New Testament in a Year

Chapter 6

Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth.^{[a] 1} Departing from that district, Jesus went to his hometown accompanied by his disciples. ² On the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many of those who heard him asked in amazement, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that he has been granted? What mighty deeds he performs! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother^[b] of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him.

⁴ Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is always treated with honor except in his hometown, and among relatives, and in his own house.” ⁵ And he was unable to perform any mighty works there, aside from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Who Is Jesus?^[c]

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve on Mission.^[d] Jesus traveled through the villages teaching. ⁷ Calling the Twelve together, he began to send them out two by two, with authority over unclean spirits. ⁸ He instructed them to take nothing for their journey except a walking staff—no bread, no sack, no money in their purses. ⁹ They were to wear sandals but not to take along a second tunic.

¹⁰ He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, you are to stay there until you leave the area. ¹¹ And if any will not welcome you and refuse to listen to you, leave them immediately and shake off the dust that is on your feet in testimony against them.” ¹² Then they set off and preached the need for repentance. ¹³ They cast out many demons, and they anointed with oil many people who were sick and cured them.^[e]

¹⁴ The Name of Jesus Becomes Renowned.^[f] King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become renowned, and some people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why such powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ But others said, “He is Elijah,” while still others proclaimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead.”

¹⁷ The Death of John the Baptist.^[g] It was this same Herod who had ordered John to be arrested and put in chains in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. ¹⁸ For John had told Herod, “It is unlawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ As for Herodias, she was filled with resentment against John and wanted to have him killed, but she was unable to do so, ²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a holy and righteous man. Therefore, he protected him from harm. When he heard John speak, he was greatly perplexed by his words, but even so he liked to listen to him.

²¹ Her opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his court officials and military officers and the leaders of Galilee. ²² When the daughter of Herodias came in, she performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” ²³ And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ The girl went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” ²⁵ The girl then hurried back to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶ The king was greatly distressed, but because of the oath he had sworn and the presence of the guests, he was unwilling to break his word to her. ²⁷ Therefore, he immediately ordered an executioner to bring him John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in the prison. ²⁸ Then he brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl in turn gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and removed his body and laid it in a tomb.