Who Is the Greatest?
(Mark 9.33-37Luke 9.46-48)1 About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 2 Jesus called for a child to come over and stand near him. 3 Then he said:
I promise you this. If you don't change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. 4 But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.
Temptations To Sin
(Mark 9.42-48Luke 17.1Luke 2)6 It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks! 7 The world is in for trouble because of the way it causes people to sin. There will always be something to cause people to sin, but anyone who does this will be in for trouble.
8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! You would be better off to go into life paralyzed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the fire that never goes out. 9 If your eye causes you to sin, poke it out and get rid of it. You would be better off to go into life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell.
The Lost Sheep
(Luke 15.3-7)10-11 Don't be cruel to any of these little ones! I promise you their angels are always with my Father in heaven. 12 Let me ask you this. What would you do if you had 100 sheep and one of them wandered off? Wouldn't you leave the 99 on the hillside and go look for the one that had wandered away? 13 I am sure that finding it would make you happier than having the 99 that never wandered off. 14 That's how it is with your Father in heaven. He doesn't want any of these little ones to be lost.
When Someone Sins
(Luke 17.3)15 If one of my followers sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower. 16 But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses. 17 If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector.
Allowing and Not Allowing
18 I promise you God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but God will not allow anything you don't allow. 19 I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you.
An Official Who Refused To Forgive
21 Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?”
22 Jesus answered:
Not just 7 times, but 77 times! 23 This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like:
One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. 24 As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him 50,000,000 silver coins. 25 But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.
26 The official got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!” 27 The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.
28 But as this official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him 100 silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, “Pay me what you owe!”
29 The man got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you back.” 30 But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.
31 When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened. 32 The king called the first official back in and said, “You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. 33 Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?” 34 The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed. 35 That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.
الأعظم في ملكوت السماوات
(مرقس 9:33-37، لوقا 9:46-48)1 ودَنا التّلاميذُ في ذلِكَ الوَقتِ إلى يَسوعَ وسألوهُ: «مَنْ هوَ الأعظَمُ في مَلكوتِ السّماواتِ؟»
2 فدَعا يَسوعُ طِفلاً وأقامَهُ في وسَطِهِم 3 وقالَ: «الحقّ أقولُ لكُم: إنْ كُنتُم لا تَتَغيّرونَ وتَصيرونَ مِثلَ الأطفالِ، فلن تَدخُلوا مَلكوتَ السّماواتِ. 4 مَن اَتّضعَ وصارَ مِثلَ هذا الطّفلِ، فهوَ الأعظمُ في مَلكوتِ السّماواتِ. 5 ومَنْ قَبِلَ طِفلاً مِثلَهُ باَسمي يكونُ قبِلَني.
6 مَنْ أوقعَ أحَدَ هؤُلاءِ الصّغارِ المؤمنينَ بي في الخَطيئةِ، فخَيرٌ لَه أنْ يُعلّقَ في عُنُقهِ حجَرُ طَحْنٍ كبيرٍ ويُرمى في أعماقِ البحرِ. 7 الويلُ لِلعالمِ ممّا يُوقِعُ الناسَ في الخطيئةِ! ولا بُدّ أنْ يَحدُثَ ما يُوقِعُ في الخَطيئةِ، ولكنّ الويلَ لمَنْ يُسَبّبُ حُدوثَهُ!
8 فإذا أوقَعَتكَ يَدُكَ أو رِجلُكَ في الخَطيئةِ، فاَقْطَعْها وألْقِها عَنكَ، لأنّهُ خَيرٌ لكَ أنْ تَدخُلَ الحياةَ الأبديّةَ ولكَ يدٌ أو رِجلٌ واحدةٌ، مِنْ أنْ يكونَ لكَ يَدانِ ورِجلانِ وتُلقى في النّارِ الأبديّةِ. 9 وإذا أوقَعَتكَ عَينُكَ في الخَطيئةِ، فاَقلَعْها وألقِها عَنكَ، لأنّهُ خَيرٌ لكَ أنْ تَدخُلَ الحياةَ الأبديّةَ ولكَ عَينٌ واحدةٌ، مِنْ أنْ يكونَ لكَ عَينانِ وتُلقى في نارِ جَهنّمَ.
10 إيّاكُم أنْ تَحتقروا أحدًا مِنْ هَؤلاءِ الصّغارِ. أقولُ لكُم: إنّ ملائِكَتَهُم في السّماواتِ يُشاهِدونَ كُلّ حِينٍ وجهَ أبي الّذي في السّماواتِ. 11 [فاَبنُ الإنسانِ جاءَ ليُخلّصَ الهالِكينَ].
الخروف الضال
(لوقا 15:3-7)12 «وما قولُكُم؟ إنْ كانَ لِرجلٍ مِئَةُ خَروفٍ وضَلّ واحدٌ مِنها، ألا يَترُكُ التّسعةَ والتّسعينَ في الجِبالِ ويَبحَثُ عَن الخَروفِ الضّالّ؟ 13 وإذا وجَدَهُ، ألا يَفرَحُ بِه؟ الحقّ أقولُ لكُم: إنّهُ يَفرَحُ بِه أكثرَ مِنْ فَرَحِهِ بالتّسعةِ والتّسعينَ الّتي ما ضَلّت. 14 وهكذا لا يُريدُ أبوكُمُ الّذي في السّماواتِ أنْ يَهلِكَ واحدٌ مِنْ هَؤلاءِ الصّغارِ.
التسامح الأخوي
(لوقا 17:3)15 «إذا خَطِئَ أخوكَ إليكَ، فاَذهَبْ إلَيهِ وعاتِبْهُ بَينَكَ وبَينَهُ، فإذا سَمِعَ لكَ تكونُ رَبِحتَ أخاكَ. 16 وإنْ رَفَض أنْ يَسمعَ لكَ، فَخُذْ معَكَ رَجُلاً أو رَجُلينِ، حتّى تُثْبِتَ كُلّ شيءٍ بِشَهادَةِ شاهِدَينِ أو ثلاثَةٍ. 17 فإنْ رَفَضَ أنْ يَسمَعَ لهُم، فقُلْ لِلكنيسةِ، وإنْ رَفَضَ أنْ يَسمَعَ لِلكنيسةِ، فَعامِلْهُ كأنّهُ وثَنيّ أو جابي ضرائبَ. 18 الحقّ أقولُ لكُم: ما تَرْبُطونَهُ في الأرضِ يكونُ مَربوطًا في السّماءِ، وما تَحُلّونَهُ في الأرضِ يكونُ مَحلولاً في السّماءِ.
19 الحقّ أقولُ لكُم: إذا اَتّفَقَ اَثنانِ مِنكُم في الأرضِ أنْ يَطلُبا حاجةً، حَصَلا علَيها مِنْ أبي الّذي في السّماواتِ. 20 فأينَما اَجتمعَ اَثنانِ أو ثلاثَةٌ باَسمي، كُنتُ هُناكَ بَينَهُم».
مثل العبد الذي لا يغفر
21 فدَنا بُطرُسُ وقالَ لِيَسوعَ: «يا سيّدُ، كَم مرّةً يَخطَأُ إليّ أخي وأَغفِرُ لَهُ؟ أسبعَ مَرّاتٍ؟»
22 فأجابَهُ يَسوعُ: «لا سَبعَ مرّاتٍ، بل سَبعينَ مرّةً سبعَ مرّاتٍ. 23 فمَلكوتُ السّماواتِ يُشبِهُ مَلِكًا أرادَ أنْ يُحاسِبَ عَبيدَهُ. 24 فلمّا بَدَأَ يُحاسِبُهُم، جِيءَ إلَيهِ بِواحدٍ مِنهُم علَيهِ عَشَرةُ آلافِ دِرهَمٍ مِنَ الفِضّةِ. 25 وكانَ لا يَملِكُ ما يُوفي، فأمَرَ سيّدُهُ بأنْ يُباعَ هوَ واَمرأتُهُ وأولادُهُ وجميعُ ما يَملِكُ حتّى يُوفيَهُ دَينَهُ. 26 فركَعَ العبدُ لَه ساجدًا وقالَ: أمهِلني فأُوفيَكَ كُلّ ما لك علَيّ! 27 فأشفَقَ علَيهِ سيّدُهُ وأطلَقَهُ وأعفاهُ مِنَ الدّينِ. 28 ولمّا خرَجَ الرّجلُ لَقِيَ عَبْداً مِنْ أصحابِه كانَ لَه علَيهِ مئةُ دينارٍ، فأمسكَهُ بِعُنُقِهِ حتّى كادَ يَخنُقُهُ وهوَ يقولُ لَه: أوفِني ما لي علَيكَ! 29 فركَعَ صاحِبُهُ يَرجوهُ ويقولُ: أمْهِلْني، فأوفيكَ. 30 فما أرادَ، بل أخَذَهُ وألقاهُ في السّجنِ حتّى يُوفيَهُ الدّينَ.
31 ورأى العَبيدُ أصحابُهُ ما جرى، فاَستاؤوا كثيرًا وذَهَبوا وأَخْبَروا سيّدَهُم بِكُلّ ما جرى. 32 فدَعاهُ سيّدُهُ وقالَ لَه: يا عَبدَ السُوءِ! أعْفَيْتُكَ مِنْ دَينِكَ كُلّهِ، لأنّكَ رَجَوْتَني. 33 أفما كانَ يَجبُ علَيكَ أنْ تَرحَمَ صاحِبَكَ مِثلَما رحَمتُكَ؟
34 وغَضِبَ سيّدُهُ كثيرًا، فسَلّمَهُ إلى الجَلاّدينَ حتى يُوفِيَهُ كُلّ ما لَه علَيهِ. 35 هكذا يَفعَلُ بِكُم أبي السّماويّ إنْ كانَ كُلّ واحدٍ مِنكُم لا يَغفِرُ لأخيهِ مِنْ كُلّ قَلبِهِ».
