Read the Gospels in 40 Days
The Temptation of Jesus(A)
4 Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted by the devil for forty days. During those days He ate nothing. And when they were ended, He was hungry.
3 The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’[a]”
5 The devil, taking Him up onto a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this power and their glory, for it has been delivered to me. And I give it to whomever I will. 7 If You, then, will worship me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’[b]”
9 He brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge concerning you,
to preserve you,’
11 and
‘In their hands they shall hold you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’[d]”
13 When the devil had ended all the temptations, he departed from Him until another time.
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry(B)
14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. And His fame went throughout the surrounding region. 15 He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by everyone.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth(C)
16 He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. When He had unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”[e]
20 Then He rolled up the scroll, and He gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All bore witness to Him, and wondered at the gracious words which came from His mouth. Then they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You will surely say to Me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal Yourself. Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ”
24 He also said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truthfully, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. 26 Yet to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, a city of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. But none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. 29 They rose up and thrust Him out of the city and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down headlong. 30 But passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
The Man With an Unclean Spirit(D)
31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 They were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Leave us alone! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
35 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him and did not hurt him.
36 They were all amazed and said among themselves, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And His fame went out to every place in the surrounding countryside.
The Healing of Many People(E)
38 He went out of the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was taken ill with a high fever, and they asked Him about her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she rose and served them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him. And He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons came out of many, crying out, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and did not permit them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.
Preaching in the Synagogues(F)
42 When it was day He departed and went into a remote place. And searching for Him, the people came to Him and tried to prevent Him from leaving them. 43 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for this is why I was sent.” 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
The Calling of the First Disciples(G)
5 As the people pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret 2 and saw two boats beside the lake. But the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He entered one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to thrust it out a little from the land. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered Him, “Master, we have worked all night and have caught nothing. But at Your word I will let down the net.”
6 When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was tearing. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
The Cleansing of a Leper(H)
12 When He was in a certain city, a man full of leprosy, upon seeing Jesus, fell on his face and begged Him, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.”
13 He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will. Be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14 Then He commanded him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
15 Yet even more so His fame went everywhere. And great crowds came together to hear and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 But He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
The Healing of a Paralytic(I)
17 On a certain day, as He was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby, who had come from every town of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal the sick. 18 Now some men brought in a bed a man who was paralyzed. They searched for ways to bring him in and lay him before Him. 19 When they could not find a way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his bed into their midst before Jesus.
20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to question, “Who is He who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered them, “Why question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, rise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 25 Immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 They were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen wonderful things today.”
The Calling of Levi(J)
27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax collector’s station. He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything, rose up, and followed Him.
29 Then Levi made Him a great feast in his house. And there was a group of many tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The Question About Fasting(K)
33 They said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 He said to them, “Can you make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then in those days they will fast.”
36 He told them a parable also: “No one sews a piece of a new material on an old one. Otherwise the new would tear, for the new piece does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the new wine will burst the wineskins, and it will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new. For he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath(L)
6 On the second Sabbath after the first, He went through the grain fields, and His disciples plucked and ate the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 Some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and took and ate the ritual bread, and also gave it to those who were with him. This was not lawful, but for the priests only to eat.” 5 Then He said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
The Man With a Withered Hand(M)
6 On another Sabbath, when He entered the synagogue and taught, there was a man whose right hand had withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched Him to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise and stand in front.” So he rose and stood in front.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
10 Then looking around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with madness and discussed with each other what they might do to Jesus.
The Choosing of the Twelve Apostles(N)
12 In these days He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 When it was day, He called for His disciples, and of them He chose twelve, whom He named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Ministering to a Great Crowd(O)
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great crowd of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 including those who were vexed by unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 The whole crowd tried to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Blessings and Woes(P)
20 He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you,
and when they separate you from their company and insult you,
and cast out your name as evil,
on account of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for indeed, your reward is great in heaven. For in like manner their fathers treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 Woe to you who are filled,
for you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you, when all men speak well of you,
for so their fathers spoke of the false prophets.
Love for Enemies(Q)
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer also the other. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And of him who takes away your goods, do not ask for them back. 31 Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
32 “For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you receive? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you receive? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you receive? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much in return. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and the evil. 36 Be therefore merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others(R)
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men give unto you. For with the measure you use, it will be measured unto you.”
39 He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is trained will be like his teacher.
41 “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit(S)
43 “A good tree does not bear corrupt fruit, nor does a corrupt tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a wild bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bears what is good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bears what is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The Two Housebuilders(T)
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show whom he is like: 48 He is like a man who built a house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, but could not shake it, for it was founded on rock. 49 But he who hears and does not obey is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently. Immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.