Read the Gospels in 40 Days

7 Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus.

² They saw some of the disciples eating food. They had not washed their hands before they ate. The Pharisees said that was wrong.

³ They and all the Jews keep the laws made by men. God did not give them those laws. They do not eat until they wash their hands very well.

⁴ When they come from the market, they do not eat until they have washed themselves. They also keep many other laws such as washing cups, pots, brass pans, and beds.

⁵ The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, `Why do your disciples not keep the law our fathers made? Why do they eat with hands that are not clean?'

^6-7 esus said to them, `Isaiah spoke the truth about you people! You are not true to yourselves! He wrote about you this way: "These people respect me with their mouths. But their hearts are far from me. They do not mean it in their hearts when they worship me. Their teachings are only words of men."

⁸ `You do not keep the law of God, but you keep the laws made by people. Those laws are about washing pots and cups. You do many other things like that also.

⁹ `You break God's law so that you can keep your own law.

¹⁰ Moses said, "Respect your father and your mother. Anyone who says wrong things to his father or his mother will die."

¹¹ You say, "Tell your father or your mother that what you were going to give to them is Corban." (That means a gift to God.)

¹² So you stop him from doing anything for his father and mother.

¹³ You make God's law to mean nothing so that you can keep your own laws. You do many other things like that also.'

¹⁴ Then Jesus called the people to him again. He said, `Listen to me, all of you, and understand what I say.

¹⁵ What goes into a person's mouth does not make him dirty. But what comes out of a person's mouth makes him dirty.

¹⁶ Everyone who has ears to hear, listen!'

¹⁷ Jesus left the people and went into a house. His disciples asked him the meaning of the story.

¹⁸ He said, `Do you still not understand? Do you not know this? What goes into a person from the outside cannot make a person dirty.

¹⁹ It does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and then it goes out of the body.' By saying this, Jesus meant that food does not make a person dirty.

²⁰ But he said, `What comes out of a person makes him dirty. 21,

²¹ Here is what comes from the heart: wrong thoughts, all kinds of adultery, stealing, killing, wanting things that other people have, doing very wrong things, fooling people, breaking the law, jealousy, saying wrong things about people, being proud, being foolish.

²² All these wrong things come from a person's heart and make him dirty.'

²³ Then Jesus went away to the country of Tyre and Sidon. He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. But he could not hide from the people.

²⁴ Right away a woman heard of him. She came and kneeled down before him. Her daughter had a bad spirit in her.

²⁵ The woman was not a Jew and had been born in the country of Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to drive the bad spirit out of her daughter.

²⁶ But Jesus said to her, `We will give the children all they want to eat first. It is not right to take the children's food and give it to the little dogs.'

²⁷ She answered, `Yes, Sir. But even the little dogs under the table eat food that falls from the children's table.'

²⁸ Jesus said to her, `Because you have said this, you may go home. The bad spirit has gone out of your daughter.'

²⁹ When she came to her house, she found that the bad spirit had left. Her daughter was lying on the bed.

³⁰ Jesus went away from Tyre and Sidon and came to the sea of Galilee. He passed through the country of the Ten Towns.

³¹ The people brought a man to Jesus who could not hear and could not talk well. They begged Jesus to put his hand on him.

³² So Jesus took him away alone. He put his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spat and touched the man's tongue.

³³ He looked up to heaven and sighed. He said, `Ephphatha!' That means, `Be opened!'

³⁴ Right away the man's ears were opened and his tongue was made free. He could talk well.

³⁵ Jesus said, `Do not tell anyone.' But the more he told them not to tell, the more they told it everywhere.

³⁶ The people were very much surprised. They said, `He has done everything well. The people who could not hear can hear. The people who could not talk can talk.'

8 Again at that time many, many people came together. They had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples. He said,

² `I share the suffering of the people. They have been with me for three days and they have nothing to eat.

³ If I send them home hungry, they will get weak and fall on the way. Some of them have come a long way.'

⁴ His disciples answered, `Where can anyone get enough food in this lonely place to feed so many people?'

⁵ Jesus asked them, `How many loaves of bread have you?' They said, `Seven.'

⁶ He told the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves of bread and thanked God for them. Then he broke the bread and gave it to the disciples. They gave it to the people.

⁷ They had a few small fish. Jesus told the disciples to divide the fish among the people also.

⁸ The people ate and had enough. They gathered seven baskets full of pieces that were left.

⁹ The number of men who ate was about four thousand.

¹⁰ Jesus sent them away. Then right away he got in the boat with his disciples and went to the country around Dalmanutha.

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus. They wanted to test him. So they asked him to show them a sign from the sky.

¹² He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, `Why do people today want a sign? I tell you the truth. No sign will be given to them.'

¹³ He left them and went to the other side in a boat.

¹⁴ The disciples forgot to take food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat.

¹⁵ Jesus said, `Watch! Take care. Do not let the bread yeast of the Pharisees and Herod spoil you.'

¹⁶ The disciples talked to one another about the matter. They said, `He says that because we have no bread.'

¹⁷ Jesus knew what they were saying. He asked, `Why are you saying, "We have no bread"? Do you not yet understand? Are your minds so slow?

¹⁸ Can you not see with your eyes or hear with your ears? Do you not remember?

¹⁹ When I broke five loaves for five thousand people, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you gather?' They said, `Twelve.'

²⁰ He said, `When I broke seven loaves for four thousand people, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you gather?' They said, `Seven.'

²¹ He said to them, `How is it that you do not yet understand?'

²² Then they came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They begged him to touch the man.

²³ Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spat on his eyes and put his hands on him. Then he asked, `Do you see anything?'

²⁴ The man looked up and said, `I see men, but they look like trees that are walking.'

²⁵ Jesus put his hands on him again. He made him look up. Then he was healed and could see everybody clearly.

²⁶ Jesus sent the man away to his home. `Do not go into the village and do not tell it to anyone,' he said.

²⁷ Jesus went with his disciples to the villages in Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, `Who do people say that I am?'

²⁸ They answered, `People say that you are John the Baptizer. Others say that you are Elijah. And others say that you are one of the prophets from long ago.'

²⁹ Then he asked them, `But who do you say I am?' Peter answered, `You are the Christ.'

³⁰ Jesus said to them, `Do not tell anyone about me.'

³¹ Then he began to teach them. He said, `The Son of Man will have much trouble. The leaders, the chief priests, and the scribes will not believe him. He will be killed. After three days he will rise.'

³² Jesus said this very plainly. Peter took him to one side and began to tell him not to say such things.

³³ Jesus turned around and saw the disciples. Then he talked to Peter. He said, `Get away from me, Satan! You are not thinking the way God thinks, but the way people think.'

³⁴ Jesus called the people and the disciples to him. He said, `If anyone wants to come with me he must leave what he himself wants to do. He must be ready to carry his own cross and come with me.

³⁵ Anyone who tries to keep his life will lose it. And anyone who gives up his life for my sake and for the sake of the good news will find it.

³⁶ What good will it do a man if he gets the whole world for himself but loses his soul?

^37-38 hat can a person give to get back his soul? People have gone away from God and are full of wrong ways. If anyone in this time is ashamed of me and the things I say, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of that person when he comes. The Son of Man will come with his holy angels, and be great like his Father.'

9 Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. Some people are standing here who will not die before they see the kingdom of God come with power.'

² Six days after this, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. He led them up a hill by themselves. Jesus was changed in front of them.

³ His clothes were white like light. No person on earth could make them so white.

⁴ Then they saw Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus.

⁵ Then Peter said to Jesus, `Master, this is a good place for us. We will make three places, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'

⁶ Peter did not know what to say because they were very much afraid.

⁷ Then a cloud came over them. A voice in the cloud said, `This is my dear Son. Listen to him.'

⁸ They quickly looked around but they saw no one except Jesus there with them.

⁹ When they came down the hill, Jesus said to them, `Do not tell anyone what you saw. Do not tell it until after the Son of Man has been raised from death.'

¹⁰ So they kept these things to themselves, asking each other what he meant about rising from death.

¹¹ Then they asked Jesus, `Why do the scribes [who know all about the holy writings] say that first Elijah must come?'

¹² He said, `Elijah does come first. He will get everything ready. But why do the holy writings say that the Son of Man must have much trouble? They say, "He will have much trouble and the people will not respect him."

¹³ I tell you that Elijah has come. The people did to him just what they wanted to do. They did just as it is written about him.'

¹⁴ When they came to the disciples, they saw many people around them. Some scribes were talking with the disciples.

¹⁵ The people were all very much surprised when they saw Jesus. They ran to him and greeted him.

¹⁶ Jesus asked his disciples, `What are you talking about with them?'

¹⁷ One of the people said, `Teacher, I brought my son to you. A bad spirit is in him so he cannot talk.

¹⁸ Wherever it takes hold of him, it throws him around. It makes him foam at his mouth. It makes him make noises with his teeth. He is getting weak and thin. I asked your disciples to drive the bad spirit out, but they could not do it.'

¹⁹ Jesus said, `You people today do not believe. How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.'

²⁰ So they brought the boy to him. As soon as the bad spirit saw him, he threw the boy around. The boy fell on the ground and rolled around. Foam was coming from his mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the father, `How long has he had this spirit?' He answered, `Since he was a child.

²² Often it has thrown him in the fire and in the water. It has tried to kill him. If you can do anything for him, show us that you share our suffering by helping us.'

²³ Jesus said to him, `You say, "If you can." Anything can be done for the person who believes.'

²⁴ Right away the father of the child, with tears in his eyes, said loudly, `I do believe! Help me to believe more!'

²⁵ Jesus saw many people come running together. He talked to the bad spirit: `You bad spirit who stops the boy from hearing and talking! I tell you, come out of him and do not go into him again!'

²⁶ The bad spirit screamed and threw the boy around. Then it came out of him and left him like a dead person. Many of the people even said, `The boy is dead.'

²⁷ But Jesus took his hand and helped him to get up. The boy stood up.

²⁸ Jesus went into the house. His disciples were alone with him. They asked him, `Why could we not drive out the bad spirit?'

²⁹ Jesus said to them, `This kind of bad spirit does not come out unless people talk to God and fast.'

³⁰ Then they left that place and went through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know it.

³¹ He taught his disciples. He said to them, `The Son of Man will be given over to men. They will kill him. When he is killed, he will rise after three days.'

³² The disciples did not understand what he said and they were afraid to ask him.

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked the disciples, `What were you talking about on the way coming?'

³⁴ But they said nothing, because on the road they had been talking among themselves about who was the greatest person.

³⁵ He sat down and called the twelve disciples to him. He said, `The way to be first is to put yourself last and be a servant to the others.'

³⁶ Jesus took a child and had him stand in front of them. Then he took the child in his arms and said,

³⁷ `If anyone takes in a child like this for my sake, he takes in me. If anyone takes in me, he takes in the One who sent me.'

³⁸ John said to him, `Master, we saw a man driving bad spirits out of people. He was using your name, but he is not one of us. So we told him to stop because he is not one of us.'

³⁹ Jesus said, `Do not stop him. Anyone who can do a great work in my name will not be quick to say wrong things about me.

⁴⁰ He that is not against us is on our side.

⁴¹ `I tell you the truth. If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, he will not lose his reward'

⁴² `These little children believe in me. If anyone makes one of them do wrong, he will be punished. He will have worse trouble than if a big stone were tied to his neck and he were thrown into the deep sea.

⁴³ If your hand makes you do wrong, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life with one hand than to have two hands and go into hell. Hell fire never dies.

⁴⁴ In hell their worm will not die and the fire will not stop burning.

⁴⁵ If your foot makes you do wrong, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life with one foot than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. Hell fire never dies.

⁴⁶ In hell their worm will not die and the fire will not stop burning.

⁴⁷ If your eye makes you do wrong, take it out. It is better for you to go into God's kingdom with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.

⁴⁸ In hell their worm will not die and the fire will not stop burning.

⁴⁹ Everyone must be tested by fire. Every sacrifice must have salt on it.

⁵⁰ Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? You must have salt in yourselves and live in peace with one another.'