Bible verses about "entitlement" | Goodspeed

¹⁶ "Here I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So you must be wise like serpents, and guileless like doves.

⁷ He noticed that the guests picked out the best places, and he gave them this illustration: ⁸ "When someone invites you to a wedding supper, do not take the best place, for someone more distinguished than you are may have been invited, ⁹ and your host will come and say to you 'Make room for this man,' and then you will proceed in confusion to take the poorest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited anywhere, go and take the poorest place, so that when your host comes in, he will say to you, 'My friend, come to a better place.' So you will be shown consideration before all the other guests. ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² "The scribes and Pharisees have taken Moses' seat. ³ So do everything they tell you, and observe it all, but do not do as they do, for they talk but do not act. ⁴ They tie up heavy loads and have them put on men's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. ⁵ They do everything they do to have men see it. They wear wide Scripture texts as charms, and they wear large tassels, ⁶ and they like the best places at dinners and the front seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and to be saluted with respect in public places, and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' ⁸ But you must not let people call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And you must not call anyone on earth your father, for you have only one father, your heavenly Father. ¹⁰ And you must not let men call you master, for you have only one master, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. ¹³ "But alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you lock the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven in men's faces, for you will neither go in yourselves nor let those enter who are trying to do so. ¹⁴ OMITTED TEXT ¹⁵ Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you scour land and sea to make one convert, and when he is converted you make him twice as fit for the pit as you are. ¹⁶ Alas for you, you blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the sanctuary, it does not matter, but if anyone swears by the gold of the sanctuary, it is binding.' ¹⁷ Blind fools! which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it does not matter, but if anyone swears by the offering that is on it, it is binding.' ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is greater, the offering, or the altar that makes the offering sacred? ²⁰ Anyone who swears by the altar is swearing by it and by everything that is on it, ²¹ and anyone who swears by the sanctuary is swearing by it and by him who dwells in it; ²² and anyone who swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. ²³ "Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you pay tithes on mint, dill, and cummin, and you have let the weightier matters of the Law go—justice, mercy, and integrity. But you should have observed these, without overlooking the others. ²⁴ You blind guides! straining out the gnat, and yet swallowing the camel! ²⁵ Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! You must first clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may be clean too. ²⁷ Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs! They look well on the outside, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead, and all that is unclean. ²⁸ So you outwardly appear to men to be upright, but within you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. ²⁹ "Alas for you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you build tombs for the prophets, and decorate the monuments of the upright, ³⁰ and say, 'If we had been living in the times of our fathers, we would not have joined them in the murder of the prophets.' ³¹ So you bear witness against yourselves that you are descended from the murderers of the prophets. ³² Go on and fill up the measure of your forefathers' guilt. ³³ You serpents! You brood of snakes! How can you escape being sentenced to the pit? ³⁴ This is why I am going to send you prophets, wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and hunt from one town to another; ³⁵ it is that on your heads may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of Abel the upright to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar! ³⁶ I tell you, all this will come upon this age! ³⁷ "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! murdering the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused! ³⁸ Now I leave you to yourselves. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be he who comes in the Lord's name!' "

¹ "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were foolish and five were sensible. ³ For the foolish ones brought their lamps but brought no oil with them, ⁴ but the sensible ones with their lamps brought oil in their flasks. ⁵ As the bridegroom was slow in coming, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!' ⁷ Then all the bridesmaids awoke, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' ⁹ But the sensible ones answered, 'There may not be enough for us and you. You had better go to the dealers and buy yourselves some.' ¹⁰ But while they were gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and the ones that were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was closed. ¹¹ Afterward the other bridesmaids came and said, 'Sir! Sir! Open the door for us!' ¹² But he answered, 'I tell you, I do not know you!' ¹³ So you must be on the watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour. ¹⁴ "For it is just like a man who was going on a journey, and called in his slaves, and put his property in their hands. ¹⁵ He gave one five thousand dollars, and another two thousand, and another one thousand; to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ The man who had received the five thousand dollars immediately went into business with the money, and made five thousand more. ¹⁷ In the same way the man who had received the two thousand made two thousand more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received the one thousand went away and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Long afterward, their master came back and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And the man who had received the five thousand dollars came up bringing him five thousand more, and said, 'Sir, you put five thousand dollars in my hands; here I have made five thousand more.' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, my excellent, faithful slave! you have been faithful about a small amount; I will put a large one into your hands. Come, share your master's enjoyment!' ²² And the man who had received the two thousand came up and said, 'Sir, you put two thousand dollars into my hands; here I have made two thousand more.' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, my excellent, faithful slave! you have been faithful about a small amount; I will put a large one into your hands. Come! share your master's enjoyment.' ²⁴ And the man who had received the one thousand came up and said, 'Sir, I knew you were a hard man, who reaped where you had not sown, and gathered where you had not threshed, ²⁵ and I was frightened, and I went and hid your thousand dollars in the ground. Here is your money!' ²⁶ His master answered, 'You wicked, idle slave! You knew that I reaped where I had not sown and gathered where I had not threshed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and then when I came back I would have gotten my property with interest. ²⁸ So take the thousand dollars away from him, and give it to the man who has the ten thousand, ²⁹ for the man who has will have more given him, and will be plentifully supplied, and from the man who has nothing even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And put the good-for-nothing slave out into the darkness outside, to weep and grind his teeth there.' ³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his splendor, with all his angels with him, he will take his seat on his glorious throne, ³² and all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates his sheep from his goats, ³³ and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take possession of the kingdom which has been destined for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For when I was hungry, you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, when I was a stranger, you invited me to your homes, ³⁶ when I had no clothes, you gave me clothes, when I was sick, you looked after me, when I was in prison, you came to see me.' ³⁷ Then the upright will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger, and invite you home, or without clothing, and supply you with it? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison, and go to see you?' ⁴⁰ The king will answer, 'I tell you, in so far as you did it to one of the humblest of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.' ⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left, 'Begone, you accursed people, to the everlasting fire destined for the devil and his angels! ⁴² For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat, and when I was thirsty you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ when I was a stranger, you did not invite me home, when I had no clothes, you did not supply me, when I was sick and in prison, you did not look after me.' ⁴⁴ Then they in their turn will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or in need of clothes, or sick, or in prison, and did not wait upon you?' ⁴⁵ Then he will answer, 'I tell you, in so far as you failed to do it for one of these people who are humblest, you failed to do it for me.' ⁴⁶ Then they will go away to everlasting punishment, and the upright to everlasting life."

¹⁹ Do not take your revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's anger, for the Scripture says, "Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay them back, says the Lord."

¹⁶ So we know and believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever continues to love keeps in union with God, and God with him.

¹ For the Kingdom of Heaven is like an employer who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² He agreed with the laborers to pay them a dollar a day, and sent them to his vineyard. ³ He went out about nine o'clock and saw others standing in the bazaar with nothing to do. ⁴ And he said to them, 'You go to my vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. ⁵ He went out again about twelve and about three, and did the same. ⁶ About five he went out and found others standing about and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing about here all day doing nothing?' ⁷ They said to him, 'Because nobody has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go to my vineyard, too.' ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' ⁹ When those who were hired about five o'clock came they received a dollar apiece. ¹⁰ And when those who were hired first came they expected to get more, but they too got a dollar apiece. ¹¹ And when they received it they grumbled at their employer, ¹² and said, 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have put them on the same footing with us who have done the heavy work of the day and have stood the midday heat.' ¹³ But he answered one of them, 'My friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me on a dollar? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I wish to give the last man hired as much as I give you. ¹⁵ Have I no right to do what I please with what is mine? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' ¹⁶ So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last."

¹⁸ "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, For he has consecrated me to preach the good news to the poor, He has sent me to announce to the prisoners their release and to the blind the recovery of their sight, To set the down-trodden at liberty,

⁸ Whoever fails to provide for his own relatives, and particularly for members of his own family, has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

¹ So I, the prisoner for the Lord's sake, appeal to you to live lives worthy of the summons you have received; ² with perfect humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another lovingly. ³ Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the tie of peace. ⁴ There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope that belongs to the summons you received. ⁵ There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above us all, pervades us all, and is within us all. ⁷ But each one of us has been given mercy in Christ's generous measure. ⁸ So it says, "When he went up on high, he led a host of captives, And gave gifts to mankind." ⁹ What does "he went up" mean, except that he had first gone down to the under parts of the earth? ¹⁰ It is he who went down who has also gone up above all the heavens, to fill the universe. ¹¹ And he has given us some men as apostles, some as prophets, some as missionaries, some as pastors and teachers, ¹² in order to fit his people for the work of service, for building the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain unity in faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and reach mature manhood, and that full measure of development found in Christ. ¹⁴ We must not be babies any longer, blown about and swung around by every wind of doctrine through the trickery of men with their ingenuity in inventing error. ¹⁵ We must lovingly hold to the truth and grow up into perfect union with him who is the head—Christ himself. ¹⁶ For it is under his control that the whole system, adjusted and united by each ligament of its equipment, develops in proportion to the functioning of each particular part, and so builds itself up through love. ¹⁷ So what I mean and insist upon in the Lord's name is this: You must no longer live like the heathen, with their frivolity of mind and darkened understanding. ¹⁸ They are estranged from the life of God because of the ignorance that exists among them and their obstinacy of heart, ¹⁹ for they have become callous, and abandoned themselves to sensuality, greedily practicing every kind of vice. ²⁰ That is not the way you have been taught what Christ means, ²¹ at least if you have really become acquainted with him and been instructed in him, and in union with him have been taught the truth as it is found in Jesus. ²² You must lay aside with your former habits your old self which is going to ruin through its deceptive passions. ²³ You must adopt a new attitude of mind, ²⁴ and put on the new self which has been created in likeness to God, with all the uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth. ²⁵ So you must lay aside falsehood and each tell his neighbor the truth, for we are parts of one another. ²⁶ Be angry, but do not sin. The sun must not go down upon your anger; ²⁷ you must not give the devil a chance. ²⁸ The man who stole must not steal any more; he must work with his hands at honest toil instead, so as to have something to share with those who are in need. ²⁹ No bad word must ever pass your lips, but only words that are good and suited to improve the occasion, so that they will be a blessing to those who hear them. ³⁰ You must not offend God's holy Spirit, with which you have been marked for the Day of Redemption. ³¹ You must give up all bitterness, rage, anger, and loud, abusive talk, and all spite. ³² You must be kind to one another, you must be tender-hearted, and forgive one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

¹² Now with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ we charge and exhort such people to keep quiet and do their work and earn their own living.

⁶ But he gives all the greater blessing. As the Scripture says, "God opposes haughty persons, but he blesses humble-minded ones."

¹⁰ When I was with you, I gave you this rule: "If anyone refuses to work, give him nothing to eat!"

¹ What causes wars and fights among you? Is it not your cravings, which are at war within your bodies? ² You crave things, and cannot have them, and so you commit murder. You covet things, and cannot get them, and so you quarrel and fight. You do not have things because you do not ask for them. ³ You ask and fail to get them because you ask with wrong motives, to spend them on your pleasures. ⁴ You renegades! Do you not know that the friendship of the world means enmity with God? So whoever wishes to be the world's friend declares himself God's enemy. ⁵ Do you suppose the Scripture means nothing when it says, "He yearns jealously over the Spirit he has put in our hearts?" ⁶ But he gives all the greater blessing. As the Scripture says, "God opposes haughty persons, but he blesses humble-minded ones." ⁷ Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will fly from you. ⁸ Approach God, and he will approach you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Make your hearts pure, you doubters! ⁹ Be miserable, grieve, and weep aloud! Turn your laughter into grief and your happiness into gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will raise you up ¹¹ Do not talk against one another, brothers. Whoever talks against a brother or condemns his brother talks against the Law, and condemns the Law. But if you condemn the Law you are not an observer of the Law but its judge. ¹² There is only one lawgiver and judge—he who has the power to save and to destroy; who are you, to judge your neighbor?