Lesson 3 -- Bible Passages

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1. MK 7:01.09
   
   Some Pharisees and teachers of the law gathered around Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the usual Jewish rituals before eating, that is, they had not washed their hands in the way the Pharisees teach that people should. For the Pharisees and the Jews follow the teachings they received from their ancestors: they do not eat unless they wash their hands in the prescribed manner; nor do they eat anything unless it is properly washed first. And they have many other rules such as the proper way to wash cups, pots, copper bowls and beds. So they asked Jesus, "Why is it that your disciples disregard our age-old customs and eat without first washing?"
   
   Jesus answered them, "Isaiah was so right when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he has written: ‘These people honor Me with their words, but they really have no love in their hearts for Me. Their worship is a farce, because they teach people man-made laws as if they were God’s laws!’ You have set aside God’s commands just so that you may keep your own traditions."
   
   
2. MK 12:32.33
   
   The teacher of the law said to Jesus, "Well done, Teacher! It is true as you say that only the Lord is God and that there is no other God but He. And man must love God with all his heart, with all his mind and with all his strength; and he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer altar animals and other sacrifices to God."
   
   
3. MT 9:13
   
   "Seek out the meaning of this particular verse of Scripture, ‘It isn’t your sacrifices and gifts that matter; instead, you must be merciful and kind.’ My work is to bring sinners back to God and not to concern myself with those who are already righteous."
   
   
4. LK 6:01.05
   
   Jesus was walking through some cornfields on a Sabbath. His disciples began to pluck the ears of corn, rub them in their hands and eat them. Some Pharisees asked, "Why do you allow your disciples to break the Jewish law that applies to working during the Sabbath?"
   
   Jesus answered them, "Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? He went into the house of God, took the bread offered to God, ate it and gave it also to his men. Yet, it is against our law for anyone except the priests to eat that bread." And Jesus concluded, "The Son of God is Lord, even of the Sabbath."
   
   
5. MT 23:23
   
   "Yes, woe to you, Pharisees and religious leaders! You hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden but ignore the more important things — justice, mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone."
   
   
6. MT 7:15.20
   
   "Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really like ravenous wolves and will tear you apart. You will know them from the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes and briers do not bear figs. So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. And any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Similarly, you will know the inner nature of men by studying the things that they do."
   
   
7. MT 15:13.14
   
   "Every plant which my Father did not plant will be uprooted," answered Jesus. "Don’t worry about them! They are blind guides leading the blind. And when a blind man leads another, both shall fall into a ditch."
   
   
8. MT 16:05.12
   
   Arriving across the lake, the disciples discovered that they had forgotten to bring some bread. Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They thought he said this because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus sensed their thoughts and told them, "You have so little faith. Why are you so worried about having no food? Won’t you ever understand? Don’t you remember at all the five thousand I fed with five loaves and the basketsful left over? Don’t you remember the four thousand I fed and all that was left? How could you even think that I was talking about food? But again I say: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then, at last, they understood that by "leaven" he meant the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
   
   
9. MT 23:01.03
   
   Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of the law, just as Moses was before them. So you should obey and follow everything they tell you to do. It may be best for you to do what they say; only, don’t follow after their examples, because they don’t practice what they preach!"
   
   
10. MT 21:33.43
    
    "Listen to another parable," Jesus said. "There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip. In due time, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his appointed share of the harvest. The tenants grabbed his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned yet another. So the man sent other servants, but the tenants treated them the same way. Finally, he sent his own son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he thought.
    
    "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and we can take over his inheritance.’ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard and slew him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what do you think he will do to those tenants?" Jesus asked.
    
    "He will certainly kill those evil men," they answered, "and rent the vineyard out to other tenants who will give him his proper share of the harvest."
    
    Jesus said to them, "Haven’t you ever read what the Scriptures say? ‘The stone that the builders rejected as worthless has been made the honored cornerstone. This, the Lord did. And how marvelous it is!’ And so I tell you," added Jesus, "the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and given to others who will produce the proper fruits."
    
    
11. LK 9:49.50
    
    John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he is not with our group."
    
    But Jesus said, "Don’t stop him, because those who are not against us are working with us."
    
    
12. MT 12:30
    
    "Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is, in fact, scattering."
    
    
13. JN 10:16
    
    "And I have other sheep not of this fold. I must also tend to them. They shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."
    
    
14. JN 9:39
    
    "I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are really blind."
    
    
15. LK 12:16.21
    
    Then Jesus told them this parable: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were so full to overflowing that he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem and he finally exclaimed, ‘I know — I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then, I’ll have room enough. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. You can take it easy, eat, drink and enjoy yourself!’
    
    "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night, you will die. Then who will get it all?’
    
    "Yes, every man is a fool who is rich in the things of this world, but not in the things of heaven."
    
    
16. MT 16:21.23
    
    From then on, Jesus began to speak plainly to his disciples about his going to Jerusalem and the fate that awaited him there at the hands of the Jewish leaders — that he would be killed and that on the third day, he would be raised to life again. But Peter took him aside to remonstrate with him. "God forbid it, Lord!" he said. "That must never happen to you."
    
    Jesus turned on Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan. You are an abomination in my sight because you look at things only from the worldly point of view and not from God’s."
    
    
17. MT 7:21
    
    "Not everyone who calls me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do."
    
    
18. LK 6:37
    
    "Don’t judge and you shall not be judged: don’t condemn and you shall not be condemned; forgive and you shall be forgiven."
    
    
19. MT 26:52
    
    "Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "All who take up the sword shall perish by the sword."
    
    
20. LK 12:01.03
    
    Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands upon thousands were milling about and crushing each other. He turned now to his disciples and warned them, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. By this, I mean their hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and every secret shall be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight and whatever you have whispered in private will be shouted from the rooftops."
    
    
21. LK 6:41.42
    
    "And why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye but pay no attention to the board in your own eye? How can you even say to him, ‘Brother, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the board in yours? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the board and then, perhaps, you may be able to see well enough to deal with his speck."
    
    
22. LK 12:13.15
    
    A man approached Jesus and said, "Master, speak to my brother, and tell him to give me my share of our inheritance."
    
    But Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me to judge concerning such matters?" He then said to the people, "Watch out and guard against covetousness, for a man’s worth does not depend on the abundance of his possessions."
    
    
23. LK 9:51.56
    
    As the time for his return to heaven drew near, he proceeded towards Jerusalem with determination. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his coming. But the village people refused to receive them. The disciples, James and John, upon learning of this said, "Lord, would you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?"
    
    But he turned and rebuked them and said, "You don’t realize your true divine nature and purpose! For the Man from Heaven did not come to destroy human lives, but to save them."