Preaching the Gospel

8 Soon afterward Jesus was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³ Joanna, the wife of Cuza, Herod’s household manager; Susanna; and many others who provided support for them^[a] out of their own possessions.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴ As a large crowd was gathering and people from one town after another were making their way to him, he spoke using a parable. ⁵ “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path. It was trampled, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky ground. As soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸ Other seed fell into good soil. It grew and produced fruit—one hundred times as much as was sown.” As he said these things, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”

⁹ His disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰ He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest I speak in parables so that ‘even though they see, they may not see, and even though they hear, they may not understand.’^{[b] 11} This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the path are the ones who hear it, but then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts to keep them from believing and being saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root. So they believe for a while, but then fall away in a time of testing. ¹⁴ The seeds that fell into the thorns are the ones who hear the word, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of life, so they do not mature. ¹⁵ And the seeds in the good ground are the ones who hear the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it tightly, and produce fruit as they patiently endure.

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and then hides it under a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand so that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known and come to light. ¹⁸ So listen carefully, because whoever has will be given more, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

¹⁹ Jesus’ mother and brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

²¹ But he answered them, “My mother and brothers are those who are hearing and doing the word of God.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²² One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and told them, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they set out. ²³ As they were sailing, he fell asleep. A powerful windstorm came down on the lake, the boat was filling up with water, and they were in danger.

²⁴ They went to him and woke him, saying, “Master, master, we’re going to die!”

He woke up, rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they stopped. Then it was calm.

²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

They were afraid and amazed and said to one another, “Who, then, is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

A Demon-Possessed Man and a Herd of Pigs

²⁶ They sailed down to the region of the Gerasenes,^[c] which is across from Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus stepped ashore, a man from the town met him. He was possessed by demons and for a long time had not worn any clothes. He did not live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!” ²⁹ For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. In fact, the unclean spirit had seized him many times. He was kept under guard, and although he was bound with chains and shackles, he would break the restraints and was driven by the demon into deserted places.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He said, “Legion,” because many demons had gone into him. ³¹ They were begging Jesus that he would not order them to go into the abyss. ³² A herd of many pigs was feeding there on the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. ³³ The demons went out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When those who were feeding the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and reported it in the town and in the countryside. ³⁵ People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet. He was clothed and in his right mind, and the people were afraid. ³⁶ Those who saw it told them how the demon-possessed man was saved. ³⁷ The whole crowd of people from the surrounding country of the Gerasenes^[d] asked Jesus to leave them, because they were gripped with great fear.

As Jesus got into the boat and started back, ³⁸ the man from whom the demons had gone out begged to be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home and tell how much God has done for you.” Then he went through the whole town proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.

The Daughter of Jairus

⁴⁰ When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, because they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹ Just then a man named Jairus arrived. He was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, ⁴² because he had an only daughter who was about twelve years old and she was dying.

As he went, the crowds pressed tightly against him. ⁴³ There was a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, yet although she had paid physicians all she had to live on, she could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴ She approached Jesus from behind and touched the fringe of his garment. Immediately her flow of blood stopped. ⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who touched me?”

As everyone was denying it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the crowds are pressing in and crowding you, yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, because I know that power has gone out from me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she did not escape his notice, she came trembling and fell down before Jesus. In the presence of all the people she told him why she had touched him and how she was healed immediately. ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue ruler’s house, saying, “Your daughter has died. Don’t trouble the Teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ But when Jesus heard it, he told Jairus, “Do not be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.”

⁵¹ When he came to the house, he did not let anyone enter, except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² All the people were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Stop weeping, because she is not dead, but sleeping.”

⁵³ They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he^[e] took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and she immediately got up. He ordered that something be given to her to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were amazed, but he instructed them not to tell anyone what had happened.