Daily Readings

[1] Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. [3] Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” [4] When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. [7] Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” [8] The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” [9] Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” [11] These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” [12] Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” [13] However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. [15] And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” [16] Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” [17] So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. [19] And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. [20] Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. [21] Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” [23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [24] Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [26] And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [27] She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” [28] And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” [29] As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. [30] Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. [31] Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” [32] Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” [33] Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. [34] And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” [35] Jesus wept. [36] Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” [37] And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” [38] Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. [39] Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” [40] Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” [41] Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. [42] And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” [43] Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” [44] And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” [45] Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. [46] But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.

[10] “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [11] For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. [12] “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? [13] And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. [14] Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. [15] “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. [16] But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ [17] And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. [18] “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. [19] “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” [21] Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. [23] Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. [24] And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. [25] But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. [26] The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ [27] Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. [28] “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ [29] So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ [30] And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. [31] So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. [32] Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. [33] Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ [34] And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. [35] “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

[20] Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; [21] nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” [22] Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. [23] And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. [24] For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. [25] But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. [26] And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: [27] They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; [29] but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. [30] Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. [31] “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. [32] Remember Lot’s wife. [33] Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. [34] I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. [35] Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. [36] Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.” [37] And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?” So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

[27] Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, [28] crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” [29] (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) [30] And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. [31] Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. [32] He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. [33] Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. [34] And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. [35] When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. [36] For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”

[21] Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. [22] And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. [23] And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. [24] Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. [1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. [4] You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. [5] They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. [6] We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

[1] Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. [2] The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. [3] And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” [4] They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.” [5] And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. [6] But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ [7] ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, [8] and the two shall become one flesh’ ; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. [9] Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” [10] In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. [11] So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. [12] And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”