The Twelve Apostles
The Messengers from John the Baptist
The Question about the Sabbath
The Parable of the Sower
The Death of John the Baptist
The Teaching of the Ancestors
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.The Mission of the Twelve
5 These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: “Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. 6 Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. * 7 Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ 8 Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid.The Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper money in your pockets;The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9, 10)
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
10 do not carry a beggar's bag for the trip or an extra shirt or shoes or a walking stick. Workers should be given what they need. 11 “When you come to a town or village, go in and look for someone who is willing to welcome you, and stay with him until you leave that place. 12 When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with you.’Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)
13 If the people in that house welcome you, let your greeting of peace remain; but if they do not welcome you, then take back your greeting. 14 And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.God's Chosen Servant
15 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than to the people of that town!Coming Persecutions
16 “Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves. 17 Watch out, for there will be those who will arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
18 For my sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles. 19 When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say.The Unbelieving Towns
20 For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.A Woman's Faith
21 “People will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.Jesus and Beelzebul
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, run away to another one. I assure you that you will not finish your work in all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.The Parable of the Weeds
24 “No pupil is greater than his teacher; no slave is greater than his master.Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)
25 So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher, and a slave like his master. If the head of the family is called Beelzebul, the members of the family will be called even worse names!Whom to Fear
26 “So do not be afraid of people. Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. 27 What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must announce from the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.Jesus Heals Many People
29 For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent. 30 As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18, 19)
31 So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Luke 12.8, 9)
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32 “Those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same for them before my Father in heaven.A Tree and Its Fruit
The Parable of the Yeast
(Luke 13.20, 21)
33 But those who reject me publicly, I will reject before my Father in heaven.Not Peace, but a Sword
(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26, 27)
Jesus' Use of Parables
(Mark 4.33, 34)
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law;Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 your worst enemies will be the members of your own family. 37 “Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples.The Demand for a Miracle
(Mark 8.11, 12; Luke 11.29-32)
38 Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. 39 Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.Rewards
40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes God's messenger because he is God's messenger, will share in his reward. And whoever welcomes a good man because he is good, will share in his reward. 42 You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward.”The Twelve Apostles
The Messengers from John the Baptist
The Question about the Sabbath
The Parable of the Sower
The Death of John the Baptist
The Teaching of the Ancestors
1 When Jesus finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he left that place and went off to teach and preach in the towns near there. 2 When John the Baptist heard in prison about the things that Christ was doing, he sent some of his disciples to him. 3 “Tell us,” they asked Jesus, “are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus answered, “Go back and tell John what you are hearing and seeing:The Mission of the Twelve
5 the blind can see, the lame can walk, those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are brought back to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. 6 How happy are those who have no doubts about me!” * 7 While John's disciples were leaving, Jesus spoke about him to the crowds: “When you went out to John in the desert, what did you expect to see? A blade of grass bending in the wind? 8 What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in fancy clothes? People who dress like that live in palaces!The Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 Tell me, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed, but you saw much more than a prophet.The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9, 10)
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
10 For John is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ 11 I assure you that John the Baptist is greater than anyone who has ever lived. But the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John. 12 From the time John preached his message until this very day the Kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks, and violent men try to seize it.Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)
13 Until the time of John all the prophets and the Law of Moses spoke about the Kingdom; 14 and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted.God's Chosen Servant
15 Listen, then, if you have ears!Coming Persecutions
16 “Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group shouts to the other, 17 ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn't dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn't cry!’Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
18 When John came, he fasted and drank no wine, and everyone said, ‘He has a demon in him!’ 19 When the Son of Man came, he ate and drank, and everyone said, ‘Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!’ God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results.”The Unbelieving Towns
20 The people in the towns where Jesus had performed most of his miracles did not turn from their sins, so he reproached those towns.A Woman's Faith
21 “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins!Jesus and Beelzebul
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Tyre and Sidon than to you! 23 And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be in existence today!The Parable of the Weeds
24 You can be sure that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to you!”Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)
25 At that time Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned.Whom to Fear
26 Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen. 27 “My Father has given me all things. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.Jesus Heals Many People
29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”The Twelve Apostles
The Messengers from John the Baptist
The Question about the Sabbath
The Parable of the Sower
The Death of John the Baptist
The Teaching of the Ancestors
1 Not long afterward Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick heads of wheat and eat the grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!” 3 Jesus answered, “Have you never read what David did that time when he and his men were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the bread offered to God, even though it was against the Law for them to eat it—only the priests were allowed to eat that bread.The Mission of the Twelve
5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that every Sabbath the priests in the Temple actually break the Sabbath law, yet they are not guilty? 6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple. * 7 The scripture says, ‘It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’ If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty; 8 for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”The Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 Jesus left that place and went to a synagogue,The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9, 10)
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
10 where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they asked him, “Is it against our Law to heal on the Sabbath?” 11 Jesus answered, “What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath.”Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)
13 Then he said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it became well again, just like the other one. 14 Then the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.God's Chosen Servant
15 When Jesus heard about the plot against him, he went away from that place; and large crowds followed him. He healed all the sickComing Persecutions
16 and gave them orders not to tell others about him. 17 He did this so as to make come true what God had said through the prophet Isaiah:Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
18 “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,the one I love, and with whom I am pleased.
I will send my Spirit upon him,
and he will announce my judgment to the nations.
19 He will not argue or shout,
or make loud speeches in the streets.
The Unbelieving Towns
20 He will not break off a bent reed,nor put out a flickering lamp.
He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,
A Woman's Faith
21 and on him all peoples will put their hope.”Jesus and Beelzebul
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Then some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon. Jesus healed the man, so that he was able to talk and see. 23 The crowds were all amazed at what Jesus had done. “Could he be the Son of David?” they asked.The Parable of the Weeds
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they replied, “He drives out demons only because their ruler Beelzebul gives him power to do so.”Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)
25 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart.Whom to Fear
26 So if one group is fighting another in Satan's kingdom, this means that it is already divided into groups and will soon fall apart! 27 You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do proves that you are wrong! 28 No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.Jesus Heals Many People
29 “No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house. 30 “Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18, 19)
31 For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Luke 12.8, 9)
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32 Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven—now or ever.A Tree and Its Fruit
The Parable of the Yeast
(Luke 13.20, 21)
33 “To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.Not Peace, but a Sword
(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26, 27)
Jesus' Use of Parables
(Mark 4.33, 34)
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 You snakes—how can you say good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 “You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken. 37 Your words will be used to judge you—to declare you either innocent or guilty.”The Demand for a Miracle
(Mark 8.11, 12; Luke 11.29-32)
38 Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up. “Teacher,” they said, “we want to see you perform a miracle.” 39 “How evil and godless are the people of this day!” Jesus exclaimed. “You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah.Rewards
40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth. 41 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah! 42 On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse you, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Solomon!The Return of the Evil Spirit
43 “When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can't find one,The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 it says to itself, ‘I will go back to my house.’ So it goes back and finds the house empty, clean, and all fixed up.The Parable of the Pearl
45 Then it goes out and brings along seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in worse shape than at the beginning. This is what will happen to the evil people of this day.”Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46 Jesus was still talking to the people when his mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside, asking to speak with him.The Parable of the Net
47 So one of the people there said to him, “Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak with you.” 48 Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother, my sister, and my mother.”The Twelve Apostles
The Messengers from John the Baptist
The Question about the Sabbath
The Parable of the Sower
The Death of John the Baptist
The Teaching of the Ancestors
1 That same day Jesus left the house and went to the lakeside, where he sat down to teach. 2 The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the crowd stood on the shore. 3 He used parables to tell them many things. “Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. 4 As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.The Mission of the Twelve
5 Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. * 7 Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants bore grain: some had one hundred grains, others sixty, and others thirty.”The Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9, 10)
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
10 Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” 11 Jesus answered, “The knowledge about the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 For the person who has something will be given more, so that he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing will have taken away from him even the little he has.Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)
13 The reason I use parables in talking to them is that they look, but do not see, and they listen, but do not hear or understand. 14 So the prophecy of Isaiah applies to them:‘This people will listen and listen, but not understand;
they will look and look, but not see,
God's Chosen Servant
15 because their minds are dull,and they have stopped up their ears
and have closed their eyes.
Otherwise, their eyes would see,
their ears would hear,
their minds would understand,
and they would turn to me, says God,
and I would heal them.’
Coming Persecutions
16 “As for you, how fortunate you are! Your eyes see and your ears hear. 17 I assure you that many prophets and many of God's people wanted very much to see what you see, but they could not, and to hear what you hear, but they did not.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
18 “Listen, then, and learn what the parable of the sower means. 19 Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in them.The Unbelieving Towns
20 The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it.A Woman's Faith
21 But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.Jesus and Beelzebul
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear the message; but the worries about this life and the love for riches choke the message, and they don't bear fruit. 23 And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as one hundred, others sixty, and others thirty.”The Parable of the Weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man sowed good seed in his field.Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)
25 One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.Whom to Fear
26 When the plants grew and the heads of grain began to form, then the weeds showed up. 27 The man's servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come from?’ 28 ‘It was some enemy who did this,’ he answered. ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ they asked him.Jesus Heals Many People
29 ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them. 30 Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in the wheat and put it in my barn.’”The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18, 19)
31 Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field.Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Luke 12.8, 9)
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches.”A Tree and Its Fruit
The Parable of the Yeast
(Luke 13.20, 21)
33 Jesus told them still another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.”Not Peace, but a Sword
(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26, 27)
Jesus' Use of Parables
(Mark 4.33, 34)
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 Jesus used parables to tell all these things to the crowds; he would not say a thing to them without using a parable. 35 He did this to make come true what the prophet had said,“I will use parables when I speak to them;
I will tell them things unknown since the creation of the world.”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 When Jesus had left the crowd and gone indoors, his disciples came to him and said, “Tell us what the parable about the weeds in the field means.” 37 Jesus answered, “The man who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man;The Demand for a Miracle
(Mark 8.11, 12; Luke 11.29-32)
38 the field is the world; the good seed is the people who belong to the Kingdom; the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One; 39 and the enemy who sowed the weeds is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvest workers are angels.Rewards
40 Just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so the same thing will happen at the end of the age: 41 the Son of Man will send out his angels to gather up out of his Kingdom all those who cause people to sin and all others who do evil things, 42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.The Return of the Evil Spirit
43 Then God's people will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Listen, then, if you have ears!The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.The Parable of the Pearl
45 “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls,Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46 and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl.The Parable of the Net
47 “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish. 48 When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away. 49 It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good 50 and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.New Truths and Old
51 “Do you understand these things?” Jesus asked them. “Yes,” they answered. 52 So he replied, “This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room.”Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth
53 When Jesus finished telling these parables, he left that place 54 and went back to his hometown. He taught in the synagogue, and those who heard him were amazed. “Where did he get such wisdom?” they asked. “And what about his miracles? 55 Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? 56 Aren't all his sisters living here? Where did he get all this?” 57 And so they rejected him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is respected everywhere except in his hometown and by his own family.” 58 Because they did not have faith, he did not perform many miracles there.The Twelve Apostles
The Messengers from John the Baptist
The Question about the Sabbath
The Parable of the Sower
The Death of John the Baptist
The Teaching of the Ancestors
1 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus. 2 “He is really John the Baptist, who has come back to life,” he told his officials. “That is why he has this power to perform miracles.” 3 For Herod had earlier ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. He had done this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For some time John the Baptist had told Herod, “It isn't right for you to be married to Herodias!”The Mission of the Twelve
5 Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the Jewish people, because they considered John to be a prophet. 6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the whole group. Herod was so pleased * 7 that he promised her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!” 8 At her mother's suggestion she asked him, “Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”The Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted.The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9, 10)
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
10 So he had John beheaded in prison. 11 The head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 John's disciples came, carried away his body, and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)
13 When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land. 14 Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.God's Chosen Servant
15 That evening his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves.”Coming Persecutions
16 “They don't have to leave,” answered Jesus. “You yourselves give them something to eat!” 17 “All we have here are five loaves and two fish,” they replied.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
18 “Then bring them here to me,” Jesus said. 19 He ordered the people to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.The Unbelieving Towns
20 Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over.A Woman's Faith
21 The number of men who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children.Jesus and Beelzebul
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people away. 23 After sending the people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone;The Parable of the Weeds
24 and by this time the boat was far out in the lake, tossed about by the waves, because the wind was blowing against it.Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)
25 Between three and six o'clock in the morning Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water.Whom to Fear
26 When they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. “It's a ghost!” they said, and screamed with fear. 27 Jesus spoke to them at once. “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don't be afraid!” 28 Then Peter spoke up. “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”Jesus Heals Many People
29 “Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water. “Save me, Lord!” he cried.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18, 19)
31 At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?”Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Luke 12.8, 9)
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32 They both got into the boat, and the wind died down.A Tree and Its Fruit
The Parable of the Yeast
(Luke 13.20, 21)
33 Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus. “Truly you are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.Not Peace, but a Sword
(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26, 27)
Jesus' Use of Parables
(Mark 4.33, 34)
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, 35 where the people recognized Jesus. So they sent for the sick people in all the surrounding country and brought them to Jesus.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 They begged him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak; and all who touched it were made well.The Twelve Apostles
The Messengers from John the Baptist
The Question about the Sabbath
The Parable of the Sower
The Death of John the Baptist
The Teaching of the Ancestors
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked him, 2 “Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!” 3 Jesus answered, “And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching? 4 For God said, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and ‘If you curse your father or your mother, you are to be put to death.’The Mission of the Twelve
5 But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This belongs to God,’ 6 they do not need to honor their father. In this way you disregard God's command, in order to follow your own teaching. * 7 You hypocrites! How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you!8 ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words,
but their heart is really far away from me.
The Man with a Paralyzed Hand
9 It is no use for them to worship me,because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’”
The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9, 10)
The Things That Make a Person Unclean
10 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand! 11 It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees had their feelings hurt by what you said?”Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)
13 “Every plant which my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up,” answered Jesus. 14 “Don't worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into a ditch.”God's Chosen Servant
15 Peter spoke up, “Explain this saying to us.”Coming Persecutions
16 Jesus said to them, “You are still no more intelligent than the others. 17 Don't you understand? Anything that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean. 19 For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others.The Unbelieving Towns
20 These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat without washing your hands as they say you should—this doesn't make you unclean.”A Woman's Faith
21 Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon.Jesus and Beelzebul
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. “Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.” 23 But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, “Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”The Parable of the Weeds
24 Then Jesus replied, “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)
25 At this the woman came and fell at his feet. “Help me, sir!” she said.Whom to Fear
26 Jesus answered, “It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.” 27 “That's true, sir,” she answered, “but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table.” 28 So Jesus answered her, “You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.” And at that very moment her daughter was healed.Jesus Heals Many People
29 Jesus left there and went along by Lake Galilee. He climbed a hill and sat down. 30 Large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb, and many other sick people, whom they placed at Jesus' feet; and he healed them.The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18, 19)
31 The people were amazed as they saw the dumb speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they praised the God of Israel.Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Luke 12.8, 9)
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away without feeding them, for they might faint on their way home.”A Tree and Its Fruit
The Parable of the Yeast
(Luke 13.20, 21)
33 The disciples asked him, “Where will we find enough food in this desert to feed this crowd?”Not Peace, but a Sword
(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26, 27)
Jesus' Use of Parables
(Mark 4.33, 34)
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven loaves,” they answered, “and a few small fish.” 35 So Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 They all ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over.The Demand for a Miracle
(Mark 8.11, 12; Luke 11.29-32)
38 The number of men who ate was four thousand, not counting the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the people away, got into a boat, and went to the territory of Magadan.© 1992 American Bible Society (Ameriška biblična družba)