Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Temptation in the wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the spirit to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and at the end of it was famished. 3 Then the tempter approached him.
“If you really are God’s son,” he said, “tell these stones to become bread!”
4 “The Bible says,” replied Jesus, “that it takes more than bread to keep you alive. You actually live on every word that comes out of God’s mouth.”
5 Then the devil took him off to the holy city, and stood him on a pinnacle of the Temple.
6 “If you really are God’s son,” he said, “throw yourself down. The Bible does say, after all, that ‘God will give his angels a command about you’; and ‘they will carry you in their hands, so that you won’t hurt your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 “But the Bible also says,” replied Jesus, “that you mustn’t put the Lord your God to the test!”
8 Then the devil took him off again, this time to a very high mountain. There he showed him all the magnificent kingdoms of the world.
9 “I’ll give the whole lot to you,” he said, “if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of it, satan!” replied Jesus. “The Bible says, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone!’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and looked after him.
Announcing the kingdom
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he went off to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth, and went to live at Capernaum, a small town by the sea in the region of Zebulon and Naphtali. 14 This happened so that the word spoken through Isaiah the prophet might come true:
15 The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali,
the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee, land of the nations:
16 the people who sat in the dark saw a great light;
light dawned on those who sat in the shadowy land of death.
17 From that time on Jesus began to make his proclamation.
“Repent!” he would say. “The kingdom of heaven is arriving!”
Jesus calls the disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (also called Peter) and Andrew his brother. They were fishermen, and were casting nets into the sea.
19 “Follow me!” said Jesus. “I’ll make you fish for people!”
20 Straight away they abandoned their nets and followed him.
21 He went on further, and saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. They were in the boat, mending their nets, with Zebedee their father. He called them. 22 At once they left the boat, and their father, and followed him.
23 He went on through the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing every disease and every illness among the people.
24 Word about him went out around the whole of Syria. They brought to him all the people tormented with various kinds of diseases and ailments, demon-possessed people, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judaea and beyond the Jordan.
The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the hillside, and sat down. His disciples came to him. 2 He took a deep breath, and began his teaching:
3 “Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours.
4 “Blessings on the mourners! You’re going to be comforted.
5 “Blessings on the meek! You’re going to inherit the earth.
6 “Blessings on people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.
7 “Blessings on the merciful! You’ll receive mercy yourselves.
8 “Blessings on the pure in heart! You will see God.
9 “Blessings on the peacemakers! You’ll be called God’s children.
10 “Blessings on people who are persecuted because of God’s saving plan! The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.
11 “Blessings on you, when people slander you and persecute you, and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me! 12 Celebrate and rejoice: there’s a great reward for you in heaven. That’s how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.”
Fulfilling the law
13 “You’re the salt of the earth! But if the salt becomes tasteless, how is it going to get salty again? It’s no good for anything. You might as well throw it out and walk all over it.
14 “You’re the light of the world! A city can’t be hidden if it’s on top of a hill. 15 People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bucket; they put it on a lampstand. Then it gives light to everybody in the house. 16 That’s how you must shine your light in front of people! Then they will see what wonderful things you do, and they’ll give glory to your father in heaven.
17 “Don’t suppose that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them; I came to fulfill them! 18 I’m telling you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one stroke, not one dot, is going to disappear from the law, until it’s all come true. 19 So anyone who relaxes a single one of these commandments, even the little ones, and teaches that to people, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “Yes, let me tell you: unless your covenant behavior is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get in to the kingdom of heaven.”
On murder and reconciliation
21 “You heard that it was said to the ancient people, ‘You shall not murder’; and anyone who commits murder shall be liable to judgment. 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; anyone who uses foul and abusive language will be liable to the lawcourt; and anyone who says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to the fires of Gehenna.
23 “So, if you are coming to the altar with your gift, and there you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, 24 leave your gift right there in front of the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. 25 Make friends with your opponent quickly, while you are with him in the street, in case your opponent hands you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you find yourself being thrown into jail. 26 I’m telling you the truth: you won’t get out until you’ve paid every last copper coin.”
On adultery and oaths
27 “You heard,” Jesus continued, “that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you: everyone who gazes at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye trips you up, tear it out and throw it away. Yes: it’s better for you to have one part of your body destroyed than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand trips you up, cut it off and throw it away. Yes: it’s better for you to have one part of your body destroyed than for your whole body to go into Gehenna.
31 “It was also said, ‘If someone divorces his wife, he should give her a legal document to prove it.’ 32 But I say to you: everyone who divorces his wife, unless it’s in connection with immorality, makes her commit adultery; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, you heard that it was said to the people long ago: ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you shall give to the Lord what you promised under oath.’ 34 But I say to you: don’t swear at all! Don’t swear by heaven (it’s God’s throne!); 35 don’t swear by the earth (it’s God’s footstool!); don’t swear by Jerusalem (it’s the city of the great king!); 36 don’t swear by your head (you can’t make one hair of it turn white or black!). 37 When you’re talking, say ‘Yes’ when you mean Yes, and ‘No’ when you mean No. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.”
Loving your enemies
38 “You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you: don’t use violence to resist evil! Instead, when someone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other one towards him. 40 When someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your cloak, too. 41 And when someone forces you to go one mile, go a second one with him. 42 Give to anyone who asks you, and don’t refuse someone who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: love your enemies! Pray for people who persecute you! 45 That way, you’ll be children of your father in heaven! After all, he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and sends rain both on the upright and on the unjust. 46 Look at it like this: if you love those who love you, do you expect a special reward? Even tax-collectors do that, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your own family, what’s so special about that? Even Gentiles do that, don’t they? 48 Well then: you must be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect.”
Piety in secret
6 “When you are practicing your piety, mind you don’t do it with an eye on the audience! Otherwise, you won’t have any reward from your father in heaven.
2 “So when you give money to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet in front of you. That’s what people do when they’re just play-acting, in the synagogues and the streets. They do it so that people will be impressed at them. I’m telling you the truth: they’ve received their reward in full. 3 No: when you give money, don’t let your left hand have any idea what your right hand is up to. 4 That way, your giving will be in secret. And your father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
5 “When you pray, you mustn’t be like the play-actors. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners, so that people will notice them. I’m telling you the truth: they have received their reward in full. 6 No: when you pray, go into your own room, shut the door, and pray to your father who is there in secret. And your father, who sees in secret, will repay you.”
The Lord’s Prayer
7 “When you pray, don’t pile up a jumbled heap of words! That’s what the Gentiles do. They reckon that the more they say, the more likely they are to be heard. 8 So don’t be like them. You see, your father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “So this is how you should pray:
Our father in heaven,
may your name be honored.
10 May your kingdom come.
May your will be done,
as in heaven, so on earth.
11 Give us today the bread we need now;
12 and forgive us the things we owe,
as we too have forgiven what was owed to us.
13 Don’t bring us into the great trial,
but rescue us from evil.
14 “Yes: if you forgive people the wrong they have done, your heavenly father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive people, neither will your heavenly father forgive you what you have done wrong.”
On fasting and lasting treasure
16 “When you fast, don’t be gloomy like the play-actors. They make their faces quite unrecognizable, so that everyone can see they’re fasting. I’m telling you the truth: they have received their reward in full. 17 No: when you fast, tidy your hair and beard the way you normally do, and wash your face, 18 so that others won’t notice you’re fasting—except your father, privately. Then your father, who sees in private, will repay you.
19 “Don’t store up treasure on earth. Moths and rust will eat it away, and robbers will break in and steal it. 20 No: store up for yourselves treasure in heaven! Moths and rust don’t eat it away there, and no robbers break in and steal it. 21 Show me your treasure, and I’ll show you where your heart is.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is honest and clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body is in the dark. So, if the light within you turns out to be darkness, darkness doesn’t come any darker than that.
24 “Nobody can serve two masters. Otherwise, they will either hate the first and love the second, or be devoted to the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and wealth.”
Do not worry
25 “So let me tell you: don’t worry about your life—what to eat, what to drink; don’t worry about your body—what to wear. There’s more to life than food! There’s more to the body than a suit of clothes! 26 Have a good look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant seeds, they don’t bring in the harvest, they don’t store things in barns—and your father in heaven feeds them! Think how different you are from them! 27 Can any of you add fifteen inches to your height just by worrying about it?
28 “And why worry about what to wear? Take a tip from the lilies in the countryside. They don’t work; they don’t weave; 29 but, let me tell you, not even Solomon in all his finery was dressed as well as one of these. 30 So if God gives that sort of clothing even to the grass in the field, which is here today and on the bonfire tomorrow, isn’t he far more likely to clothe you too, you little-faith lot?
31 “So don’t worry away with your ‘What’ll we eat?’ and ‘What’ll we drink?’ and ‘What’ll we wear?’ 32 Those are all the kinds of things the Gentiles fuss about, and your heavenly father knows you need them all. 33 Instead, make your top priority God’s kingdom and his way of life, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow can worry about itself. One day’s trouble at a time is quite enough.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.