What did Jesus say about Idolatry?

¹² “To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: “He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things:

¹³ “I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn’t deny my faith in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

¹⁴ But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

¹⁵ So also you likewise have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

¹⁶ Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows but he who receives it.

³⁴ “Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

³⁶ A man’s foes will be those of his own household.

³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

³⁸ He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me isn’t worthy of me.

³⁹ He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

¹⁸ “To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: “The Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished brass, says these things:

¹⁹ “I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance, and that your last works are more than the first.

²⁰ But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

²¹ I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

²² Behold, I will throw her and those who commit adultery with her into a bed of great oppression, unless they repent of her works.

²³ I will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

²⁴ But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira—as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan’—to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.

²⁵ Nevertheless, hold that which you have firmly until I come.

²⁶ He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.

²⁷ He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots, as I also have received of my Father;

²⁸ and I will give him the morning star.

²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.

¹⁴ “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”

¹⁵ “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

¹⁶ “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly.

¹⁷ He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’

¹⁸ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹ I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

²¹ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

⁴¹ I don’t receive glory from men.

⁴² But I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in yourselves.

⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ “Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.

⁴⁷ But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.

³ All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.

⁴ For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

⁵ But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the fringes of their garments,

⁶ and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

⁷ the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.

⁸ But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers.

⁹ Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.

¹⁰ Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ.

¹¹ But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.

¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

²⁶ “If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.

²⁷ Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me, can’t be my disciple.

²⁸ For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

²⁹ Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation and isn’t able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,

³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace.

³³ So therefore, whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.

²² “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.

²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

²⁴ Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!

²⁵ Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height?

²⁶ If then you aren’t able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest?

²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

²⁸ But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁹ “Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.

³⁰ For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.

³¹ But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.

³² “Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

³³ Sell what you have and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.