THEY WERE TAKING CHILDREN TO JESUS (10:13-16)

13Mothers and fathers were taking their children to Jesus, they were asking him, “Teacher, ask God to do good to our children.” Jesus' men rebuked the mothers and fathers.

14When Jesus saw them he became upset, he said to them, “I want the children to come to me. Do not prevent them. They gladly believe in God, they obey his word.

15I am telling you this word truly, all of you must be like them, you must believe in God like they do. If you don't do that you will not belong to God.”

16After that he put those children one by one on his lap, he hugged him, he put his hand on the child's head, he asked God, “Do good to this child.” In that way he was asking God for them.

A MAN HAD VERY MANY POSSESSIONS (10:17-31)

17After that as soon as Jesus was going along a man ran to him, he knelt down in front of him, he said to him, “Teacher, you are good. After I die I want to stay alive with God forever. How can I do it?”

18In reply Jesus asked him, “Why did talk about me with that word 'good'? Only one is good, that is God.

19You know his word. It says to us, 'Do not kill a person. Hold only your own wife, do not take another's wife. Do not take another person's possessions. Do not accuse another person falsely. Do not cheat another person of a fair share. Listen to/obey your mother and father.'”

20He replied, “Teacher, since I was a child I have been obeying God's word.

21Jesus looked at him, he really loved this man. He said to him, “You should do this other thing also. Sell all your possessions. Then give all your money to those who are poor and hungry. After that follow me. If you do that you will truly stay in a good way above with God.

22That man had possessions and money, he truly had a lot of those. He did not want to leave them. Therefore he did not like Jesus' word. He was sorry for himself, that man's face was downcast, he just went away.

23Jesus said to his men, “My men, listen to this word. Those with many possessions will try with difficulty to become God's people. Perhaps a few will become his.”

24His men were shocked at his word. Again Jesus said to them, “My men, truly they can hardly become God's.

25You know the hole in the end of a needle. That is small. How about it? Will a camel enter that hole. Certainly not. It will not begin to try. That is truly a puzzle. In that sort of way those with many big possessions will hardly try to become God's. For them it is truly a puzzle. Maybe only a few with large possessions will become God's.

26His men were completely puzzled at that word. They were saying to each other (?), “So then who truly will stay alive with God forever?”

27Jesus replied seriously, “Truly a person cannot put himself into God's people. Only God can place a person with him above alive forever. Yes. Truly what God wants to do, he will do that. It is not a puzzle for God.”

28At that time Peter said to him, “Please listen, we have left our camps and all our possessions to follow you.”

29Jesus replied, “This is a true word I am telling you, all who want to follow me to tell God's word might leave houses and older brothers and older sisters and younger siblings and mothers and fathers and children and food-producing land. They might do that to please me.

30If they do that God will give them now many houses and older brothers and older sisters and younger siblings and mothers and children and lands. This also I am telling you. Other people will keep hitting them, they will mock them, they will put them in prison. That is what they will do to them. Yes. After they are dead truly God will make them alive, they will stay with God forever.

31Truly some people are important now, later after they have died God will make them unimportant. Some people are unimportant now, later after they have died God will make them important.”

AGAIN JESUS TOLD THEM OTHERS WOULD KILL HIM (10:32-34)

32They were going to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead. His men were puzzled and upset. Many were also following behind, they were afraid. Again Jesus took his men away alone, he talked to them about how others would treat him in Jerusalem.

33“Listen. We are going to Jerusalem. You know the Jewish lawmen want to kill me. There someone will give me to them. They will gather together to criticise me. They will make a word about me. Then they will say to me, 'You should die.' After that they will give me to foreign bosses from the Roman Government.

34Those foreigners truly will mock me, they will spit on me, they will hit me with a whipping thing, then they will kill me. After that, after two nights, I will get up alive.

JAMES AND JOHN WANTED TO BECOME BOSSES (10:35-45)

35James and John, Zebedee's children, came to him, they said to Jesus, “Teacher, will you do one thing for us?”

36“What shall I do for you two?”

37“One day God will put you as a really big boss. Only you will be the big boss for all people everywhere. When that happens will you make us two bosses?” We want to sit close to you on your right and on your left.”

38He replied, “You do not understand what you have asked for. They will hit me really hard. How do you like to be like me? They might also hit you hard. What? Are you unafraid of that?

39They replied, “We are unafraid.” Jesus said to them, Yes, they will hit you really hard. They will put you in a very bad way.

40I cannot make you bosses. I cannot choose two to become bosses, so they will sit close to me. God is the only one who will choose them.”

41His other men when they heard became angry with James and John.

42Jesus called them, he said to them, “Listen. You know about foreigners in other countries. Their bosses keep them in a bad way, they become masters for their people.

43You truly can't do that sort of thing. Perhaps one of you will want to be boss, he should work for other people.

44Perhaps someone among you will want to be important, he should make himself small like nothing.

45That is how I am. God sent me to people. I came not to become a boss. I will not do like that. I came to people to do good to them. I will die for them to make them alive. After I have died I will make many people alive everywhere. Therefore many will sit down with God, they will stay alive forever.”

JESUS HEALED A BLIND PERSON (10:46-52)

46Jesus and his men and many other people came to that town Jericho. They went right through there. On the other side they went close to a man, his name was Bartimaeus, he was the son of Timaeus. He was blind, unable to see. He was sitting near the road, he was asking people for money and food as they were going back and forth past him.

47At that time people were saying to each other, “That man going straight on is Jesus from Nazareth. The blind man when he heard was calling out, “Jesus, God sent you in accordance with his word from long ago. Please be sorry for me.”

48Some people were rebuking him, they were saying to him, “Be quiet!” No. He was truly calling loudly, “Jesus. Please be sorry for me.”

49Jesus stopped, he said, “Call him.” In response to his word they called that blind one. “Be happy. He is calling you.”

50Right then he abandoned the blanket he had on his shoulders, he quickly stood up, he came to Jesus.

51Jesus asked him, “What shall I do for you?” “Teacher, Make my eyes good.”

52“Yes, you can go. You believed in me. Therefore I am making you well.” Right then his eyes became good. Straight after that that man was following Jesus on the road.