One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 118
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January 31
MATTHEW 20:29–21:22
As Jesus and the disciples left the town of
Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. 30 Two
blind men were sitting beside the road. When
they heard that J esus was coming that way,
they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have
mercy on us!”
31 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them.
But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of
David, have mercy on us!”
32 When J
esus heard them, he stopped and
called, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus
felt sorry for them and touched their eyes.
Instantly they could see! Then they followed
him.
21:1 As J
esus and the disciples approached Je
rusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage
on the Mount of O
lives. J esus sent two of them
on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he
said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a
donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie
them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks
what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs
them,’ and he will immediately let you take
them.”
4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that
said,
5
“Tell the people of Jerusalem,*
‘Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.’”*
6 The two disciples did as J
esus commanded.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him
and threw their garments over the colt, and he
sat on it.*
8 Most of the crowd spread their garments
on the road ahead of him, and others cut
branches from the trees and spread them on
the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were
shouting,
“Praise God* for the Son of David!
Blessings on the one who comes in the
name of the Lord!
Praise God in highest heaven!”*
10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.
11 And the crowds replied, “It’s J
esus, the
prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
12
Jesus entered the Temple and began to
drive out all the people buying and selling
animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the
tables of the money changers and the chairs
of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The
Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a
house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a
den of thieves!”*
14 The blind and the lame came to him in
the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The leading
priests and the teachers of religious law saw
these wonderful miracles and heard even the
children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God
for the Son of David.”
But the leaders were indignant. 16 They
asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children
are saying?”
“Yes,” J esus replied. “Haven’t you ever read
the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught
children and infants to give you praise.’*”
17 Then he returned to Beth
any, where he
stayed overnight.
18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to
Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a
fig tree beside the road. He went over to see
if there were any figs, but there were only
leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear
fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree
withered up.
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw
this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so
quickly?”
21 Then J
esus told them, “I tell you the truth,
if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do
things like this and much more. You can even
say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and
thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You
can pray for anything, and if you have faith,
you will receive it.”
21:5a Greek Tell the daughter of Zion. Isa 62:11. 21:5b Zech 9:9.
21:7 Greek over them, and he sat on them.
21:9a Greek Hosanna,
an exclamation of praise that literally means “save now”; also in
21:9b, 15. 21:9b Pss 118:25‑26; 148:1. 21:13 Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.
21:16 Ps 8:2 (Greek version).
PSALM 25:16‑22
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Turn to me and have mercy,
for I am alone and in deep distress.
My problems go from bad to worse.
Oh, save me from them all!
Feel my pain and see my trouble.
Forgive all my sins.
See how many enemies I have
and how viciously they hate me!
Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
Do not let me be disgraced, for in you
I take refuge.
May integrity and honesty protect me,
for I put my hope in you.
O God, ransom Israel
from all its troubles.
