Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Chapter 4

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil.^{[a] 1} Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert ² for forty days, where he was tempted by the devil. During that time he ate nothing, and at the end of it he was famished.

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to be transformed into bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered him: “As it states in Scripture:

⁵ Then the devil led him up and showed him in a single instant all the kingdoms of the world, ⁶ saying to him, “To you will I give all this dominion with its accompanying glory, for it has been delivered into my power, and I can bestow it on whomever I choose. ⁷ All this will be yours if you worship me.” ⁸ Jesus answered him: “Scripture says:

⁹ Next the devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the summit of the temple. Then he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for according to Scripture:

¹¹ and:

¹² Jesus answered him, “Scripture says:

¹³ When the devil had ended all his tempting, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee^[b]

¹⁴ Jesus Is Accepted throughout Galilee. Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and reports about him began to spread throughout the surrounding region. ¹⁵ He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

¹⁶ Jesus at Nazareth.^[c]When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the passage where it is written:

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed intently on him.

²¹ Then he began by saying to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² All present spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that flowed from his lips. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”

²³ He said to them, “Undoubtedly you will quote to me the proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ and say: ‘Do here in your hometown^[d] the deeds we have heard that you performed in Capernaum.’ ²⁴ Amen, I say to you,” he went on, “no prophet is accepted in his own country.

^25 [e]“I tell you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the skies remained closed for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet it was to none of them that Elijah was sent, but to a widow at Zarephath in the land of Sidon. ²⁷ There were also many people with leprosy in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but not one of these was cleansed except for Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ When they heard these words, all the people in the synagogue were roused to fury.^{[f] 29} They leapt up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the top of the hill upon which their town was built, intending to hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰ However, he passed through the midst of the crowd and went on his way.

³¹ Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon.^[g]Jesus then went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and began to teach the people on the Sabbath. ³² They were astounded at his teaching because his message had authority.

³³ In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he shrieked loudly, ³⁴ “Leave us alone! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”^{[h] 35} But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!”

Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and emerged from him without doing him any harm. ³⁶ The people were all amazed, and they said to one another: “What is this teaching? For with authority and power he gives commands to unclean spirits, and they come forth.” ³⁷ And reports about him began to spread throughout the entire region.

³⁸ Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law. On leaving the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they begged him to help her. ³⁹ Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them.

⁴⁰ Jesus Ministers throughout Galilee. At sunset they brought to him all those who were sick with various diseases. He laid his hands on each of them and healed them. ⁴¹ Demons also emerged from many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.

⁴² Jesus Is the Envoy of God for All Israel.^[i] At daybreak he departed and made his way to a secluded place. But the crowds went forth in search of him, and when they located him, they tried to prevent him from leaving there. ⁴³ However, he said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because this was the purpose for which I was sent.” ⁴⁴ Thus, he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

Chapter 5

Jesus Calls the First Disciples.^{[j] 1} One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with people crowding around him to hear the word of God, ² he caught sight of two boats at the water’s edge. The fishermen had gotten out of the boats and were washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard throughout the night and caught nothing; but if you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶ When they had done this, they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were beginning to tear. ⁷ Therefore, they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats to the point that they were in danger of sinking.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” ⁹ For he and all of his companions were amazed at the catch they had made. ¹⁰ So too were Simon’s partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

¹² Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy.^[k] In one of the towns that he visited, a man appeared whose body was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate before him and pleaded for his help, saying, “Lord, if you choose to do so, you can make me clean.” ¹³ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately, the leprosy left him.

¹⁴ He then instructed him to tell no one. “Just go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as prescribed by Moses. That will be proof for them.” ¹⁵ However, the reports about him continued to spread, so that large crowds assembled to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. ¹⁶ But he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

¹⁷ Jesus Pardons and Heals a Paralyzed Man.^[l] One day, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem. And he possessed the power of the Lord to heal.

¹⁸ Then some men appeared, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They tried to bring him in and set him down in front of Jesus. ¹⁹ However, finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up onto the roof and lowered him on the bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd surrounding Jesus.

²⁰ On perceiving their faith, Jesus said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to ask each other, “Who is this man uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²² Jesus discerned what they were thinking, and he said in reply, “Why do you entertain such thoughts in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier—to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say: ‘Stand up and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may come to realize that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man—“I say to you, stand up, and take your bed, and go to your home.” ²⁵ Immediately, the man stood up before them, picked up his bed, and went home glorifying God. ²⁶ They were all overcome with amazement, and they praised God as, awestruck, they said, “We have witnessed unbelievable things today.”

²⁷ Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew).^[m][n]After this, he went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting at his customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” ²⁸ and, leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

²⁹ Jesus Dines with Sinners. Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for him, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^{[o] 31} Jesus said to them in reply, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but rather those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

³³ A Time of Joy and Grace.^[p] Then they said to him, “John’s disciples fast frequently and pray often, and the disciples of the Pharisees do likewise, but your disciples eat and drink.” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is still with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then, in those days, they will fast.”

³⁶ He also told them this parable: “No one tears a piece from a new cloak and sews it on an old cloak. If he does, the new cloak will be torn, and the piece from it will not match that of the old. ³⁷ Nor does anyone pour new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and spill out, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸ Rather new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ And no one who has been drinking old wine will wish for new wine, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”

Chapter 6

Picking Grain on the Sabbath.^{[q] 1} On one Sabbath, when Jesus was going through a field of grain, his disciples picked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. ² Some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”

³ Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God and took and ate the sacred bread that only the priests were permitted to eat, and he shared it with his companions.” ⁵ Then he said to them, “The Son of Man,^[r] is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand. ⁶ On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. A man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they would have a charge to bring against him.

⁸ But Jesus was fully aware of their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here and stand before us.” The man got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I put this question to you: Is it lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ After looking around at all of them, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with fury and discussed among themselves what they might do with Jesus.

¹² Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles.^[s] It was in those days that he went onto the mountain to pray, and he spent the entire night in prayer to God. ¹³ Then, when it was daylight, he summoned his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he designated as apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

¹⁷ The Crowds Seek Out Jesus.^[t] He then came down with them and stood on a spot of level ground, where there was a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all sections of Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come there to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. Those who were afflicted by unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, because power came forth from him and healed them all.

The Sermon on the Plain^[u]

²⁰ The Beatitudes.^[v] Then, turning to his disciples, he began to speak:

²² “Blessed are you when people hate you and ostracize you, when they insult you and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice on that day and dance for joy, for your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the Prophets.

²⁷ Love of Enemies.^[w]“But to those of you who are listening to me, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If anyone strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek as well, and should someone take your cloak, let him have your tunic as well. ³⁰ Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not demand the return of what is yours from the one who has taken it.

³¹ “Deal with others as you would like them to deal with you. ³² If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do as much. ³⁴ And if you lend only to those from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.

³⁵ “Rather, you must love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without expecting any repayment. In this way, you will receive a great reward. You will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷ Relations with Others.^[x]“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. The measure that you use for others will be used to measure you.”

³⁹ Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind. He also told them a parable: “Can one blind man guide another who is also blind? Will not both of them fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ No student is greater than his teacher, but a fully trained student will be like his teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you take note of the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not notice the wooden plank in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the splinter that is in your eye,’ while all the time you do not notice the wooden plank that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the wooden plank from your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly enough to remove the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.

⁴³ A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit.^[y]“No healthy tree can bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotting tree bear healthy fruit. ⁴⁴ Every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes or grapes from brambles. ⁴⁵ A good man produces good from the store of goodness in his heart, whereas an evil man produces evil from the store of evil within him. For the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.

⁴⁶ Parable of the Two Foundations.“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but fail to do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and hears my words and acts in accordance with them. ⁴⁸ He is like a man who in building a house dug deeply and laid its foundations on rock. When the flood rose, it burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been solidly constructed. ⁴⁹ In contrast, the one who hears and does not act in accordance with my words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. As soon as the river burst against it, the house collapsed and was completely destroyed.”