The Lord said this parable: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to reckon with his servants; when he began to count, someone was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and since he had nothing with which to pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and to be paid; Then the servant fell, and bowing down to him, he said, "Sire! Be patient with me, and I will pay you all. The sovereign, having compassion on that servant, released him and forgave him the debt. And the servant went out, and found one of his companions, who owed him a hundred denarii, and seized him, and strangled him, saying, Give me what you owe. Then his companion fell down at his feet, begged him, and said, "Have patience with me, and I will give you everything." But he did not want to, but went and put him in prison until he paid off the debt. His companions, seeing what had happened, were very grieved, and having arrived, they told their sovereign all that had happened. Then his lord summoned him and said, "Wicked servant! I have forgiven you all that debt, because you have begged me; Should you not have had mercy on your companion, as I also had mercy on you? And being angry, his lord delivered him up to the tormentors until he had paid him all the debt. Thus will My Father in heaven deal with you, if each one of you does not forgive his brother his trespasses from his heart.

Matthew 18:23–35

Week 11.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 78

In those days the Pharisees came to Jesus, and tempted him, and said to him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who created man and woman in the beginning created them? And he said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh." Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man put asunder. They said to Him, "How did Moses command to give a bill of divorce and divorce her?" He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your heart, allowed you to divorce your wives, but at first it was not so; but I say unto you, Whosoever shall divorce his wife, except for adultery, and marry another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. His disciples said to Him, "If this is a man's duty to his wife, it is better not to marry." And he said to them, "Not all can bear this word, but to whom it is given, for there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who are castrated from people; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever can contain, let him contain.

Matthew 19:3-12

Saturday, the 11th week.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 79

In those days, someone came up and said to Jesus, "Good teacher! What good shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. But if you want to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments. He said to Him, "What are they?" And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth; What else do I lack? Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me. Hearing this word, the young man departed with sorrow, because he had a large estate. And Jesus said to His disciples, "Verily I say unto you, that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven; and again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And when His disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, and said, "Who then can be saved?" And Jesus, having looked, said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:16–26

Week 12.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 80

The Lord said this parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like the master of the house, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard, and having agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, sent them into his vineyard; Going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, "Go ye also into my vineyard, and what shall follow, I will give you." They went. Going out again about the sixth and ninth hours, he did the same. At last, going out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing idle, and said to them, "Why do you stand here all day idle? They tell him, "Nobody hired us." He said to them, "Go ye also into my vineyard, and what shall follow, ye shall receive." And when evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And those who came about the eleventh hour received a denarius each. Those who came first thought that they would receive more, but they also received a denarius; And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house, saying, These last ones have worked for one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have endured the hardships of the day and the heat. And he answered and said to one of them, "Friend! I do not offend you; Did you not make a deal with me for a denarius? take what is yours and go; but I want to give the latter the same thing as you; Do I not have the power to do what I want in my own way? Or is thy eye envious because I am kind? So the last will be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 20:1–16