Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil

4 Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert ² where the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during that time. When those days were ended, he was very hungry.

³ The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘A person does not live only by eating bread.’”^[a]

⁵ Then the devil took Jesus and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶ The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their power and glory. It has all been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. ⁷ If you worship me, all will be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!’”^[b]

⁹ Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! ¹⁰ It is written in the Scriptures:

¹² Jesus answered, “But it also says in the Scriptures: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”^[c]

¹³ After the devil had tempted Jesus in every way, he went away to wait until a better time.

Jesus Teaches the People

¹⁴ Jesus went back to Galilee with the power of the Holy Spirit. Stories about Jesus spread all through the area. ¹⁵ He began to teach in the synagogues, and all the people praised him.

¹⁶ Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue as he always did. Jesus stood up to read. ¹⁷ The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

²⁰ Jesus closed the book, gave it back, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. ²¹ He began to speak to them. He said, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!”

²² All the people praised Jesus. They were amazed at the beautiful words he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

²³ Jesus said to them, “I know that you will tell me the old saying: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum. Do those things here in your own town!’” ²⁴ Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. A prophet is not accepted in his own town. ²⁵ What I say is true. During the time of Elijah it did not rain in Israel for three and a half years. There was no food anywhere in the whole country. And there were many widows in Israel during that time. ²⁶ But Elijah was sent to none of those widows. He was sent only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many with a harmful skin disease living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed except Naaman, who was from the country of Syria.”

²⁸ When all the people in the synagogue heard these things, they became very angry. ²⁹ They got up and forced Jesus out of town. The town was built on a hill. They took Jesus to the edge of the hill and wanted to throw him off. ³⁰ But Jesus walked through the crowd and went on his way.

Jesus Removes an Evil Spirit

³¹ Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath day, Jesus taught the people. ³² They were amazed at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. ³³ In the synagogue there was a man who had an evil spirit from the devil inside him. The man shouted in a loud voice, ³⁴ “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come here to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”

³⁵ But Jesus warned the evil spirit to stop. He said, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” The evil spirit threw the man down to the ground before all the people. Then the evil spirit left the man and did not hurt him.

³⁶ The people were amazed. They said to each other, “What does this mean? With authority and power he commands evil spirits, and they come out.” ³⁷ And so the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area.

Jesus Heals Many People

³⁸ Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s^[d] house. Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick with a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her. ³⁹ He stood very close to her and commanded the fever to leave. It left her immediately, and she got up and began serving them.

⁴⁰ When the sun went down, the people brought their sick to Jesus. They had many different diseases. Jesus put his hands on each sick person and healed every one of them. ⁴¹ Demons came out of many people. The demons would shout, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus gave a strong command for the demons not to speak. They knew Jesus was the Christ.

⁴² At daybreak, Jesus went to a place to be alone, but the people looked for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving. ⁴³ But Jesus said to them, “I must tell the Good News about God’s kingdom to other towns, too. This is why I was sent.”

⁴⁴ Then Jesus kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.^[e]

Jesus’ First Followers

5 One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee. Many people were pressing all around him. They wanted to hear the word of God. ² Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ Jesus got into one of the boats, the one which belonged to Simon.^[f] Jesus asked Simon to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down in the boat and continued to teach the people on the shore.

⁴ When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water. If you will put your nets in the water, you will catch some fish.”

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, but we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water; so I will.” ⁶ The fishermen did as Jesus told them. And they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. ⁷ They called to their friends in the other boat to come and help them. The friends came, and both boats were filled so full that they were almost sinking.

^8-9 The fishermen were all amazed at the many fish they caught. When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” ¹⁰ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were amazed too. (James and John were Simon’s partners.)

Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be fishermen for men.” ¹¹ When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man

¹² One time Jesus was in a town where a very sick man lived. The man was covered with a harmful skin disease. When he saw Jesus, he bowed before Jesus and begged him, “Lord, heal me. I know you can if you want to.”

¹³ Jesus said, “I want to. Be healed!” And Jesus touched the man. Immediately the disease disappeared. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go show yourself to the priest.^[g] And offer a gift to God for your healing as Moses commanded.^[h] This will prove to everyone that you are healed.”

¹⁵ But the news about Jesus was spreading more and more. Many people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often slipped away to other places to be alone so that he could pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching the people. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were there, too. They had come from every town in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people. ¹⁸ There was a man who was paralyzed. Some men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus. ¹⁹ But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way to Jesus. So the men went up on the roof and made a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat so that the paralyzed man was lying right before Jesus. ²⁰ Jesus saw that these men believed. So he said to the sick man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man? He is saying things that are against God! Only God can forgive sins.”

²² But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you have thoughts like that in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? ²⁴ But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home.”

²⁵ Then the man stood up before the people there. He picked up his mat and went home, praising God. ²⁶ All the people were fully amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with much respect and said, “Today we have seen amazing things!”

Levi Follows Jesus

²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” ²⁸ Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.

²⁹ Then Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus. The dinner was at Levi’s house. At the table there were many tax collectors and other people, too. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to the followers of Jesus. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. It is the sick who need a doctor. ³² I have not come to invite good people. I have come to invite sinners to change their hearts and lives!”

Jesus Answers a Question

³³ They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often give up eating^[i] and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “When there is a wedding, you cannot make the friends of the bridegroom give up eating while he is still with them. ³⁵ But the time will come when he will be taken away from them. Then his friends will give up eating.”

³⁶ Jesus told them this story: “No one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. If he does, he ruins the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat will not be the same as the old cloth. ³⁷ People never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the new wine will break the bags, and the wine will spill out. Then the leather bags for holding wine will be ruined. ³⁸ People always put new wine into new leather bags. ³⁹ No one after drinking old wine wants new wine because he says, ‘The old wine is better.’”

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,

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.

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.”