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

Wednesday 9 weeks.

March 9, to the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 81

In those days, when Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took away the twelve disciples on the way, and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered up to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. and they shall deliver him up to the Gentiles to be mocked, and scourged, and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down and asking Him for something. He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to Him, "Tell these two of my sons to sit with You, one on Your right hand, and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom." Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking." Can you drink the cup that I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They say to Him, "We can." And he said to them, "You will drink my cup, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to let me sit on my right hand and on my left, it does not depend on me, but on whom my Father has prepared." Hearing this, the other ten disciples were indignant with the two brothers. And Jesus called them, and said, "You know that the princes of the nations rule over them, and the nobles rule over them; but let it not be so among you: but whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your servant; for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:17–28

Thursday, 9th week.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 82