(We have not yet translated 10:1-12. You can read that message and a story like that in Matthew 9:37-38; Mark 6:7-13.)
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The people in some towns didn’t want Jesus
13 Jesus talked to the people that lived in some towns. He said, “You mob that live in Korazin and Bethsayida, you will be really sorry. You know, I did a lot of powerful things there in your towns, but you didn’t listen to me, and you keep on doing bad things. Think about those towns called Tyre and Sidon. A long time ago their people did bad things. At that time, I didn’t go to them and do powerful things for them, like I did for you. They didn’t get to listen to me, so they couldn’t turn around and stop doing bad things. If they got to listen to me, they would be very sorry for the bad things they did, and they would turn to God real quick. But that didn’t happen.* Isaiah 23:1-18; Ezekiel 26:1—28:26; Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9-10; Zechariah 9:2-4 14 You know, one day God will judge everybody, and he will punish those people for the bad things they did, but he will punish you mob a lot more than he will punish that mob. You mob heard my words, but you didn’t take any notice, and you didn’t turn to God.
15 And it’s the same for you mob that live in Capernium. You reckon you are good, so you reckon God will take you up into heaven. But you are wrong. He knows you are no good, and he will chuck you down into the bad place called hell.”* Isaiah 14:13-15
(We have not yet translated 10:16-24. You can read some of those stories and messages in Matthew 11:25-27.)
God’s most important laws
25 One day, a Jewish law man went to Jesus. He wanted to test Jesus, to see if he can answer a hard question. So he asked Jesus, “Teacher, what can I do so that I will live with God for ever?”* Matthew 22:35-40; Mark 12:28-34
26 Jesus said, “You know God’s laws, and you read them all the time. What do you reckon they say?”
27 The man said, “One law says this,
‘You have to love God properly, not just a little bit.
You have to love God from right inside yourself.
You have to love God in the way you feel, and in the way you think.
And you have to love God in the way you do things.’
And another law says this,
‘You have to love the people around you just as much as you love yourself.’ ”* Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5
28 Jesus said, “You are right. Do what those laws say, and you will live with God for ever.”* Leviticus 18:5
29 But the man wanted to show that he asked an important question, so he said, “What does it mean by the people around me? Who are they?”
The story about the good man that was from Samaria country
30 Jesus answered that question by telling this picture story. He said, “A Jewish man was going down the road from Jerusalem city to the town called Jericho. About half-way along that road some bad men grabbed him. They beat him up, and they took everything he had, even his clothes, and then they ran away. They left him lying there, half dead.
31 After that, a leader of the Jewish ceremonies was walking down that road. He saw that man lying there, but he didn’t do anything to help him. He went over to the other side of the road to go past him, and he kept going down the road.
32 After that, a man that helped in the Jewish ceremonies went along that road. He looked at the man lying there, then he went to the other side of the road and went past him, and he kept going down the road.
33 Then a man from Samaria country went along that road. He was riding on a donkey. You know, Samaria people and Jewish people don’t like each other, but when that Samaria man saw that Jewish man lying there, he felt sorry for him. 34 He went to that man and helped him. He treated the places where he was bleeding. He put wine and oil on them, and bandaged them, to help them get better. Then he lifted him up and put him on his donkey and took him to a hotel, and they both stayed there that night.* 2 Chronicles 28:15
35 The next day, he paid a lot of money to the hotel boss, and said, ‘This is for you to keep this man here and look after him until he gets better. If it costs more than this, I’ll pay you the rest next time I come here.’ ”
36 Then Jesus said to the law man, “There were 3 people that saw that man on the road. Which one of them treated that man like he was one of the people around them?”
37 The law man said, “I reckon it was the person that felt sorry for that man and helped him.”
Jesus said, “You are right. So you always have to do that same sort of thing for other people.”
Jesus visited Martha and Mary
38 Jesus and his followers kept going along the road to Jerusalem, and they went into a town. A woman called Martha lived in that town, and she asked him to come to her house, so they went with her. 39 Then her sister, Mary, sat down near Jesus. He was teaching the people about God, and Mary just sat there listening to everything he said.* John 11:1 40 Martha was busy getting a big dinner ready, and she got upset because Mary wasn’t helping her. So she said to Jesus, “Sir, my sister isn’t helping me with the work. She has left me to do it by myself. Do you think that is all right? Tell her to get up and help me.”
41 Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you worry about a lot of things. 42 But only one thing is really important, and Mary is doing that. She is listening to me, and nobody can stop her.”