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Then Jesus told them a parable to show them their need to pray always and not become discouraged. 2 He said, “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary’.
4 “For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor have respect for men, 5 yet because this window keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she will not wear me out by her continual coming’.”
6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to His own elect who cry to Him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, He will grant justice to them, and quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
9 Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed in this way: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—thieves, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get’.
13 “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up His eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 Some people were bringing babies to Jesus so that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
18 A certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honour your father and mother’.”
21 “All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing that. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became sad, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
28 Then Peter said, “Look, we have left all we had and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left a house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked and insulted and spat on; 33 and after they have flogged Him, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”
34 But the disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd passing by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those at the front of the procession told him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to Him. And when he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
“Lord, he said, “let me see again.”
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. When all the people saw it, they also gave praise to God.