Matthew 15:21-19:12

^15:21 Yeshua went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And look, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and started shouting, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely demonized.”

²³ But he did not answer her a word.

His talmidim came and pleaded with him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting at us.”

²⁴ But he answered, “I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

²⁶ But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷ But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Yeshua answered her, “Woman, great is your faith. Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

²⁹ Yeshua departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. ³⁰ Large crowds came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others, and they put them down at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ So the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, crippled healthy, lame walking, and blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.

³² Yeshua summoned the talmidim and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way.”

³³ Then the talmidim said to him, “Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a crowd?”

³⁴ Yeshua said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

³⁵ He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground; ³⁶ and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the talmidim, and the talmidim to the crowds. ³⁷ They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ Then he sent away the crowds, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan.

^16:1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But he answered and said to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of Jonah.”

He left them, and departed. ⁵ The talmidim came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread. ⁶ Yeshua said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against the hametz of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷ They reasoned among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”

⁸ But Yeshua, becoming aware of this, said, “You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ¹¹ Why is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the hametz of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

¹² Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ Now when Yeshua came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his talmidim, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They said, “Some say John the Immerser, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ And Yeshua answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my congregation, and the gates of Sheol will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he commanded the talmidim that they should tell no one that he is the Messiah. ²¹ From that time, Yeshua began to show his talmidim that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief cohanim, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

²² Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord. This will never be done to you.”

²³ But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” ²⁴ Then Yeshua said to his talmidim, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a person, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

^17:1 After six days, Yeshua took with him Peter, Jacob, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. ² He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. ³ And look, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

⁴ Peter answered, and said to Yeshua, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let us make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And look, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

⁶ When the talmidim heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. ⁷ Yeshua came and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one except Yeshua alone. ⁹ As they were coming down from the mountain, Yeshua commanded them, saying, “Do not tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

¹⁰ The talmidim asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ And he answered and said, “Elijah indeed comes, and will restore all things, ¹² but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them.” ¹³ Then the talmidim understood that he spoke to them of John the Immerser.

¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, saying, ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to your talmidim, and they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Yeshua answered, “Faithless and perverse generation. How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸ Yeshua rebuked him, the demon went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

¹⁹ Then the talmidim came to Yeshua privately, and said, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?”

²⁰ So he said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” ²¹

 ²² While they were gathering together in Galilee, Yeshua said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.”

They were exceedingly sorry. ²⁴ When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, “Does not your teacher pay the didrachma?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.”

When he came into the house, Yeshua anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?”

²⁶ And when he said,  “From strangers.” Yeshua said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt. ²⁷ But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”

^18:1 In that hour the talmidim came to Yeshua, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

⁷ “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks. For there will always be something to cause people to stumble, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes. ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you.[note:  Hyperbole, or Semitic idiom, meaning to stop doing a sin] It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the everlasting fire. ⁹ If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you.[note:  Hyperbole, or Semitic idiom, meaning to stop doing a sin] It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the fire of Gehinnom. ¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹¹

¹² “What do you think? If someone has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? ¹³ If he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ¹⁴ Even so it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the congregation. If he refuses to hear the congregation also, let him be to you as an unbeliever or a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, truly I tell you, that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”

²¹ Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how often can my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

²² Yeshua said to him, “I do not tell 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 reconcile accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But because he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all.’ ²⁷ The lord of that servant, being 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 one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’

²⁹ “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you all.’ ³⁰ He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. ³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. ³² Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant. I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due. ³⁵ So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you do not each forgive your brother his trespasses from your heart.”

^19:1 It happened when Yeshua had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. ³ And Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying to him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce a wife for any reason?”

⁴ He answered, and said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and the two will become one flesh?’ ⁶ So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no one separate.”

⁷ They asked him, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce, and divorce her?”

⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. ⁹ I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. And he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”

¹⁰ The talmidim said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is not expedient to marry.”

¹¹ But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.”