Read the Gospels in 40 Days
A Centurion’s Slave Healed
7 After he had finished all his statements in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 Now a certain centurion’s slave, who was esteemed by him, was sick[a] and[b] was about to die. 3 So when he[c] heard about Jesus, he sent Jewish elders to him, asking him that he would come and[d] cure his slave. 4 And when they[e] came to Jesus, they began imploring[f] him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy that you grant this for him, 5 because he loves our nation and he himself built the synagogue for us.” 6 So Jesus went with them. Now by this time he was not far away from the house, and[g] the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should come in under my roof. 7 For this reason neither did I consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word and my slave must be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”[h]
9 And when[i] Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning around to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith!” 10 And when they[j] returned to the house, those who had been sent found the slave healthy.
A Widow’s Son Raised
11 And it happened that on the next day he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 And as he approached the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when[k] the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep!” 14 And he came up and[l] touched the bier, and those who were carrying it[m] stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him to his mother. 16 And fear seized them all, and they began to glorify[n] God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” and “God has visited to help his people!” 17 And this report about him went out in the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.
A Question from John the Baptist
18 And his disciples reported to John about all these things. And summoning a certain two of his disciples, John 19 sent them[o] to the Lord,[p] saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 20 And when[q] the men came to him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and suffering and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people. 22 And he answered and[r] said to them, “Go and[s] tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear;[t] the dead are raised, the poor have good news announced to them.[u] 23 And whoever is not offended by me is blessed.”
24 And when[v] the messengers of John had departed, he began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are in splendid clothing and luxury are in the royal palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! 27 It is this man about whom it is written:
‘Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’[w]
28 I tell you, there is no one greater among those born of women than John, but the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29 (And all the people, when they[x] heard this[y]—even the tax collectors—affirmed the righteousness of God, because they[z] had been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the legal experts rejected the purpose of God for themselves, because they[aa] had not been baptized by him.)
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, who say,
‘We played the flute for you and you did not dance;
we sang a lament and you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come not eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 And wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
A Sinful Woman Anoints Jesus’ Feet
36 Now one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he entered into the house of the Pharisee and[ab] reclined at the table. 37 And behold, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she[ac] learned that he was dining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed oil, 38 and standing behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and was wiping them[ad] with the hair of her head and was kissing his feet and anointing them[ae] with the perfumed oil. 39 Now when[af] the Pharisee who invited him saw this,[ag] he spoke to himself, saying, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered and[ah] said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Teacher, say it.”[ai] 41 “There were two debtors who owed a certain creditor. One owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty. 42 When[aj] they were not able to repay him,[ak] he forgave the debts[al] of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and[am] said, “I suppose that it is the one to whom he forgave more.” And he said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house. You did not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them[an] with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but from the time I entered, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with olive oil, but she anointed my feet with perfumed oil. 47 For this reason[ao] I tell you, her sins—which were many—have been forgiven, for she loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 And those who were reclining at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Some Women Accompany Jesus
8 And it happened that afterward[ap] also he was going about from one town and village to another preaching and proclaiming the good news concerning the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with him, 2 and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (who was called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza (Herod’s household manager), and Susanna, and many others who were helping to support them from their possessions.
The Parable of the Sower
4 And while[aq] a large crowd was gathering and they were going to him from town after town, he spoke by means of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed, and while he was sowing, some seed[ar] fell on the side of the path and was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6 And other seed fell on the rock, and when it[as] came up, it withered, because it did not have moisture. 7 And other seed fell in the midst of the thorn plants, and the thorn plants grew up with it[at] and[au] choked it. 8 And other seed fell on the good soil, and when it[av] came up, it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he[aw] said these things, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Reason for the Parables
9 And his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 And he said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are in parables, so that
‘Seeing they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’[ax]
The Parable of the Sower Interpreted
11 Now the parable means this: the seed is the word of God, 12 and those beside the path are the ones who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and[ay] be saved. 13 And those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it,[az] and these do not have enough root, who believe for a time and in a time of testing fall away. 14 And the seed that fell into the thorn plants—these are the ones who hear and as they[ba] go along are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and they do not bear fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed on the good soil—these are the ones who, after[bb] hearing the word, hold fast to it[bc] with a noble and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.
The Parable of the Lamp
16 “And no one, after[bd] lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts it[be] under a bed, but puts it[bf] on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not become evident, and nothing hidden that will never be known and come to light. 18 Therefore consider how you listen, for whoever has, to him more will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away from him.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
19 Now his mother and brothers came to him, and they were not able to meet with him because of the crowd. 20 And it was reported to him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to see you.” 21 But he answered and[bg] said to them, “These are my mother and my brothers—the ones who hear the word of God and do it.[bh]
Calming of a Storm
22 Now it happened that on one of the days both he and his disciples got into a boat, and he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they set sail, 23 and as[bi] they were sailing, he fell asleep. And a storm of wind came down on the lake, and they were being swamped and were in danger. 24 And they came and[bj] woke him up, saying, “Master, master! We are perishing!” So he got up and[bk] rebuked the wind and the billowing waves of water and they ceased, and it became calm. 25 And he said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and[bl] were astonished, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water and they obey him?”
A Demon-possessed Gerasene Healed
26 And they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And as[bm] he got out on the land, a certain man from the town met him[bn] who had demons and for a considerable time had not worn clothes and did not live in a house, but among the tombs. 28 And when he[bo] saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you,[bp] Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles and[bq] was guarded, and breaking the bonds he would be driven by the demon into the deserted places.) 30 So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him. 31 And they began imploring[br] him that he would not order them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding there on the hill, and they implored him that he would permit them to enter into those pigs. And he permitted them. 33 So the demons came out of the man and[bs] entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the lake and were drowned. 34 And when[bt] the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and reported it[bu] in the town and in the countryside. 35 So they went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting there clothed and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it[bv] reported to them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. 37 And all the people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, because they had been seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and[bw] returned. 38 And the man from who the demons had gone out was begging him to stay with him, but he sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home and tell all that God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town all that Jesus had done for him.
A Woman Healed and a Daughter Raised
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, because they were all waiting for him. 41 And behold, a man who was named[bx] Jairus came, and this man was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at the feet of Jesus and[by] began imploring[bz] him to come to his house, 42 because he had[ca] an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying.
Now as he was going, the crowds were pressing against him. 43 And a woman who was suffering from hemorrhages[cb] for twelve years (who, although she[cc] had spent all her[cd] assets on physicians, was not able to be healed by anyone) 44 came up behind him and[ce] touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her hemorrhaging[cf] stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched me?” And when they[cg] all denied it,[ch] Peter said, “Master, the crowds are pressing you hard and crowding you!”[ci] 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, because I know power has gone out from me.” 47 And when[cj] the woman saw that she did not escape notice, she came trembling and falling down before him. In the presence of all the people, she told for what reason she had touched him, and that she was healed immediately. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
49 While[ck] he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue ruler’s house, saying, “Your daughter is dead! Trouble the Teacher no longer!” 50 But Jesus, when he[cl] heard this,[cm] replied to him, “Do not be afraid! Only believe, and she will be healed.” 51 Now when he[cn] came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him except Peter and John and James and the father and mother of the child. 52 And they were all weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep! For she is not dead, but is sleeping.” 53 And they began laughing[co] at him, because they[cp] knew that she was dead. 54 But he took her hand and[cq] called, saying, “Child, get up.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately, and he ordered something[cr] to be given to her to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.
The Twelve Commissioned and Sent Out
9 And summoning the twelve, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And he said to them, “Take along nothing for the journey—neither a staff, nor a traveler’s bag, nor bread, nor money, nor to have two tunics apiece. 4 And into whatever house you enter, stay there and depart from there. 5 And as for all those who do not welcome you—when you[cs] depart from that town, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them.” 6 So they departed and[ct] went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.
Herod Perplexed About Jesus
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John has been raised from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and others that some prophet of ancient times had risen. 9 And Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he was wanting to see him.
The Feeding of Five Thousand
10 And when they[cu] returned, the apostles described to him all that they had done. And he took them along and[cv] withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. 11 But when[cw] the crowds found out, they followed him, and welcoming them, he began to speak[cx] to them about the kingdom of God, and he cured those who had need of healing. 12 Now the day began to be far spent, and the twelve came up and[cy] said to him, “Send away the crowd so that they can go into the surrounding villages and farms to obtain lodging and find provisions, because we are here in a desolate place. 13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no[cz] more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and[da] purchase food for all these people.” 14 (For there were about five thousand men.) So he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, and[db] looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them and began giving[dc] them[dd] to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up by them—twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Peter’s Confession
18 And it happened that while he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered and[de] said, “John the Baptist, but others, Elijah, and others, that one of the ancient prophets has risen.” 20 And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and[df] said, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
21 But he warned and[dg] commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “It is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised on the third day.
Taking Up One’s Cross to Follow Jesus
23 And he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me, this person will save it. 25 For what is a person benefited if he[dh] gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of this person when he comes in his glory and the glory[di] of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
28 Now it happened that about eight days after these words, he took along Peter and John and James and[dj] went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face became different, and his clothing became white, gleaming like lightning.[dk] 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and[dl] were speaking about his departure which he was about to fulfill[dm] in Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and those with him were very sleepy,[dn] but when they[do] became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him. 33 And it happened that as they were going away from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. And let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he was saying. 34 And while[dp] he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. 35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him!” 36 And after the voice had occurred, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
A Demon-possessed Boy Healed
37 Now it happened that on the next day, when[dq] they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look with concern on my son, because he is my only son! 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him and suddenly he screams, and it convulses him with foam and rarely withdraws from him, battering him severely. 40 And I begged your disciples that they would expel it, and they were not able to do so.” 41 So Jesus answered and[dr] said, “O unbelieving and perverted generation! How long[ds] will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here!” 42 And while[dt] he was still approaching, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.[du] But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all astounded at the impressiveness of God.
Jesus Predicts His Suffering
But while they[dv] were all marveling at all the things that he was doing, he said to his disciples, 44 “You take these words to heart,[dw] for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they could not understand it. And they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
The Question About Who Is Greatest
46 And an argument developed among them as to who of them might be greatest. 47 But Jesus, because he[dx] knew the thoughts of their hearts, took hold of a child and had him stand beside him 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the one who is least among you all—this one is great.”
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
49 And John answered and[dy] said, “Master, we saw someone expelling demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow in company with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him,[dz] because whoever is not against you is for you.”
Jesus Rejected in a Samaritan Village
51 Now it happened that when the days were approaching for him to be taken up,[ea] he set his[eb] face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers before him,[ec] and they went and[ed] entered into a village of the Samaritans in order to prepare for him. 53 And they did not welcome him because he was determined to go[ee] to Jerusalem. 54 Now when[ef] the disciples James and John saw it,[eg] they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned around and[eh] rebuked them, 56 and they proceeded to another village.
Would-be Followers
57 And as[ei] they were traveling on the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go!” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his[ej] head.” 59 And he said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, first allow me to go and[ek] bury my father.” 60 But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead! But you go and[el] proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 And another person also said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say farewell to those in my house.” 62 But Jesus said,[em] “No one who puts his[en] hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God!”
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