1Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.[ † ]Matthew 19:1-9John 10:40John 11:7
2Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.[ † ]Matthew 19:3
3“What did Moses command you?” He replied.
4They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”[ † ]Deuteronomy 24:1-4Matthew 5:31Matthew 19:7
5But Jesus told them, “Moses wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart. 6However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’[ † ]Genesis 1:27Genesis 5:2 7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,[ † ]Genesis 2:241 Corinthians 6:16Ephesians 5:31 8and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
10When they were back inside the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter. 11So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.[ † ]Exodus 20:14Matthew 5:32Matthew 19:9Luke 16:18Romans 7:31 Corinthians 7:10-11 12And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
13Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them.[ † ]Matthew 19:13-15Luke 18:15-17
14But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.[ † ]1 Corinthians 14:201 Peter 2:2 15Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”[ † ]Matthew 18:3-4Matthew 19:14Luke 18:17Luke 13:28 16And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.
17As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[ † ]Matthew 19:16-30Luke 18:18-30John 6:28Acts 2:37
18“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.[ † ]1 Samuel 2:2 19You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’”[ † ]Exodus 20:12-16Deuteronomy 5:16-20Romans 13:9James 2:10-11
20“Teacher,” he replied, “all these I have kept from my youth.”[ † ]Philippians 3:6
21Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”[ † ]Luke 12:33Luke 16:9Matthew 6:19-20Matthew 19:21Mark 8:34
22But the man was saddened by these words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”[ † ]Matthew 19:23Mark 4:19Luke 18:24
24And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God![ † ]Job 31:24Psalms 52:7Psalms 62:10Proverbs 11:281 Timothy 6:17 25It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”[ † ]Matthew 13:22Matthew 19:24
26They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Who then can be saved?”
27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”[ † ]Job 42:2Jeremiah 32:17Matthew 19:26Luke 1:37
28Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”[ † ]Matthew 19:27Luke 18:28
29“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.[ † ]2 Chronicles 25:9Luke 18:29-301 Thessalonians 3:32 Timothy 3:121 Peter 4:12-13 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”[ † ]Matthew 19:30Matthew 20:16Luke 13:30
32As they were going up the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him:[ † ]Matthew 20:17-19Luke 18:31-33Mark 8:31Mark 9:31Luke 9:22Luke 18:31 33“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock Him and spit on Him and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise again.”
35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”[ † ]James 4:3
36“What do you want Me to do for you?” He inquired.
37They answered, “Grant that one of us may sit at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your glory.”
38“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”[ † ]Matthew 26:39-42Mark 14:36Luke 22:42John 18:11Luke 12:50
39“We can,” the brothers answered. “You will drink the cup that I drink,” Jesus said, “and you will be baptized with the baptism that I undergo.[ † ]Matthew 10:17-18, 21, 22Matthew 24:9John 16:33Acts 12:2Revelation 1:9 40But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”[ † ]Matthew 25:34John 17:2-6, 24Romans 8:30Hebrews 11:16
41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.[ † ]Matthew 20:24 42So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.[ † ]Luke 22:25 43But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,[ † ]Matthew 20:26-28Mark 9:35Luke 9:48 44and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”[ † ]Luke 22:27John 13:14Philippians 2:7-8Matthew 20:282 Corinthians 5:211 Timothy 2:5-6Titus 2:14
46Next, they came to Jericho. And as Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road.[ † ]Matthew 20:29-34Luke 18:35-43 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”[ † ]Jeremiah 23:5Matthew 22:42Romans 1:3-4Revelation 22:16Matthew 15:22Luke 17:13
48Many people admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.”
50Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus jumped up and came to Jesus.
51“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”
52“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.[ † ]Matthew 9:22Mark 5:34