Who Is the Greatest?
(Mark 9.33-37Luke 9.46-48)1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, asking, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
2 So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them, 3 and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. 4 The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child. 5 And whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this, welcomes me.
Temptations to Sin
(Mark 9.42-48Luke 17.1Luke 2)6 “If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the deep sea. 7 How terrible for the world that there are things that make people lose their faith! Such things will always happen—but how terrible for the one who causes them!
8 “If your hand or your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life without a hand or a foot than to keep both hands and both feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
(Luke 15.3-7)10 “See that you don't despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of my Father in heaven.
12 “What do you think a man does who has one hundred sheep and one of them gets lost? He will leave the other ninety-nine grazing on the hillside and go and look for the lost sheep. 13 When he finds it, I tell you, he feels far happier over this one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost. 14 In just the same way your Father in heaven does not want any of these little ones to be lost.
When Someone Sins
15 “If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. 16 But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that ‘every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,’ as the scripture says. 17 And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.
Prohibiting and Permitting
18 “And so I tell all of you: what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
19 “And I tell you more: whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven, 23 because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts. 24 He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt. 26 The servant fell on his knees before the king. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay you everything!’ 27 The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.
28 “Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he said. 29 His fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!’ 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything. 32 So he called the servant in. ‘You worthless slave!’ he said. ‘I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to. 33 You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.’ 34 The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount.”
35 And Jesus concluded, “That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Ndiani nkulu tjose
(Mako 9:33-37Luke 9:46-48)1 Nge tjibaka itjetjo badiyiwa bakazha kuna Jesu bakambhuzwa beti, “Ndiani nkulu tjose mu bushe gwe kudzimu?”
2 Wakadana mwana ntukununu kammisa pakati kwabo, 3 ndizo kati ku bali, “Ndolebesa ndoti kumuli, kuzhe kwe mungashanduka mukafanana ne bana batukununu, amungatongo ngina mu bushe gwe kudzimu. 4 Ndizo, iye unozwiyisa pasi sa iwoyu mwana, ndiye nkulu tjose mu bushe gwe kudzimu. 5 Na iye unoamutjila mwana ntukununu unonga iwoyu nge zina langu, unoamutjila imi.
Kulikwa
(Mako 9:42-48Luke 17:1-2)6 “Koga iye unothama kuti mmwe wa ibaba batukununu banogalamoyo mundili athame jinyo, kungabhatsha kuti gwiyo gulu lisungiligwe mu ntshibha uwe atshindikigwe mu gungwa lakangina afe. 7 Yee mme wee! Shango yapalala ngekwe ndiko inothama bathu kuti bathame jinyo! Kwakafanila kuti ndiko izhe, Yee mme wee wapalala! Iye unowoti zwithu izwezo zwikazha ndiye!
8 “Ha luboko gugo kene gumbo lilo likuthamisa jinyo, ulithubule ulilashe. Koyita kuti ungine mu butjilo uli tjilema kene ushudza, pakuti ube ne maboko mabili kene makumbo mabili ukowoposegwa mu moto usingapele. 9 Kakale ha zhisho lilo likuthamisa jinyo, ulikonyombole ulilashe. Koyita kuti ungine mu butjilo una zhisho ling'ompela pana kuti ube ne mesho mabili ukowolashigwa mu moto usingapele.
Tjifaniso tje pkhwizi yakamila
(Luke 15:3-7)10 “Mubone kuti musilingile pasi mmwe wa ibaba batukununu, ngobe ndomubudza nditi, batumwa babo be kudzimu banobona buso gwa Tate bangu ba kudzimu misi yose.
12 “Mobona tjini? Ha nlume ana pkhwizi dzili zana ling'ompela (100), ngono ing'ompela yadzo ibe imila, apa aangasiye makumi ali zhanalume ana dzili zhanalume (99) mu matombo, enoshaka ing'ompela yamila kene? 13 Ha eiwana, ndolebesa ndoti kumuli, unoshatha ngekwa iyeyo ing'ompela kupinda dzili makumi ali zhanalume ana zhanalume dzakabe dzisamila. 14 Ndizo ate kuli kuda kwa Tate bangu ba kudzimu kuti mmwe wa ibaba batukununu alashike.
Gadzano ne ntembezelo mu gubungano
15 “Ha ikamu tjitjo tjikutjinyila, yenda kutjili utjilakidze nlandu watjo, muli babili koga. Ha tjikuhwilila unowobe watjidza ikamu tjitjo. 16 Koga atjisingakuhwilile dana nng'ompela kene babili, kuti ndizo dama limwe ne limwe lisimisiwe nge batendeki babili kene batatu. 17 Ha tjilamba kubahwilila, ubudze gubungano, koga ha tjilamba kuhwilila na ilo gubungano, utjitole se mmwe we zwitjaba kene nkhethisi.
18 “Ndolebesa nditi, tjimwe ne tjimwe tjamunosunga mu shango tjowosungwa kudzimu ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjamasunungula mu shango tjowosunungugwabo kudzimu.
19 “Kakale, ndomubudza kuti ha babili benyu bedumilana mu shango ngekwe tjimwe tjabanokumbila, mowotjiyitigwa ndi Tate bangu ba kudzimu. 20 Pakubungana babili kene batatu nge zina langu, ipapo ndi pakati kwabo.”
Tjifaniso tje nlanda usina ngoni
21 Ipapo Pita kazha kuna Jesu kambhuzwa kati, “She, ndizwiibhatigwe ikamu tjangu kangana ha tjinditjinyila? Katendeka kwakalizana kene?”
22 Jesu kashandula eti, “Ndokubudza nditi, kusi katendeka koga, koga kuswikila makumi ali tendeka katendeka. 23 Ndizo, bushe gwe kudzimu gofanana na mambo wakabe eshaka kuti balanda babe banonkolota banlipe. 24 Kati etangisa kukumbuludzana nabo, nlume wakabe enkolota talenta dzili zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000) kazhisiwa kunli. 25 Se akabe asina tjaangalipa nditjo, tetshi uwe kalaula kuti iye ne nkadzi uwe ne bana babe na kose kwaanako, batengesiwe kulipiwe ikoloto. 26 Nlanda iwoyo kawa nge zwidwi mbeli kwa tetshi uwe, enkumbila eti, ‘Ibeni ne moyonlefu nge kwangu. Ndowolipa tjimwe ne tjimwe.’ 27 Tetshi uwe kanhwila ngoni, kabukusha ikoloto tjitje, kanletja kayenda.
28 “Kukati nlanda iwoyo ebhuda, kawana mmwe we balanda sa iye unonkolota mari e siliva ali zana ling'ompela. Kambhata nge hwulo kati kunli, ‘Lipa ikoloto tjitjo.’ 29 Iwoyu mmwe we balanda sa iye kankumbila eti, ‘Ibe ne moyonlefu nge kwangu, ndowokulipa.’ 30 Koga kalamba, kamilika kanomposela mu ng'umba ye busungwa kudzina elipa ikoloto tjitje. 31 Kukati balanda bamwe bebona tjashingikala, bakahwa zogwadza kwazo, bakayenda bakanobudza tetshi wabo. 32 Ipapo tetshi kadanila nlanda iwoyo kunli kan'dwa kati, ‘Nlanda wakabipa ndiwe! Ndakabukusha ikoloto tjitjo tjose, ngobe wandikumbila. 33 Apa wabe usakafanila kube ne ngoni ngekwe mmwe nlanda sawe sekwa ndabe ne ngoni nge kuko kene?’ 34 Nge bushongola, tetshi uwe kan'yisa ku balindi be ng'umba ye busungwa kudzina alipe ikoloto tjitje tjose.
35 “Oku ndiko Tate bangu ba kudzimu kwabanowoyita mu mmwe ne mmwe wenyu kuzhe kwe mungazwiibhatigwa zwikamu zwenyu nge moyo wose.”