The Work of John the Baptist

3 About that time John the Baptist came and began preaching in the desert area of Judea. ² John said, “Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of heaven is coming soon.” ³ John the Baptist is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about. Isaiah said:

⁴ John’s clothes were made from camel’s hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Many people went to hear John preach. They came from Jerusalem and all Judea and all the area around the Jordan River. ⁶ They told of the sins they had done, and John baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁷ Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said: “You are snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s anger that is coming? ⁸ You must do the things that show that you have really changed your hearts and lives. ⁹ And don’t think that you can say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. ¹⁰ The ax is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^[a]

¹¹ “I baptize you with water to show that your hearts and lives have changed. But there is one coming later who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² He will come ready to clean the grain. He will separate the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn. And he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”^[b]

Jesus Is Baptized by John

¹³ At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He came to John and wanted John to baptize him. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop him. John said, “Why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you!”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “Let it be this way for now. We should do all things that are right.” So John agreed to baptize Jesus.

¹⁶ Jesus was baptized and came up out of the water. Heaven opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. ¹⁷ And a voice spoke from heaven. The voice said, “This is my Son and I love him. I am very pleased with him.”

A Story About Planting Seed

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Large crowds gathered around him. So Jesus got into a boat and sat, while the people stayed on the shore. ³ Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things. He said: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. ⁴ While he was planting, some seed fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. ⁵ Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t enough dirt. That seed grew very fast, because the ground was not deep. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the plants dried up because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and choked the good plants. ⁸ Some other seed fell on good ground where it grew and became grain. Some plants made 100 times more grain. Other plants made 60 times more grain, and some made 30 times more grain. ⁹ Let those with ears use them and listen!”

Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach

¹⁰ The followers came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you use stories to teach the people?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “Only you can know the secret truths about the kingdom of heaven. Other people cannot know these secret truths. ¹² The person who has something will be given more. And he will have all he needs. But the person who does not have much, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹³ This is why I use stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really understand. ¹⁴ So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true:

¹⁶ But you are blessed. You understand the things you see with your eyes. And you understand the things you hear with your ears. ¹⁷ I tell you the truth. Many prophets and good people wanted to see the things that you now see. But they did not see them. And many prophets and good people wanted to hear the things that you now hear. But they did not hear them.

Jesus Explains the Seed Story

¹⁸ “So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer. ¹⁹ What is the seed that fell by the road? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away the things that were planted in that person’s heart. ²⁰ And what is the seed that fell on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and quickly accepts it with joy. ²¹ But he does not let the teaching go deep into his life. He keeps it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, then he quickly gives up. ²² And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and love of money stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit^[a] in that person’s life. ²³ But what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces fruit, sometimes 100 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 30 times more.”

A Story About Wheat and Weeds

²⁴ Then Jesus told them another story. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ That night, when everyone was asleep, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. Then the enemy went away. ²⁶ Later, the wheat grew and heads of grain grew on the wheat plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. ²⁷ Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’ ²⁸ The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’ The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to pull up the weeds?’ ²⁹ The man answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. ³⁰ Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At harvest time I will tell the workers this: First gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”

Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast

³¹ Then Jesus told another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. A man plants the seed in his field. ³² That seed is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes a tree, big enough for the wild birds to come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ Then Jesus told another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

³⁴ Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people. He always used stories to teach people. ³⁵ This is as the prophet said:

Jesus Explains About the Wheat and Weeds

³⁶ Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ Jesus answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world. And the good seed are all of God’s children in the kingdom. The weeds are those people who belong to the Evil One. ³⁹ And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.

⁴⁰ “The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be this way at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will gather out of his kingdom all who cause sin and all who do evil. ⁴² The angels will throw them into the blazing furnace. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. ⁴³ Then the good people will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let those with ears use them and listen!

Stories of a Treasure and a Pearl

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. The man was very happy to find the treasure. He went and sold everything that he owned to buy that field.

⁴⁵ “Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ One day he found a very valuable pearl. The man went and sold everything he had to buy that pearl.

A Story of a Fishing Net

⁴⁷ “Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. ⁴⁹ It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the good people. ⁵⁰ The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace. In that place the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

⁵¹ Jesus asked his followers, “Do you understand all these things?”

They answered, “Yes, we understand.”

⁵² Then Jesus said to them, “So every teacher of the law who has been taught about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He has both new things and old things saved in his house. And he brings out both those new things and old things.”

Jesus Goes to His Hometown

⁵³ When Jesus finished teaching with these stories, he left there. ⁵⁴ He went to the town where he grew up. He taught the people in the synagogue, and they were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and this power to do miracles? ⁵⁵ He is only the son of the carpenter. And his mother is Mary. His brothers are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. ⁵⁶ And all his sisters are here with us. So where does this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And the people refused to accept Jesus.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own town or in his own home.”

⁵⁸ The people there did not believe in Jesus. So Jesus did not do many miracles there.

How John the Baptist Was Killed

14 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard the reports about Jesus. ² So Herod said to his servants, “Jesus is really John the Baptist. He has risen from death. That is why he is able to do these miracles.”

³ Sometime before this, Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him into prison. Herod did this because of Herodias. Herodias was the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. ⁴ Herod arrested John because he told Herod: “It is not right for you to have Herodias.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people. They believed that John was a prophet.

⁶ On Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his guests. Herod was very pleased with her, ⁷ so he promised he would give her anything she wanted. ⁸ Herodias told her daughter what to ask for. So she said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” ⁹ King Herod was very sad. But he had promised to give her anything she wanted, and the people eating with him had heard his promise. So Herod ordered that what she asked for be done. ¹⁰ He sent men to the prison to cut off John’s head. ¹¹ And the men brought John’s head on a platter and gave it to the girl. She took it to her mother, Herodias. ¹² John’s followers came and got his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what happened.

More Than 5,000 People Fed

¹³ When Jesus heard what happened to John, Jesus left in a boat. He went to a lonely place by himself. But when the crowds heard about it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus arrived, he saw a large crowd. He felt sorry for them and healed those who were sick.

¹⁵ Late that afternoon, his followers came to Jesus and said, “No one lives in this place. And it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “They don’t need to go away. You give them some food to eat.”

¹⁷ The followers answered, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish.”

¹⁸ Jesus said, “Bring the bread and the fish to me.” ¹⁹ Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Then he looked to heaven and thanked God for the food. Jesus divided the loaves of bread. He gave them to his followers, and they gave the bread to the people. ²⁰ All the people ate and were satisfied. After they finished eating, the followers filled 12 baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. ²¹ There were about 5,000 men there who ate, as well as women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

²² Then Jesus made his followers get into the boat. He told them to go ahead of him to the other side of the lake. Jesus stayed there to tell the people they could go home. ²³ After he said good-bye to them, he went alone up into the hills to pray. It was late, and Jesus was there alone. ²⁴ By this time, the boat was already far away on the lake. The boat was having trouble because of the waves, and the wind was blowing against it.

²⁵ Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. ²⁶ When the followers saw him walking on the water, they were afraid. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Have courage! It is I! Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you, then tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “Come.”

And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. ³⁰ But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Then Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. Jesus said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”

³² After Peter and Jesus were in the boat, the wind became calm. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “Truly you are the Son of God!”

³⁴ After they crossed the lake, they came to the shore at Gennesaret. ³⁵ The people there saw Jesus and knew who he was. So they told people all around there that Jesus had come. They brought all their sick to him. ³⁶ They begged Jesus to let them just touch the edge of his coat to be healed. And all the sick people who touched it were healed.

Obey God’s Law Not Men’s

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They asked him, ² “Why do your followers not obey the rules given to us by the great people who lived before us? Your followers don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

³ Jesus answered, “And why do you refuse to obey God’s command so that you can follow those rules you have? ⁴ God said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’^[b] And God also said, ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’^{[c] 5} But you say that a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ ⁶ You teach that person not to honor his father. You teach that it is not important to do what God said. You think that it is more important to follow the rules you have. ⁷ You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke about you:

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, “Listen and understand what I am saying. ¹¹ It is not what a person puts into his mouth that makes him unclean. It is what comes out of his mouth that makes him unclean.”

¹² Then his followers came to Jesus and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are angry because of what you said?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Stay away from the Pharisees. They are blind leaders.^[d] And if a blind man leads another blind man, then both men will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the story to us.”

¹⁶ Jesus said, “You still have trouble understanding? ¹⁷ Surely you know that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then that food goes out of the body. ¹⁸ But what a person says with his mouth comes from the way he thinks. And these are the things that make him unclean. ¹⁹ Out of the mind come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, stealing, lying, and saying bad things against other people. ²⁰ These things make a person unclean. But eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean.”

Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman

²¹ Jesus left that place and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that area came to Jesus. The woman cried out, “Lord, Son of David, please help me! My daughter has a demon, and she is suffering very much.”

²³ But Jesus did not answer the woman. So the followers came to Jesus and begged him, “Tell the woman to go away. She is following us and shouting.”

²⁴ Jesus answered, “God sent me only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.”

²⁵ Then the woman came to Jesus again. She bowed before him and said, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.”

²⁷ The woman said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the pieces of food that fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! I will do what you asked me to do.” And at that moment the woman’s daughter was healed.

Jesus Heals Many People

²⁹ Then Jesus left that place and went to the shore of Lake Galilee. He went up on a hill and sat there.

³⁰ Great crowds came to Jesus. They brought their sick with them: the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb and many others. They put them at Jesus’ feet, and he healed them. ³¹ The crowd was amazed when they saw that people who could not speak were able to speak again. The crippled were made strong again. Those who could not walk were able to walk again. The blind were able to see again. And they praised the God of Israel for this.

More Than 4,000 People Fed

³² Jesus called his followers to him and said, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. They might faint while going home.”

³³ His followers asked him, “Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town.”

³⁴ Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

They answered, “We have seven loaves and a few small fish.”

³⁵ Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. ³⁶ He took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks to God for the food. Then Jesus divided the food and gave it to his followers. They gave the food to the people. ³⁷ All the people ate and were satisfied. After this, the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. ³⁸ There were about 4,000 men there who ate, besides women and children. ³⁹ After they ate, Jesus told the people to go home. He got into the boat and went to the area of Magadan.

The Leaders Ask for a Miracle

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus. They wanted to trap him. So they asked him to show them a miracle to prove that he was from God.

² Jesus answered,^[e] “When you see the sunset, you know what the weather will be. If the sky is red, then you say we will have good weather. ³ And in the morning if the sky is dark and red, then you say that it will be a rainy day. You see these signs in the sky, and you know what they mean. In the same way, you see the things that are happening now. But you don’t know their meaning. ⁴ Evil and sinful people ask for a miracle as a sign. But they will have no sign—only the sign of Jonah.”^[f] Then Jesus left them and went away.

Guard Against Wrong Teachings

⁵ Jesus and his followers went across the lake. But the followers forgot to bring bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

⁷ The followers discussed the meaning of this. They said, “Did Jesus say this because we forgot to bring bread?”

⁸ Jesus knew that they were talking about this. So he asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. ⁹ You still don’t understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the 5,000 people? And remember that you filled many baskets with bread after the people finished eating? ¹⁰ And remember the seven loaves of bread that fed the 4,000 people? Remember that you filled many baskets then also? ¹¹ So I was not talking to you about bread. Why don’t you understand that? I am telling you to be careful and guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” ¹² Then the followers understood what Jesus meant. He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread. He was telling them to guard against the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ

¹³ Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “I am the Son of Man. Who do the people say I am?”

¹⁴ They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah. And others say that you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

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

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah. No person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. ¹⁸ So I tell you, you are Peter.^[g] And I will build my church on this rock. The power of death will not be able to defeat my church. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The things you don’t allow on earth will be the things that God does not allow. The things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.” ²⁰ Then Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Jesus Says That He Must Die

²¹ From that time on Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem. He explained that the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. And he told them that he must be killed. Then, on the third day, he would be raised from death.

²² Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticize him. Peter said, “God save you from those things, Lord! Those things will never happen to you!”

²³ Then Jesus said to Peter, “Go away from me, Satan!^[h] You are not helping me! You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things that men think are important.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his followers, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing even to die on a cross, and he must follow me. ²⁵ Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. And whoever gives up his life for me will have true life. ²⁶ It is worth nothing for a man to have the whole world if he loses his soul. He could never pay enough to buy back his soul. ²⁷ The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward everyone for what he has done. ²⁸ I tell you the truth. There are some people standing here who, before they die, will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.”

Jesus with Moses and Elijah

17 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John the brother of James up on a high mountain. They were all alone there. ² While they watched, Jesus was changed. His face became bright like the sun. And his clothes became white as light. ³ Then two men were there, talking with him. The men were Moses and Elijah.^[i]

⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While Peter was talking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son and I love him. I am very pleased with him. Obey him!”

⁶ The followers with Jesus heard the voice. They were so frightened that they fell to the ground. ⁷ But Jesus went to them and touched them. He said, “Stand up. Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When the followers looked up, they saw Jesus was now alone.

⁹ When Jesus and the followers were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the things you saw on the mountain. Wait until the Son of Man has been raised from death. Then you may tell.”

¹⁰ The followers asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first, before the Christ comes?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah is coming. And it is true that Elijah will make everything the way it should be. ¹² But I tell you, Elijah has already come. People did not know who he was. They did to him everything they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man. Those same people will make the Son of Man suffer.” ¹³ Then the followers understood that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Sick Boy

¹⁴ Jesus and his followers went back to the crowd. A man came to Jesus and bowed before him. ¹⁵ The man said, “Lord, please help my son. He has epilepsy^[j] and is suffering very much. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your followers, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. Your lives are all wrong. How long must I stay with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here.” ¹⁸ Jesus gave a strong command to the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out, and the boy was healed.

¹⁹ The followers came to Jesus when he was alone. They said, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out?”

²⁰ Jesus answered, “You were not able to drive out the demon because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth. If your faith is as big as a mustard seed,^[k] you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And the mountain will move. All things will be possible for you. ²¹ [That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and give up eating.]”^[l]

Jesus Talks About His Death

²² Later, the followers met together in Galilee. Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man will be given into the control of some men. ²³ They will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised from death.” And the followers were filled with sadness.

Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes

²⁴ Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. There some men came to Peter. They were the men who collected the Temple tax. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

²⁵ Peter answered, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.”

Peter went into the house where Jesus was. Before Peter could speak, Jesus said to him, “The kings on the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who are the people who pay the taxes? Are they the king’s children? Or do others pay the taxes? What do you think?”

²⁶ Peter answered, “Other people pay the taxes.”

Jesus said to Peter, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes. ²⁷ But we don’t want to make these tax collectors angry. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth. Inside its mouth you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors. That will pay the tax for you and me.”