Chronological

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath Day

12 One Sabbath day Jesus walked through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry. So they began to break off some heads of grain and eat them. ² The Pharisees saw this. They said to Jesus, “Look! It is against the Law to do this on the Sabbath day. But your disciples are doing it anyway!”

³ Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read about what David did? He and his men were hungry. ⁴ So he entered the house of God. He and his men ate the holy bread. Only priests were allowed to eat it. ⁵ Haven’t you read the Law? It tells how every Sabbath day the priests in the temple have to do their work on that day. But they are not considered guilty. ⁶ I tell you that something more important than the temple is here. ⁷ Scripture says, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ (Hosea 6:6) You don’t know what those words mean. If you did, you would not bring charges against those who are not guilty. ⁸ The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”

⁹ Going on from that place, Jesus went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ A man with a weak and twisted hand was there. The Pharisees were trying to accuse Jesus of a crime. So they asked him, “Does the Law allow us to heal on the Sabbath day?”

¹¹ He said to them, “What if one of your sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath day? Won’t you take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² A person is worth more than sheep! So the Law allows us to do good on the Sabbath day.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out. It had been made as good as new. It was just as good as the other hand. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and planned how to kill Jesus.

God’s Chosen Servant

¹⁵ Jesus knew all about the Pharisees’ plans. So he left that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were sick. ¹⁶ But he warned them not to tell other people about him. ¹⁷ This was to make what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah come true. It says,

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Day

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue. A man with a weak and twisted hand was there. ² Some Pharisees were trying to find fault with Jesus. They watched him closely. They wanted to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day. ³ Jesus spoke to the man with the weak and twisted hand. “Stand up in front of everyone,” he said.

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “What does the Law say we should do on the Sabbath day? Should we do good? Or should we do evil? Should we save life? Or should we kill?” But no one answered.

⁵ Jesus looked around at them in anger. He was very upset because their hearts were stubborn. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand had become as good as new. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to make plans with the Herodians. They wanted to kill Jesus.

Crowds Follow Jesus

⁷ Jesus went off to the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. A large crowd from Galilee followed. ⁸ People heard about all that Jesus was doing. And many came to him. They came from Judea, Jerusalem and Idumea. They came from the lands east of the Jordan River. And they came from the area around Tyre and Sidon. ⁹ Because of the crowd, Jesus told his disciples to get a small boat ready for him. This would keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ Jesus had healed many people. So those who were sick were pushing forward to touch him. ¹¹ When people controlled by evil spirits saw him, they fell down in front of him. The spirits shouted, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But Jesus ordered them not to tell people about him.

Jesus Appoints the Twelve Disciples

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside. He called for certain people to come to him, and they came. ¹⁴ He appointed 12 of them so that they would be with him. He would also send them out to preach. ¹⁵ And he gave them authority to drive out demons.

¹⁶ So Jesus appointed the 12 disciples.

Jesus Is Accused by Teachers of the Law

²⁰ Jesus entered a house. Again a crowd gathered. It was so large that Jesus and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ His family heard about this. So they went to take charge of him. They said, “He is out of his mind.”

²² Some teachers of the law were there. They had come down from Jerusalem. They said, “He is controlled by Beelzebul! He is driving out demons by the power of the prince of demons.”

²³ So Jesus called them over to him. He began to speak to them using stories. He said, “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom fights against itself, it can’t stand. ²⁵ If a family is divided, it can’t stand. ²⁶ And if Satan fights against himself, and his helpers are divided, he can’t stand. That is the end of him. ²⁷ In fact, none of you can enter a strong man’s house unless you tie him up first. Then you can steal things from his house. ²⁸ What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone’s sins and evil words against God will be forgiven. ²⁹ But whoever speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Their guilt will last forever.”

³⁰ Jesus said this because the teachers of the law were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

³¹ Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to get him. ³² A crowd was sitting around Jesus. They told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside. They are looking for you.”

³³ “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then Jesus looked at the people sitting in a circle around him. He said, “Here is my mother! Here are my brothers! ³⁵ Anyone who does what God wants is my brother or sister or mother.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath Day

6 One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through the grainfields. His disciples began to break off some heads of grain. They rubbed them in their hands and ate them. ² Some of the Pharisees said, “It is against the Law to do this on the Sabbath day. Why are you doing it?”

³ Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you ever read about what David did? He and his men were hungry. ⁴ He entered the house of God and took the holy bread. He ate the bread that only priests were allowed to eat. David also gave some to his men.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”

⁶ On another Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching. A man whose right hand was weak and twisted was there. ⁷ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were trying to find fault with Jesus. So they watched him closely. They wanted to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He spoke to the man who had the weak and twisted hand. “Get up and stand in front of everyone,” he said. So the man got up and stood there.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “What does the Law say we should do on the Sabbath day? Should we do good? Or should we do evil? Should we save life? Or should we destroy it?”

¹⁰ He looked around at all of them. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand had been made as good as new. ¹¹ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry. They began to talk to one another about what they might do to Jesus.

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles

¹² On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles. Here are their names.

Jesus Gives Blessings and Warnings

¹⁷ Jesus went down the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there. A large number of other people were there too. They came from all over Judea, including Jerusalem. They also came from the coastland around Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had all come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well. ¹⁹ Everyone tried to touch Jesus. Power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰ Jesus looked at his disciples. He said to them,

²³ “The prophets of long ago were treated the same way. When these things happen to you, be glad and jump for joy. You will receive many blessings in heaven.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But here is what I tell you who are listening. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Bless those who call down curses on you. And pray for those who treat you badly. ²⁹ Suppose someone slaps you on one cheek. Let them slap you on the other cheek as well. Suppose someone takes your coat. Don’t stop them from taking your shirt as well. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, don’t ask to get it back. ³¹ Do to others as you want them to do to you.

³² “Suppose you love those who love you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And suppose you do good to those who are good to you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And suppose you lend money to those who can pay you back. Should anyone praise you for that? Even a sinner lends to sinners, expecting them to pay everything back. ³⁵ But love your enemies. Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will receive a lot in return. And you will be children of the Most High God. He is kind to people who are evil and are not thankful. ³⁶ So have mercy, just as your Father has mercy.

Be Fair When You Judge Other People

³⁷ “If you do not judge other people, then you will not be judged. If you do not find others guilty, then you will not be found guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.”

³⁹ Jesus also gave them another example. He asked, “Can a blind person lead another blind person? Won’t they both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ The student is not better than the teacher. But everyone who is completely trained will be like their teacher.

⁴¹ “You look at the bit of sawdust in your friend’s eye. But you pay no attention to the piece of wood in your own eye. ⁴² How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take the bit of sawdust out of your eye’? How can you say this while there is a piece of wood in your own eye? You pretender! First take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see clearly to take the bit of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³ “A good tree doesn’t bear bad fruit. And a bad tree doesn’t bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ You can tell each tree by the kind of fruit it bears. People do not pick figs from thorns. And they don’t pick grapes from bushes. ⁴⁵ A good man says good things. These come from the good that is stored up in his heart. An evil man says evil things. These come from the evil that is stored up in his heart. A person’s mouth says everything that is in their heart.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and still don’t do what I say? ⁴⁷ Some people come and listen to me and do what I say. I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man who builds a house. He digs down deep and sets it on solid rock. When a flood comes, the river rushes against the house. But the water can’t shake it. The house is well built. ⁴⁹ But here is what happens when people listen to my words and do not obey them. They are like a man who builds a house on soft ground instead of solid rock. The moment the river rushes against that house, it falls down. It is completely destroyed.”