Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil^(A)

4 Now filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan River. And then the Spirit led him into the desert. ² There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during this time, and when it was finished, he was very hungry.

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

⁴ Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say,

⁵ Then the devil took Jesus and in a moment of time showed him all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ The devil said to him, “I will make you king over all these places. You will have power over them, and you will get all the glory. It has all been given to me. I can give it to anyone I want. ⁷ I will give it all to you, if you will only worship me.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say,

⁹ Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. He said to him, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! ¹⁰ The Scriptures say,

¹¹ It is also written,

¹² Jesus answered, “But the Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”^[a]

¹³ The devil finished tempting Jesus in every way and went away to wait until a better time.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee^(F)

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

Jesus Goes to His Hometown^(G)

¹⁶ Jesus traveled to Nazareth, the town where he grew up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue as he always did. He 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 to the helper, and sat down. As everyone in the synagogue watched him closely, ²¹ he began to speak to them. He said, “While you heard me reading these words just now, they were coming true!”

²² Everyone there said good things about Jesus. They were amazed to hear him speak such wonderful words. They said, “How is this possible? Isn’t he Joseph’s son?”

²³ Jesus said to them, “I know 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 same things here in your own hometown!’” ²⁴ Then he said, “The truth is, a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown.

^25-26 “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. There were many widows in Israel during that time. But the fact is, Elijah was sent to none of those widows in Israel. He was sent only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon.

²⁷ “And there were many people with leprosy living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed; the only one was Naaman. And he was from the country of Syria, not Israel.”

²⁸ When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were very angry. ²⁹ They got up and forced Jesus to go out of town. Their town was built on a hill. They took Jesus to the edge of the hill to throw him off. ³⁰ But he walked through the middle of the crowd and went away.

Jesus Frees a Man From an Evil Spirit^(I)

³¹ Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath day he 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 loudly, 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 on the ground in front of everyone. 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 Peter’s Mother-in-Law^(J)

³⁸ Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s^[b] house. Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick. She had a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her. ³⁹ He stood very close to her and ordered the sickness to go away. The sickness left her, and she got up and began serving them.

Jesus Heals Many Others

⁴⁰ When the sun went down, the people brought their sick friends to Jesus. They had many different kinds of sicknesses. Jesus laid his hands on each sick person and healed them all. ⁴¹ Demons came out of many people. The demons shouted, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus gave a strong command for the demons not to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

Jesus Goes to Other Towns^(K)

⁴² The next day Jesus went to a place to be alone. The people looked for him. When they found him, they tried to stop him from leaving. ⁴³ But he 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 told the Good News in the synagogues in Judea.

Jesus Chooses Some Followers^(L)

5 As Jesus stood beside Lake Galilee,^[c] a crowd of people pushed to get closer to him and to hear the teachings of God. ² Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen were washing their nets. ³ Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon. He asked Simon to push off a little from the shore. Then he sat down in the boat and taught the people on the shore.

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

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish and caught nothing. But you say I should put the nets into the water, so I will.” ⁶ The fishermen put their nets into the water. Their nets were filled with so many fish that they 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 of fish that they were almost sinking.

^8-9 The fishermen were all amazed at the many fish they caught. When Simon Peter saw this, 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 worked together with Simon.)

Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on your work will be to bring in people, not fish!”

¹¹ The men brought their boats to the shore. They left everything and followed Jesus.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man^(M)

¹² One time Jesus was in a town where a very sick man lived. This man was covered with leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed before Jesus and begged him, “Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.”

¹³ Jesus said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Then he touched the man, and immediately the leprosy disappeared. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said, “Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go and let the priest look at you.^[d] And offer a gift to God for your healing as Moses commanded. This will show people that you are healed.”

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

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man^(N)

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching the people. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there too. They had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people. ¹⁸ There was a man who was paralyzed, and some other men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to bring him and put him down before Jesus. ¹⁹ But there were so many people that they could not find a way to Jesus. So they went up on the roof and lowered the crippled man down through a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat into the room so that the crippled man was lying before Jesus. ²⁰ Jesus saw how much faith they had and 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 who dares to say such things? What an insult to God! No one but God can forgive sins.”

²² But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you have these questions in your minds? ^23-24 The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof that it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up and walk’? Then you will be able to see that I really have this power.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home!”

²⁵ The man immediately stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and walked home, praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was completely amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with great respect for God’s power. They said, “Today we saw amazing things!”

Levi (Matthew) Follows Jesus^(O)

²⁷ After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector sitting at his place for collecting taxes. His name was Levi. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” ²⁸ Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.

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

³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. ³² I have not come to ask good people to change. I have come to ask sinners to change the way they live.”

Jesus Is Not Like Other Religious Leaders^(P)

³³ They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often fast and pray, the same as the followers of the Pharisees. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “At a wedding you can’t ask the friends of the bridegroom to be sad and fast while he is still with them. ³⁵ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then his friends will fast.”

³⁶ Jesus told them this story: “No one takes cloth off a new coat to cover a hole in an old coat. That would ruin the new coat, and the cloth from the new coat would not be the same as the old cloth. ³⁷ Also, no one ever pours new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would break them. The wine would spill out, and the wineskins would be ruined. ³⁸ You always put new wine into new wineskins. ³⁹ No one who drinks old wine wants new wine. They say, ‘The old wine is just fine.’”

Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day^(Q)

6 One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it. 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, “You have read about what David did when he and the people with him were hungry. ⁴ David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was offered to God and ate it. And he gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the Law of Moses, which says that only the priests can eat that bread.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”

Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath Day^(R)

⁶ On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and taught the people. A man with a crippled right hand was there. ⁷ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to see him do something wrong so that they could accuse him. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Get up and stand here where everyone can see.” The man got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is the right thing 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 and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed. ¹¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law got so mad they couldn’t think straight. They talked to each other about what they could do to Jesus.

Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles^(S)

¹² A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God. ¹³ The next morning he called his followers. He chose twelve of them and called them apostles. These are the ones he chose:

Jesus Teaches and Heals the People^(T)

¹⁷ Jesus and the apostles came down from the mountain. Jesus stood on a flat place. A large crowd of his followers was there. 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 the people who were troubled by evil spirits. ¹⁹ Everyone was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him. Jesus healed them all.

²⁰ Jesus looked at his followers and said,

²² “People will hate you because you belong to the Son of Man. They will make you leave their group. They will insult you. They will think it is wrong even to say your name. When these things happen, know that great blessings belong to you. ²³ You can be happy then and jump for joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. The ancestors of those people did the same things to the prophets.

²⁶ “How bad it is when everyone says nothing but good about you. Just look at the false prophets. Their ancestors always said good things about them.

Love Your Enemies^(U)

²⁷ “But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. ²⁹ If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. ³¹ Do for others what you want them to do for you.

³² “If you love only those who love you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners love those who love them! ³³ If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners do that! ³⁴ If you lend things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get any special praise for that? No, even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount!

³⁵ “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. ³⁶ Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.

Be Careful About Criticizing Others^(V)

³⁷ “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give to others, 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 Students are not better than their teacher. But when they have been fully taught, they will be like their teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? ⁴² You say to your friend, ‘Let me get that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? Can’t you see that big piece of wood in your own eye? You are a hypocrite. First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

Only Good Trees Produce Good Fruit^(W)

⁴³ “A good tree does not produce bad fruit. And a bad tree does not produce good fruit. ⁴⁴ Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! ⁴⁵ Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.

Two Kinds of People^(X)

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but you don’t do what I say? ⁴⁷ The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them—I will show you what they are like: ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the flood cannot move the house, because it was built well.

⁴⁹ “But the people who hear my words and do not obey are like a man who builds a house without preparing a foundation. When the floods come, the house falls down easily and is completely destroyed.”