Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles

(Mark 3.13-19; Luke 6.12-16)

10 Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. ² The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. ³ Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector,^[a] James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. ⁴ The others were Simon, known as the Eager One,^[b] and Judas Iscariot,^[c] who later betrayed Jesus.

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles

(Mark 6.7-13; Luke 9.1-6)

⁵ Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:

Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town. ⁶ Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. ^7 (A) As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here.^{[d] 8} Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy,^[e] and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid. ⁹ Don't take along any gold, silver, or copper coins. ^10 (B) And don't carry^[f] a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick.

Workers deserve their food. ¹¹ So when you go to a town or a village, find someone able and willing to have you as their guest and stay with them until you leave. ¹² When you go to a home, give it your blessing of peace. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your blessing remain with them. But if the home doesn't accept you, take back your blessing of peace. ^14 (C) If someone won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave their home or town. And shake the dust from your feet at them.^{[g] 15 (D)} I promise you the day of judgment will be easier for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah^[h] than for that town.

Warning about Trouble

(Mark 13.9-13; Luke 21.12-17)

^16 (E) I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. ^17 (F) Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their synagogues. ¹⁸ Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith. ¹⁹ But when someone arrests you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. ²⁰ But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say.

^21 (G) Brothers and sisters will betray one another and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed. ^22 (H) Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you remain faithful until the end, you will be saved. ²³ When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.

^24 (I) Students are not better than their teacher, and slaves are not better than their master. ^25 (J) It is enough for students to be like their teacher and for slaves to be like their master. If people call the head of the family Satan, what will they say about the rest of the family?

The One To Fear

(Luke 12.2-7)

^26 (K) Don't be afraid of anyone! Everything is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. ²⁷ Whatever I say to you in the dark, you must tell in the light. And you must announce from the housetops whatever I have whispered to you. ^28 (L) Don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell. ²⁹ Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. ³⁰ Even the hairs on your head are counted. ³¹ So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.

Telling Others about Christ

(Luke 12.8,9)

³² If you tell others you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven you are my followers. ^33 (M) But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven you don't belong to me.

Not Peace, but Trouble

(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26,27)

³⁴ Don't think I came to bring peace to the earth! I came to bring trouble, not peace. ^35 (N) I came to turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. ³⁶ Your worst enemies will be in your own family.

^37 (O) If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples. ^38 (P) And unless you are willing to take up your cross and follow me, you are not fit to be my disciples. ^39 (Q) If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.

Rewards

(Mark 9.41)

^40 (R) Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet, will be given the same reward as a prophet. Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good, will be given the same reward as a good person. ⁴² And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will be rewarded.

John the Baptist

(Luke 7.18-35)

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left and began teaching and preaching in the towns.^[i]

² John was in prison when he heard what Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers ³ to ask Jesus, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”

⁴ Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. ^5 (S) The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy^[j] are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ⁶ God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do.”

⁷ As John's followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John:

What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? ⁸ What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king's palace. ⁹ What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet. ^10 (T) In the Scriptures God says about him, “I am sending my messenger ahead to get things ready for you.” ¹¹ I tell you no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

^12 (U) From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. ¹³ All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses^[k] told what was going to happen up to the time of John. ^14 (V) And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for. ¹⁵ If you have ears, pay attention!

¹⁶ You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,

¹⁸ John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “That man has a demon in him!” ¹⁹ But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, “That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors^[l] and sinners.” Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.

The Unbelieving Towns

(Luke 10.13-15)

²⁰ In the towns where Jesus had worked most of his miracles, the people refused to turn to God. So Jesus was upset with them and said:

^21 (W) You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place here had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.^{[m] 22} I tell you on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will.

^23 (X) People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, it would still be standing. ^24 (Y) So I tell you on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than you.

Come to Me and Rest

(Luke 10.21,22)

²⁵ At that moment Jesus said:

My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. ²⁶ Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

^27 (Z) My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so they can know him too.

^28 (AA) If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ^29 (AB) Take the yoke^[n] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰ This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

A Question about the Sabbath

(Mark 2.23-28; Luke 6.1-5)

12 ^(AC) One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields.^[o] His disciples were hungry and began picking and eating grains of wheat. ² Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do this!”

^3 (AD) Jesus answered:

You surely must have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. ^4 (AE) He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat. ^5 (AF) Haven't you read in the Law of Moses that the priests are allowed to work in the temple on the Sabbath? But no one says they are guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath. ⁶ I tell you there is something here greater than the temple. ^7 (AG) Don't you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, “Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others?” If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine. ⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.

A Man with a Paralyzed Hand

(Mark 3.1-6; Luke 6.6-11)

⁹ Jesus left and went into one of their synagogues, ¹⁰ where there was a man whose hand was paralyzed. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, so they asked him, “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”

^11 (AH) Jesus answered, “If one of your sheep fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you lift it out? ¹² People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.

¹⁴ The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus.

God's Chosen Servant

¹⁵ When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all of their sick, ¹⁶ but warned them not to tell anyone about him. ¹⁷ So God's promise came true, just as Isaiah the prophet had said,

Jesus and the Ruler of the Demons

(Mark 3.20-30; Luke 11.14-23; 12.10)

²² Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon in him. Jesus healed the man, and then he was able to talk and see. ²³ The crowds were so amazed they asked, “Could Jesus be the Son of David?”^[p]

^24 (AJ) When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!”

²⁵ Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them:

Any kingdom where people fight each other will end up ruined. And a town or family that fights will soon destroy itself. ²⁶ So if Satan fights against himself, how can his kingdom last? ²⁷ If I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, whose power do your own followers use to force them out? Your followers are the ones who will judge you. ²⁸ But when I force out demons by the power of God's Spirit, it proves that God's kingdom has already come to you. ^29 (AK) How can anyone break into a strong man's house and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.

^30 (AL) If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you don't gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it. ^31-32 (AM) I tell you any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven. Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven, either in this life or in the life to come.

A Tree and Its Fruit

(Luke 6.43-45)

^33 (AN) A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. ^34 (AO) You are a bunch of evil snakes, so how can you say anything good? Your words show what is in your hearts. ³⁵ Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts. ³⁶ I promise you on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ On that day they will be told they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.

A Sign from Heaven

(Mark 8.11,12; Luke 11.29-32)

^38 (AP) Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a sign from heaven.”

^39 (AQ) But Jesus replied:

You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. ^40 (AR) He was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and nights, just as the Son of Man will be deep in the earth for three days and nights. ^41 (AS) On the day of judgment the people of Nineveh^[q] will stand there with you and condemn you. They turned to God when Jonah preached, and yet here is something far greater than Jonah. ^42 (AT) The Queen of the South^[r] will also stand there with you and condemn you. She traveled a long way to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet here is something much greater than Solomon.

Return of an Evil Spirit

(Luke 11.24-26)

⁴³ When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place, ⁴⁴ it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and neat, ⁴⁵ it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before. That's how it will be with you evil people of today.

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

(Mark 3.31-35; Luke 8.19-21)

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside because they wanted to talk with him. ⁴⁷ Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to talk with you.”^[s]

⁴⁸ Jesus answered, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “These are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ Anyone who obeys my Father in heaven is my brother or sister or mother.”

A Story about a Farmer

(Mark 4.1-9; Luke 8.4-8)

13 That same day Jesus left the house and went out beside Lake Galilee, where he sat down to teach.^{[t] 2 (AU)} Such large crowds gathered around him that he had to sit in a boat, while the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said:

A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. ⁴ While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. ⁵ Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced 100 or 60 or 30 times as much as was scattered. ⁹ If you have ears, pay attention!

Why Jesus Used Stories

(Mark 4.10-12; Luke 8.9,10)

¹⁰ Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you use stories to speak to the people?”

¹¹ Jesus answered:

I have explained the secrets about the kingdom of heaven to you, but not to others. ^12 (AV) Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose even what little they have. ¹³ I use stories when I speak to them because when they look, they cannot see, and when they listen, they cannot hear or understand. ^14 (AW) So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,

^16 (AX) But God has blessed you, because your eyes can see and your ears can hear! ¹⁷ Many prophets and good people were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you they did not see or hear.

Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer

(Mark 4.13-20; Luke 8.11-15)

¹⁸ Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:

¹⁹ The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. ²⁰ The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. ²¹ But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

²² The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. ²³ The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as 100 or 60 or 30 times what was planted.

Weeds among the Wheat

²⁴ Jesus then told them this story:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left.

²⁶ When the plants came up and began to mature, the farmer's servants could see the weeds. ²⁷ The servants came and asked, “Sir, didn't you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?”

²⁸ “An enemy did this,” he replied.

His servants then asked, “Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?”

²⁹ “No!” he answered. “You might also pull up the wheat. ³⁰ Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I'll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I'll order them to store the wheat in my barn.”

Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast

(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18-21)

³¹ Jesus told them another story:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. ³² Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.

³³ Jesus also said:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.

The Reason for Teaching with Stories

(Mark 4.33,34)

³⁴ Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories. ^35 (AY) So God's promise came true, just as the prophet^[u] had said,

Jesus Explains the Story about the Weeds

³⁶ After Jesus left the crowd and went inside,^[v] his disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the story about the weeds in the wheat field.”

³⁷ Jesus answered:

The one who scattered the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seeds are the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one, ³⁹ and the one who scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the end of time, and angels are the ones who bring in the harvest.

⁴⁰ Weeds are gathered and burned. That's how it will be at the end of time. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. ⁴² Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. ^43 (AZ) But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!

A Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. Such a person is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.

A Valuable Pearl

⁴⁵ The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.

A Fish Net

⁴⁷ The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a net is thrown into a lake and catches all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When the net is full, it is dragged to the shore, and the fishermen sit down to separate the fish. They keep the good ones, but throw the bad ones away. ⁴⁹ That's how it will be at the end of time. Angels will come and separate the evil people from the ones who have done right. ⁵⁰ Then those evil people will be thrown into a flaming furnace, where they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.

New and Old Treasures

⁵¹ Jesus asked his disciples if they understood all these things. They said, “Yes, we do.”

⁵² So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”

The People of Nazareth Turn against Jesus

(Mark 6.1-6; Luke 4.16-30)

⁵³ When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left ⁵⁴ and went to his hometown. He taught in their synagogue, and the people were so amazed that they asked, “Where does he get all this wisdom and the power to work these miracles? ⁵⁵ Isn't he the son of the carpenter? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? ⁵⁶ Don't his sisters still live here in our town? How can he do all this?” ^57 (BA) So the people were upset because of what he was doing.

But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their own family.” ⁵⁸ And because the people did not have any faith, Jesus did not work many miracles there.

The Death of John the Baptist

(Mark 6.14-29; Luke 9.7-9)

14 About this time Herod the ruler^[w] heard the news about Jesus ² and told his officials, “This is John the Baptist! He has come back from death, and that's why he has the power to work these miracles.”

^3-4 (BB) Herod had earlier arrested John and had him chained and put in prison. He did this because John had told him, “It isn't right for you to take Herodias, the wife of your brother Philip.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John. But the people thought John was a prophet, and Herod was afraid of what they might do.

⁶ When Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests. She pleased Herod ⁷ so much he swore to give her whatever she wanted. ⁸ But the girl's mother told her to say, “Here on a serving plate I want the head of John the Baptist!”

⁹ Herod was sorry for what he had said. But he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests. So he ordered a guard ¹⁰ to go to the prison and cut off John's head. ¹¹ It was taken on a serving plate to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ¹² John's followers took his body and buried it. Then they told Jesus what had happened.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)

¹³ After Jesus heard about John, he crossed Lake Galilee^[x] to go to some place where he could be alone. But the crowds found out and followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd. He felt sorry for them and healed everyone who was sick.

¹⁵ That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This place is like a desert, and it's already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They don't have to leave. Why don't you give them something to eat?”

¹⁷ But they said, “We have only five small loaves of bread^[y] and two fish.” ¹⁸ Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him, ¹⁹ and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.

²⁰ After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.

²¹ There were about 5,000 men who ate, not counting the women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

(Mark 6.45-52; John 6.15-21)

²² At once, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake.^[z] But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. ²³ Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later in the evening, he was still there.

²⁴ By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. ²⁵ A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. ²⁶ When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming.

²⁷ At once, Jesus said to them, “Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter replied, “Lord, if it really is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come on!” Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.

³⁰ But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

³¹ At once, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don't have much faith. Why do you doubt?”

³² When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God!”

Jesus Heals Sick People in Gennesaret

(Mark 6.53-56)

³⁴ Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake and came to shore near the town of Gennesaret. ³⁵ The people found out he was there, and they sent word to everyone who lived in this part of the country. So they brought all the sick people to Jesus. ³⁶ They begged him just to let them touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.

The Teaching of the Ancestors

(Mark 7.1-13)

15 About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus, ² “Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don't even wash their hands^[aa] before they eat.”

³ Jesus answered:

Why do you disobey God and follow your own teaching? ^4 (BC) Didn't God command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? ⁵ But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they have has been offered to God.^{[ab] 6} Is this any way to show respect to your parents? You ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. ⁷ And you are nothing but show-offs! Isaiah the prophet was right when he wrote that God had said,

What Really Makes People Unclean

(Mark 7.14-23)

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd together and said, “Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. ¹¹ The food you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean.”

¹² Then his disciples came over to him and asked, “Do you know you insulted the Pharisees by what you said?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up by the roots. ^14 (BE) Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Peter replied, “What did you mean when you talked about the things that make people unclean?”

¹⁶ Jesus then said:

Don't any of you know by now what I am talking about? ¹⁷ Don't you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? ^18 (BF) But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. ¹⁹ Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. ²⁰ These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

A Woman's Faith

(Mark 7.24-30)

²¹ Jesus left and went to the territory near the towns of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Suddenly a Canaanite woman^[ac] from there came out shouting, “Lord and Son of David,^[ad] have pity on me! My daughter is full of demons.” ²³ Jesus did not say a word. But the woman kept following along and shouting, so his disciples came up and asked him to send her away.

²⁴ Jesus said, “I was sent only to the people of Israel! They are like a flock of lost sheep.”

²⁵ The woman came closer. Then she knelt down and begged, “Please help me, Lord!”

²⁶ Jesus replied, “It isn't right to take food away from children and feed it to dogs.”^[ae]

²⁷ “Lord, this is true,” the woman said, “but even puppies get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table.”

²⁸ Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.

Jesus Heals Many People

²⁹ From there, Jesus went along Lake Galilee. Then he climbed a hill and sat down. ³⁰ Large crowds came and brought many people who were paralyzed or blind or lame or unable to talk. They placed them, and many others, in front of Jesus, and he healed them all. ³¹ Everyone was amazed at what they saw and heard. People who had never spoken could now speak. The lame were healed, the paralyzed could walk, and the blind were able to see. Everyone was praising the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

(Mark 8.1-10)

³² Jesus called his disciples together and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. They might faint on their way home.”

³³ His disciples said, “This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?”

³⁴ Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, “Seven small loaves of bread^[af] and a few little fish.”

³⁵ After Jesus had told the people to sit down, ³⁶ he took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks. He then broke them and handed them to his disciples, who passed them around to the crowds.

³⁷ Everyone ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.

³⁸ There were 4,000 men who ate, not counting the women and children.

³⁹ After Jesus had sent the crowds away, he got into a boat and sailed across the lake. He came to shore near the town of Magadan.^[ag]

A Demand for a Sign from Heaven

(Mark 8.11-13; Luke 12.54-56)

16 ^(BG) The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tried to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. ² He told them:

If the sky is red in the evening, you say the weather will be good. ³ But if the sky is red and gloomy in the morning, you say it is going to rain. You can tell what the weather will be like by looking at the sky. But you don't understand what is happening now.^{[ah] 4 (BH)} You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will be given is what happened to Jonah.^[ai]

Then Jesus left.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

(Mark 8.14-21)

⁵ The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread when they crossed the lake.^{[aj] 6 (BI)} Jesus then warned them, “Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷ The disciples talked this over and said to each other, “He must be saying this because we didn't bring along any bread.”

⁸ Jesus knew what they were thinking and said:

You surely don't have much faith! Why are you talking about not having any bread? ^9 (BJ) Don't you understand? Have you forgotten about the 5,000 people and all those baskets of leftovers from just five loaves of bread? ^10 (BK) And what about the 4,000 people and all those baskets of leftovers from only seven loaves of bread? ¹¹ Don't you know by now that I am not talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!

¹² Finally, the disciples understood that Jesus wasn't talking about the yeast used to make bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Who Is Jesus?

(Mark 8.27-30; Luke 9.18-21)

¹³ When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?”

^14 (BL) The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah^[ak] or Jeremiah or some other prophet.”

¹⁵ Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”

^16 (BM) Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus told him:

Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn't discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it. ^19 (BN) I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything you don't allow.

²⁰ Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone he was the Messiah.

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death

(Mark 8.31—9.1; Luke 9.22-27)

²¹ From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.”

²² Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, “God would never let this happen to you, Lord!”

²³ Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Satan, get away from me! You're in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God.”

^24 (BO) Then Jesus said to his disciples:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. ^25 (BP) If you want to save your life,^[al] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. ²⁶ What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?

^27 (BQ) The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done. ²⁸ I promise you some of those standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.

The True Glory of Jesus

(Mark 9.2-13; Luke 9.28-36)

17 ^(BR) Six days later Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and John with him. They went up on a very high mountain where they could be alone. ² There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. His face was shining like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

³ All at once Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus. ⁴ So Peter said to him, “Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

^5 (BS) While Peter was still speaking, the shadow of a bright cloud passed over them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says!” ⁶ When the disciples heard the voice, they were so afraid they fell flat on the ground. ⁷ But Jesus came over and touched them. He said, “Get up and don't be afraid!” ⁸ When they opened their eyes, they saw only Jesus.

⁹ On their way down from the mountain, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had been raised from death.

^10 (BT) The disciples asked Jesus, “Don't the teachers of the Law of Moses say Elijah must come before the Messiah does?”

^11 (BU) Jesus told them, “Elijah certainly will come and get everything ready. ^12 (BV) In fact, he has already come. But the people did not recognize him and treated him just as they wanted to. They will soon make the Son of Man suffer in the same way.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy

(Mark 9.14-29; Luke 9.37-43a)

¹⁴ Jesus and his disciples returned to the crowd. A man knelt in front of him ¹⁵ and said, “Lord, have pity on my son! He has a bad case of epilepsy and often falls into a fire or into water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but none of them could heal him.”

¹⁷ Jesus said, “You people are too stubborn to have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here.” ¹⁸ Then Jesus spoke sternly to the demon. It went out of the boy, and right then he was healed.

¹⁹ Later the disciples went to Jesus in private and asked him, “Why couldn't we force out the demon?”

^20-21 (BW) Jesus replied:

It is because you don't have enough faith! But I can promise you this. If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible for you.^[am]

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

(Mark 9.30-32; Luke 9.43b-45)

²² While Jesus and his disciples were going from place to place in Galilee, he told them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to people ²³ who will kill him. But three days later he will rise to life.” All of this made the disciples very sad.

Paying the Temple Tax

^24 (BX) When Jesus and the others arrived in Capernaum, the collectors for the temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ “Yes, he does,” Peter answered.

After they had returned home, Jesus went up to Peter and asked him, “Simon, what do you think? Do the kings of this earth collect taxes and fees from their own people or from foreigners?”^[an]

²⁶ Peter answered, “From foreigners.”

Jesus replied, “Then their own people^[ao] don't have to pay. ²⁷ But we don't want to cause trouble. So go cast a line into the lake and pull out the first fish you hook. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Use it to pay your taxes and mine.”

Who Is the Greatest?

(Mark 9.33-37; Luke 9.46-48)

18 ^(BY) About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ² Jesus called for a child to come over and stand near him. ^3 (BZ) Then he said:

I promise you this. If you don't change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.

Temptations To Sin

(Mark 9.42-48; Luke 17.1,2)

⁶ It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks! ⁷ The world is in for trouble because of the way it causes people to sin. There will always be something to cause people to sin, but anyone who does this will be in for trouble.

^8 (CA) If your hand or foot causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! You would be better off to go into life paralyzed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the fire that never goes out. ^9 (CB) If your eye causes you to sin, poke it out and get rid of it. You would be better off to go into life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell.

The Lost Sheep

(Luke 15.3-7)

^10-11 (CC) Don't be cruel to any of these little ones! I promise you their angels are always with my Father in heaven.^{[ap] 12} Let me ask you this. What would you do if you had 100 sheep and one of them wandered off? Wouldn't you leave the 99 on the hillside and go look for the one that had wandered away? ¹³ I am sure that finding it would make you happier than having the 99 that never wandered off. ¹⁴ That's how it is with your Father in heaven. He doesn't want any of these little ones to be lost.

When Someone Sins

(Luke 17.3)

^15 (CD) If one of my followers^[aq] sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower. ^16 (CE) But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses. ¹⁷ If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector.^[ar]

Allowing and Not Allowing

^18 (CF) I promise you God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but God will not allow anything you don't allow. ¹⁹ I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ²⁰ Whenever two or three of you come together in my name,^[as] I am there with you.

An Official Who Refused To Forgive

^21 (CG) Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone^[at] who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?”

^22 (CH) Jesus answered:

Not just 7 times, but 77 times!^{[au] 23} This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like:

One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. ²⁴ As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him 50,000,000 silver coins. ²⁵ But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.

²⁶ The official got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!” ²⁷ The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.

²⁸ But as this official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him 100 silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, “Pay me what you owe!”

²⁹ The man got down on his knees and began begging, “Have pity on me, and I will pay you back.” ³⁰ But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.

³¹ When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened. ³² The king called the first official back in and said, “You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. ³³ Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?” ³⁴ The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed. ³⁵ That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.