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A Question about the Sabbath

(Matthew 12.1-8; Mark 2.23-28)

(A) One Sabbath when Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields,[a] the disciples picked some wheat. They rubbed the husks off with their hands and started eating the grain.

Some Pharisees said, “Why are you picking grain on the Sabbath? You're not supposed to do that!”

(B) Jesus answered, “You surely have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. (C) He went into the house of God and took the sacred loaves of bread that only priests were supposed to eat. He not only ate some himself, but even gave some to his followers.”

Jesus finished by saying, “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Paralyzed Hand

(Matthew 12.9-14; Mark 3.1-6)

On another Sabbath[b] Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, and a man with a paralyzed right hand was there. Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses kept watching Jesus to see if he would heal the man. They did this because they wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he told the man to stand up where everyone could see him. And the man stood up. Then Jesus asked, “On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone's life or destroy it?”

10 After he had looked around at everyone, he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his bad hand became completely well.

11 The teachers and the Pharisees were furious and started saying to one another, “What can we do about Jesus?”

Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles

(Matthew 10.1-4; Mark 3.13-19)

12 About that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night there. 13 The next morning he called his disciples together and chose twelve of them to be his apostles. 14 One was Simon, and Jesus named him Peter. Another was Andrew, Peter's brother. There were also James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus. The rest of the apostles were Simon, known as the Eager One,[c] 16 Jude, who was the son of James, and Judas Iscariot,[d] who later betrayed Jesus.

Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals

(Matthew 4.23-25)

17 Jesus and his apostles went down from the mountain and came to some flat, level ground. Many other disciples were there to meet him. Large crowds of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal towns of Tyre and Sidon were there too. 18 These people had come to listen to Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. All who were troubled by evil spirits were also healed. 19 Everyone was trying to touch Jesus, because power was going out from him and healing them all.

Blessings and Troubles

(Matthew 5.1-12)

20 Jesus looked at his disciples and said:

God will bless you people
who are poor.
    His kingdom belongs to you!
21 God will bless
    you hungry people.
You will have plenty
    to eat!
God will bless you people
who are now crying.
    You will laugh!

22 (D) God will bless you when others hate you and won't have anything to do with you. God will bless you when people insult you and say cruel things about you, all because you are a follower of the Son of Man. 23 (E) Long ago your own people did these same things to the prophets. So when this happens to you, be happy and jump for joy! You will have a great reward in heaven.

24 But you rich people
    are in for trouble.
You have already had
    an easy life!
25 You well-fed people
are in for trouble.
    You will go hungry!
You people
who are laughing now
    are in for trouble.
You are going to cry
    and weep!

26 You are in for trouble when everyone says good things about you. That is what your own people said about those prophets who told lies.

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Footnotes

  1. 6.1 walking through some wheat fields: It was the custom to let hungry travelers pick grains of wheat.
  2. 6.6 On another Sabbath: Some manuscripts have a reading which may mean “the Sabbath after the next.”
  3. 6.15 known as the Eager One: The word “eager” translates the Greek word “zealot,” which was a name later given to the members of a Jewish group that resisted and fought against the Romans.
  4. 6.16 Iscariot: This may mean “a man from Kerioth” (a place in Judea). But more probably it means “a man who was a liar” or “a man who was a betrayer.”

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