Chronological
Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day(A)
12 About that same time, Jesus was walking through the 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. They said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing something that is against the law to do on the Sabbath day.”
3 Jesus said to them, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry. 4 David went into God’s house. He and those with him ate the bread that was offered to God. It was against the law for David or those with him to eat that bread. Only the priests were allowed to eat it. 5 And you have read in the Law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests at the Temple break the law about the Sabbath day. But they are not wrong for doing that. 6 I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. 7 The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’[a] You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.
8 “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”
Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath Day(B)
9 Jesus went from there to 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, you will take the sheep and help it out of the ditch. 12 Surely a man is more important than a sheep. So it is right to do good on the Sabbath day.”
13 Then Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it 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 planning. So he left that place, and many people followed him. He healed all who were sick, 16 but he warned them not to tell others who he was. 17 This was to give full meaning to what Isaiah the prophet said when he spoke for God:
18 “Here is my servant,
the one I have chosen.
He is the one I love,
and I am very pleased with him.
I will fill him with my Spirit,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
19 He will not argue or shout;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break off even a bent stem of grass.[c]
He will not put out even the weakest flame.
He will not give up until he has made justice victorious.
21 All people will hope in him.” (C)
Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath Day(A)
3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue. In the synagogue there was a man with a crippled hand. 2 Some Jews there were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal the man on a Sabbath day. They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him. 3 Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here so that everyone can see you.”
4 Then Jesus asked the people, “Which is the right thing to do on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” The people said nothing to answer him.
5 Jesus looked at the people. He was angry, but he felt very sad because they were so stubborn. He said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed. 6 Then the Pharisees left and made plans with the Herodians about a way to kill Jesus.
Many Follow Jesus
7 Jesus went away with his followers to the lake. A large crowd of people from Galilee followed them. 8 Many also came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the area across the Jordan River, and from the area around Tyre and Sidon. These people came because they heard about all that Jesus was doing.
9 Jesus saw how many people there were, so he told his followers to get a small boat and make it ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the crowds of people could not push against him. 10 He had healed many of them, so all the sick people were pushing toward him to touch him. 11 Some people had evil spirits inside them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they bowed before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But Jesus gave the spirits a strong warning not to tell anyone who he was.
Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles(B)
13 Then Jesus went up on a hill and invited those he wanted to go with him. So they joined him there. 14 And he chose twelve men and called them apostles. He wanted these twelve men to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to tell people God’s message. 15 He also wanted them to have the power to force demons out of people. 16 These are the names of the twelve men Jesus chose:
Simon (the one Jesus named Peter),
17 James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (the ones Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”),
18 Andrew,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
Thomas,
James, the son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus,
Simon, the Zealot,
19 Judas Iscariot (the one who handed Jesus over to his enemies).
Jesus’ Power Is From God(C)
20 Then Jesus went home, but again a large crowd gathered there. There were so many people that he and his followers could not eat. 21 His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people said he was crazy.
22 And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem said, “Satan[a] is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out of people.”
23 So Jesus called them together and talked to them using some stories. He said, “Satan will not force his own demons out of people. 24 A kingdom that fights against itself will not survive. 25 And a family that is divided will not survive. 26 If Satan is against himself and is fighting against his own people, he will not survive. That would be the end of Satan.
27 “Whoever wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house.
28 “I want you to know that people can be forgiven for all the sinful things they do. They can even be forgiven for the bad things they say against God. 29 But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. They will always be guilty of that sin.”
30 Jesus said this because the teachers of the law had accused him of having an evil spirit inside him.
Jesus’ Followers Are His True Family(D)
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came. 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, your brothers, and your sisters[b] are waiting for you outside.”
33 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at the people sitting around him and said, “These people are my mother and my brothers! 35 My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants.”
Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day(A)
6 One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it. 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, “You have read about what David did when he and the people with him were hungry. 4 David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was offered to God and ate it. And he gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the Law of Moses, which says that only the priests can eat that bread.” 5 Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”
Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath Day(B)
6 On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and taught the people. A man with a crippled right hand was there. 7 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to see him do something wrong so that they could accuse him. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Get up and stand here where everyone can see.” The man got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is the right thing 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 and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed. 11 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law got so mad they couldn’t think straight. They talked to each other about what they could do to Jesus.
Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles(C)
12 A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God. 13 The next morning he called his followers. He chose twelve of them and called them apostles. These are the ones he chose:
14 Simon (Jesus named him Peter),
Andrew, brother of Peter,
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew,
Thomas,
James, the son of Alphaeus,
Simon, called the Zealot,
16 Judas, the son of James,
Judas Iscariot (the one who turned against Jesus).
Jesus Teaches and Heals the People(D)
17 Jesus and the apostles came down from the mountain. Jesus stood on a flat place. A large crowd of his followers was there. 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 the people who were troubled by evil spirits. 19 Everyone was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him. Jesus healed them all.
20 Jesus looked at his followers and said,
“Great blessings belong to you who are poor.
God’s kingdom belongs to you.
21 Great blessings belong to you who are hungry now.
You will be filled.
Great blessings belong to you who are crying now.
You will be happy and laughing.
22 “People will hate you because you belong to the Son of Man. They will make you leave their group. They will insult you. They will think it is wrong even to say your name. When these things happen, know that great blessings belong to you. 23 You can be happy then and jump for joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. The ancestors of those people did the same things to the prophets.
24 “But how bad it will be for you rich people,
because you had your easy life.
25 How bad it will be for you people who are full now,
because you will be hungry.
How bad it will be for you people who are laughing now,
because you will be sad and cry.
26 “How bad it is when everyone says nothing but good about you. Just look at the false prophets. Their ancestors always said good things about them.
Love Your Enemies(E)
27 “But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. 29 If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 31 Do for others what you want them to do for you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners love those who love them! 33 If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners do that! 34 If you lend things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get any special praise for that? No, even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount!
35 “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.
Be Careful About Criticizing Others(F)
37 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give to others, 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 Students are not better than their teacher. But when they have been fully taught, they will be like their teacher.
41 “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? 42 You say to your friend, ‘Let me get that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? Can’t you see that big piece of wood in your own eye? You are a hypocrite. First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.
Only Good Trees Produce Good Fruit(G)
43 “A good tree does not produce bad fruit. And a bad tree does not produce good fruit. 44 Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.
Two Kinds of People(H)
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but you don’t do what I say? 47 The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them—I will show you what they are like: 48 They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the flood cannot move the house, because it was built well.
49 “But the people who hear my words and do not obey are like a man who builds a house without preparing a foundation. When the floods come, the house falls down easily and is completely destroyed.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International