Chronological
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12 About that same time, Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were with him, and they were hungry. So they began to pick the grain and eat it. 2 The Pharisees saw this, and they said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing something that is against the Jewish law to do on the Sabbath day.”
3 Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? 4 David went into God’s house. He and those with him ate the bread that was made holy for God. It was against the law for them to eat that bread. Only the priests were allowed to eat it. 5 And have you not read in the law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break this law about the Sabbath day? But the priests are not wrong for doing that. 6 I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. 7 The Scripture says, ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’[a] You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.
8 “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand
9 Jesus left there and went into their synagogue. 10 In the synagogue, there was a man with a crippled hand. Some Jews there were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus of doing wrong. So they asked him, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?”[b]
11 Jesus answered, “If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, then you will take the sheep and help it out of the ditch. 12 Surely a man is more important than a sheep. So the law of Moses allows people to do good things on the Sabbath day.”
13 Then Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out, and the hand became well again, the same as the other hand. 14 But the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.
Jesus Is God’s Chosen Servant
15 Jesus knew what the Pharisees were doing, so he left that place. Many people followed him, and he healed all who were sick. 16 But Jesus warned the people not to tell who he was. 17 He did these things to make come true what Isaiah the prophet had said:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen.
I love him, and I am pleased with him.
I will put my Spirit in him.
Then he will tell how I will judge all people fairly.
19 He will not argue or shout.
No one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a crushed blade of grass.
He will not put out even a weak flame.
He will continue until he makes fair judgment win the victory.
21 In him will the nations find hope.” Isaiah 42:1-4
Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand
3 Another time when Jesus went into a synagogue, a man with a crippled hand was there. 2 Some people there wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so they could accuse him. They watched him closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day.
3 Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here in front of everyone.”
4 Then Jesus asked the people, “Which is right on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” But they said nothing to answer him.
5 Jesus was angry as he looked at the people. But he felt very sad because they were stubborn. Then he said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out for Jesus, and it was healed. 6 Then the Pharisees left and began making plans with the Herodians[a] about a way to kill Jesus.
Many People Follow Jesus
7 Jesus left with his followers for the lake. A large crowd from Galilee followed him. 8 Also many people came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the lands across the Jordan River, and from the area of Tyre and Sidon. They came because they had heard about all the things Jesus was doing. 9 Jesus saw the crowds. So he told his followers to get a boat ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the many people would not crowd themselves against him. 10 He had healed many people. So all the sick were pushing toward him to touch him. 11 Some had evil spirits in them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But Jesus strongly commanded the spirits not to tell who he was.
Jesus Chooses His 12 Apostles
13 Then Jesus went up on a hill and called some men to come to him. These were the men Jesus wanted, and they went up to him. 14 Jesus chose 12 men and called them apostles.[b] He wanted these 12 to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to preach. 15 He also wanted them to have the power to force demons out of people. 16 These are the 12 men he chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter); 17 James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”); 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot. Judas is the one who gave Jesus to his enemies.
People Say Jesus Has a Devil
20 Then Jesus went back home. But again a crowd gathered. There were so many people that Jesus and his followers could not eat. 21 His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people were saying that Jesus was out of his mind.
22 And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem were saying, “Beelzebul is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out.”
23 So Jesus called the people together and used stories to teach them. He said, “Satan will not force his own demons out of people. 24 A kingdom that fights against itself cannot continue. 25 And a family that is divided cannot continue. 26 And if Satan is against himself and fights against his own people, then he cannot continue. And that is the end of Satan. 27 If a person wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things, first he must tie up the strong man. Then the thief can steal the things from the strong man’s house. 28 I tell you the truth. All sins that people do can be forgiven. And all the bad things people say against God can be forgiven. 29 But any person who says bad things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of a sin that continues forever.”
30 Jesus said this because the teachers of the law said that Jesus had an evil spirit inside him.
Jesus’ True Family
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone in to tell him to come out. 32 Many people were sitting around Jesus. They said to him, “Your mother and brothers[c] are waiting for you outside.”
33 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then Jesus looked at those sitting around him. He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 My true brother and sister and mother are those who do the things God wants.”
Jesus Is Lord over the Sabbath
6 One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His followers picked the heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. 2 Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing that? It is against the law of Moses to do that on the Sabbath day.”
3 Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read about what David did when he and those with him were hungry? 4 David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was made holy for God and ate it. And he gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the law of Moses. It says that only priests can eat that bread.” 5 Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand
6 On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching. A man with a crippled right hand was there. 7 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him. 8 But he knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Get up and stand before these people.” The man got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is it right to do on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” 10 Jesus looked around at all of them. He said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man stretched out his hand, and it was completely healed.
11 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law became very angry. They said to each other, “What can we do to Jesus?”
Jesus Chooses His Apostles
12 At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night, praying to God. 13 The next morning, Jesus called his followers to him. He chose 12 of them, whom he named “apostles.” They were 14 Simon (Jesus named him Peter) and Andrew, Peter’s brother; James and John, Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon (called the Zealot), 16 Judas son of James and Judas Iscariot. This Judas was the one who gave Jesus to his enemies.
Jesus Teaches and Heals
17 Jesus and the apostles came down from the mountain. Jesus stood on level ground where there was a large group of his followers. Also, there were many people from all around Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They all came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. He healed those who were troubled by evil spirits. 19 All the people were trying to touch Jesus, because power was coming from him and healing them all!
20 Jesus looked at his followers and said,
“Poor people, you are happy,
because God’s kingdom belongs to you.
21 You people who are now hungry are happy,
because you will be satisfied.
You people who are now crying are happy,
because you will laugh with joy.
22 “You are happy when people hate you and are cruel to you. You are happy when they say that you are evil because you belong to the Son of Man. 23 At that time be full of joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their fathers were cruel to the prophets in the same way these people are cruel to you.
24 “But how terrible it will be for you who are rich,
because you have had your easy life.
25 How terrible it will be for you who are full now,
because you will be hungry.
How terrible it will be for you who are laughing now,
because you will be sad and cry.
26 “How terrible when all people say only good things about you. Their fathers always said good things about the false prophets.
Love Your Enemies
27 “I say to you who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Ask God to bless those who say bad things to you. Pray for those who are cruel to you. 29 If anyone slaps you on one cheek, let him slap the other cheek too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who asks you. When a person takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 31 Do for other people what you want them to do for you. 32 If you love only those who love you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners love the people who love them! 33 If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners do that! 34 If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, should you get some special praise for that? No! Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! 35 So love your enemies. Do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be sons of the Most High God. Yes, because God is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. 36 Show mercy just as your father shows mercy.
Look at Yourselves
37 “Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”
39 Jesus told them this story: “Can a blind man lead another blind man? No! Both of them will fall into a ditch. 40 A student is not better than his teacher. But when the student has fully learned all that he has been taught, then he will be like his teacher.
41 “Why do you notice the little piece of dust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? 42 You say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? You cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You are a hypocrite! First, take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother’s eye.
Two Kinds of Fruit
43 “A good tree does not produce bad fruit. Also, a bad tree does not produce good fruit. 44 Each tree is known by its fruit. People don’t gather figs from thornbushes. And they don’t get grapes from bushes. 45 A good person has good things saved up in his heart. And so he brings good things out of his heart. But an evil person has evil things saved up in his heart. So he brings out bad things. A person speaks the things that are in his heart.
Two Kinds of People
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and obeys 48 is like a man building a house. He digs deep and lays his foundation on rock. The floods come, and the water tries to wash the house away. But the flood cannot move the house, because the house was built well. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not obey is like a man who builds his house on the ground without a foundation. When the floods come, the house quickly falls down. And that house is completely destroyed.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.