and the blind. And the servants did as the king commanded them. And they came, and said unto him, Our lord, we have done all that thou commandedst us, and there is here still room. So the lord said unto his servants, Go out into the roads, and the ways, and the paths, and every one that ye find, invite [Arabic, p. 116] to the feast, and constrain them to enter, till my house is filled. I say unto you, that no one of those people that were invited shall taste of my feast. And those servants went out into the roads, and gathered all that they found, good and bad: and the banquet-house was filled with guests. And the king entered to see those who were seated, and he saw there a man not wearing a festive garment: and he said unto him, My friend, how didst thou come in here not having on festive garments? And he was silent. Then the king said to the servants, Bind his hands and his feet, and put him forth into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The called are many; and the chosen, few.
And after that, the time of the feast of unleavened bread of the Jews arrived, and Jesus went out to go to Jerusalem. And as he went in the way, there met him ten persons who were lepers, and stood afar off: and they lifted up their voice, and said, Our Master, Jesus, have mercy upon us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and shew yourselves unto the priests. And when they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw himself cleansed, returned, and was praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face before the feet of Jesus, giving him thanks: and this man was a Samaritan. Jesus answered and said, Were not those that were cleansed ten? where then are the nine? Not one of them turned aside to come and praise God, but this man who is of a strange people. He said unto him, Arise, and go thy way; for thy faith hath given thee life.
And while they were going up in the way to Jerusalem, Jesus went in front of them; and they wondered, and followed him fearing. And he took his twelve disciples apart, and began to tell them privately what was about to befall him. And he said unto [Arabic, p. 117] them, We are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things shall be fulfilled that are written in the prophets concerning the Son of man. He shall be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and deliver him to the peoples; and they shall treat him shamefully, and scourge him, and spit in his face, and humble him,and crucify him, and slay him: and on the third day he shall rise. But they understood not one thing of this; but this word was hidden from them, and they did not perceive these things that were addressed to them.
Then came near to him the mother of the (two) sons of Zebedee, she and her (two) sons, and worshipped him, and asked of him a certain thing. And he said unto her, What wouldest thou? And James and John, her two sons, came forward, and said unto him, Teacher, we would that all that we ask thou wouldest do unto us. He said unto them, What would ye that I should do unto you? They said unto him, Grant us that we may sit, the one on thy right, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom and thy glory. And Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am to drink? and with the baptism that I am to be baptized with, will ye be baptized? And they said unto him, We are able. Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism wherewith I am baptized ye shall be baptized: but that ye should sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give; but it is for him for whom my Father hath prepared it.
Section XXXI
And when the ten heard, they were moved with anger against James and John. And Jesus called them, and said unto them, Ye know that the rulers of the nations are their lords; and their great men are set in authority over them. Not thus shall it [Arabic, p. 118] be amongst you: but he amongst you that would be great, let him be to you a servant; and whoever of you would be first, let him be to every man a bond-servant: even as the Son of man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give himself a ransom in place of the many. He said this, and was going about the villages and the cities, and teaching; and he went to Jerusalem. And a man asked him, Are those that shall be saved few? Jesus answered and said unto them, Strive ye to enter at the narrow door: I say unto you now, that many shall seek to enter, and shall not be able—from the time when the master of the house riseth, and closeth the door, and ye shall be standing without, and shall knock at the door, and shall begin to say, Our lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say, I say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: and ye shall begin to say, Before thee we did eat and drink, and in our markets didst thou teach; and he shall say unto you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, ye servants of untruth. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, while ye are put forth without. And they shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And there shall then be last that have become first, and first that have become last.
[15, 16] And when Jesus entered and passed through Jericho, there was a man named Zacchæus, rich, and chief of the publicans. And he desired to see Jesus who he was; and he was not able for the pressure of the crowd, because Zacchæus was little of stature. [Arabic, p. 119] And he hastened, and went before Jesus, and went up into an unripe fig tree to see Jesus: for he was to pass thus. And when Jesus came to that place, he saw him, and said unto him, Make haste, and come down, Zacchæus: to-day I must be in thy house. And he hastened, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they all saw, they murmured, and said, He hath gone in and lodged with a man that is a sinner. So Zacchæus stood, and said unto Jesus, My Lord, now half of my possessions I give to the poor, and what I have unjustly taken from every man I give him fourfold. Jesus said unto him, Today is salvation come to this house, because this man also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and save the thing that was lost.
And when Jesus went out of Jericho, he and his disciples, there came after him a great multitude. And there was a blind man sitting by the way side begging. And his name was Timæus, the son of Timæus. And he heard the sound of the multitude passing, and asked, Who is this? They said unto him, Jesus the Nazarene passeth by. And when he heard that it was Jesus, he called out with a loud voice, and said, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And those that went before Jesus were rebuking him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more, and said, Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded that they should call him. And they called the blind man, and said unto him, Be of good courage, and rise; for, behold, he calleth thee. And the blind man threw away his garment, and rose, and came to Jesus. Jesus said unto him, What dost thou wish that I should do unto thee? And that blind man said unto him, My Lord and Master, that my eyes may be opened, so that I may see thee. [Arabic, p. 120] And Jesus had compassion on him, and touched his eyes, and said unto him, See; for thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and came after him, and praised God; and all the people that saw praised God.
And he spake a parable because he was nearing Jerusalem, and they supposed that at that time the kingdom of God was about to appear. He said unto them, A man, a son of a great race, went into a far country, to receive a kingdom, and return. And he called his ten servants, and gave them ten shares, and said unto them, Trade till the time of my coming. But the people of his city hated him, and sent messengers after him, and said, We will not that this man reign over us. And when he had received a kingdom, and returned, he said that the servants to whom he had given the money should be called unto him, that he might know what each of them had traded. And the first came, and said, My lord, thy share hath gained ten shares. The king said unto him, Thou good and faithful servant, who hast been found faithful in a little, be thou set over ten districts. And the second came, and said, My lord, thy portion hath gained five portions. And he said unto him also, And thou shalt be set over five districts. And another came, and said, My lord, here is thy portion, which was with me laid by in a napkin: I feared thee, because thou art a hard man, and takest what thou didst not leave, and seekest what thou didst not give, and reapest what thou didst not sow. His lord said unto him, From thy mouth shall I judge thee, thou wicked and idle servant, who wast untrustworthy. Thou knewest that I am a hard man, and take what I did not leave, and reap what I did not sow: why didst thou not put my money at usury, and so I might come and seek it, with its gains? And he said unto those that were standing in front of him, Take from him the share, and give it to him that hath [50, 51] [Arabic, p. 121] ten shares. They said unto him, Our lord, he hath ten shares. He said unto them, I say unto you, Every one that hath shall be given unto; and he that hath not, that which he hath also shall be taken from him. And those mine enemies who would not that I should reign over them, bring them, and slay them before me.
Section XXXII
And when Jesus entered Jerusalem, he went up to the temple of God, and found there oxen and sheep and doves. And when he beheld those that sold and those that bought, and the money-changers sitting, he made for himself a scourge of rope, and drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and the money-changers; and he threw down their money, and upset their tables, and the seats of them that sold the doves; and he was teaching, and saying unto them, Is it not written, My house is a house of prayer for all peoples? and ye have made it a den for robbers. And he said unto those that sold the doves, Take this hence, and make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise. And he suffered not any one to carry vessels inside the temple. And his disciples remembered the scripture, The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. The Jews answered and said unto him, What sign hast thou shewn us, that thou doest this? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and I shall raise it in three days. The Jews said unto him, This temple was built in forty-six years, and wilt thou raise it in three days? But he spake unto them of the temple of his body, that when they destroyed it, he [Arabic, p. 122] would raise it in three days. When therefore he rose from among the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this; and they believed the scriptures, and the word that Jesus spake.
And when Jesus sat down over against the treasury, he observed how the multitudes were casting their offerings into the treasury: and many rich men were [13, 14] throwing in much. And there came a poor widow, and cast in two mites. And Jesus called his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast into the treasury more than all the people: and all of these cast into the place of the offering of God of the superfluity of their wealth; while this woman of her want threw in all that she possessed.
And he spake unto them this parable, concerning people who trusted in themselves that they are righteous, and despised every man: Two men went up to the temple to pray; one of them a Pharisee, and the other a publican. And the Pharisee stood apart, and prayed thus, O Lord, I thank thee, since I am not like the rest of men, the unjust, the profligate, the extortioners, or even like this publican; but I fast two days a week, and tithe all my possessions. And the publican was standing at a distance, and he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating upon his breast, and saying, O Lord, have mercy on me, me the sinner. I say unto you, that this man went down justified to his house more than the Pharisee. Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and every one that abaseth himself shall be exalted.
[Arabic, p. 123] And when eventide was come, he left all the people, and went outside the city to Bethany, he and his twelve, and he remained there. And all the people, because they knew the place, came to him, and he received them; and them that had need of healing he healed. And on the morning of the next day, when he returned to the city from Bethany, he hungered. And he saw a fig tree at a distance on the beaten highway, having on it leaves. And he came unto it, expecting to find something on it; and when he came, he found nothing on it but the leaves—it was not the season of figs—and he said unto it, Henceforward for ever let no man eat fruit of thee. And his disciples heard.
And they came to Jerusalem. And there was there a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews. This man came unto Jesus by night, and said unto him, My Master, we know that thou hast been sent from God as a teacher; and no man can do these signs that thou doest, except him whom God is with. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, If a man be not born a second time, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man who is old be born? can he, think you, return again to his mother’s womb a second time, to enter and be born? Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, If a man be not born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. For he that is born of flesh is flesh; and he that is born of Spirit is spirit. Wonder not that I said unto thee that ye must be born a [Arabic, p. 124] second time. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest its voice, but thou knowest not from what place it cometh, nor whither it goeth: so is every man that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can that be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou teaching Israel, and yet knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, What we know we say, and what we have seen we witness: and ye receive not our witness. If I said unto you what is on earth, and ye believed not, how then, if I say unto you what is in heaven, will ye believe? And no man hath ascended up into heaven, except him that descended from heaven, the Son of man, which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so is the Son of man to be lifted up; so that every man who may believe in him may not perish, but have eternal life. God so loved the world, that he should give his only Son; and so every one that believeth on him should not perish, but should have eternal life. God sent not his Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world might be saved by his hand. He that believeth in him shall not be judged: but he that believeth not is condemned beforehand, because he hath not believed in the name of the only Son, the Son of God. This is the judgement, that the light came into the world, and men loved the darkness more than the light; because their deeds were evil. Whosoever doeth evil deeds hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his deeds be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be known, that they have been done in God.