Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Jesus Challenges the Tradition of the Elders(A)
7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus.[a] 2 They noticed that some of his disciples were eating[b] with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (The Pharisees—and indeed all the Jewish people—don’t eat unless they wash their hands properly,[c] following the tradition of their elders. 4 They don’t eat anything from the marketplace unless they dip it in water. They also observe many other traditions, such as the proper washing of washing cups, jars, brass pots, and dinner tables.)[d] 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus,[e] “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat[f] with unclean hands.”
6 He told them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship of me is worthless,
because they teach human rules as doctrines.’[g]
8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
9 Then he told them, “You have such a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your own tradition! 10 Because Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[h] and, ‘Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death.’[i] 11 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother, “Whatever support you might have received from me is Corban,”’ (that is, an offering to God) 12 ‘you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.’ 13 You are destroying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other things like that.”
14 Then he called to the crowd again and told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand! 15 Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It’s what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!”[j]
17 When he had left the crowd and gone home, his disciples began asking him about the parable. 18 He asked them, “Are you so ignorant? Don’t you know that nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean? 19 Because it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then into the sewer,[k] thereby expelling[l] all foods.” 20 Then he continued, “It’s what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean, 21 because it’s from within, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come, as well as sexual immorality, stealing, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, slander,[m] arrogance, and foolishness. 23 All these things come from inside and make a person unclean.”
A Canaanite Woman’s Faith(B)
24 Jesus[n] left that place and went to the territory of Tyre and Sidon.[o] He went into a house, not wanting anyone to know he was there. However, it couldn’t be kept a secret. 25 In fact, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman happened to be a Greek, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She kept asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 But he kept telling her, “First let the children be filled. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”
28 But she answered him, “Yes,[p] Lord. Yet even the puppies under the table eat some of the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “Because you have said this, go! The demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home and found her child lying in bed, and the demon was gone.
Jesus Heals a Deaf Man with a Speech Impediment
31 Then Jesus[q] left the territory of Tyre and passed through Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the territory of the Decapolis.[r] 32 Some people[s] brought him a deaf man who also had a speech impediment. They begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 Jesus[t] took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. Putting his fingers into the man’s[u] ears, he touched the man’s[v] tongue with saliva.
34 Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and told him, “Ephphatha,”[w] that is, “Be opened!” 35 The man’s[x] hearing and speech were restored at once, and he began to talk normally. 36 Jesus[y] ordered the people[z] not to tell anyone, but the more he kept ordering them, the more they kept spreading the news.
37 Amazed beyond measure, they kept on saying, “He does everything well! He even makes deaf people hear and mute people talk!”
Jesus Feeds More than Four Thousand People(C)
8 At that time, after a large crowd again had gathered together with nothing to eat, Jesus[aa] called his disciples and told them, 2 “I have compassion for the crowd, because they’ve already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away to their homes hungry, they’ll faint on the road. Some of them have come a long distance.”
4 His disciples answered him, “Where could anyone get enough bread to feed these people out here in the wilderness?”
5 He asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”
“Seven,” they said.
6 So he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks. He broke them in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to distribute. So they served them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that the fish[ab] should also be distributed. 8 The people[ac] ate and were filled. Then the disciples[ad] picked up the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. 9 Now about 4,000 men were there. Then he sent them on their way. 10 Immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.[ae]
Interpreting the Time(D)
11 The Pharisees arrived and began arguing with Jesus.[af] They tested him by demanding from him a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply in his spirit and remarked, “Why do those living today[ag] demand a sign? I tell all of you[ah] with certainty, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Leaving them, he got into a boat again and crossed to the other side.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees(E)
14 Now the disciples[ai] had forgotten to take any bread along, but they had one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Jesus[aj] had been warning them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”[ak]
16 So they were discussing with one another the fact that they didn’t have any bread. 17 Knowing this, Jesus[al] asked them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand or perceive yet? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, but fail to see? Do you have ears, but fail to hear?[am] Don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the 5,000, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?”
They told him, “Twelve.”
20 “When I broke[an] the seven loaves[ao] for the 4,000, how many large baskets did you fill with the leftover pieces?”
They told him, “Seven.”
21 Then he asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man in Bethsaida
22 As they came to Bethsaida, some people[ap] brought a blind man to Jesus[aq] and begged him to touch him.[ar] 23 Jesus[as] took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spit into his eyes, placed his hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?”
24 The man[at] looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Then Jesus[au] placed his hands on the man’s[av] eyes again, and he saw clearly. His sight was restored, and he saw everything perfectly, even from a distance.
26 Then Jesus[aw] sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village or tell anyone in the village.”[ax]
Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus(F)
27 Then Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he was asking his disciples, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They answered him, “Some say[ay] John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets.”
29 Then he began to ask them, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah!”[az] 30 Jesus[ba] sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(G)
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but after three days he would rise again. 32 He was speaking about this matter quite openly.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, Jesus[bb] rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan, because you’re not thinking God’s thoughts, but human thoughts!”
34 Then Jesus[bc] called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and told them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously, 35 because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. 36 What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? 37 Indeed, what can a person give in exchange for his life? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”
9 Then he told them, “I tell all of you[bd] with certainty, some people standing here will not experience[be] death until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”
Jesus’ Appearance is Changed(H)
2 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain to be alone with him. His appearance was changed in front of them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone[bf] on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them, accompanied by Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 Then Peter told Jesus, “Rabbi,[bg] it’s good that we’re here! Let’s set up three shelters[bh]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 (Peter[bi] didn’t know how to respond, because they were terrified.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud and said,[bj] “This is my Son, whom I love. Keep on listening to him!” 8 Suddenly, as they looked around, they saw no one with them but Jesus alone.
9 On their way down the mountain, Jesus[bk] ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves but argued about what “rising from the dead” meant. 11 So they asked him, “Don’t the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
12 He told them, “Elijah is indeed coming first and will restore all things. Why, then, is it written that the Son of Man must suffer a great deal and be treated shamefully? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, yet people[bl] treated him just as they pleased, as it is written about him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon(I)
14 As they approached the other[bm] disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. 15 The whole crowd was very surprised to see Jesus[bn] and ran to welcome him.
16 He asked the scribes,[bo] “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 A man in the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 Whenever it brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes stiff. So I asked your disciples to drive the spirit[bp] out, but they didn’t have the power.”
19 Jesus[bq] told them, “You unbelieving generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me!”
20 So they brought the boy[br] to him. When the spirit saw Jesus,[bs] it immediately threw the boy[bt] into convulsions. He fell on the ground and kept rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 Then Jesus[bu] asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He said, “Since he was a child. 22 The spirit[bv] has often thrown him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us!”
23 Jesus told him, “‘If you are able?’ Everything is possible for the person who believes!”
24 With tears flowing,[bw] the child’s father at once cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that won’t let him talk or hear—I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!” 26 The spirit[bx] screamed, shook the child[by] violently, and came out. The boy was like a corpse, and many said that he was dead. 27 But Jesus took his hand and helped him up, and he stood up.
28 When Jesus[bz] came home, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive the spirit[ca] out?”
29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”[cb]
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection(J)
30 Then they left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus[cc] didn’t want anyone to find out about it, 31 because he was teaching his disciples, “The Son of Man will be betrayed into human hands. They will kill him, but after being dead for three days he will be raised.” 32 They didn’t understand what this statement meant, and they were afraid to ask him.
True Greatness(K)
33 Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus[cd] was at home, he asked the disciples,[ce] “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, because they had argued on the road with one another about who was the greatest.
35 So he sat down, called the Twelve, and told them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He took him in his arms and told them, 37 “Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
The True Follower of Jesus(L)
38 John told Jesus,[cf] “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t a follower like us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because no one who works a miracle in my name can slander me soon afterwards. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 I tell all of you[cg] with certainty, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to the Messiah[ch] will never lose his reward.”
Causing Others to Sin(M)
42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better for you to enter life injured than to have two hands and go to hell,[ci] to the fire that cannot be put out. 44 In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out.[cj]
45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.[ck] 46 In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out.[cl]
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.[cm] 48 In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out.
49 Because everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.[cn] 50 Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how can you restore its flavor? Keep on having salt among yourselves, and live in peace with one another.”
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