The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (12 page)

Whom to Fear

26
 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
²⁷
What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.
²⁸
And
do not fear
those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
 
^z
29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will.
³⁰
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
³¹
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
³²
So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven;
³³
but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Taking Up One's Cross

34
 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
³⁵
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
³⁶
and a man's foes will be those of his own household.
³⁷
He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
³⁸
and he who does not
take his cross
and follow me is not worthy of me.
³⁹
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

40
 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.
⁴¹
He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
⁴²
And whoever gives to one of
these little ones
even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

11
  
And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Messengers from John the Baptist

2
 Now when John heard in prison about the
deeds of the Christ
, he sent word by his disciples
³
and said to him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 
*
⁴
And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
⁵
the blind
receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
⁶
And blessed is he who takes no offense at me."

Jesus Praises John the Baptist

7
 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to behold?
A reed shaken
by the wind?
⁸
Why then did you go out? To see a man
 
^a
dressed in soft robes? Behold, those who wear soft robes are in kings' houses.
⁹
Why then did you go out? To see a prophet?
 
^b
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
¹⁰
This is he of whom it is written,

  
'
Behold, I send
my messenger before your face,

  
who shall prepare your way before you.'

¹¹
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen
no one greater
than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
¹²
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has
suffered violence
,
 
^c
and men of violence take it by force.
¹³
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John;
¹⁴
and if you are willing to accept it, he is Eli'jah who is to come.
¹⁵
He who has ears to hear,
 
^d
let him hear.

16
 "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates,

¹⁷
'
We piped
to you, and you did not dance;

  
we wailed, and you did not mourn.'

¹⁸
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon';
¹⁹
the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold,
a glutton and a drunkard
, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."
 
^e

Jesus Upbraids the Unrepentant Cities

20
 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.
²¹
"Woe to you,
Chora'zin
! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Si'don, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
²²
But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Si'don than for you.
²³
And you,
Caper'na-um
, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
²⁴
But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

Jesus Thanks His Father

25
 At that time Jesus declared, "
I thank you
, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants;
²⁶
yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
 
^f
27
All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
 
*
²⁸
Come to me
, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and
you will find rest
for your souls.
³⁰
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

12
  
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
²
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is
not lawful
to do on the sabbath."
³
He said to them, "
Have you not read
what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him:
⁴
how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
⁵
Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple
profane the sabbath
, and are guiltless?
⁶
I tell you, something
greater than the temple
is here.
⁷
And if you had known what this means, '
I desire mercy
, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.
⁸
For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

The Man with a Withered Hand

9
 
And he went
on from there, and entered their synagogue.
¹⁰
And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him.
¹¹
He said to them, "What man of you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
¹²
Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath."
¹³
Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, whole like the other.
¹⁴
But the Pharisees went out and
took counsel
against him, how to destroy him. 
*

God's Chosen Servant

15
 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all,
¹⁶
and ordered them not to make him known.
¹⁷
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸
"
Behold, my servant
whom I have chosen,

   my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.

  I will put my Spirit upon him,

  and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

¹⁹
He will not wrangle or cry aloud,

  nor will any one hear his voice in the streets;

²⁰
he will not break a bruised reed

  or quench a smoldering wick,

  
till he brings justice to victory;

²¹
 and in his name will the Gentiles hope."

Jesus and Beelzebul

22
 Then a blind and mute demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.
²³
And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be
the Son of David
?"
²⁴
But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "It is
only by Be-el'zebul
, 
*
the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."
²⁵
Knowing their thoughts,
he said to them
, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand;
²⁶
and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
²⁷
And if I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
²⁸
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
²⁹
Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
³⁰
He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
³¹
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the
blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven. 
*
³²
And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

A Tree and Its Fruit

33
 "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
³⁴
You brood of vipers! how can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
³⁵
The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
³⁶
I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for
every careless word
they utter;
³⁷
for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."