Daily Text and Bible Reading: Wednesday, October 29 [Press play below]

Mark Chapter 11

11.1 Now when they were getting near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples

11.2 and told them: “Go into the village that is within sight, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied on which no man has sat until now. Untie it and bring it here.

11.3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

11.4 So they went away and found the colt tied at a door, outside on the side street, and they untied it.

11.5 But some of those standing there said to them: “What are you doing untying the colt?”

11.6 They told them just what Jesus had said, and they let them go.

11.7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and they put their outer garments on it, and he sat on it.

11.8 Also, many spread their outer garments on the road, but others cut down foliage from the fields.

11.9 And those going in front and those coming behind kept shouting: “Save, we pray! Blessed is the one who comes in Jehovah’s name!

11.10 Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David! Save, we pray, in the heights above!”

11.11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and he looked around at everything, but since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

11.12 The next day when they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry.

11.13 From a distance he caught sight of a fig tree that had leaves, and he went to see whether he could find something on it. But on coming to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

11.14 So he said to it: “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And his disciples were listening.

11.15 They now came to Jerusalem. There he entered the temple and started to throw out those selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,

11.16 and he would not let anyone carry a utensil through the temple.

11.17 He was teaching and saying to them: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a cave of robbers.”

11.18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and they began to seek how to kill him; for they were in fear of him, because all the crowd was astounded at his teaching.

11.19 When it became late in the day, they went out of the city.

11.20 But when they were passing by early in the morning, they saw the fig tree already withered from its roots.

11.21 Peter, remembering it, said to him: “Rabbi, see! the fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

11.22 In reply Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God.

11.23 Truly I say to you that whoever tells this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but has faith that what he says is going to happen, he will have it happen.

11.24 This is why I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for, have faith that you have received them, and you will have them.

11.25 And when you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your trespasses.”

11.26 ——

11.27 They came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came

11.28 and said to him: “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”

11.29 Jesus said to them: “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

11.30 Was the baptism by John from heaven or from men? Answer me.”

11.31 So they began to reason among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’

11.32 But dare we say, ‘From men’?” They were in fear of the crowd, for these all held that John had really been a prophet.

11.33 So they answered Jesus: “We do not know.” Jesus said to them: “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

Chapter 12

12.1 Then he started to speak to them with illustrations: “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a vat for the winepress and erected a tower; then he leased it to cultivators and traveled abroad.

12.2 In due season he sent a slave to the cultivators to collect some of the fruits of the vineyard from them.

12.3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

12.4 Again he sent another slave to them, and that one they struck on the head and dishonored.

12.5 And he sent another, and that one they killed, and many others, some of whom they beat and some of whom they killed.

12.6 One more he had, a beloved son. He sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

12.7 But those cultivators said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

12.8 So they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

12.9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the cultivators and will give the vineyard to others.

12.10 Did you never read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone.

12.11 This has come from Jehovah, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12.12 At that they wanted to seize him, but they feared the crowd, for they knew that he spoke the illustration with them in mind. So they left him and went away.

12.13 Next they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the party followers of Herod in order to catch him in his speech.

12.14 On arriving, these said to him: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and you do not seek anyone’s favor, for you do not look at the outward appearance of people, but you teach the way of God in line with truth. Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not?

12.15 Should we pay, or should we not pay?” Detecting their hypocrisy, he said to them: “Why do you put me to the test? Bring me a denarius to look at.”

12.16 They brought one, and he said to them: “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him: “Caesar’s.”

12.17 Jesus then said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” And they were amazed at him.

12.18 Now the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came and asked him:

12.19 “Teacher, Moses wrote us that if someone’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

12.20 There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, but when he died he left no offspring.

12.21 And the second married her but died without leaving offspring, and the third the same way.

12.22 And all seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman also died.

12.23 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”

12.24 Jesus said to them: “Is not this why you are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?

12.25 For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are as angels in the heavens.

12.26 But concerning the dead being raised up, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the thornbush, that God said to him: ‘I am the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob’?

12.27 He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.”

12.28 One of the scribes who had come up and heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them in a fine way, asked him: “Which commandment is first of all?”

12.29 Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah,

12.30 and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’

12.31 The second is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

12.32 The scribe said to him: “Teacher, you spoke well, in line with truth, ‘He is One, and there is no other besides him’;

12.33 and to love him with one’s whole heart, with one’s whole understanding, and with one’s whole strength and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is worth far more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

12.34 At this Jesus, discerning that he had answered intelligently, said to him: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” But no one had the courage to question him anymore.

12.35 However, as Jesus continued teaching in the temple, he said: “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son?

12.36 By the holy spirit, David himself said, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”’

12.37 David himself calls him Lord, so how can it be that he is his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with pleasure.

12.38 And in his teaching he went on to say: “Beware of the scribes who want to walk around in robes and want greetings in the marketplaces

12.39 and front seats in the synagogues and the most prominent places at evening meals.

12.40 They devour the houses of the widows, and for show they make long prayers. These will receive a more severe judgment.”

12.41 And he sat down with the treasury chests in view and began observing how the crowd was dropping money into the treasury chests, and many rich people were dropping in many coins.

12.42 Now a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins of very little value.

12.43 So he called his disciples to him and said to them: “Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all the others who put money into the treasury chests.

12.44 For they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her want, put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Chapter 13

13.1 As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him: “Teacher, see! what wonderful stones and buildings!”

13.2 However, Jesus said to him: “Do you see these great buildings? By no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down.”

13.3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives with the temple in view, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately:

13.4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are to come to a conclusion?”

13.5 So Jesus began to tell them: “Look out that nobody misleads you.

13.6 Many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will mislead many.

13.7 Moreover, when you hear of wars and reports of wars, do not be alarmed; these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

13.8 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in one place after another; there will also be food shortages. These are a beginning of pangs of distress.

13.9 “As for you, look out for yourselves. People will hand you over to local courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues and be put on the stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them.

13.10 Also, in all the nations, the good news has to be preached first.

13.11 And when they are taking you to hand you over, do not be anxious beforehand about what to say; but whatever is given you in that hour, say this, for you are not the ones speaking, but the holy spirit is.

13.12 Furthermore, brother will deliver brother over to death, and a father a child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

13.13 And you will be hated by all people on account of my name. But the one who has endured to the end will be saved.

13.14 “However, when you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader use discernment), then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains.

13.15 Let the man on the housetop not come down nor go inside to take anything out of his house;

13.16 and let the man in the field not return to the things behind to pick up his outer garment.

13.17 Woe to the pregnant women and those nursing a baby in those days!

13.18 Keep praying that it may not occur in wintertime;

13.19 for those days will be days of a tribulation such as has not occurred from the beginning of the creation that God created until that time, and will not occur again.

13.20 In fact, unless Jehovah had cut short the days, no flesh would be saved. But on account of the chosen ones whom he has chosen, he has cut short the days.

13.21 “Then, too, if anyone says to you, ‘See! Here is the Christ,’ or, ‘See! There he is,’ do not believe it.

13.22 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones.

13.23 You, then, watch out. I have told you all things beforehand.

13.24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,

13.25 and the stars will be falling out of heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

13.26 And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

13.27 And then he will send out the angels and will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from earth’s extremity to heaven’s extremity.

13.28 “Now learn this illustration from the fig tree: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near.

13.29 Likewise also you, when you see these things happening, know that he is near at the doors.

13.30 Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen.

13.31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

13.32 “Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father.

13.33 Keep looking, keep awake, for you do not know when the appointed time is.

13.34 It is like a man traveling abroad who left his house and gave the authority to his slaves, to each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to keep on the watch.

13.35 Keep on the watch, therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether late in the day or at midnight or before dawn or early in the morning,

13.36 in order that when he comes suddenly, he does not find you sleeping.

13.37 But what I say to you, I say to all: Keep on the watch.”