Luke 8-9 (Contemporary English Version)

Luke 8

Women Who Helped Jesus

 ¹Soon after this, Jesus was going through towns and villages, telling the good news about God's kingdom. His twelve apostles were with him, ²and so were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and all sorts of diseases. One of the women was Mary Magdalene, ^[a] who once had seven demons in her. ³Joanna, Susanna, and many others had also used what they owned to help Jesus ^[b] and his disciples. Joanna's husband Chuza was one of Herod's officials. ^[c]

A Story about a Farmer

(Matthew 13.1-9; Mark 4.1-9)

 ⁴When a large crowd from several towns had gathered around Jesus, he told them this story:

    ⁵A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While the farmer was doing it, some of the seeds fell along the road and were stepped on or eaten by birds. ⁶Other seeds fell on rocky ground and started growing. But the plants did not have enough water and soon dried up. ⁷Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. ⁸The rest of the seeds fell on good ground where they grew and produced a hundred times as many seeds.

   When Jesus had finished speaking, he said, "If you have ears, pay attention!"

   

Why Jesus Used Stories

(Matthew 13.10-17; Mark 4.10-12)

 ⁹Jesus' disciples asked him what the story meant. ¹⁰So he answered:

   I have explained the secrets about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can only use stories. These people look, but they don't see, and they hear, but they don't understand.

   

Jesus Explains the Story about a Farmer

(Matthew 13.18-23; Mark 4.13-20)

 ¹¹This is what the story means: The seed is God's message, ¹²and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don't have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

    ¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything. ¹⁵Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.

   

Light

(Mark 4.21-25)

 ¹⁶No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl or under a bed. A lamp is always put on a lampstand, so that people who come into a house will see the light. ¹⁷There is nothing hidden that will not be found. There is no secret that will not be well known. ¹⁸Pay attention to how you listen! Everyone who has something will be given more, but people who have nothing will lose what little they think they have.

   

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

(Matthew 12.46-50; Mark 3.31-35)

 ¹⁹Jesus' mother and brothers went to see him, but because of the crowd they could not get near him. ²⁰Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you."

    ²¹Jesus answered, "My mother and my brothers are those people who hear and obey God's message."

   

A Storm

(Matthew 8.23-27; Mark 4.35-41)

 ²²One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said, "Let's cross the lake." ^[d] They started out, ²³and while they were sailing across, he went to sleep. Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake, and the boat started sinking. They were in danger. ²⁴So they went to Jesus and woke him up, "Master, Master! We are about to drown!"

   Jesus got up and ordered the wind and waves to stop. They obeyed, and everything was calm. ²⁵Then Jesus asked the disciples, "Don't you have any faith?"

   But they were frightened and amazed. They said to each other, "Who is this? He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!"

   

A Man with Demons in Him

(Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20)

 ²⁶Jesus and his disciples sailed across Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa. ^{[e] 27}As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from that town. The man had demons in him. He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard. ^{[f] 28}The man saw Jesus and screamed. He knelt down in front of him and shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torture me!" ²⁹He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him.

   The man had often been attacked by the demon. And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him. Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.

    ³⁰Jesus asked the man, "What is your name?"

   He answered, "My name is Lots." He said this because there were `lots' of demons in him. ³¹They begged Jesus not to send them to the deep pit, ^[g] where they would be punished. ³²A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go. ³³Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

    ³⁴When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms. ³⁵The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man. The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.

    ³⁶Then all who had seen the man healed told about it. ³⁷Everyone from around Gerasa ^[h] begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened. When Jesus got into the boat to start back, ³⁸the man who had been healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him off and said, ³⁹"Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you." The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.

   

A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman

(Matthew 9.18-26; Mark 5.21-43)

 ⁴⁰Everyone had been waiting for Jesus, and when he came back, a crowd was there to welcome him. ⁴¹Just then the man in charge of the Jewish meeting place came and knelt down in front of Jesus. His name was Jairus, and he begged Jesus to come to his home ⁴²because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter.

   While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around him. ⁴³In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, ^[i] but none of them could make her well. ⁴⁴As soon as she came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes, her bleeding stopped.

    ⁴⁵"Who touched me?" Jesus asked.

   While everyone was denying it, Peter said, "Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side." ^{[j] 46}But Jesus answered, "Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me." ⁴⁷The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed right away.

    ⁴⁸Jesus said to the woman, "You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace!"

    ⁴⁹While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus' home and said, "Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?"

    ⁵⁰When Jesus heard this, he told Jairus, "Don't worry! Have faith, and your daughter will get well."

    ⁵¹Jesus went into the house, but he did not let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother. ⁵²Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, "The child isn't dead. She is just asleep." ⁵³The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead.

    ⁵⁴Jesus took hold of the girl's hand and said, "Child, get up!" ⁵⁵She came back to life and got right up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were surprised, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

   

Luke 9

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles

(Matthew 10.5-15; Mark 6.7-13)

 ¹Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. ²Then he sent them to tell about God's kingdom and to heal the sick. ³He told them, "Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes. ⁴When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. ⁵If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet ^[k] as a warning to them." ⁶The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.

   

Herod Is Worried

(Matthew 14.1-12; Mark 6.14-29)

 ⁷Herod ^[l] the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life. ⁸Others were saying that Elijah had come ^[m] or that one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life. ⁹But Herod said, "I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?" Herod was eager to meet Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6.30-44; John 6.1-14)

 ¹⁰The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone. ¹¹But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke to them about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.

    ¹²Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, "Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It is like a desert!"

    ¹³Jesus answered, "You give them something to eat."

   But they replied, "We have only five small loaves of bread ^[n] and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food." ¹⁴There were about five thousand men in the crowd. Jesus said to his disciples, "Have the people sit in groups of fifty." ¹⁵They did this, and all the people sat down. ¹⁶Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.

    ¹⁷Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.

   

Who Is Jesus?

(Matthew 16.13-19; Mark 8.27-29)

 ¹⁸When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, "What do people say about me?"

    ¹⁹They answered, "Some say that you are John the Baptist or Elijah ^[o] or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life." ²⁰Jesus then asked them, "But who do you say I am?"

   Peter answered, "You are the Messiah sent from God."

    ²¹Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.

   

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death

(Matthew 16.20-28; Mark 8.30--9.1)

 ²²Jesus told his disciples, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life."

    ²³Then Jesus said to all the people:

   If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me. ²⁴If you want to save your life, ^[p] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. ²⁵What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself or waste your life? ²⁶If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. ²⁷You can be sure that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.

The True Glory of Jesus

(Matthew 17.1-8; Mark 9.2-8)

 ²⁸About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. ²⁹While he was praying, his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. ³⁰Suddenly Moses and Elijah were there speaking with him. ³¹They appeared in heavenly glory and talked about all that Jesus' death ^[q] in Jerusalem would mean. ³²Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was. They also saw the two men who were with him.

    ³³Moses and Elijah were about to leave, when Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But Peter did not know what he was talking about.

    ³⁴While Peter was still speaking, a shadow from a cloud passed over them, and they were frightened as the cloud covered them. ³⁵From the cloud a voice spoke, "This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!"

    ³⁶After the voice had spoken, Peter, John, and James saw only Jesus. For some time they kept quiet and did not say anything about what they had seen.

   

Jesus Heals a Boy

(Matthew 17.14-18; Mark 9.14-27)

 ³⁷The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. ³⁸Just then someone in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! ³⁹A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won't leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it."

    ⁴¹Jesus said to them, "You people are stubborn and don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?"

   Then Jesus said to the man, "Bring your son to me." ⁴²While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³Everyone was amazed at God's great power.

   While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples,

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

(Matthew 17.22,23; Mark 9.30-32)

 ⁴⁴"Pay close attention to what I am telling you! The Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies." ⁴⁵But the disciples did not know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them. They could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask.

   

Who Is the Greatest?

(Matthew 18.1-5; Mark 9.33-37)

 ⁴⁶Jesus' disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. ⁴⁸Then he said to his disciples, "When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest."

   

For or against Jesus

(Mark 9.38-40)

 ⁴⁹John said, "Master, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But we told him to stop, because he isn't one of us."

    ⁵⁰"Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "Anyone who isn't against you is for you."

   

A Samaritan Village Refuses To Receive Jesus

 ⁵¹Not long before it was time for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²He sent some messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. ⁵³But he was on his way to Jerusalem, so the people there refused to welcome him. ⁵⁴When the disciples James and John saw what was happening, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people?" ^{[r] 55}But Jesus turned and corrected them for what they had said. ^{[s] 56}Then they all went on to another village.

Three People Who Wanted To Be Followers

(Matthew 8.19-22)

 ⁵⁷Along the way someone said to Jesus, "I'll go anywhere with you!"

    ⁵⁸Jesus said, "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own."

    ⁵⁹Jesus told someone else to come with him. But the man said, "Lord, let me wait until I bury my father." ^{[t] 60}Jesus answered, "Let the dead take care of the dead, while you go and tell about God's kingdom."

    ⁶¹Then someone said to Jesus, "I want to go with you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home."

    ⁶²Jesus answered, "Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn't worth a thing to God's kingdom!"