Thursday, July 30

²²When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.

²⁴After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” ²⁵He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes—from their sons or from foreigners?” ²⁶After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a child, had him stand among them, ³and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven! ⁴Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.

⁶“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea. ⁷Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. ⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell.

¹⁰“See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. ¹²What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? ¹³And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. ¹⁴In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.

¹⁵“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.

¹⁸“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. ¹⁹Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ²⁰For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”