Teaching on Discipleship

Jesus and the Temple Tax

(Mt 17:24-27)

²⁴As he was going into Capernaum, the ones that collect the didrachma came to Peter, “Doesn’t your Rabbi pay the didrachma?”

²⁵“Yes.”

When he came in the house, Jesus spoke first, “What do you think, Simon? Who do kings exact tribute from—their citizens or foreigners?”

²⁶When Peter said, “Foreigners,” Jesus said, “So citizens are exempt. ²⁷But we don’t want to make them stumble. Go to the lake, and throw in a fishhook. Take the first fish you catch and open its mouth. You’ll find a stater. Give it to them for you and me.”

Discussion About Rank;

The Question About Stumbling Blocks

(Mt 18:1-14; Mk 9:33-37, 42-50)

⁴⁶A discussion came up among the disciples as to which would have highest rank. Jesus knew about their discussion; so ³³when they came to Capernaum and he was at home, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”

³⁴They kept still because they’d been talking about who had higher rank.

³⁵He sat down and called the twelve over, “If anybody wants to be first, he’ll be last and servant of all.” ³⁶He took a little child and stood him next to him and put his arms around him.

³“Unless you change and become like little children, you won’t get in the kingdom. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁴⁸The least among you has the highest rank. “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One that sent me. ⁶“Whoever makes one of these little ones stumble who believe in me, would be better off to have a large millstone hung around his neck and drown in the sea.

¹⁰“Make sure you don’t look down on one of these little ones. Their angels in heaven can always see my heavenly Father. [¹¹]ms ¹²What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hill and go looking for the stray? ¹³If he finds it, he’s happier over it than over the ninety-nine that didn’t stray. In the same way, my heavenly Father doesn’t want one of these little ones to be lost.

⁷“Woe to the world because of temptations. They’ll come, but woe to the one that brings them. ⁸If your hand or foot causes you problems, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to go about life deformed or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown in the eternal fire. ⁹If your eye is causing you problems, pull it out and throw it away. It’s better to ⁴⁷get in God’s kingdom with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown in the ⁴⁸fire that doesn’t burn out.

⁴⁹“Everybody will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt’s good, but if salt loses its saltiness, how will you make it salty? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

The Unknown Exorcist

(Mk 9:38-41; Lk 9:49-50)

³⁸John said, “Rabbi, we saw a fellow casting out demons in your name and told him not to, because he wasn’t following with us.”

39“Don’t forbidpl him. Nobody that performs a miracle in my name can turn around right away and say something bad about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name because you’re following the Messiah, won’t lose his reward. That’s for sure.”

Mistreatment and Forgiveness

(Mt 18:15-35)

¹⁵“If your brother sins against you, go show him his fault privately. If he listens, you’ve gained your brother back. ¹⁶If he doesn’t, take one or two with you so ‘TWO OR THREE WITNESSES WILL CONFIRM EVERY MATTER’ [Deut 19:15]. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you do a Gentile or a tax collector.

¹⁸“Whatever youpl bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask for, it’ll happen for you from my Father in heaven. ²⁰Where two or three gather in my name, I’m there with them.”

²¹Then Peter came and asked, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother? Up to seven times?”

²²Jesus said,

“I wouldn’t say up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.”

²³“The kingdom of heaven is like a king that wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴When he was making the settlements, one debtor was brought to him that owed ten thousand talents. ²⁵Since he couldn’t repay it, the lord commanded his wife, children, and everything he owned to be sold and repayment be made. ²⁶The servant fell down and prostrated himself in front of him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll repay everything.’ ²⁷The lord felt sorry for him, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸“That servant went out and found a fellow servant that owed him a hundred denarii; and grabbed him and began to choke him, ‘Pay me what you owe me.’ ²⁹His fellow servant fell down and began to beg him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll repay you.’ ³⁰But he wasn’t willing. He threw him in prison till he paid what he owed.

³¹“His fellow servants were deeply grieved and reported to their lord what happened. ³²His lord summoned him and said, ‘Evil servant, I forgave you all that debt when you begged me. ³³Shouldn’t you have been merciful with your fellow servant like I was with you?’ ³⁴His lord was angry and turned him over to the torturers till he’d pay everything he owed.

³⁵“My heavenly Father will do the same thing to youpl unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Jesus and His Unbelieving Brothers

(Jn 7:2-9)

²The Jews’ Festival of Unleavened Bread was coming up. ³Jesus’ brothers told him, “Go to Judaea so your disciples can see what you can do. ⁴Nobody does something in private when he’s trying to get known publicly. If you’re doing these things, show yourself to the world.” (5Not even his brothers believed in him.)

⁶Jesus told them, “It’s not time for me to go yet. You can go anytime. ⁷The world can’t hate you; it hates me because I testify that it does evil things. ⁸You go on. I’m not going up to this festival; it’s not time for me to go yet.”

⁹His brothers went on up; he stayed in Galilee.

Private Journey to Jerusalem Through Samaria

(Lk 9:51-56)

⁵¹When the time for going up to Jerusalem was approaching, he set his face to go there, ⁵²and sent messengers on ahead. They went to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for him, ⁵³but they wouldn’t accept him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴When the disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to bring down fire from the sky and consume them?” ⁵⁵He turned around and rebuked them, ⁵⁶and they went to another village.