A Rich and Important Man
An important man asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?" Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commandments: Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother.'" He told Jesus, "I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man." When Jesus heard this, he said, "There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower." When the man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.
Jesus saw how sad the man was. So he said, "It's terribly hard for rich people to get into God's kingdom! In fact, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God's kingdom." When the crowd heard this, they asked, "How can anyone ever be saved?" Jesus replied, "There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything." Peter said, "Remember, we left everything to be your followers!"
Jesus answered, "You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or wife or brothers or family or children because of God's kingdom will be given much more in this life. And in the future world they will have eternal life."
Jesus Again Tells about His Death
Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and said: We are now on our way to Jerusalem. Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will happen there. He will be handed over to foreigners, who will make fun of him, mistreat him, and spit on him. They will beat him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.
The apostles did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They could not understand, because the meaning of what he said was hidden from them.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
When Jesus was coming close to Jericho, a blind man sat begging beside the road. The man heard the crowd walking by and asked what was happening. Some people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by. So the blind man shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" The people who were going along with Jesus told the man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, "Son of David, have pity on me!"
esus stopped and told some people to bring the blind man over to him. When the blind man was getting near, Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see!" he answered. Jesus replied, "Look and you will see! Your eyes are healed because of your faith." Right away the man could see, and he went with Jesus and started thanking God. When the crowds saw what happened, they praised God.