Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant(A)
7 After Jesus[a] had finished saying all these things[b] to the people who were there listening, he went to Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom he valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 When the centurion[c] heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and save his servant’s life. 4 So they went to Jesus and begged him repeatedly, “He deserves to have this done for him, 5 because he loves our people and built our synagogue for us.”
6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus,[d] “Sir,[e] stop troubling yourself, because I’m not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That’s why I didn’t presume to come to you. But just say the word, and let my servant be healed, 8 because I, too, am a man under authority and have soldiers under me. I say to one ‘Go’ and he goes, to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my servant ‘Do this’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith!” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant in perfect health.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son
11 Soon afterwards, Jesus[f] went to a city called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were going along with him. 12 As he approached the entrance to the city, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only living[g] son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her. He told her, “You can stop crying.” 14 Then he went up and touched the bier, and the men who were carrying it stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The man who had been dead sat up and began to speak, and Jesus[h] gave him back to his mother.
16 Fear gripped everyone, and they began to praise God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said, and “God has helped his people.” 17 This news about Jesus[i] spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding countryside.
John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus(B)
18 John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?”
20 When the men had come to Jesus,[j] they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?’”
21 At that time Jesus[k] had healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. 22 So he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear again, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news. 23 How blessed is anyone who is not offended by me!”
24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus[l] began to ask the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look! Those who wear fine clothes and live in luxury are in royal palaces. 26 Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! 27 This is the man about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’[m]
28 I tell you, no one has ever been born who is[n] greater than John. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29 By having been baptized with John’s baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice.[o] 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God’s plan for themselves[p] by refusing to be baptized by John.[q]
31 Jesus continued,[r] “To what may I compare the people living today?[s] 32 They’re like little children who sit in the marketplace and shout to each other,
‘A wedding song we played for you,
the dance you all did scorn.
A woeful dirge we chanted, too,
but then you would not mourn.’
33 Because John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, yet you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look! He’s[t] a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Wisdom is vindicated by all[u] her children.”
Jesus Forgives a Sinful Woman
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus[v] to eat with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s home and took his place at the table. 37 There was a woman who was a notorious[w] sinner in that city. When she learned that Jesus[x] was eating at the Pharisee’s home, she took an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and knelt at his feet behind him. She was crying and began to wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair.[y] Then she kissed his feet over and over again, anointing them constantly with the perfume.
39 Now the Pharisee who had invited Jesus[z] saw this and told himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman she is. She’s a sinner!”
40 Jesus told him, “Simon, I have something to ask you.”
“Teacher,” he replied, “ask it.”
41 “Two men were in debt to a moneylender. One owed him 500 denarii,[aa] and the other 50. 42 When they couldn’t pay it back, he generously canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the larger debt canceled.”
Jesus[ab] told him, “You have answered correctly.”
44 Then, turning to the woman, he told Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You didn’t give me any water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t give me a kiss,[ac] but this woman, from the moment I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 So I’m telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that’s why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”
48 Then Jesus[ad] told her, “Your sins are forgiven!”
49 Those who were at the table with them began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
50 But Jesus[ae] told the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Some Women Accompany Jesus
8 After this, Jesus[af] traveled from one city and village to another, preaching and spreading the good news about God’s kingdom. The Twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, also called Magdalene,[ag] from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women[ah] continued to support them[ai] out of their personal resources.
The Parable about a Farmer(C)
4 Now while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus[aj] from every city, he said in a parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on, and birds from the sky ate them up. 6 Others fell on stony ground, and as soon as they came up, they dried up because they had no moisture. 7 Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew with them and choked them. 8 But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted.” As he said this, he called out, “Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”
The Purpose of the Parables(D)
9 Then his disciples began to ask him what this parable meant. 10 So he said, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given[ak] in parables, so that
‘they might look but not see,
and they might listen but not understand.’”[al]
Jesus Explains the Parable about the Farmer(E)
11 “Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God’s word. 12 The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 The ones on the stony ground are the people who joyfully welcome the word when they hear it. But since they don’t have any roots, they believe for a while, but in a time of testing they fall away. 14 The ones that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn’t mature. 15 But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance.”
A Light under a Bowl(F)
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see the light. 17 There is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won’t become known and come to light. 18 So pay attention to how you listen, because to the one who has something, more will be given. However, from the one who doesn’t have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
The True Family of Jesus(G)
19 His mother and his brothers came to him, but they couldn’t get near him because of the crowd. 20 Jesus[am] was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”
21 But he answered those people,[an] “My mother and my brothers are those who hear a message from God and heed it.”
Jesus Calms the Sea(H)
22 One day, Jesus[ao] and his disciples got into a boat. He told them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they started out.
23 Now as they were sailing, Jesus[ap] fell asleep. A violent storm swept over the lake, and they were taking on water and were in great danger. 24 So his disciples[aq] went to him, woke him up, and kept telling him, “Master! Master! We’re going to die!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. They stopped, and there was calm.
25 Then he asked the disciples,[ar] “Where’s your faith?”
Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this man? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man(I)
26 They landed in the region of the Gerasenes,[as] which is just across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus[at] stepped out on the shore, a man from the city met him. This man was controlled by[au] demons and had not worn clothes for a long time. He did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he screamed, fell down in front of him, and cried out in a loud voice, “What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!” 29 because Jesus[av] was in the process of ordering the unclean spirit to come out of the man. On many occasions the unclean spirit[aw] had seized the man,[ax] and though he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, he would break the chains and be driven by the demon into deserted places.
30 Jesus asked the man,[ay] “What’s your name?”
He answered, “Legion,”[az] because many demons had gone into him. 31 Then the demons[ba] began begging Jesus[bb] not to order them to go into the bottomless pit.[bc]
32 Now a large herd of pigs was grazing there on the hillside. So the demons[bd] begged Jesus[be] to let them go into those pigs, and he consented to that. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down a steep slope into the lake and drowned.
34 Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. 35 So the people[bf] went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened. 36 The people who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people from the region surrounding the Gerasenes[bg] asked Jesus[bh] to leave them, because they were terrified. So he got into a boat and started back.
38 Now the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Jesus[bi] to let him go with him. But Jesus[bj] sent him away, saying, 39 “Go home and tell what God has done for you.” So the man[bk] left and kept proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Heals a Woman and Resurrects a Girl(J)
40 When Jesus came back, the crowd welcomed him, because everyone was expecting him. 41 Just then a synagogue leader by the name of Jairus arrived. He fell at Jesus’ feet and kept begging him to come to his home, 42 because his only living[bl] daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. While Jesus[bm] was on his way, the crowds continued to press in on him.
43 A woman was there[bn] who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Although she had spent all she had on doctors,[bo] no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind Jesus[bp] and touched the tassel of his garment, and her bleeding stopped at once.
45 Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”
While everyone was denying it, Peter and those who were with him[bq] said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you.”
46 Still Jesus said, “Somebody touched me, because I know that power has gone out of me.”
47 When the woman saw that she couldn’t hide, she came forward trembling. Bowing down in front of him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched Jesus[br] and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s home[bs] and told him,[bt] “Your daughter is dead. Stop bothering the teacher anymore.”
50 But when Jesus heard this, he told the synagogue leader,[bu] “Stop being afraid! Just believe, and she will get well.”
51 When he arrived at the man’s[bv] house, he allowed no one to go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the young girl’s father and mother. 52 Now everyone was crying and wailing for her. But Jesus[bw] said, “Stop crying! She’s not dead. She’s sleeping.” 53 They laughed and laughed at him, because they knew she was dead. 54 But he took her hand and called out, “Young lady, get up!” 55 So her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then Jesus[bx] directed that she be given something to eat. 56 Her parents were amazed, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(K)
9 Jesus[by] called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them, “Don’t take anything along on your trip—no walking stick, traveling bag, bread, money, or even an extra shirt.[bz] 4 When you visit a home and stay there, and go out from there, 5 if people don’t welcome you, when you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they left and went from village to village, spreading the good news and healing diseases everywhere.
Herod Tries to See Jesus(L)
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening. He was puzzled because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by others that Elijah had appeared, and by still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. 9 Herod said, “I beheaded John. But who is this man I’m hearing so much about?” So Herod[ca] kept trying to see Jesus.[cb]
Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People(M)
10 The apostles came back and told Jesus[cc] everything they had done. Then he took them away with him privately to a city called Bethsaida. 11 But the crowds found out about this and followed him. He welcomed them and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God and to heal those who needed healing.
12 As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away to the neighboring villages and farms so they can rest and get some food, because we are here in a deserted place.”
13 But he told them, “You give them something to eat.”
They replied, “We have nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
14 Now there were about 5,000 men. So he told his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50.” 15 They did this and got all of them seated. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to the disciples to pass on to the crowd. 17 All of them ate and were filled. When they collected the leftover pieces, there were twelve baskets.
Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus(N)
18 One day, while Jesus[cd] was praying privately and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They answered, “Some say[ce] John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the ancient prophets who has come back to life.”
20 He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
“God’s Messiah,”[cf] Peter replied.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(O)
21 He gave them strict orders, commanding them not to tell this to anyone. 22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he must be killed, but on the third day he will be raised.”
23 Then he told all of them, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously, 24 because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world, but destroys himself or is lost? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of[cg] the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you with certainty, some people who are standing here won’t experience[ch] death until they see the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ Appearance is Changed(P)
28 Now about eight days after Jesus said this,[ci] he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes turned dazzling white. 30 Suddenly, two men were talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah. 31 They had a glorified appearance, and were discussing Jesus’[cj] departure that he would shortly bring about in Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and the men with him had been overcome by sleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’[ck] glory and the two men standing with him. 33 Just as Moses and Elijah[cl] were leaving,[cm] Peter told Jesus, “Master, it’s good that we’re here! Let’s set up three shelters[cn]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Peter[co] didn’t know what he was saying.) 34 But while he was saying this, a cloud appeared and surrounded them, and they became terrified as they were being overshadowed by the cloud.
35 Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen.[cp] Keep listening to him!” 36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was[cq] alone. The disciples[cr] kept silent and at that time[cs] told no one about what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon(Q)
37 The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus.[ct] 38 Suddenly, a man in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only living child.[cu] 39 Without warning a spirit takes control of him, and he suddenly screams, goes into convulsions, and foams at the mouth. The spirit[cv] mauls him and refuses to leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
41 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverted generation! How much longer must I be with you[cw] and put up with you?[cx] Bring your[cy] son here!” 42 Even while the boy[cz] was coming, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection(R)
43 All the people continued to be amazed at the greatness of God. Indeed, everyone was astonished at all the things Jesus[da] was doing. So he told his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to these words.[db] The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” 45 But they didn’t know what this meant. Indeed, the meaning was hidden from them so that they didn’t understand it; and they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
True Greatness(S)
46 Later, an argument started among the disciples[dc] as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he told them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest.”
The Person who is Not against You is for You(T)
49 John said, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t a follower like us.”
50 Jesus told him, “Don’t stop him! Because whoever is not against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Refuses to Welcome Jesus
51 When the days grew closer for Jesus[dd] to be taken up to heaven,[de] he was determined to continue his journey to Jerusalem. 52 So he sent messengers on ahead of him. On their way they went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. 53 But the people[df] would not welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John observed this rejection,[dg] they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”[dh] 55 But he turned and rebuked them,[di] 56 and they all[dj] went on to another village.
The Would-be Followers of Jesus(U)
57 While they were walking along the road, a man told him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus told him,
59 He told another man, “Follow me.”
But he said, “Lord,[dm] first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those at home.”
62 Jesus told him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
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