“ Then he sent some more slaves. He said,‘ Tell those who were invited that I have prepared my dinner. I have killed my oxen and my fattest cattle. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding dinner.’

王又打发别的仆人，说：‘你们告诉那被召的人，我的筵席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴席。’

王又打发别的仆人，说：‘你们去告诉那被邀的人，我的宴席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴宴。’

王又打发别的仆人，说：‘你们去告诉那被邀的人，我的宴席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴宴。’

王再派其他奴仆去，说，‘去告诉被邀请的人，我的宴席已经备好，公牛和肥畜都宰了，一切都预备妥当，来赴婚宴吧！’

他再派另一些仆人去，说：‘你们告诉被邀请的人，我已经预备好了筵席，公牛和肥畜已经宰了，一切都预备妥当。来参加婚筵吧！’

王又派了别的奴仆，说：‘你们去对那些被邀请的人说，看哪，我的午餐我已经预备好了，公牛和肥畜已经宰杀了，一切都预备好了，请你们来赴婚宴。’

王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們告訴那被召的人，我的筵席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴席。』

王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們去告訴那被邀的人，我的宴席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴宴。』

王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們去告訴那被邀的人，我的宴席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴宴。』

王再派其他奴僕去，說，『去告訴被邀請的人，我的宴席已經備好，公牛和肥畜都宰了，一切都預備妥當，來赴婚宴吧！』

他再派另一些僕人去，說：‘你們告訴被邀請的人，我已經預備好了筵席，公牛和肥畜已經宰了，一切都預備妥當。來參加婚筵吧！’

他又差遣別的奴僕，說：「要告訴那些被請的人說：看哪，我的筵席我已經豫備好了；我的公牛和肥畜已經宰了，百物齊備了，來赴婚筵吧！」

王又派了別的奴僕，說：『你們去對那些被邀請的人說，看哪，我的午餐我已經預備好了，公牛和肥畜已經宰殺了，一切都預備好了，請你們來赴婚宴。』

復遣他僕曰、告所請者云、我餐已具、牛與肥畜已宰、百物俱備、可就筵矣、

又遣僕曰、告所請者云、我餐已具、牛與肥畜已宰、百物備、可就筵矣、

復遣他僕曰、爾告所請者云、我餐已具、我牛與肥畜已宰、百物齊備、請赴婚筵、

乃遣他僕曰：「告被柬者我已備筵、宰牛殺牲、百物畢具、請來參與嘉禮。」

“ Then he sent some more servants and said,‘ Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

Again he sent other servants, saying,‘ Tell those who are invited,“ See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’

“ So he sent other servants to tell them,‘ The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’

Again, he sent out other servants and said,‘ Tell those who are invited: See, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

Again he sent other slaves, saying,‘ Tell those who have been invited,“ Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’

Again, he sent out other servants, saying,‘ Tell those who are invited,“ See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’

Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast.

Again, he sent out other slaves, and said,‘ Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and[ my] fatlings[ are] killed, and all things[ are] ready: come unto the marriage.

Again he sent other slaves, saying,‘ Tell those who have been invited,“ Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’

Again he sent out other servants, saying,‘ Tell those who are invited,“ Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly.“ We had to speak God’s word to you first,” they said.“ But you don’t accept it. You don’t think you are good enough for eternal life. So now we are turning to the Gentiles.

Then the man sent other slaves to the renters. He sent more than he did the first time. The renters treated them the same way.

“ Then the king said to his slaves,‘ The wedding dinner is ready. But those I invited were not fit to come.

Get rid of the old yeast. Then you can be like a new batch of dough without yeast. That is what you really are. That’s because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been offered up for us.So let us keep the Feast, but not with the old bread made with yeast. The yeast I’m talking about is hatred and evil. Let us keep the Feast with bread made without yeast. Let us keep it with bread that is honesty and truth.

Then the day of the banquet arrived. He sent his servant to those who had been invited. The servant told them,‘ Come. Everything is ready now.’

Lord, you are forgiving and good. You are full of love for all who call out to you.

Three days later Paul called a meeting of the local Jewish leaders. When they came, Paul spoke to them. He said,“ My brothers, I have done nothing against our people. I have also done nothing against what our people of long ago practiced. But I was arrested in Jerusalem. I was handed over to the Romans.They questioned me. And they wanted to let me go. They saw I wasn’t guilty of any crime worthy of death.But the Jews objected, so I had to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not mean to bring any charge against my own people.I share Israel’s hope. That is why I am held with this chain. So I have asked to see you and talk with you.”They replied,“ We have not received any letters from Judea about you. None of our people here from Judea has reported or said anything bad about you.But we want to hear what your ideas are. We know that people everywhere are talking against those who believe as you do.”They decided to meet Paul on a certain day. At that time even more people came to the place where he was staying. From morning until evening, he told them about God’s kingdom. Using the Law of Moses and the Prophets, he tried to get them to believe in Jesus.Some believed what he said, and others did not.They didn’t agree with one another. They began to leave after Paul had made a final statement. He said,“ The Holy Spirit was right when he spoke to your people long ago. Through Isaiah the prophet the Spirit said,“‘ Go to your people. Say to them,“ You will hear but never understand. You will see but never know what you are seeing.”These people’s hearts have become stubborn. They can barely hear with their ears. They have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes. They might hear with their ears. They might understand with their hearts. They might turn, and then I would heal them.’( Isaiah 6:9, 10)“ Here is what I want you to know. God has sent his salvation to the Gentiles. And they will listen!”

After this the Lord appointed 72 others. He sent them out two by two ahead of him. They went to every town and place where he was about to go.He told them,“ The harvest is huge, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.Do not take a purse or bag or sandals. And don’t greet anyone on the road.“ When you enter a house, first say,‘ May this house be blessed with peace.’If someone there works to bring peace, your blessing of peace will rest on them. If not, it will return to you.Stay there, and eat and drink anything they give you. Workers are worthy of their pay. Do not move around from house to house.“ When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is given to you.Heal the sick people who are there. Tell them,‘ God’s kingdom has come near to you.’But what if you enter a town and are not welcomed? Then go into its streets and say,‘ We wipe from our feet even the dust of your town. We do it to warn you. But here is what you can be sure of. God’s kingdom has come near.’I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town.“ How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon. They would have turned away from their sins long ago. They would have put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. They would have sat down in ashes.On judgment day it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you.And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to the heavens? No! You will go down to the place of the dead.“ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever does not accept you does not accept me. But whoever does not accept me does not accept the one who sent me.”

But here is the bread that comes down from heaven. A person can eat it and not die.I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats some of this bread will live forever. This bread is my body. I will give it for the life of the world.”Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. They said,“ How can this man give us his body to eat?”Jesus said to them,“ What I’m about to tell you is true. You must eat the Son of Man’s body and drink his blood. If you don’t, you have no life in you.Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day.My body is real food. My blood is real drink.Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me. And I remain in them.The living Father sent me, and I live because of him. In the same way, those who feed on me will live because of me.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Then you will tell people about me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria. And you will even tell other people about me from one end of the earth to the other.”

Some believers had been scattered by the suffering that unbelievers had caused them. They were scattered after Stephen was killed. Those believers traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. But they spread the word only among Jews.Some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch. There they began to speak to Greeks also. They told them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

He told them,“ This is what is written. The Messiah will suffer. He will rise from the dead on the third day.His followers will preach in his name. They will tell others to turn away from their sins and be forgiven. People from every nation will hear it, beginning at Jerusalem.

“ My bride, I have come into my garden. My sister, I’ve gathered my myrrh and my spice. I’ve eaten my honeycomb and my honey. I’ve drunk my wine and my milk.”“ Friends, eat and drink. Drink up all the love you want.”

Wisdom has built her house. She has set up its seven pillars.She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine. She has also set her table.

They refused to listen to you. They forgot the miracles you had done among them. So they became stubborn. When they refused to obey you, they appointed a leader for themselves. They wanted to go back to being slaves in Egypt. But you are a God who forgives. You are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. So you didn’t desert them.

God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won’t he also freely give us everything else?