Bible in 90 Days

Jesus’ First Trial in the Sanhedrin

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the experts in the law and the elders were assembled. ⁵⁸ Peter was following him at a distance and went as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see how it would turn out.

⁵⁹ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰ They found none, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

⁶² The high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these men are testifying against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I place you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you have said. But I tell you, soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? See, you have just heard the blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

They answered, “He is deserving of death!” ⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and punched him. Some slapped him ⁶⁸ and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

⁶⁹ Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came to him and said, “You were also with Jesus the Galilean.”

⁷⁰ But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

⁷¹ When Peter went out to the entryway, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² Again Peter denied it with an oath and said, “I do not know the man.”

⁷³ After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them because even your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man!” Just then the rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people reached the decision to put Jesus to death. ² They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

The End of Judas

³ Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he felt remorse. He brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders ⁴ and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.”

⁵ He threw the pieces of silver into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put these into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ They reached a decision to buy the potter’s field with the money, as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ So that field has been called The Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

Jesus’ Trial in Pilate’s Court

¹¹ When Jesus stood in the presence of the governor, the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they are testifying against you?”

¹⁴ But he did not answer him—not even one word, so that the governor was very surprised.

Barabbas or Jesus?

¹⁵ At the time of the Festival the governor had a custom to release to the crowd any one prisoner they wanted. ¹⁶ At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you? Barabbas—or Jesus, who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because of envy.

¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, Pilate’s wife sent him a message. “Have nothing to do with that righteous man,” she said, “since I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.” ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death. ²¹ The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

“Barabbas!” they said.

²² Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Crucify him!”

²³ But the governor said, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

But they kept shouting even louder: “Crucify him!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing and that instead it was turning into a riot, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood. It is your responsibility.”

²⁵ And all the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them, but he had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.

Soldiers Mock Jesus

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole cohort^[b] of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹ They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, knelt in front of him, and mocked him by saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ They spit on him, took the staff, and hit him repeatedly on his head.

The Crucifixion

³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

³² As they were going out of the city, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha, which means “The place of the skull.” ³⁴ They offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. ³⁵ After they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among themselves by casting lots. ³⁶ Then they sat down and were keeping watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they posted the written charge against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

³⁸ At the same time two criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ People who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, experts in the law, and elders kept mocking him. They said, ⁴² “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he’s the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now, if he wants him, because he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him kept insulting him.

Jesus’ Death

⁴⁵ From the sixth hour until the ninth hour,^[c] there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”^[d]

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “This fellow is calling for Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ Suddenly, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and rocks were split. ⁵² Tombs were opened, and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised to life. ⁵³ Those who came out of the tombs went into the holy city after Jesus’ resurrection and appeared to many people. ⁵⁴ When the centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

⁵⁵ Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and who had served him were there, watching from a distance. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Jesus’ Burial

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. He rolled a large stone over the tomb’s entrance and left. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard

⁶² On the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered in the presence of Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remembered what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give a command that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise his disciples might steal his body and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead.’ And this last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and posting a guard.

Jesus’ Resurrection

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ² Suddenly, there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and going to the tomb, he rolled away the stone and was sitting on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so terrified of him that they shook and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead! And look, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.’ See, I have told you!”

⁸ They hurried away from the tomb, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly^[e] Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!”

They approached, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go, tell my brothers that they should go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

¹¹ As they were on their way, there were some members of the guard who went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² After the chief priests had assembled with the elders and had reached a decision, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole him away while we were sleeping.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears about it, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ After the soldiers took the money, they did as they were instructed. And this story has been repeated among the Jews until this day.

“Go and Gather Disciples”

¹⁶ The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some hesitated because they were uncertain.^{[f] 18} Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in^[g] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.”

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² This is how it is written in the prophet Isaiah:^[h]

⁴ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. ⁶ John was clothed in camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He preached, “One more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals! ⁸ I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.”

Satan Tempts Jesus

¹² The Spirit immediately sent Jesus out into the wilderness. ¹³ He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels were serving him.

“Come, Follow Me”

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom^[j] of God. ¹⁵ “The time is fulfilled,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

¹⁶ As Jesus was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ¹⁸ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat mending the nets. ²⁰ Immediately Jesus called them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. ²¹ Then they went into Capernaum.

Jesus Drives Out a Demon

On the next Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² They were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them as one who has authority and not as the experts in the law. ²³ Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit in their synagogue. It cried out, ²⁴ “What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”

²⁶ The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him. ²⁷ Everyone was so amazed that they began to discuss this with each other. They said, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” ²⁸ News about him spread quickly through all the region of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many

²⁹ They left the synagogue and went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever. Without delay they told Jesus about her. ³¹ He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them. ³² That evening, when the sun had set, the people kept bringing to him all who were sick and demon-possessed. ³³ The whole town gathered at the door. ³⁴ He healed many people who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.^[k]

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

³⁵ Jesus got up early in the morning, while it was still dark, and went out. He withdrew to a solitary place and was praying there. ³⁶ Simon and his companions searched for him, ³⁷ and, when they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is looking for you!”

³⁸ He told them, “Let’s go somewhere else, to the neighboring villages, so that I can preach there too. In fact, that is why I have come.” ³⁹ Then he went throughout the whole region of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Jesus Heals a Leper

⁴⁰ A leper came to Jesus. He knelt down and begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be clean.” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was healed. ⁴³ Then Jesus gave him a stern warning and immediately sent him away. ⁴⁴ He told him, “See that you do not say anything to anyone. Instead go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the sacrifices for your cleansing that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵ But after the man left, he began to proclaim it widely. He spread the word so much that Jesus was no longer able to enter a town openly but stayed outside in deserted places. Yet people kept coming to him from all directions.

Jesus Forgives Sins

2 When Jesus again entered Capernaum some days later, people heard that he was home. ² So many people were gathered together that there was no more room, not even by the door, and he was speaking the word to them. ³ Some people came to him bringing a paralyzed man, carried by four men. ⁴ Since they could not bring the man to Jesus because of the crowd, they dug through the roof above where he was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralyzed man was lying. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ But there were some experts in the law sitting there and thinking in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this fellow speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?”

⁸ Jesus immediately knew in his spirit that they were thinking this way within themselves. He asked them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier: to tell the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your stretcher, and walk’? ¹⁰ But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”

¹² At once the man got up, picked up the stretcher, and went out in front of everyone. So they were all amazed and glorified God. They said, “We have never seen anything like this!”

The Calling of Levi (Matthew)

¹³ Jesus went out again along the sea. The whole crowd went to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ As he was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him. And Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ Then when Jesus was reclining at a table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples because many of them also were following him. ¹⁶ When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why is he eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

¹⁸ John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. They came and asked Jesus, “Why is it that John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “The friends of the bridegroom cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then on that day they will fast. ²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the patch shrinks, the new tears away from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²² No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out,^[l] and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.”

Lord of the Sabbath

²³ Once on a Sabbath day, Jesus was passing through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick heads of grain as they walked along. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

²⁵ He replied to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry (he and his companions)? ²⁶ He entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the Bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for anyone to eat, except for the priests. He also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is the Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals a Man With a Withered Hand

3 Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there with a withered^[m] hand. ² They were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day, so that they could accuse him. ³ He said to the man with the withered hand, “Step forward!”^{[n] 4} Then he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. ⁵ Then he looked around at them with anger, deeply grieved at the hardness of their hearts. He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ⁶ The Pharisees left and immediately began to conspire against Jesus with the Herodians, plotting how they might kill him.

Jesus Heals Many

⁷ Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples. A large crowd followed him from Galilee, Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumaea, and beyond the Jordan, as well as from around Tyre and Sidon. A large crowd came to him when they heard all that he was doing. ⁹ He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that the people would not crush him. ¹⁰ Since he had healed many people, all those who had illnesses were pressing forward to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down in front of him, crying out, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But he warned them sternly that they should not tell who he was.

Jesus Appoints the Twelve Apostles

¹³ Jesus went up the mountain, summoned those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve whom he designated apostles,^[o] so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons. ¹⁶ He appointed the Twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter; ¹⁷ then James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the nickname Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”; ¹⁸ also Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus; finally, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Has Power to Drive Out Demons

²⁰ They went^[p] into a house. A crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat a meal. ²¹ When his own people^[q] heard this, they went out to take control of him, because they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

²² The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.”

²³ Jesus called them together and spoke to them in parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. ²⁷ On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he ties up the strong man first. Then he can plunder his house. ²⁸ Amen^[r] I tell you: Everything will be forgiven people, their sins and whatever blasphemies they may speak. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”^{[s] 30} Jesus said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

³¹ Then his mother and his brothers arrived. While they were standing outside, they sent word to Jesus, calling for him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him. They began to tell him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴ He looked at those who sat around him in a circle and he said, “Look, my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

4 Another time Jesus began to teach by the sea. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the sea. The whole crowd was on the seashore. ² Then he taught them many things in parables. As he taught them, he said, ³ “Listen! There was a sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up right away because it did not have deep soil. ⁶ When the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it did not have much root, it withered. ⁷ Some seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, so it did not produce fruit. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground and yielded fruit, sprouting and growing and producing a crop: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much as was sown.” ⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ When Jesus was alone, those who were around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but everything comes in parables to those who are outside, ¹² so that

¹³ Then he asked them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and immediately takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Some are like the ones sown on rocky ground: as soon as they hear the word, they immediately welcome it with joy. ¹⁷ Yet since they have no root in themselves, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. ¹⁸ Still others are sown among the thorns. These are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for other things enter in and choke the word, so it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ But the ones sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and produce fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much as was sown.”

A Lamp and a Lampstand

²¹ He also said to them, “A lamp is not brought out to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it placed on a lampstand? ²² For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴ He went on to tell them, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you. ²⁵ Yes, whoever has will be given more. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Seed Sprouts and Grows

²⁶ He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, ²⁷ and while he sleeps and rises, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹ When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.”

Mustard Seed

³⁰ Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. ³² Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”

³³ With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. ³⁴ He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵ On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” ³⁶ After leaving the crowd behind, the disciples took him along in the boat, just as he was. Other small boats also followed him. ³⁷ A great windstorm arose, and the waves were splashing into the boat, so that the boat was quickly filling up. ³⁸ Jesus himself was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”

³⁹ Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?”

⁴¹ They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

A Demon-Possessed Man and a Herd of Pigs

5 They went to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes.^{[u] 2} As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs to meet him. ³ The man lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he pulled the chains apart and broke the shackles in pieces. Nobody had the strength to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was constantly crying out and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down in front of him. ⁷ He cried out with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you to swear by God not to torment me.” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

⁹ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “because we are many.” ¹⁰ He begged Jesus repeatedly that he would not send them out of the region.

¹¹ There was a large herd of pigs there feeding on the hillside. ¹² The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs so we may enter them.”

¹³ Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits went out and entered the pigs. Then the herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned. ¹⁴ Those who were feeding the pigs ran and reported this in the city and the countryside.

People came to see what had happened. ¹⁵ When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it described for these people what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and they told them about the pigs. ¹⁷ They began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

¹⁸ As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to stay with Jesus. ¹⁹ But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go home to your people, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how he had mercy on you.”

²⁰ The man left and began to proclaim in the Decapolis everything Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

The Daughter of Jairus

²¹ When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him near the sea. ²² Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet ²³ and repeatedly pleaded with him, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.”

²⁴ Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following him, pressing tightly against him. ²⁵ A certain woman who was there had a discharge of blood for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered much under the care of many physicians and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard what was being said about Jesus, she went up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe. ²⁸ She said, “If I just touch his robe, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

³⁰ At that moment, Jesus knew that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”

³¹ His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing tightly against you and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² Nevertheless he kept looking around to see who had done this. ³³ The woman was trembling with fear since she knew what had happened to her. She came forward, fell down in front of him, and told him the whole truth.

³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your suffering.”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue ruler’s house arrived, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”

³⁶ But when Jesus heard this report, he told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” ³⁷ He did not allow anyone to follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They went into the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus saw a commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ When he entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”

⁴⁰ They laughed at him. But after he put everyone out, he took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Grasping the hand of the child, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (When translated, that means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”) ⁴² Immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) They were completely and utterly amazed. ⁴³ Then he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and he told them to give her something to eat.

A Prophet Without Honor

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown. His disciples followed him. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did this man learn these things? What is this wisdom that has been given to this man? How is it that miracles such as these are performed by his hands? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own house.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages teaching.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

⁷ Jesus called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He instructed them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their money belts. ⁹ They were to put on sandals but not to wear two coats. ¹⁰ He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. ¹¹ Any place that will not receive you or listen to you, as you leave there, shake off the dust that is under your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They also drove out many demons. They anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Recalling the Death of John the Baptizer

¹⁴ King Herod heard about this because Jesus’ name had become well known. Herod was saying, “John the Baptizer has been raised from the dead! That is why these powers are at work in him.”

¹⁵ But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” Still others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

¹⁶ When Herod heard this, he said, “This is John, the man I beheaded. He was raised.” ¹⁷ For it was Herod who had sent men to arrest John. He had him bound in prison because Herod had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ¹⁸ Indeed, John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to put him to death, but she could not, ²⁰ because Herod feared John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man, so he kept him safe. When Herod listened to John, he was perplexed in many ways, yet he gladly kept listening to him.

²¹ An opportune day came when it was Herod’s birthday. He gave a banquet for his nobles, the military officers, and the prominent men of Galilee. ²² When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ With an oath he promised her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”

Herodias said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”

²⁵ The girl hurried right back to the king and made her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter right now.”

²⁶ The king was very sad. But because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ The king sent an executioner at once and ordered him to bring John’s head. He went, beheaded John in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother.

²⁹ When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds More Than Five Thousand

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. ³² They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³ But many people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things. ³⁵ It was already late in the day when his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. ³⁶ Send them away so they can go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii^[v] worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

³⁸ He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”

³⁹ He directed everyone to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and blessed the loaves and broke them. Then he kept giving pieces to his disciples to set in front of them. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ Then they picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

Jesus Walks on Water

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After he had sent them off, he went up the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷ When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night,^[w] he went to them, walking on the sea. He was ready to pass by them. ⁴⁹ When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost, and they cried out. ⁵⁰ They all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Take courage! It is I.^[x] Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed up into the boat with them, and the wind stopped. They were completely amazed, ⁵² because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴ As soon as they stepped out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran around that whole region and began to bring sick people on their stretchers to where they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Wherever he entered villages, cities, or the countryside, they were laying sick people in the marketplaces and pleading with him that they might just touch the edge of his garment. And all who touched it were made well.

Commandments and Traditions

7 The Pharisees and some of the experts in the law came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus. ² They saw some of his disciples eating bread with unclean (that is, unwashed) hands. ³ In fact, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they scrub their hands with a fist,^[y] holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.^[z] And there are many other traditions they adhere to, such as the washing^[aa] of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.^{[ab] 5} The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead they eat bread with unclean hands.”

⁶ He answered them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written:

⁸ “You abandon God’s commandment but hold to human tradition like the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”^{[ad] 9} He continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside God’s commandment to keep^[ae] your own tradition. ¹⁰ For example, Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’^[af] and ‘Whoever speaks evil of his father or mother must be put to death.’^{[ag] 11} But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother, “Whatever help you might have received from me is corban”’^[ah] (which means an offering), ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ So you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. You do many things like that.”

¹⁴ He called the crowd to him again and said, “Everyone, listen to me and understand. ¹⁵ There is nothing outside of a man that can make him unclean by going into him. But the things that come out of a man are what make a man unclean. ¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”^[ai]

¹⁷ After he had left the crowd and entered a house, his disciples asked him about this illustration. ¹⁸ He said, “Are you lacking in understanding too? Do you not understand that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot make him unclean? ¹⁹ For it does not enter his heart but goes into his stomach and goes out of him into the latrine—in this way all foods are purified.”^[aj]

²⁰ He continued, “What comes out of a man, that is what makes a man unclean. ²¹ In fact, from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual sins, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things proceed from within and make a person unclean.”

The Faith of a Gentile Woman

²⁴ Jesus got up and went from there to the region of Tyre and Sidon. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not remain hidden. ²⁵ Instead, when a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him, she immediately came and fell down at his feet. ²⁶ This woman was a Greek, of Syro-Phoenician origin. She asked him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ Jesus said to her, “Let the children be fed first, because it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to their little dogs.”

²⁸ “Lord,” she answered, “their little dogs under the table also eat some of the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ Then he said to her, “Because of this statement, go! The demon has gone out of your daughter.”

³⁰ She went home, found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.

³¹ Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.

“Ephphatha! Be Opened!”

³² They brought a man to him who was deaf and had a speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place his hand on him. ³³ Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ After he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”) ³⁵ Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly. ³⁶ Jesus gave the people strict orders to tell no one, but the more he did so, the more they kept proclaiming it. ³⁷ They were amazed beyond measure and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

Jesus Feeds More Than Four Thousand

8 In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them, ² “I feel compassion for the crowd because they have already stayed with me three days and do not have anything to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them have come from a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples replied, “Where can anyone get enough bread to feed these people here in this deserted place?”

⁵ He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

“Seven,” they said.

⁶ He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them. He gave the pieces to his disciples to distribute to the crowd, and they did so. ⁷ They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that these should be distributed as well. ⁸ The people ate and were satisfied. They picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹ About four thousand men were there. Then he sent them away. ¹⁰ Right after that, Jesus got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

A Sign From Heaven

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to argue with him. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. ¹² He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen I tell you: No such sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³ After he left them and got back into the boat, he crossed to the other side.

Watch Out for the Teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees

¹⁴ They had forgotten to take bread along except for one loaf that they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Watch out,” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

¹⁶ They began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.

¹⁷ Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing your lack of bread? Do you still not understand or comprehend? Do you have a hardened heart? ¹⁸ You have eyes—do you not see? You have ears—do you not hear? Do you not remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they told him.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you pick up?”

“Seven,” they said.

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not comprehend?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man

²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought him a blind man and begged him to touch him. ²³ He took hold of the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. When he had spit on his eyes, he placed his hands on him and asked him, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ The man looked up and said, “I see people. To me they look like trees walking.”

²⁵ Then Jesus placed his hands on his eyes again. The man opened his eyes and his sight was restored. He could see everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not go into the village.”

Jesus Is the Christ

²⁷ Jesus went away with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

²⁸ They told him, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others say one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But who do you say I am?” he asked them.

Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”^[ak]

³⁰ Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

³¹ Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. ³² He was speaking plainly to them. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But after turning around and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross

³⁴ He called the crowd and his disciples together and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶ After all, what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul? ³⁷ Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ In fact, whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

9 He said to them, “Amen I tell you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.”

The Transfiguration

² After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. ³ His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ He did not know what to say because they were terrified.

⁷ A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”

⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ They kept the matter to themselves, discussing with one another what this “rising from the dead” meant.

¹¹ They asked him, “Why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?”

¹² He said to them, “Elijah does come first and restores all things. Why was it also written about the Son of Man that he must suffer many things and be rejected? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it was written about him.”