M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

He helps the man with the withered hand, and chooses his apostles. He casts out the unclean spirit, which the Pharisees ascribe to the devil. The brother, sister, and mother of Christ.

3 And he entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. ² And they watched him to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath day, so that they might accuse him. ³ And he said to the man who had the withered hand, Arise, and stand in the midst. ⁴ And he said to them, Is it lawful to do a good deed on the Sabbath days, or an evil deed? To save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. ⁵ And he looked round about on them angrily, mourning the blindness of their hearts, and said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored fully as whole as the other.

⁶ Then the Pharisees departed, and straightaway assembled a council with Herod’s men against him, so that they might destroy him.

⁷ And Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and from Judea, ⁸ and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and from beyond the Jordan, and also those who dwelt about Tyre and Sidon: great crowds who, when they heard the things he did, came to him. ⁹ And he told his disciples that a boat should be kept at hand for him, because of the people, lest they should throng him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, insomuch that they pressed in upon him to touch him, as many as had afflictions. ¹¹ And when the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, saying, You are the Son of God! ¹² And he charged them strictly not to make him known.

¹³ And he went up into a mountain and called to him whom he wished, and they came to him. ¹⁴ And he ordained the twelve to be with him, so that he might send them to preach, ¹⁵ and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. ¹⁶ And he gave Simon the name Peter. ¹⁷ And he called James, the son of Zebedee, and John, James’ brother, and gave them the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder. ¹⁸ And there were Andrew and Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon of Canaan, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, which same also betrayed him.

And they came to a house. ²⁰ And the people assembled together again, so greatly that they had no opportunity so much as to eat bread. ²¹ And when his family members heard of it, they set out to get him, because they thought he would be beside himself.

²² And the scribes who came from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and by the power of the chief devil he casts out devils. ²³ And Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in similitudes: How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ For if a realm is divided against itself, that realm cannot endure. ²⁵ Or if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot continue. ²⁶ So if Satan makes insurrection against himself and is divided, he cannot continue, but is at an end. ²⁷ No one can enter into a strong man’s house and take away his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then he plunders his house. ²⁸ Truly I say to you, all sins may be forgiven the children of men, and blasphemies with which they blaspheme. ²⁹ But he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit may never have forgiveness, but is liable to eternal condemnation. ³⁰ (For they said he had an unclean spirit.)

³¹ Then his mother and his brethren arrived and stood outside, and sent to him and called for him. ³² The people were sitting around him, and they said to Jesus, Your mother and your brethren are asking for you outside. ³³ And he answered them, saying, Who are my mother and my brethren? ³⁴ And he looked round about on his disciples, who sat in a circle around him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren. ³⁵ For whosoever does the will of God, he is my brother, my sister, and mother.

Paul shows what preferment the Jews have, and that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, and are justified only by the grace of God in Christ.

3 What preferment, then, has the Jew? Or what advantage from circumcision? ² Surely very much. The word of God was committed first to them. ³ What, then, if some of them did not believe? Does their unbelief make the promise of God without effect? ⁴ God forbid. Let God be true and all men liars, as it is written: That you may be justified in your words, and should overcome when you are judged.

⁵ If our unrighteousness makes the righteousness of God more excellent, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous, who takes vengeance? I speak after the manner of men. ⁶ God forbid, for how then will God judge the world? ⁷ If the truth of God appears more excellent through my lie, to his glory, why am I still judged as a sinner? ⁸ And why not say rather (as some ill report of us, and as some allege we say), let us do evil, so that good may come of it? Their condemnation is just.

⁹ What are we saying then? Are we better than they? No, not in any way. For we have already established that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, ¹⁰ as it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one. ¹¹ There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. ¹² They are all gone out of the way. They are all unprofitable. There is no one who does good: no, not one. ¹³ Their throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues they have deceived. The poison of asps is under their lips. ¹⁴ Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. ¹⁵ Their feet are swift to shed blood. ¹⁶ Destruction and wretchedness are in their ways, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known. ¹⁸ There is no fear of God before their eyes.

¹⁹ Yea and we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that all mouths may be stopped, and all the world be subdued to God, ²⁰ because no flesh can be justified in the sight of God by the deeds of the law. For by the law comes the knowledge of sin.

²¹ But now is declared the righteousness that comes of God without the fulfilling of the law, yet having the witness of the law and of the prophets. ²² Without doubt, the righteousness which is good before God comes by the faith of Jesus Christ, to all and upon all who believe.

There is no difference. ²³ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ but are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ Him God has made a seat of mercy, through faith in his blood, to show the righteousness that is of value before him, in that he forgives the sins that are past. ²⁶ These God suffered in order to show at this time the righteousness that is granted by him, so that he may be counted just, and a justifier of the person who believes on Jesus.

²⁷ Where then is self-righteousness? It is excluded. By what law? By the law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

²⁸ Therefore we hold that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ²⁹ Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, even of the Gentiles also. ³⁰ For there is one God, who justifies circumcision which is of faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

³¹ Do we then destroy the law through faith? God forbid. But we rather maintain the law.