LITN XIX, Verses 11 - 48

11. While those who were also at Zacchaeus' house that day were listening to this exchange between him and his self-invited Guest, Jesus proceeded to tell them an illustration. He used this opportunity to tell it, because He was near Jerusalem, and the people thought that the Kingdom of God was going to visibly appear all at once.

12. He said, "There once was a man, a descendant from a royal house, who went to a distant country to have himself appointed king...to get authorization for his rule...and then return.

13. But first he called his ten servants together, and gave them each a sum of money. Then he said to them, 'Operate with this until I return.'

14. However, the citizens there hated him, so they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule. They made no bones about their feelings, and their petition simply stated: 'We don't want this man to rule over us.'

15. When he returned, bringing the authorization of his rule with him, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done with what he left them.

16. The first one said, 'Sir, while you were on your journey, I doubled your money.'

17. He said to him, 'Excellent! Good for you! Now, because you've been trustworthy and productive in this small job, I'm going to make you governor of ten towns.'

18. Then the second one stepped up and said, 'Sir, while you were gone, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.'

19. He said to him, 'Great! Because of this I'm going to put you in charge of five towns.'

20. Then a third one came and said, 'Here's your money, just as you left it. I've kept it tied up in a handkerchief and hidden away while you were gone.

21. I thought that it was the right thing to do. Besides, I was really afraid of you. I know you are a stern and severe man. I know that you pick up what you didn't lay down, and that you reap what you didn't sow.'

22. He said to this one, 'Oh, really? You think you know a lot about me, don't you?
Well, your own lack of perception is going to be your downfall! I'll show you how stern and severe I really can be. You knew, did you, that I pick up what I didn't lay down, and reap what I didn't sow?

23. Then why didn't you at least put my money in a bank, so that when I got back I might have collected it with some interest?

24. Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the money away from him and give it to the man who doubled what I gave him.'

25. But they said to him, 'Sir, he already has double!'

26. But he said, 'This is the way it works...to everyone who gets and has will more be given, but from the man or woman who does not get and does not have, even what he or she has will be taken away from him/her.

27. Oh, and one more thing', said the indignant king, 'as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to reign over them, bring them here and execute them in my presence!'"

28. When He finished this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of His disciples.

29. On the way He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, and He sent two disciples ahead there.

30. And He said to them “Go into that village over there, and as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. I want you to untie it, and bring it here.

31. If anyone should ask you, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ just say to them, ‘We're taking it because the Lord needs it.’”

32. So they did exactly as He said, and went and found the colt.

33. And, indeed, the owners saw them taking it and asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

34. And, according to instructions, the disciples simply replied, “We're taking it because the Lord needs it.”

35. Then they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on into Jerusalem.



















36. And as He rode along, the crowds spontaneously began to spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him.

37. And when He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles that they had seen manifested through His ministry.

38. They sang, “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in the heavenlies, and glory in the highest part of the heavenly dimension!”

39. But some of the Pharisees were in the crowd, as usual, and, as usual, they were displeased with Him. They said, “Teacher, you should rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”

40. But He replied, “You know what? If they were to keep quiet, the stones along the road would burst into shouts of praise!”

41. But as He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He burst into tears and wept over it.

42. And He said, "Jerusalem, if you had only known in this present day what would bring you peace...but right now your religious tradition has hidden it from your eyes.

43. And so the days will come in the not-too-distant future when your enemies will build an embankment against you, and encircle you. They will hem you in on every side.

44. Destruction will be everywhere within your walls, even to you and your children. Your enemies will not leave one stone on another in this city, because you did not recognize the time of God's visitation to you as a nation."

45. Then He continued on into the city, and when He entered the temple courts, He began to personally drive out those who were there selling.

46. He said to them "It's written that 'My house is designed to be a house of prayer!'...but you have degraded it into a den of robbers."

47. For the next several days after this, He was teaching there in the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were, at this point, completely focused on trying to kill Him.

48. But they couldn't find any opportunity or way to do it, because the people were surrounding Him constantly, hanging on to His every word.

LITN XIX, Verses 1 - 10

1. Jesus entered Jericho, although He was just passing through to Jerusalem where His earthly destiny would soon be fulfilled.

2. There was a man who lived in the city by the name of Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector. Zacchaeus was infamous for having built his fortune through the exploitation of the people in that area. He had illegally overtaxed them for years, had stolen from them, and had used the system to oppress and abuse them.

3. He had heard some of the buzz about Jesus, and wanted to see Him for himself as He passed by, but because he was short in stature, he couldn't see over the curious crowd.

4. So he, being the innovator that he was, ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him up close, since the route that Jesus was taking would lead Him that way.

5. When Jesus reached the spot where the tree stood, He looked up at Zacchaeus, and, without asking anyone who he was, called him by name, saying, "Zacchaeus, come down from there immediately! I must stay at your house today!"

6. So Zacchaeus jumped down from the tree at once, and welcomed him, excitedly.

7. All the people in the crowd heard and saw them make this connection, and, scandalized by it, began to gossip and complain about it. They said to one another, "Can you believe this? He has publicly embraced a known criminal, and has publicly invited Himself to the man's house!"

8. But later, after Jesus had graced his home with His presence and unconditional friendship, Zacchaeus stood up and said, "Lord! Your goodness to me has caused me to have a change of heart! Here and now I pledge to give half of my possessions to the poor...and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay him or her back four times the amount!"

9. Jesus said to him, "That's beautiful, my friend. And I announce that today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

10. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost in man's self-perception in relationship to God and the world around him."

LITN XVIII, Verses 18 - 43

18. One day a certain ruler came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, You’re good…so I ask You…what good thing must I do to be in full possession of eternal life?"

19. Jesus answered, "Why do you question Me about what's good…in fact, why do you even call Me good? God is the only One who is good.

20. If you want to enter the life of God, just practice His precepts…keep His commandments…and you will manifest His goodness in your life. You know them...'You shall not commit adultery'...'You shall not murder'...'You shall not steal'...'You shall not give false testimony'...'Honor your father and mother.'"

21. “That’s it?", asked the man, "That’s all there is? I’ve kept all those commandments practically my whole life, and I’m still not good."

22. When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “Look, if you’re really that serious about manifesting the character of God in your life, you still lack one thing. Go sell everything that you have, give everything that you make from the sale to the poor, and the entirety of your possessions will then be in the Kingdom, and all that you own will be deposited into the heavenly realm.”

23. When he heard this, he became very sad. The idea of selling everything…this suggestion of total abandon…just seemed too extreme for him, especially because he was wealthy, and had a lot of possessions. Jesus’ words not only caught him off guard, they also overwhelmed and depressed him.

24. Jesus looked at him and said, “I tell you, truthfully, it is really quite difficult…extremely hard…for a rich man to become a subject in the Kingdom of God.

25. In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through that little gate that they leave open at night in the walls of Jerusalem called ‘The Needle's Eye’…the gate that is so low and narrow that a large animal can only pass through it on its knees, unencumbered with baggage...than for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God."

26. For some reason, those who heard this were staggered by these words. They said to Him, “Well, then, if that’s the case, who has any chance of being fit for the Kingdom, at all?”

27. Jesus replied, “Things like this are virtually impossible when only using human strength…but with God’s help, anything and everything is really possible!”

28. Then Peter spoke up and said, "Well, now that you mention it…we may not have had the kind of wealth that that man has, but we’ve left everything that we did have to follow you. What are we going to get for our sacrifice?”

29. "Truthfully, no one who sacrifices home, wife, brothers, sisters, parents or children because of their desire to follow Me, and to manifest the Kingdom-life

30. will fail to get every bit of it back many times over! And this is in addition to the promise of the full blessings of eternal, or ‘now’-life."

31. Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, "All right...we're going to Jerusalem now, and everything that has been written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled there.

32. You should all know that He will be delivered over to the Gentiles, and they will mock Him, insult Him and spit on Him.

33. They will also flog Him, and then they will kill Him...but on the third day, He will rise again."

34. The disciples weren't able to grasp any of this. Even though this wasn't the first time that He had told them about it, they just had no comprehension...no idea of what He was talking about.

35. But they started out for Jerusalem, anyway; and as Jesus approached Jericho, which was on the way, He saw a blind man sitting by the roadside, begging.

36. When the man heard the crowd that was following Jesus going by, he asked someone what was happening.

37. They said to him, "Don't you know? Jesus of Nazareth is passing by!"

38. Without missing a beat, he called out, "Jesus...Son of David...have mercy on me!"

39. The ones at the front of the entourage rebuked him and told him to shut up, but he shouted even louder, "Son of David...have mercy on me!"

40. Jesus heard him and stopped in His tracks. Then He ordered the man to be brought to Him. When he was brought near, Jesus asked him,

41. "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he replied "Lord...I just want to see."

42. Then Jesus said, "All right, then...receive your sight...your own faith has healed you."

43. And, sure enough, he immediately received his sight and started following Jesus, praising God with a loud voice. When all the people around saw what had happened, they praised God, too.

LITN XVIII, Verses 1 - 17

1. Then Jesus told His disciples another illustrative story to show them how that prayer should become their lifestyle, and to reiterate to them that they should never give up on believing for the best.

2. He said, "In a certain town there was a judge who had no regard, whatsoever, for God, and was uncaring, unfeeling, and unsympathetic toward people.

3. In the same town was a widow who was involved in a legal dispute with someone, and this lady kept coming to him with the same plea: 'I demand that you grant me justice against my adversary!'

4. For a while he completely ignored her, but finally he said to himself, 'It's quite obvious that I don't care what God or people think.

5. But it's also obvious that, clearly, this woman is not going to give up...she refuses to let this thing go...and I believe that she will keep harassing me until I give her what she wants. I'm going to personally see to it that she receives justice, so that she won't eventually come and attack me!'

6. Then Jesus said, "Listen to what the corrupt judge said.

7. I mean, if an unjust man like him will ultimately respond to the relentless pursuit of a tenacious, little widow, how much more will God, who is loving and kind, bring about justice for those in this nation who cry out to Him day and night? Why would He, in His benevolence, put them off?

8. My point is they will certainly receive justice, and quickly. But the question with which I am most concerned is this...when the Son of Man is revealed, will He find faith on the earth?"

9. Then He told another story, but this one was directed to those in the audience who were smugly self-righteous, and to those who felt superior to everyone else. He said:

10. "One day, two men went up to the temple to pray...one was a Pharisee, and the other one was a tax collector.

11. The Pharisee stood by himself, and, in a pretentiously pious and grandiose fashion, prayed loudly, saying, 'Oh God...I thank You that I am not like other people...scoff-laws...riff raff...robbers, evildoers, adulterers...and I especially thank You that I'm not remotely like this tax collector.

12. You know that I fast twice a week, and that I am a tither, even giving a tenth of my gross income.'

13. But the tax collector stood at a distance, out of the spotlight. He wouldn't even look up, but totally humbled himself and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a rebel.'

14. The truth is that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will eventually be humbled, and those who humble themselves will ultimately be exalted."

15. Right around this time, people were beginning to bring their little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and bless them when He was ministering. But the disciples saw this and started insulting them by preventing them to do this.

16. When Jesus saw what the disciples were doing, He said, indignantly, "You let these little children come right to Me, and don't you dare tell them that they aren't allowed or welcome! Child-likeness is the standard for the Kingdom of God, so, in essence, the Kingdom belongs to such as these.

17. The truth is that anyone who will not perceive and receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it in the first place."

LITN XVII, Verses 20 - 37

20. On another occasion, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. He replied, "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation...with setting dates...or counting the days on the calendar...in fact, you can't even see it with the physical eye.

21. And no one can ever say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within human hearts and minds...why, it's even within you Pharisees!

22. Then he turned and said to His disciples, "The time will come when you'll want to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won't see it.

23. People will, no doubt, tell you, 'There He is!' or 'Here He is!' Don't bother to go running off after them.

24. For the Son of Man in His day will be revealed, and His revelation will come like lightning flashing...the kind that lights up the sky from one end to the other.

25. But first, it is inevitable that He must suffer many things, and even be rejected by this generation.

26. Then destruction will come on this nation, and it will be just as it was in the days of Noah. But the end result will be the days of the revelation of the Son of Man.

27. Prior to the flood, people were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, right up to the day that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and brought destruction.

28. The same was in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. Life there was going on as usual.

29. But the very day that Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from the sky and destroyed them all.

30. It will be like this on the day the power of the Son of Man is revealed to this nation.

31. When that destruction comes, no one who is on the roof of his house with his goods inside should even take the time to go down to get them. In the same way, no one who is out working in the field should go back for anything.

32. To sum it up...just remember Lot's wife!

33. As I've said before, whoever tries to keep his life will end up losing it, and whoever loses his life will ultimately preserve it.

34. I tell you that when that happens, 'two men', as it were, will be in one bed...one will be taken, one left behind. The full revelation of the Son of Man will take away from you the man that needs to be purged, and will leave behind the real you...the righteous you...the man that He has chosen.

35. In the same way, 'two women' will be grinding at the mill...one will be taken in the Son of Man's flood, so to speak...the part of that woman that is subject to His judgment...but one...the real one...will be mercifully left behind, safe in the ark of His redemption.

36. And 'two men' will be working in the field...likewise, one will be taken, and the other will be left intact, safe and sound."

37. "Where is that place of redemption, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where the carcass is...in the same way that a gathering of vultures indicates that there is something dead nearby, so these signs will reveal that the end of an era is near."

LITN XVII, Verses 1 - 19

1. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Look...it's inevitable that people are going to do things that cause other people to stumble, but it's so regrettable for that one who causes it to happen.

2. In fact, it would actually be better for an individual to have one of those huge grinding-stones that they use in the mills fastened around his neck, and then be sunk in the depth of the sea, than to hurt one of these precious, little ones…or to abuse them in any way…or take advantage of their simple trust…or cause them to grow up and become less than what they should have been.

3. So watch yourselves. Furthermore, if your brother or sister wrongs you in any way, you should have the integrity to go and tell him or her about it, directly, and keep the conversation and the whole matter between the two of you. And if he or she gets what you're saying and has a change of heart and apologizes, you have no choice but to forgive them.

4. I mean even if they offend you seven times in a day, and seven times come back to you saying 'I sincerely apologize,' you must forgive them."

5. When the disciples heard how high His standard was for them in this area, they said to Him, "Lord, increase our faith to be able to deal with people in this way!"

6. He replied, "If you have faith, even as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be re-planted in the sea,' and the thing will actually obey you. In other words, you can do this.

7. This is how I want you to look at it. Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing in the field, or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and just say to him, 'Sit down here and eat'?

8. Wouldn't you be more likely to say, 'Prepare my supper first, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink...and after that you may have your supper.'?

9. Now, does the servant get special thanks for simply doing what's expected of him?

10. Well, it's the same with you. When you've done everything that's expected of you, you should simply say, "We're just doing our job...carrying out what we were told to do.'"

11. Later, on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus was travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee.

12. And as He was going into a certain village, ten men who were stricken with leprosy came to meet Him, but they stood at a distance.

13. And they all called out together in one, loud voice, "Jesus...Master...have compassion on us!"

14. When He saw and heard them, He said, "All right...go...show yourselves to the priests." And they did as He said, and as they went they were completely cleansed from their disease.










15. But one of them, when he realized that his body was healed and made like new, came right back to find Him, all the while praising God in a loud voice.

16. When He at last saw Jesus, he ran up to Him, threw himself at His feet, and thanked and praised Him, profusely. And, for the record, the man was a Samaritan.

17. Jesus said to him, "Sir, your praise is excellent...but were not all ten men cleansed as you were? Where are the other nine?

18. Seriously...was no one able or thoughtful enough to return and give praise to God except for this one foreigner?"

19. Then he said to the man, "All right...get up and go into your new life as a well man...re-enter society...and know that your own faith has made you well."

LITN XVI

1. Then Jesus told His disciples a very different type of story. He said, "There once was a certain rich businessman who had reason to believe that the manager of his entire operation was exploiting his place of authority by running up huge, personal expenses, and was just basically wasting his possessions.

2. So one day he called the manager in and said, 'All right..what's going on with you? Something's not adding up with your accounting. I want you to give me an updated report of all your transactions, and an audit of all your books, because I'm going to have to terminate your position here.'

3. Going into immediate damage control, the manager said to himself, 'What in the world am I going to do now? My employer is taking away my wonderful job, and I don't have any alternative prospects. I'm not strong enough to do manual labor, and I'm definitely too proud to beg.

4. All right...I know what I'll do, so that, when I do lose my job and income, and am possibly living on the street, people will welcome me into their houses.'

5. So he called in each of his employer's debtors, and asked the first one, 'How much do you owe my boss?'

6. 'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. So the manager told him, 'This is what I want you to do...take your bill, sit down right here, and re-write it for four hundred and fifty.'

7. Then he asked the second one, 'And how much do you owe him?' The man replied, 'A thousand bushels of wheat.' He told him, 'Then take your bill, and make it out for eight hundred.'



















8. When the dishonest manager's employer found out what he had done, he actually commended him because of the shrewd way in which he dealt with the situation. The point is that the people who operate in this present world system are generally more savvy in dealing with their own kind...and of understanding their own generation...than are the people who walk in the light.

9. This is what I'm telling you...be streetwise when you need to be. Don't be reluctant to use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when your money runs out, you can call in some favors and be welcomed into permanent dwellings.

10. Whoever is trustworthy with very little will most likely be trustworthy with very much...and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

11. So think about it...if you haven't been trustworthy in dealing with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

12. Furthermore, if you haven't been trustworthy with someone else's property, who is going to give you property of your own?

13. The bottom line is this...no one can serve two masters. You basically will hate the one and love the other, or you will be committed to the one and reject the other. You can't be submitted and servile to both God and the god of the world system called Mammon."

14. The Pharisees, who were submitted to Mammon, the money-god, heard all this and dismissed Jesus as being hopelessly naive.

15. Unaffected by their disdain, He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows what's really behind the masks. Besides, what people generally value highly is just gross in God's sight.

16. The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until the days when John the Forerunner was at the height of his influence. Since that time, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is being preached, and people are still trying, in one way or another, to literally force themselves into it through their own efforts. Men of passion, like John, have demonstrated this effort, and, frankly, it has been allowed, because there was basically no alternative until now.

17. But, even though the Kingdom is now so easily accessible, the Law is still going to be completely fulfilled, in a sense. In fact, it's easier for both the heavenly realm and the earthly dimension to totally disappear, than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of what's written in the Law.

18. For example, the Law says ‘Whoever divorces his wife must simply give her a certificate of divorce…no questions asked.’ But I tell you, whoever just casually dismisses and divorces his wife for no good or valid reason, such as unfaithfulness or infidelity, will inadvertently cause her to go out and commit adultery herself. And whoever marries a woman who has been divorced in this way will inadvertently commit adultery with her, seeing that she will more than likely still consider herself married to her previous husband."

19. While He was still in the mode of changing their paradigms, and creating new realities through the use of fictitious stories about rich men, He told them this allegory: "There was a certain rich man who was in the habit of clothing himself in purple and fine linen...the wardrobe of the wealthy in his world...and he regularly reveled and feasted fabulously, basically throwing an extravagant party for his snobbish clique every single day.

20. Meanwhile, at the gate of his mansion there was an indigent and impoverished man named Lazarus who had been left there to beg. Not only was he utterly destitute, he was also diseased, and covered with ulcerated sores.

21. Day after day he begged for any leftovers that might come from the rich man's abundantly furnished table, being in such poor physical condition that he couldn't even care for himself. The only relief that he had from the pain, itching and burning of his abscesses was when the stray dogs came and licked his sores, providing a natural antiseptic that canines carry within their saliva.

22. Anyway, it happened that the pitiful beggar finally died on the rich man's doorstep, and was mercifully carried by the angels into the realm where Abraham watched over the captive, departed spirits of men and women until they could be reconciled. Ironically, the rich man also died right about that same time, and was buried.

23. And in the realm of the dead which the Jews call Sheol, and the Greeks call Hades, he lifted up his eyes in torment and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his company.

24. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this purifying flame.

25. But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you fully received an endless flow of comforts and delights, and Lazarus had nothing in his life but discomfort and distress...but now he is comforted here with me, and you are there in anguish.

26. Besides, between us who have been purified through suffering, and you who are indifferent to those who suffer, a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this place to you may not be able...and no one may pass from there to us without going through the fire. You didn't even notice the suffering going on all around you in life, so in your callousness you have violated the most basic principles of the Kingdom of God, in which the first will be last, and the last will be first! So, all those, like you, who are uncaring...indifferent...unfeeling...will go into the fire for a period of time...into a fiery trial that will ultimately burn out everything in them that causes them to be blind to the needs of others.'

27. And the man said, 'Then, Father Abraham, I beg you to send him to my father's house.

28. I have five brothers there who are just like me...selfish and self-indulgent...and I want him to warn them, so that they can avoid this place of torment.'

29. But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets...let them hear and listen to them for themselves.'

30. But he answered, 'No, Father...if someone from the dead goes to them, they will have a paradigm shift, and will embrace the Kingdom in their lifetime, feeding the poor, caring for the dying, creating a new way to look at the condition of the world.'

31. But he said to him, 'Listen, if they don't hear Moses and the Prophets, they won't be persuaded and convinced, even if someone should rise from the dead.' And in giving them this extended metaphor, He revealed to them the new way of thinking that would be required for them, if they desired to live the Kingdom-life.

All Come...

Yesterday at Church In The Now (combined choirs of CITN and COHS) singing "All Come" and "House of Restoration"...