Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Slave

7 After He had finished all that He had to say in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.^(A)

² Now a [Roman] ^[a]centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and on the verge of death. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. ⁴ When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with Him earnestly [to come], saying, “He is worthy for You to do this for him, ⁵ because he loves our nation and he built us our synagogue [at his own expense].” ⁶ And Jesus went with them. But when He was near the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But just speak a word, and my slave will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ⁹ Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith [as this man’s].” ¹⁰ When the messengers who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

¹¹ Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain [near Nazareth], and His disciples and a large crowd accompanied Him. ¹² Now as He approached the city gate, a dead man was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her [in the funeral procession]. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He felt [great] compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ And He came up and touched the bier [on which the body rested], and the pallbearers stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise [from death]!” ¹⁵ The man who was dead sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear and profound awe gripped them all, and they began glorifying and honoring and praising God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people [to help and care for and provide for them]!” ¹⁷ This news about Him spread through all of Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.^(B)

A Delegation from John

¹⁸ John’s disciples brought word to him [in prison] of all these things.^{(C) 19} John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the ^[b]Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else?” ²⁰ So the men came to Jesus and said, “John the Baptist sent us to You to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else?’” ²¹ At that very hour Jesus healed many people of sicknesses and infirmities and evil spirits; and He gave [the gracious gift of] sight to many who were blind. ²² So He replied to them, “Go and tell John about everything you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news (gospel) preached to them.^{(D) 23} Blessed [joyful, spiritually favored] is he who does not take offense at Me.”

²⁴ When John’s messengers left, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? ^[c]A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing [entirely unsuited for the harsh wilderness]? Those who wear splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces! ²⁶ But what did you [really] go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one ^[d]far more [eminent and remarkable] than a prophet [who foretells the future]. ²⁷ This is the one of whom it is written [by the prophet Malachi],

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater [in privilege] than he.” ²⁹ All the people and the tax collectors who heard Jesus, acknowledged [the validity of] God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the lawyers [who were experts in the Mosaic Law] annulled and set aside God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation [who set aside God’s plan], and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, and saying, ‘We played the flute for you [pretending to be at a wedding], and you did not dance; we sang a dirge [pretending to be at a funeral], and you did not weep [so nothing we did appealed to you].’ ³³ For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a [heavy] wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews].’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is vindicated and shown to be right by all her children [by the lifestyle, moral character, and good deeds of her followers].”

The Anointing in Galilee

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee’s house [in the region of Galilee] and reclined at the table. ³⁷ Now there was a woman in the city who was [known as] a ^[e]sinner; and ^[f]when she found out that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume; ³⁸ and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began wetting His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and [respectfully] kissed His feet [as an act signifying both affection and submission] and ^[g]anointed them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when [Simon] the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this Man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, that she is a [notorious] sinner [an outcast, devoted to sin].”

Parable of Two Debtors

⁴⁰ Jesus, answering, said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Teacher, say it.” ⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed him five hundred ^[h]denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they had no means of repaying [the debts], he freely forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I take it, for whom he forgave more.” Jesus said to him, “You have decided correctly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house [but you failed to extend to Me the usual courtesies shown to a guest]; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair [demonstrating her love]. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no [welcoming] kiss, but from the moment I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not [even] anoint My head with [ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly and rare] perfume. ⁴⁷ Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith [in Me] has saved you; go in peace [free from the distress experienced because of sin].”

Ministering Women

8 Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him, ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene [from the city of Magdala in Galilee], from whom seven demons had come out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means [as was the custom for a rabbi’s disciples].

Parable of the Sower

⁴ When a large crowd was gathering together, and people from city after city were coming to Him, He spoke [to them] using a parable:^{(F) 5} “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up. ⁶ And some seed fell on [shallow soil covering] the rocks, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ And some fell into good soil, and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.”

⁹ Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “To you [who have been chosen] it has been granted to know and recognize the ^[i]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that though seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.^(G)

¹¹ “Now [the meaning of] the parable is this: The seed is the word of God [concerning eternal salvation]. ¹² Those beside the road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and takes the message [of God] away from their hearts, so that they will not believe [in Me as the Messiah] and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith]. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but as they go on their way they are suffocated with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.

Parable of the Lamp

¹⁶ “Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.^{(H) 17} For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open. ¹⁸ So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”^(I)

¹⁹ Then Jesus’ mother and His brothers came up toward Him, but they could not reach Him because of the crowd.^{(J) 20} And He was told, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, asking to see You.” ²¹ But He answered, “My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!”

Jesus Calms the Sea

²² Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake (Sea of Galilee).” So they set out.^{(K) 23} But as they were sailing, He fell asleep. And a fierce gale of wind swept down [as if through a wind tunnel] on the lake, and they began to be swamped, and were in great danger. ²⁴ They came to Jesus and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are about to die!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging, violent waves, and they ceased, and it became calm [a perfect peacefulness]. ²⁵ And He said to them, “Where is your faith [your confidence in Me]?” They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?”

The Demoniac Cured

²⁶ Then they sailed to the ^[j]country of the Gerasenes, which is east of Galilee.^{(L) 27} Now when Jesus stepped out on land, He was met by a man from the city [of Gerasa] who was possessed with demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and was not living in a house, but among the ^[k]tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out [with a terrible voice from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in dread and terror], and shouted loudly, “^[l]What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me [before the appointed time of judgment]!” ²⁹ Now He was [already] commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him [violently] many times; and he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, “Legion”; because many demons had entered him. ³¹ They continually begged Him not to command them to go into the abyss.^(M)

³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and told it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ And people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind (mentally healthy); and they were frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed with fear. So Jesus got into the boat and returned [to the west side of the Sea of Galilee]. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Him, pleading to go with Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return home and tell [about] all the great things God has done for you.” So the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Miracles of Healing

⁴⁰ Now as Jesus was returning [to Galilee], the people welcomed Him, for they had all been expecting Him. ⁴¹ Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus’ feet and began begging Him to come to his house;^{(N) 42} for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as Jesus went, the people were crowding against Him [almost crushing Him].

⁴³ And a woman who had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years ^[m][and had spent all her money on physicians], and could not be healed by anyone, ⁴⁴ came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His outer robe, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” While they all were denying it, Peter ^[n][and those who were with him] said, “Master, the people are crowding and pushing against You!” ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, because I was aware that power [to heal] had gone out of Me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling and fell down before Him. She declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being).”

⁴⁹ While He was still speaking, someone from the synagogue official’s house came and said [to Jairus], “Your daughter is dead; do not inconvenience the Teacher any further.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus, hearing this, answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe and trust [in Me and have faith in My ability to do this], and she will be made well.” ⁵¹ When He came to the house, He allowed no one to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. ⁵² Now they were all weeping loudly and mourning for her; but He said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead, but is sleeping.” ⁵³ Then they began laughing scornfully at Him and ridiculing Him, knowing [without any doubt] that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But Jesus took hold of her hand and spoke, saying, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵ And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were greatly astonished [by the miracle]; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

Ministry of the Twelve

9 Now Jesus called together the twelve [disciples] and gave them [the right to exercise] power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. ² Then He sent them out [on a brief journey] to preach ^[o]the kingdom of God and to perform healing.^{(O) 3} And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey [that might encumber you]—neither a walking stick, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two ^[p]tunics apiece. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city [to go to another]. ⁵ And as for all those who do not welcome you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet [breaking all ties with them] as a testimony against them [that they rejected My message].” ⁶ So they began going from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing the sick everywhere.

⁷ Now Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch [who governed a portion of Palestine including Galilee and Perea] heard about all that was being done [by Jesus], and he was thoroughly perplexed, because it was said by some that John [the Baptist whom he had ordered beheaded] had been raised from the dead,^{(P) 8} and by others that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the [other] prophets of old had been resurrected. ⁹ Herod said, “I personally had John beheaded. Who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Jesus.

¹⁰ When the apostles returned, they told Him all that they had done. He took them with Him and He privately withdrew [across the Jordan] to a city called Bethsaida.^{(Q) 11} But when the crowds learned of it, they followed Him; and He welcomed them and He began talking to them about the kingdom of God, and healing those who needed to be healed.

Five Thousand Fed

¹² Now the day was ending, and the twelve [disciples] came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging, and get provisions; because here we are in an isolated place.” ¹³ But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.”^{(R) 14} (For there were ^[q]about 5,000 men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ They did so, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and He looked up to heaven [and gave thanks] and blessed them, and broke them and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ They all ate and were [completely] satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were [abundant and were] picked up—twelve baskets full.

¹⁸ Now it happened that as Jesus was praying privately, the disciples were with Him, and He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”^{(S) 19} They answered, “John the Baptist, and some say, Elijah; but others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back to life.” ²⁰ And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter replied, “The Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) of God!” ²¹ But He strictly warned and admonished them not to tell this to anyone, ²² saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected [as the Messiah] by the elders and chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and be put to death, and on the third day be raised up [from death to life].”^(T)

²³ And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ²⁴ For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake, he is the one who will save it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God]. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the [heavenly] Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truthfully, there are ^[r]some among those standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration

²⁸ Now about eight days after these teachings, He took along Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.^{(U) 29} As He was praying, the appearance of His face became different [actually transformed], and His clothing became white and flashing with the brilliance of lightning. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory, and were speaking of His departure [from earthly life], which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and splendor and majesty, and the two men who were standing with Him. ³³ And as these [men, Moses and Elijah] were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is delightful and good for us to be here; we should make three [sacred] tents; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. ³⁴ But even as he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were [greatly] afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then ^[s]a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, My Chosen One; listen and obey and yield to Him!” ³⁶ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found there alone. And they kept silent, and told no one at that time any of the things which they had seen [concerning the divine manifestation].^(V)

³⁷ On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.^{(W) 38} And a man from the crowd shouted for help, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he is my only child; ³⁹ and a spirit seizes him, and suddenly he cries out, and it throws him into a convulsion so that he foams at the mouth; and only with [great] difficulty does it leave him, mauling and bruising him as it leaves. ⁴⁰ I begged Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverted generation! How long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here [to Me].” ⁴² Even while the boy was coming, the demon slammed him down and threw him into a [violent] convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ They were all amazed [practically overwhelmed] at the [evidence of the] greatness of God and His majesty and His wondrous work.^(X)

But while they were still awed by everything Jesus was doing, He said to His disciples, ⁴⁴ “Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of Man is going to be betrayed and handed over to men [who are His enemies].” ⁴⁵ However, they did not understand this statement. Its meaning was kept hidden from them so that they would not grasp it; and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

The Test of Greatness

⁴⁶ An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest [surpassing the others in esteem and authority].^{(Y) 47} But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and had him stand beside Him, ⁴⁸ and He told them, “Whoever welcomes this child in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me [also] welcomes Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you [that is, the one who is genuinely humble—the one with a realistic self-view]—he is the one who is [truly] great.”

⁴⁹ John replied, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name; and we tried to stop him because he does not follow along with us.”^{(Z) 50} But Jesus told him, “Do not stop him; for he who is not against you is for you.”^(AA)

⁵¹ Now when the time was approaching for Him to be taken up [to heaven], He was determined to go to Jerusalem [to fulfill His purpose]. ⁵² He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went into a Samaritan village to make arrangements for Him; ⁵³ but the people would not welcome Him, ^[t]because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?”^{(AB) 55} But He turned and rebuked them ^[u][and He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are; ⁵⁶ for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they journeyed on to another village.

Exacting Discipleship

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.”^{(AC) 58} And Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” ⁵⁹ He said to another, “Follow Me [accepting Me as Master and Teacher].” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and ^[v]bury my father.”^{(AD) 60} But He said to him, “Allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and spread the news about the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord [as Your disciple]; but first let me say goodbye to those at my home.” ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.”