Narrator:
The beginning
of the good news
about Jesus the Messiah,
the son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah,
the prophet,
I will send my messenger
ahead of you
who will prepare your way.
A voice of one calling
in the wilderness,
"Prepare the way
for the Lord.
Make straight paths for him."
And so John the Baptist
appeared in the wilderness,
preaching a baptism
of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
The whole Judean
countryside
and all the people
of Jerusalem went out to him.
Confessing their sins,
they were baptized by him
in the Jordan River.
John wore clothing
made of camel's hair,
with a leather belt
around his waist,
And he ate locusts
and wild honey.
And this was his message.
"After me comes the one
more powerful than I,
the straps of whose sandals
I am not worthy to stoop down
and untie.
I baptize you
with water,
but he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit."
At that time, Jesus came
from Nazareth in Galilee
and was baptized
by John in the Jordan.
Just as Jesus was coming up
out of the water,
he saw Heaven
being torn open
and the Spirit
descending on him
like a dove.
And a voice came
from Heaven,
"You are my son,
whom I love.
With you I am well pleased."
At once the Spirit sent him
out into the wilderness,
and he was
in the wilderness 40 days,
being tempted by Satan.
He was with the wild animals,
and angels attended him.
After John
was put in prison,
Jesus went into Galilee,
proclaiming the good news
of God.
"The time has come,"
he said.
"The Kingdom of God
has come near.
Repent and believe
the good news!"
As Jesus walked beside
the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon
and his brother Andrew
casting a net into the lake,
for they were fishing.
"Come, follow me,"
Jesus said,
"and I will send you out
to fish for people."
At once they left their nets
and followed him.
When he had gone
a little farther,
he saw James,
the son of Zebedee,
and his brother John
in a boat
preparing their nets.
Without delay
he called them,
and they left their father
Zebedee in the boat
with the hired men
and followed him.
And they went to Capernaum,
and when the Sabbath came,
Jesus went into the synagogue
and began to teach.
The people were amazed
at his teaching,
because he taught them
as one who had authority,
not as the teachers
of the law.
Just then,
a man in their synagogue
who was possessed by
an impure spirit cried out,
"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."
"Be quiet!",
said Jesus, sternly.
"Come out of him!"
The impure spirit
shook the man violently
and came out of him
with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed
that they asked each other,
"What is this?
A new teaching--
and with authority!
He even gives orders
to impure spirits
and they obey him."
News about him spread quickly
over the whole region
of Galilee.
As soon as they left
the synagogue,
they went
with James and John
to the home of
Simon and Andrew.
Simon's mother-in-law
was in bed with a fever,
and they immediately
told Jesus about her.
So he went to her,
took her hand
and helped her up.
The fever left her...
and she began
to wait on them.
That evening after sunset,
the people brought to Jesus
all the sick
and demon-possessed.
The whole town
gathered at the door,
and Jesus healed many
who had various diseases.
He also drove out
many demons,
but he would not let
the demons speak
because they knew
who he was.
Very early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
Jesus got up,
left the house
and went off
to a solitary place,
where he prayed.
Simon and his companions
went to look for him.
And when they found him,
they exclaimed,
"Everyone is
looking for you!"
Jesus replied,
"Let us go somewhere else--
to the nearby villages--
so I can preach there also.
That is why I have come."
So he traveled
throughout Galilee,
preaching in their synagogues
and driving out demons.
A man with leprosy
came to him
and begged him
on his knees,
"If you are willing,
you can make me clean."
Jesus was indignant.
He reached out his hand
and touched the man.
"I am willing," he said.
"Be clean!"
Immediately,
the leprosy left him
and he was cleansed.
Jesus sent him away at once
with a strong warning.
"See that you don't
tell this to anyone.
But go, show yourself
to the priest
and offer the sacrifices
that Moses commanded
for your cleansing
as a testimony to them."
Instead, he went out
and began to talk freely,
spreading the news.
As a result,
Jesus could no longer
enter a town openly,
but stayed outside
in lonely places.
Yet the people
still came to him
from everywhere.
A few days later,
when Jesus again entered
Capernaum,
the people heard
that he had come home.
They gathered
in such large numbers
that there was no room left,
not even outside the door,
and he preached
the word to them.
Some men came,
bringing to him
a paralyzed man,
carried by four of them.
Since they could not
get him to Jesus
because of the crowd,
they made an opening
in the roof above Jesus...
by digging through it
and then lowered the mat
the man was lying on.
When Jesus saw their faith,
he said to the paralyzed man,
"Son, your sins
are forgiven."
Now some teachers of the law
were sitting there,
thinking to themselves,
"Why does this fellow
talk like that?
He's blaspheming!
Who can forgive sins
but God alone?"
Immediately, Jesus knew
in his spirit that this
was what they were thinking
in their hearts,
and he said to them,
"Why are you thinking
these things?
Which is easier,
to say to this paralyzed man,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Get up,
take your mat and walk?'
But I want you to know
that the Son of Man
has authority on Earth
to forgive sins."
So he said to the man,
"I tell you, get up,
take your mat and go home."
He got up, took his mat
and walked out
in full view of them all.
This amazed everyone
and they praised God saying,
"We've never seen anything
like this!"
Once again, Jesus went out
beside the lake.
A large crowd came to him,
and he began to teach them.
As he walked along,
he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at
the tax collector's booth.
"Follow me,"
Jesus told him.
And Levi got up
and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner
at Levi's house,
many tax collectors
and sinners
were eating with him
and his disciples,
for there were many
who followed him.
When the teachers of the law
who were Pharisees
saw him eating
with the sinners
and tax collectors,
they asked his disciples,
"Why does he eat
with tax collectors
and sinners?"
On hearing this,
Jesus said to them,
"It is not the healthy
who need a doctor,
but the sick.
I have not come to call
the righteous, but sinners."
Now John's disciples
and the Pharisees
were fasting.
Some people came
and asked Jesus,
"How is it that John's
disciples and the disciples
of the Pharisees are fasting,
but yours are not?"
Jesus answered, "How can
the guests of the bridegroom
fast while he is with them?
They cannot, so long as
they have him with them.
But the time will come
when the bridegroom
will be taken from them,
and on that day
they will fast.
No one sews a patch
of unshrunk cloth
on an old garment.
Otherwise, the new piece
will pull away from the old,
making the tear worse.
And no one pours new wine
into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine
will burst the skins,
and both the wine
and the wineskins
will be ruined.
No, they pour new wine
into new wineskins."
One Sabbath, Jesus was going
through the grain fields,
and as his disciples
walked along,
they began to pick
some heads of grain.
The Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing
what is unlawful
on the Sabbath?"
He answered,
"Have you never read
what David did
when he and his companions
were hungry and in need?
In the days of Abiathar
the high priest,
he entered the house of God
and ate the consecrated bread,
which is lawful
only for priests to eat.
And he also gave some
to his companions."
Then he said to them,
"The Sabbath
was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath.
So the Son of Man
is Lord,
even of the Sabbath."
Another time Jesus
went into the synagogue,
and a man with
a shriveled hand was there.
Some of them were looking
for a reason to accuse Jesus,
so they watched him closely
to see if he would heal him
on the Sabbath.
Jesus said to the man
with the shriveled hand,
"Stand up in front
of everyone."
Then Jesus asked them,
"Which is lawful
on the Sabbath--
to do good or to do evil?
To save life or to k*ll?"
But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed
at their stubborn hearts,
said to the man,
"Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out,
and his hand was completely
restored.
Then the Pharisees went out
and began to plot
with the Herodians
how they might k*ll Jesus.
Jesus withdrew
with his disciples
to the lake,
and a large crowd
from Galilee followed.
When they heard
about all he was doing,
many people came to him
from Judea, Jerusalem,
Idumea, and the regions
across the Jordan
and around Tyre and Sidon.
Because of the crowd,
he told his disciples
to have a small boat
ready for him
to keep the people
from crowding him.
For he had healed many,
so that those with diseases
were pushing forward
to touch him.
Whenever the impure
spirits saw him,
they fell down before him
and cried out,
"You are the Son of God."
But he gave them
strict orders
not to tell others about him.
Jesus went up on
a mountainside
and called to him
those he wanted,
and they came to him.
He appointed 12
that they might be with him
and that he might send them
out to preach
and to have authority
to drive out demons.
These are the 12
he appointed.
Simon, to whom he gave
the name Peter.
James, son of Zebedee,
and his brother John,
to them he gave
the name Boanerges,
which means
"sons of thunder."
Andrew,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
Thomas,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus,
Simon, the Zealot,
and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed him.
Then Jesus entered a house,
and again a crowd gathered,
so that he and his disciples
were not even able to eat.
When his family
heard about this,
they went to take charge
of him, for they said,
"He is out of his mind."
And the teachers
of the law who came down
from Jerusalem said,
"He is possessed
by Beelzebul!
By the prince of demons,
he is driving out demons."
So Jesus called them
over to him
and began to speak to them
in parables.
"How can Satan
drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided
against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand.
If a house is divided
against itself,
that house cannot stand.
And if Satan opposes himself
and is divided,
he cannot stand.
His end has come.
In fact, no one can enter
a strong man's house
without first tying him up.
Then he can plunder
the strong man's house.
Truly, I tell you,
people can be forgiven
all their sins
and every slander they utter,
but whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit
will never be forgiven.
They are guilty
of an eternal sin."
He said this
because they were saying,
"He has an impure spirit."
Then Jesus' mother
and brothers arrived.
Standing outside, they sent
someone in to call him.
A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him,
"Your mother and brothers
are outside looking for you."
"Who are my mother
and my brothers?", he asked.
Then he looked at those seated
in a circle around him
and said,
"Here are my mother
and my brothers!
Whoever does God's will
is my brother and sister
and mother."
Again, Jesus began to teach
by the lake.
The crowd that gathered
around him was so large
that the got into a boat
and sat in it out on the lake
while all the people
were along the shore
at the water's edge.
He taught them many things
by parables,
and in his teaching said,
"Listen! A farmer went out
to sow his seed.
As he was scattering
the seed,
some fell along the path,
and the birds came
and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places
where it did not
have much soil.
It sprang up quickly
because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched,
and they withered
because they had no root.
Other seed
fell among thorns,
which grew up
and choked the plants
so that they did not
bear grain.
Still other seed
fell on good soil.
It came up, grew,
and produced a crop,
some multiplying 30,
some 60, some 100 times."
Then Jesus said,
"Whoever has ears to hear,
let them hear."
When he was alone,
the 12 and the others
around him
asked him
about the parables.
He told them,
"The secret of the Kingdom
of God has been given to you.
But to those
on the outside
everything is said
in parables so that
they may be ever seeing
but never perceiving,
and ever hearing
but never understanding,
otherwise they might turn
and be forgiven!"
Then Jesus said to them,
"Don't you understand
this parable?
How then will you understand
any parable?
The farmer sows the word.
Some people are like seed
along the path,
where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it,
Satan comes and takes away
the word
that was sown in them.
Others, like seed sown
on rocky places,
hear the word and at once
receive it with joy.
But since they have no root,
they last only a short time.
When trouble or persecution
comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Still others, like seed sown
among thorns, hear the word,
but the worries of this life,
the deceitfulness of wealth,
and the desires
for other things
come in and choke the word,
making it unfruitful.
Others, like seed sown
on good soil, hear the word,
accept it,
and produce a crop--
some 30, some 60,
and some 100 times
what was sown."
He said to them,
"Do you bring in a lamp
to put it under
a bowl or a bed?
Instead, don't you
put it on its stand?
For whatever is hidden
is meant to be disclosed,
and whatever is concealed
is meant to be
brought out into the open.
If anyone has ears to hear,
let them hear.
Consider carefully
what you hear,"
he continued.
"With the measure you use,
it will be measured to you--
and even more.
Whoever has,
will be given more,
whoever does not have,
even what they have
will be taken from them."
He also said,
"This is what the Kingdom
of God is like.
A man scatters seed
on the ground.
Night and day,
whether he sleeps or gets up,
the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how.
All by itself,
the soil produces grain--
first the stalk,
then the head,
then the full kernel
in the head.
As soon as the grain is ripe,
he puts the sickle to it,
because the harvest has come."
Again, he said, "What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like,
or what parable
shall we use to describe it?
It is like a mustard seed,
which is the smallest
of all seeds on earth.
Yet when planted,
it grows and becomes
the largest of all
garden plants,
with such big branches
that the birds can perch
in its shade."
With many similar parables,
Jesus spoke the word to them,
as much as they could
understand.
He did not say
anything to them
without using a parable.
But when he was alone
with his own disciples,
he explained everything.
That day when evening came,
he said to his disciples,
"Let us go over
to the other side."
Leaving the crowd behind,
they took him along
just as he was in the boat.
There were also
other boats with him.
A furious squall came up,
and the waves broke
over the boat
so that it was
nearly swamped.
Jesus was in the stern,
sleeping on a cushion.
The disciples woke him
and said to him,
"Teacher, don't you care
if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind
and said to the waves,
"Quiet! Be still!"
Then the wind d*ed down
and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples,
"Why are you so afraid?
Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified
and asked each other,
"Who is this? Even the wind
and the waves obey him!"
They went across the lake
to the region
of the Gerasenes.
When Jesus got out
of the boat,
a man with an impure spirit
came from the tombs
to meet him.
This man lived in the tombs
and no one
could bind him anymore,
not even with a chain,
for he had often been chained
hand and foot,
but he tore
the chains apart
and broke the irons
on his feet.
No one was strong enough
to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs
and in the hills
he would cry out
and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus
from a distance,
he ran and fell on his knees
in front of him.
He shouted at the top
of his voice,
"What do you
want with me, Jesus,
Son of the most high God?
In God's name
don't t*rture me!"
For Jesus had said to him,
"Come out of this man,
you impure spirit!"
Then Jesus asked him,
"What is your name?"
"My name is Legion,"
he replied,
"for we are many."
And he begged Jesus
again and again
not to send them
out of the area.
A large herd of pigs
was feeding
on the nearby hillside.
The demons begged Jesus,
"Send us among the pigs,
allow us to go into them."
[ speaking Aramaic ]
He gave them permission,
and the impure spirits
came out
and went into the pigs.
The herd, about 2,000
in number,
rushed down the steep bank
into the lake
and were drowned.
Those tending the pigs
ran off and reported this
in the town and countryside,
and the people went out
to see what had happened.
When they came to Jesus,
they saw the man
who had been possessed
by the legion of demons
sitting there, dressed
and in his right mind,
and they were afraid.
Those who had seen it told
the people what had happened
to the demon-possessed man
and told about the pigs,
as well.
Then the people began
to plead with Jesus
to leave their region.
As Jesus was getting
into the boat,
the man who had been
demon-possessed
begged to go with him.
Jesus did not let him,
but said,
"Go home to your own people
and tell them
how much the Lord
has done for you,
and how he has had
mercy on you."
So the man went away and began
to tell in the Decapolis
how much Jesus
had done for him,
and all the people
were amazed.
When Jesus had again
crossed over by boat
to the other side
of the lake,
a large crowd
gathered around him
while he was by the lake.
Then one of the synagogue
leaders, named Jairus, came,
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell at his feet.
He pleaded
earnestly with him,
"My little daughter
is dying.
Please come and put
your hands on her
so that she will
be healed and live."
So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed
and pressed around him,
and a woman was there
who had been subject
to bleeding for 12 years.
She had suffered a great deal
under the care of many doctors
and had spent all she had,
yet instead
of getting better,
she grew worse.
When she heard about Jesus,
she came up behind him
in the crowd
and touched his cloak,
because she thought,
"If I just touch his clothes,
I will be healed."
Immediately,
her bleeding stopped
and she felt in her body
that she was freed
from her suffering.
At once, Jesus
realized that power
had gone out from him.
He turned around
in the crowd and asked,
"Who touched my clothes?"
"You see the people crowding
against you,"
his disciples answered,
"and yet you can ask,
'Who touched me?'"
But Jesus kept looking around
to see who had done it.
Then the woman, knowing what
had happened to her,
came and fell at his feet,
and trembling with fear,
told him the whole truth.
He said to her,
"Daughter, your faith
has healed you.
Go in peace and be freed
from your suffering."
While Jesus
was still speaking,
some people came
from the house of Jairus,
the synagogue leader.
"Your daughter is dead,"
they said.
"Why bother the teacher
anymore?"
Overhearing what they said,
Jesus told him,
"Don't be afraid.
Just believe."
He did not let anyone
follow him except Peter,
James, and John,
the brother of James.
When they came to the home
of the synagogue leader,
Jesus saw a commotion,
with people crying
and wailing loudly.
He went in
and said to them,
"Why all this commotion
and wailing?
The child is not dead,
but asleep."
But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out,
he took the child's
father and mother
and the disciples
who were with him,
and went in
where the child was.
He took her by the hand
and said to her,
"Talitha Koum!"--
which means 'little girl'--
"I say to you, get up!"
Immediately,
the girl stood up and began
to walk around.
She was 12 years old.
At this,
they were completely
astonished.
He gave strict orders
not to let anyone
know about this.
He told them to give her
something to eat.
Jesus left there
and went to his hometown,
accompanied
by his disciples.
When the Sabbath came,
he began to teach
in the synagogue,
and many who heard him
were amazed.
"Where did this man
get these things?",
they asked.
"What's this wisdom
that has been given him?
What are these remarkable
miracles he's performing?
Isn't this the carpenter?
Isn't this Mary's son
and the brother of James,
Joseph, Judas, and Simon?
Aren't his sisters
here with us?"
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not
without honor
except in his own town
among his relatives
and in his own home."
He could not do
any miracles there,
except lay his hands
on a few sick people
and heal them.
He was amazed
at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around
teaching from village
to village.
Calling the 12 to him,
he began to send them out
two by two
and gave them authority
over impure spirits.
These were his instructions,
"Take nothing for the journey
except a staff--
no bread, no bag, no money
in your belts.
Wear sandals,
but not an extra shirt.
Whenever you enter a house,
stay there until you leave
that town.
And if any place will not
welcome you or listen to you,
leave that place
and shake the dust
off your feet
as a testimony against them."
They went out and preached
that people should repent.
They drove out many demons
and anointed many sick people
with oil and healed them.
King Herod
heard about this,
for Jesus' name
had become well known.
Some were saying
John the Baptist
has been raised
from the dead,
and that is why miraculous
powers are at work in him.
Others said, "He is Elijah."
And still others claimed,
"He is a prophet,
like one of the prophets
of long ago."
But when Herod heard this,
he said,
"John, whom I beheaded,
has been raised
from the dead!"
For Herod himself
had given orders
to have John arrested,
and he had him bound
and put in prison.
He did this
because of Herodias,
his brother Philip's wife,
whom he had married.
For John had been saying
to Herod,
"It is not lawful for you
to have your brother's wife."
So Herodias nursed
a grudge against John
and wanted to k*ll him.
But she was not able to,
because Herod feared John
and protected him,
knowing him to be a righteous
and holy man.
When Herod heard John,
he was greatly puzzled,
yet he liked
to listen to him.
Finally,
the opportune time came.
On his birthday,
Herod gave a banquet
for his high officials
and m*llitary commanders
and the leading men
of Galilee.
When the daughter of Herodias
came in and danced,
she pleased Herod
and his dinner guests.
The king said to the girl,
"Ask me for anything
you want
and I'll give it to you."
And he promised her
with an oath,
"Whatever you ask,
I will give you,
up to half my kingdom."
She went out and said
to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
"The head
of John the Baptist,"
she answered.
At once, the girl hurried in
to the king with the request,
"I want you
to give me right now
the head of John the Baptist
on a platter."
The king was greatly
distressed,
but because of his oaths
and his dinner guests,
he did not want
to refuse her,
so he immediately sent
an executioner with orders
to bring John's head.
The man went, beheaded
John in the prison,
and brought back his head
on a platter.
He presented it
to the girl
and she gave it
to her mother.
On hearing of this,
John's disciples came
and took his body
and laid it in a tomb.
The apostles
gathered around Jesus
and reported to him
all they had done and taught.
Then, because so many people
were coming and going
that they didn't even
have a chance to eat,
he said to them,
"Come with me by yourselves
to a quiet place
and get some rest."
So they went away
by themselves
in a boat
to a solitary place.
But many who saw them leaving
recognized them
and ran on foot
from all the towns
and got there ahead of them.
When Jesus landed
and saw a large crowd,
he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep
without a shepherd,
so he began teaching them
many things.
By this time,
it was late in the day,
so his disciples
came to him.
"This is a remote place,"
they said,
"and it's already very late.
Send the people away
so that they can go
to the surrounding
countryside and villages
and buy themselves
something to eat."
But he answered,
"You give them
something to eat."
They said to him,
"That would take more
than half a year's wages!
Are we to go and spend
that much on bread
and give it to them to eat?"
"How many loaves
do you have?"
he asked.
"Go and see."
When they found out,
they said,
"Five-- and two fish."
Then Jesus directed them
to have all the people
sit down in groups
on the green grass.
So they sat down in groups
of 100s and 50s.
Taking the five loaves
and the two fish
and looking up to Heaven,
he gave thanks
and broke the loaves.
Then he gave them
to the disciples
to distribute
to the people.
He also divided the two fish
among them all.
They all ate
and were satisfied,
and the disciples
picked up 12 basketfuls
of broken pieces
of bread and fish.
The number of the men
who had eaten was 5,000.
Immediately,
Jesus made his disciples
get into the boat and go on
ahead of him to Bethesda
while he dismissed the crowd.
After leaving them,
he went up
on a mountainside
to pray.
Later that night, the boat
was in the middle of the lake
and he was alone on land.
He saw the disciples
straining at the oars
because the wind
was against them.
Shortly before dawn,
he went out to them,
walking on the lake.
He was about
to pass by them,
but when they saw him
walking on the lake,
they thought he was a ghost.
They cried out,
because they all saw him
and were terrified.
Immediately,
he spoke to them
and said,
"Take courage! It is I.
Don't be afraid."
Then he climbed
into the boat with them
and the wind d*ed down.
They were completely amazed,
for they had not understood
about the loaves.
Their hearts were hardened.
When they had crossed over,
they landed at Gennesaret
and anchored there.
As soon as they got out
of the boat,
people recognized Jesus.
They ran throughout
that whole region
and carried the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
And wherever he went--
into villages, towns,
or countryside--
they placed the sick
in the marketplaces.
They begged him
to let them touch
even the edge
of his cloak,
and all who touched it
were healed.
The Pharisees and some
of the teachers of the law
who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus
and saw some of his disciples
eating food with hands
that were defiled--
that is, unwashed.
The Pharisees
and all the Jews
do not eat
unless they give their hands
a ceremonial washing,
holding to the tradition
of the elders.
When they come
from the marketplace,
they do not eat
unless they wash,
and they observe
many other traditions,
such as the washing of cups,
pitchers, and kettles.
So the Pharisees and teachers
of the law asked Jesus,
"Why don't
your disciples live
according to the tradition
of the elders
instead of eating their food
with defiled hands?"
He replied,
"Isaiah was right
when he prophesized
about you hypocrites.
As it is written,
these people honor me
with their lips,
but their hearts
are far from me.
They worship me in vain,
their teachings
are merely human rules.
You have let go
of the commands of God
and are holding on
to human traditions."
But he continued,
"You have a fine way
of setting aside
the commands of God
in order to observe
your own traditions!
For Moses said, 'Honor
your father and mother,'
and 'Anyone who curses
their father or mother
is to be put to death.'
But you say
that if anyone declares
that what might
have been used to help
their father or mother
is Corban,
that is, devoted to God,
then you no longer
let them do anything
for their father or mother.
Thus you nullify the word
of God by your tradition
that you have handed down,
and you do many things
like that."
Again, Jesus called the crowd
to him and said,
"Listen to me, everyone,
and understand this.
Nothing outside a person
can defile them by going
into them.
Rather, it is
what comes out of a person
that defiles them."
After he had left the crowd
and entered the house,
his disciples asked him
about this parable.
"Are you so dull?",
he asked.
"Don't you see that nothing
that enters a person
from the outside
can defile them?
For it doesn't go
into their heart,
but into their stomach,
and then out of the body."
In saying this, Jesus
declared all foods clean.
He went on, "What comes
out of a person
is what defiles them.
For it is from within,
out of a person's heart,
that evil thoughts come--
sexual immorality, theft,
m*rder, adultery, greed,
malice, deceit,
lewdness, envy, slander,
arrogance and folly,
all these evils
come from inside
and defile a person."
Jesus left that place and went
to the vicinity of Tyre.
He entered a house and did not
want anyone to know it,
yet he could not keep
his presence secret.
In fact, as soon
as she heard about him,
a woman
whose little daughter
was possessed
by an impure spirit
came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek,
born in Syrian Phoenicia.
She begged Jesus to drive
the demon out of her daughter.
"First, let the children eat
all they want," he told her,
"for it is not right to take
the children's bread
and toss it to the dogs."
"Lord," she replied,
"even the dogs under the table
eat the children's crumbs."
Then he told her,
"For such a reply,
you may go.
The demon has left
your daughter."
She went home
and found her child
lying on the bed
and the demon gone.
Then Jesus left
the vicinity of Tyre
and went through Sidon,
down to the Sea of Galilee
and into the region
of the Decapolis.
There, some people brought
to him a man who was deaf
and could hardly talk,
and they begged Jesus
to place his hand on him.
After he took him aside,
away from the crowd,
Jesus put his fingers
into the man's ears.
Then he spit and touched
the man's tongue.
He looked up to Heaven
and with a deep sigh,
said to him,
"Ephphatha!"
which means "be opened."
At this, the man's ears
were opened,
his tongue was loosened
and he began
to speak plainly.
Jesus commanded them
not to tell anyone...
but the more he did so,
the more they kept
talking about it.
People were overwhelmed
with amazement.
"He has done
everything well,"
they said.
"He even makes the deaf hear
and the mute speak."
During those days,
another large crowd gathered.
Since they had
nothing to eat,
Jesus called his disciples
to him and said,
"I have compassion
for these people.
They have already
been with me three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them home hungry,
they will collapse on the way,
because some of them
have come a long distance."
His disciples answered,
"But where in this
remote place
can anyone get enough bread
to feed them?"
"How many loaves
do you have?" Jesus asked.
"Seven," they replied.
He told the crowd
to sit down on the ground.
When he had taken
the seven loaves
and given thanks,
he broke them...
and gave them
to his disciples
to distribute to the people,
and they did so.
They had a few
small fish as well.
He gave thanks
for them also,
and told the disciples
to distribute them.
The people ate
and were satisfied.
Afterwards, the disciples
picked up seven basketfuls
of broken pieces
that were left over.
About 4,000 were present.
After he had sent them away,
he got into the boat
with his disciples
and went to the region
of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees came
and began to question Jesus.
To test him, they asked him
for a sign from Heaven.
He sighed deeply and said,
"Why does this generation
ask for a sign?
Truly I tell you,
no sign will be given to it."
Then he left them,
got back into the boat
and crossed
to the other side.
The disciples had forgotten
to bring bread,
except for one loaf
they had with them
in the boat.
"Be careful,"
Jesus warned them.
"Watch out for the yeast
of the Pharisees
and that of Herod."
They discussed this
with one another and said,
"It is because we have
no bread."
Aware of their discussion,
Jesus asked them,
"Why are you talking
about having no bread?
Do you still not see
or understand?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes,
but fail to see,
and ears, but fail to hear?
And don't you remember?
When I broke the five loaves
for the 5,000,
how many basketfuls
of pieces did you pick up?"
"Twelve," they replied.
"And when I broke
the seven loaves
for the 4,000,
how many basketfuls
of pieces did you pick up?"
They answered, "Seven."
He said to them,
"Do you still not understand?"
They came to Bethsaida,
and some people
brought a blind man
and begged Jesus
to touch him.
He took the blind man
by the hand
and led him outside
the village.
When he had spit
on the man's eyes
and put his hands on him,
Jesus asked,
"Do you see anything?"
He looked up and said,
"I see people.
They look like trees
walking around."
Once more Jesus
put his hands
on the man's eyes.
Then his eyes were opened,
his sight was restored,
and he saw
everything clearly.
Jesus sent him home,
saying, "Don't even go
into the village."
Jesus and his disciples
went on to the villages
around Caesarea Philippi.
On the way he asked them,
"Who do people say I am?"
They replied,
"Some say John the Baptist,
others say Elijah,
and still others,
one of the prophets."
"But what about you?",
he asked.
"Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered,
"You are the Messiah."
Jesus warned them
not to tell anyone about him.
He then began to teach them
that the Son of Man
must suffer many things,
and be rejected
by the elders,
the chief priests,
and the teachers of the law,
and that he must be k*lled,
and after three days,
rise again.
He spoke plainly
about this,
and Peter took him aside
and began to rebuke him.
But when Jesus turned
and looked at his disciples,
he rebuked Peter.
"Get behind me, Satan!",
he said.
"You do not have in mind
the concerns of God,
but merely human concerns."
Then he called
the crowd to him along
with his disciples
and said,
"Whoever wants to be my
disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross
and follow me.
For whoever wants to save
their life will lose it,
but whoever loses
their life for me
and for the gospel
will save it.
What good is it for someone
to gain the whole world,
yet forfeit their soul?
Or what can anyone give
in exchange for their soul?
If anyone is ashamed
of me and my words
in this adulterous
and sinful generation,
the Son of Man
will be ashamed of them
when he comes
in his Father's glory
with the holy angels."
And he said to them,
"Truly, I tell you,
some who are standing here
will not taste death
before they see
that the Kingdom of God
has come with power."
After six days, Jesus took
Peter, James, and John
with him and led them
up a high mountain,
where they were all alone.
There he was transfigured
before them.
His clothes
became dazzling white,
whiter than anyone
in the world
could bleach them.
And there appeared
before them Elijah and Moses,
who were talking
with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi,
it is good for us to be here."
Let us put up three shelters--
one for you, one for Moses,
and one for Elijah."
He did not know what to say,
they were so frightened.
Then a cloud appeared
and covered them,
and a voice came
from the cloud,
"This is my Son, whom I love.
Listen to him!"
Suddenly,
when they looked around,
they no longer saw
anyone with them
except Jesus.
As they were coming down
the mountain,
Jesus gave them orders
not to tell anyone
what they had seen
until the Son of Man
had risen from the dead.
They kept the matter
to themselves,
discussing what
"rising from the dead" meant.
And they asked him,
"Why do the teachers
of the law
say that Elijah
must come first?"
Jesus replied, "To be sure,
Elijah does come first,
and restores all things.
Why then is it written
that the Son of Man
must suffer much
and be rejected?
But I tell you,
Elijah has come,
and they have done to him
everything they wished,
just as it is written
about him."
When they came
to the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd
around them
and the teachers of the law
arguing with them.
As soon as all the people
saw Jesus,
they were overwhelmed
with wonder
and ran to greet him.
"What are you arguing
with them about?", he asked.
A man in the crowd
answered,
"Teacher,
I brought you my son,
who is possessed
by a spirit
that has robbed him
of speech.
Whenever it seizes him,
it throws him to the ground.
He foams at the mouth,
gnashes his teeth
and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples
to drive out the spirit,
but they could not."
"You unbelieving generation,"
Jesus replied.
"How long shall I stay
with you?
How long shall I put up
with you?
Bring the boy to me."
So they brought him.
When the spirit saw Jesus,
it immediately threw the boy
into a convulsion.
He fell to the ground
and rolled around,
foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked
the boy's father,
"How long has
he been like this?"
"From childhood,"
he answered.
"It has often thrown him
into fire or water
to k*ll him.
But if you can do anything,
take pity on us and help us."
"'If you can?'",
said Jesus.
"Everything is possible
for one who believes."
Immediately, the boy's
father exclaimed,
"I do believe.
Help me overcome my unbelief!"
When Jesus saw that a crowd
was running to the scene,
he rebuked
the impure spirit.
"You deaf and mute spirit,"
he said, "I command you,
come out of him and never
enter him again."
The spirit shrieked,
convulsed him violently
and came out.
The boy looked so much
like a corpse that many said,
"He's dead."
But Jesus took him
by the hand
and lifted him to his feet,
and he stood up.
After Jesus
had gone indoors,
his disciples
asked him privately,
"Why couldn't
we drive it out?"
He replied,
"This kind can come out
only by prayer."
They left that place
and passed through Galilee.
Jesus did not want anyone
to know where they were,
because he was teaching
his disciples.
He said to them,
"The Son of Man
is going to be delivered
into the hands of men.
They will k*ll him,
and after three days
he will rise."
But they did not understand
what he meant
and were afraid
to ask him about it.
They came to Capernaum.
When he was in the house,
he asked them,
"What were you arguing
about on the road?"
But they kept quiet
because on the way
they had argued about who
was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus
called the 12 and said,
"Anyone who wants to be first
must be the very last,
and the servant of all."
He took a little child
whom he placed among them.
Taking the child in his arms,
he said to them,
"Whoever welcomes one of these
little children in my name
welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me
does not welcome me,
but the one who sent me."
"Teacher," said John,
"we saw someone driving out
demons in your name
and we told him to stop
because he was not
one of us."
"Do not stop him,"
Jesus said.
"For no one who does
a miracle in my name
can in the next moment
say anything bad about me,
for whoever is not
against us is for us.
Truly, I tell you,
anyone who gives you
a cup of water in my name
because you belong
to the Messiah
will certainly not lose
their reward.
If anyone causes
one of these little ones--
those who believe in me--
to stumble,
it would be better for them
if a large millstone
were hung around their neck
and they were thrown
into the sea.
If your hand causes you
to stumble, cut it off.
It is better for you
to enter life maimed
than with two hands
to go into hell,
where the fire
never goes out.
And if your foot
causes you to stumble,
cut it off.
It is better for you
to enter life crippled
than to have two feet
and be thrown into hell.
And if your eye
causes you to stumble,
pluck it out.
It is better for you to enter
the Kingdom of God
with one eye
than to have two eyes
and be thrown into hell,
where the worms
that eat them do not die,
and the fire
is not quenched.
Everyone will be
salted with fire.
Salt is good,
but if it loses
its saltiness,
how can you make it
salty again?
Have salt among yourselves,
and be at peace
with each other."
[ cheering ]
Jesus then left that place
and went into the region
of Judea
and across the Jordan.
Again crowds of people
came to him,
and as was his custom,
he taught them.
Some Pharisees came
and tested him by asking,
"Is it lawful for a man
to divorce his wife?"
"What did Moses command you?",
he replied.
They said, "Moses permitted
a man to write a certificate
of divorce
and send her away."
"It was because
your hearts were hard
that Moses
wrote you this law,"
Jesus replied.
"But at the beginning
of creation,
God made them
male and female.
For this reason,
a man will leave
his father and mother
and be united to his wife,
and the two will become
one flesh.
So they are no longer two,
but one flesh.
Therefore what God
has joined together,
let no one separate."
When they were in
the house again,
the disciples
asked Jesus about this.
He answered,
"Anyone who divorces his wife
and marries another woman
commits adultery against her.
And if she divorces her husband and marries another man,
she commits adultery."
[ speaking Aramaic ]
People were bringing
little children to Jesus
for him to place
his hands on them,
but the disciples
rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this,
he was indignant.
He said to them,
"Let the little children
come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the Kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.
Truly I tell you,
anyone who will not receive
the Kingdom of God
like a little child
will never enter it."
And he took the children
in his arms,
placed his hands on them
and blessed them.
As Jesus started on his way,
a man ran up to him and fell
on his knees before him.
"Good teacher," he asked,
"What must I do to inherit
eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?",
Jesus answered.
"No one is good,
except God alone.
You know the commandments.
You shall not m*rder.
You shall not
commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give
false testimony.
You shall not defraud.
Honor your father
and mother.'"
"Teacher," he declared,
"all these I have kept
since I was a boy."
Jesus looked at him
and loved him.
"One thing you lack,"
he said.
"Go, sell everything
you have
and give to the poor,
and you will have
treasure in Heaven.
Then come, follow me."
At this,
the man's face fell.
He went away sad,
because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around
and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for the rich
to enter the Kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed
at his words.
But Jesus said again,
"Children, how hard it is
to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye
of a needle
than for someone who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of God."
The disciples
were even more amazed,
and said to each other,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them
and said,
"With man this is impossible,
but not with God.
All things are possible
with God."
Then Peter spoke up.
"We have left everything
to follow you!"
"Truly, I tell you,"
Jesus replied,
"no one who has left home,
or brothers, or sisters,
or mother, or father, or
children, or fields for me
and the gospel
will fail to receive
a hundred times as much
in this present age--
homes, brothers, sisters,
mothers, children and fields,
along with persecutions,
and in the age to come,
eternal life.
But many who are first
will be last,
and the last first."
They were on their way
up to Jerusalem
with Jesus leading the way,
and the disciples
were astonished,
while those who followed
were afraid.
Again he took the 12 aside
and told them
what was going
to happen to him.
"We are going up
to Jerusalem," he said,
"and the Son of Man
will be delivered
over to the chief priests
and the teachers of the law.
They will condemn him
to death
and will hand him over
to the Gentiles,
who will mock him
and spit on him,
flog him and k*ll him.
Three days later,
he will rise."
Then James and John,
the sons of Zebedee,
came to him.
"Teacher," they said,
"we want you to do for us
whatever we ask."
"What do you want me
to do for you?", he asked.
They replied, "Let one of us
sit at your right
and the other
at your left in your glory."
"You don't know
what you're asking,"
Jesus said.
"Can you drink
the cup I drink
or be baptized
with the baptism
I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered.
Jesus said to them,
"You will drink
the cup I drink
and be baptized
with the baptism
I am baptized with,
but to sit at my right
or left is not for me
to grant.
These placed belong to those
for whom they have been
prepared."
When the 10 heard about this,
they became indignant
with James and John.
[ speaking Aramaic ]
Jesus called them together
and said,
"You know that those
who are regarded as rulers
of the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their high officials
exercise authority over them.
Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants
to become great among you
must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first
must be sl*ve of all.
For even the Son of Man
did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give his life
as a ransom for many."
Then they came to Jericho.
As Jesus and his disciples,
together with a large crowd,
were leaving the city,
a blind man, Bartimaeus--
which means
"Son of Timaeus"--
was sitting
by the roadside begging.
When he heard that it was
Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to shout,
"Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!"
Many rebuked him
and told him to be quiet,
but he shouted
all the more,
"Son of David,
have mercy on me!"
Jesus stopped and said,
"Call him."
So they called
to the blind man,
"Cheer up! On your feet!
He's calling you."
Throwing his cloak aside,
he jumped to his feet
and came to Jesus.
"What do you want me
to do for you?",
Jesus asked him.
The blind man said,
"Rabbi, I want to see."
"Go," said Jesus,
"your faith has healed you."
Immediately,
he received his sight
and followed Jesus
along the road.
As they approached Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage
and Bethany
at the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two
of his disciples,
saying to them,
"Go to the village
ahead of you,
and just as you enter it,
you will find a colt
tied there
which no one
has ever ridden.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks you,
'Why are you doing this?',
say, 'The Lord needs it
and will send it
back here shortly.'"
They went and found a colt
outside in the street
tied at a doorway.
As they untied it,
some people
standing there asked,
"What are you doing,
untying that colt?"
They answered as Jesus
had told them to,
and the people let them go.
When they brought
the colt to Jesus
and threw their cloaks
over it, he sat on it.
Many people spread
their cloaks on the road,
while others spread branches
they had cut in the fields.
Those who went ahead
and those who followed
shouted, "Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming Kingdom
of our father David!
Hosanna
in the highest Heaven!"
Jesus entered Jerusalem
and went into
the temple courts.
He looked around
at everything,
but since
it was already late,
he went out to Bethany
with the 12.
The next day as they were
leaving Bethany,
Jesus was hungry.
Seeing in the distance
a fig tree in leaf,
he went to find out
if it had any fruit.
When he reached it, he found
nothing but leaves,
because it was not
the season for figs.
Then he said to the tree,
"May no one ever
eat fruit from you again,"
and his disciples
heard him say it.
On reaching Jerusalem,
Jesus entered
the temple courts...
and began driving out
those who were buying
and selling there.
He overturned the tables
of the money changers
and the benches
of those selling doves,
and would not allow anyone
to carry merchandise
through the temple courts.
And as he taught them,
he said, "Is it not written,
'My house will be called
a house of prayer
for all nations?'
But you have made it
a den of robbers."
The chief priests
and the teachers of the law
heard this and began looking
for a way to k*ll him,
for they feared him,
because the whole crowd
was amazed at his teaching.
When evening came,
Jesus and his disciples
went out of the city.
In the morning,
as they went along
they saw the fig tree
withered from the roots.
Peter remembered
and said to Jesus,
"Rabbi, look!
The fig tree you cursed
has withered!"
"Have faith in God,"
Jesus answered.
"Truly I tell you, if anyone
says to this mountain,
'Go, throw yourself
into the sea,'
and does not doubt
in their heart,
but believes that what
they say will happen,
it will be done for them.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you
have received it
and it will be yours.
And when you stand praying,
if you hold anything
against anyone, forgive them,
so that your Father in Heaven
may forgive you your sins."
They arrived again
in Jerusalem,
and while Jesus was walking
in the temple courts,
the chief priests,
the teachers of the law,
and the elders came to him.
"By what authority
are you doing these things?",
they asked.
"And who gave you
authority to do this?"
Jesus replied,
"I will ask you one question.
Answer me,
and I will tell you
by what authority
I am doing these things.
John's baptism--
was it from Heaven,
or of human origin?
Tell me!"
They discussed it
among themselves and said,
"If we say,
'From Heaven' he will ask,
'Then why didn't you
believe him?'
But if we say,
'Of human origin,'
they feared the people,
for everyone held that John
really was a prophet.
So they answered Jesus,
"We don't know."
Jesus said,
"Neither will I tell you
by what authority
I am doing these things."
Jesus then began
to speak to them
in parables.
"A man planted a vineyard.
He put a wall around it,
dug a pit for the winepress
and built a watchtower.
Then he rented the vineyard
to some farmers
and moved to another place.
At harvest time, he sent
a servant to the tenants
to collect from them
some of the fruit
of the vineyard.
But they seized him,
b*at him and sent him away
empty-handed.
Then he sent another
servant to them.
They struck this man
on the head
and treated him
shamefully.
He sent still another,
and that one they k*lled.
He sent many others.
Some of them they b*at,
others they k*lled.
He had one left to send,
a son, whom he loved.
He sent him last of all,
saying,
'They will respect my son.'
But the tenants
said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let's k*ll him,
and the inheritance
will be ours.'
So they took him
and k*lled him,
and threw him out
of the vineyard.
What then will the owner
of the vineyard do?
He will come
and k*ll those tenants
and give the vineyard
to others.
Haven't you read
this passage of Scripture?
'The stone
the builders rejected
has become
the cornerstone.
The Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous
in our eyes.'"
Then the chief priests,
the teachers of the law,
and the elders looked
for a way to arrest him,
because they knew
he had spoken the parable
against them.
But they were afraid
of the crowd,
so they left him
and went away.
Later, they sent
some of the Pharisees
and Herodians
to Jesus
to catch him in his words.
They came to him and said,
"Teacher, we know that you
are a man of integrity.
You aren't swayed by others,
because you pay
no attention
to who they are,
but you teach
the way of God
in accordance
with the truth.
Is it right to pay
the imperial tax
to Caesar or not?
Should we pay
or shouldn't we?"
But Jesus knew
their hypocrisy.
"Why are you trying
to trap me?", he asked.
"Bring me a denarius
and let me look at it."
They brought the coin,
and he asked them,
"Whose image is this?
And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
Then Jesus said to them,
"Give back to Caesar
what is Caesar's
and to God what is God's"
And they were amazed at him.
Then the Sadducees, who say
there is no resurrection,
came to him
with a question.
"Teacher," they said,
"Moses wrote for us
that if a man's
brother dies
and leaves a wife
but no children,
the man must marry
the widow
and raise up offspring
for his brother.
Now, there were seven
brothers.
The first one married
and d*ed without leaving
any children.
The second one
married the widow,
but he also d*ed,
leaving no child.
It was the same
with the third.
In fact, none of the seven
left any children.
Last of all,
the woman d*ed, too.
At the resurrection,
whose wife will she be,
since the seven
were married to her?"
Jesus replied,
"Are you not in error,
because you do not know
the Scriptures
or the power of God?
When the dead rise,
they will neither marry
nor be given in marriage.
They will be like
the angels in Heaven.
Now about the dead rising--
have you not read
in the Book of Moses,
in the account
of the burning bush,
how God said to him,
'I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob'?
He is not the God
of the dead,
but of the living.
You are badly mistaken."
One of the teachers
of the law
came and heard them
debating.
Noticing that Jesus
had given them a good answer,
he asked him,
"Of all the commandments,
which is the most important?"
"The most important one,"
answered Jesus, "is this.
'Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind
and with all your strength.'
The second is this,
'Love your neighbor
as yourself.'
There is no commandment
greater than these."
"Well said, teacher,"
the man replied.
"You are right in saying
that God is one
and there is
no other but him.
To love him
with all your heart,
with all your understanding
and with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor
as yourself
is more important
than all burnt offerings
and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had
answered wisely,
he said to him,
"You are not far
from the Kingdom of God."
And from then on
no one dared ask him
any more questions.
While Jesus was teaching
in the temple courts,
he asked, "Why do
the teachers of the law
say that the Messiah
is the son of David?
David himself, speaking by
the Holy Spirit, declared,
"The Lord said to my Lord,
'Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.'"
David himself
calls him Lord.
How then can he be his son?"
The large crowd listened
to him with delight.
As he taught, Jesus said,
"Watch out for
the teachers of the law.
They like to walk around
in flowing robes
and be greeted with respect
in the marketplaces,
and have the most important
seats in the synagogues
and the places of honor
at banquets.
They devour widows' houses
and for a show
make lengthy prayers.
These men will be punished
most severely."
Jesus sat down
opposite the place
where the offerings were put
and watched the crowd
putting their money
into the temple treasury.
Many rich people
threw in large amounts.
But a poor widow came
and put in two
very small copper coins
worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples
to him, Jesus said,
"Truly I tell you,
this poor widow
has put more
into the treasury
than all the others.
They all gave out
of their wealth,
but she,
out of her poverty,
put in everything--
all she had to live on."
As Jesus was leaving
the temple,
one of his disciples
said to him,
"Look, Teacher!
What massive stones!
What magnificent buildings!"
"Do you see
all these great buildings?",
replied Jesus.
"Not one stone here
will be left on another.
Every one will be
thrown down."
As Jesus was sitting
on the Mount of Olives
opposite the temple,
Peter, James, John,
and Andrew asked him
privately,
"Tell us, when will
these things happen?
And what will be the sign
that they are all
about to be fulfilled?"
Jesus said to them,
"Watch out that no one
deceives you.
Many will come in my name,
claiming, 'I am he,'
and will deceive many.
When you hear of wars
and rumors of wars,
do not be alarmed.
Such things must happen,
but the end is still to come.
Nation will rise
against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be earthquakes
in various places,
and famines.
These are the beginning
of birth pains.
You must be on your guard.
You will be handed over
to the local councils
and flogged
in the synagogues.
On account of me,
you will stand before
governors and kings
as witnesses to them,
and the gospel must first be
preached to all nations.
Whenever you are arrested
and brought to trial,
do not worry beforehand
about what to say.
Just say whatever
is given you at the time,
for it is not you speaking,
but the Holy Spirit.
Brother will betray
brother to death
and a father his child.
Children will rebel
against their parents
and have them put to death.
Everyone will hate you
because of me.
But the one who stands firm
to the end will be saved.
When you see
the abomination
that causes desolation
standing where
it does not belong,
let the reader understand.
Then let those
who are in Judea
flee to the mountains.
Let no one on the housetop
go down or enter the house
to take anything out.
Let no one in the field
go back to get their cloak.
How dreadful it will be in
those days for pregnant women
and nursing mothers.
Pray that this will not
take place in winter,
because those will be days
of distress unequaled
from the beginning--
when God created the world--
until now, and never
to be equaled again.
If the Lord
had not cut short
those days,
no one would survive.
But for the sake
of the elect,
whom he has chosen,
he has shortened them.
At that time,
if anyone says to you,
'Look, here is the Messiah!',
or, 'Look, there he is!',
do not believe it.
For false messiahs
and false prophets
will appear and perform signs
and wonders to deceive,
if possible,
even the elect.
So be on your guard.
I have told you everything
ahead of time.
But in those days,
following that distress,
the sun will be darkened
and the moon
will not give its light.
The stars
will fall from the sky
and the heavenly bodies
will be shaken.
At that time, people will see
the Son of Man
coming in clouds
with great power and glory.
And he will send his angels
and gather his elect
from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth
to the ends of the heavens.
Now learn this lesson
from the fig tree.
As soon as its twigs
get tender
and its leaves come out,
you know that summer is near.
Even so, when you see
these things happening,
you know that it is near,
right at the door.
Truly, I tell you,
this generation
will certainly not pass away
until all these things
have happened.
Heaven and earth
will pass away,
but my words
will never pass away.
But about that day or hour,
no one knows,
not even the angels
in Heaven,
nor the Son,
but only the Father.
Be on guard.
Be alert.
You do not know
when that time will come.
It's like a man going away.
He leaves his house and puts
his servants in charge,
each with their assigned task,
and tells the one at the door
to keep watch.
Therefore, keep watch,
because you do not know
when the owner of the house
will come back--
whether in the evening,
or at midnight,
or when the rooster crows,
or at dawn.
If he comes suddenly, do not
let him find you sleeping.
What I say to you,
I say to everyone. 'Watch!'"
Now the Passover
and the Festival
of Unleavened Bread
were only two days away,
and the chief priests
and the teachers of the law
were scheming to arrest Jesus
secretly and k*ll him.
"But not during
the festival," they said,
"or the people may riot."
While he was in Bethany,
reclining at the table
in the home
of Simon the Leper,
a woman came
with an alabaster jar
of very expensive perfume
made of pure nard.
She broke the jar and poured
the perfume on his head.
Some of those present
were saying indignantly
to one another,
"Why this waste of perfume?
It could have been sold
for more than a year's wages
and the money
given to the poor,"
and they rebuked her harshly.
"Leave her alone,"
said Jesus.
"Why are you bothering her?
She has done
a beautiful thing to me.
The poor, you will always
have with you,
and you can help them
any time you want.
But you will not
always have me.
She did what she could.
She poured perfume
on my body beforehand
to prepare for my burial.
Truly, I tell you,
wherever the gospel
is preached
throughout the world,
what she has done
will also be told
in memory of her."
Then Judas Iscariot,
one of the 12,
went to the chief priests
to betray Jesus to them.
They were delighted
to hear this
and promised
to give him money.
So he watched
for an opportunity
to hand him over.
On the first day
of the Festival
of Unleavened Bread,
when it was customary
to sacrifice
the Passover lamb,
Jesus' disciples asked him,
"Where do you want us to go
and make preparations for you
to eat the Passover?"
So he sent two
of his disciples,
telling them,
"Go into the city,
and a man carrying
a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him.
Say to the owner
of the house he enters,
'The Teacher asks,
"Where is my guest room?
where I may eat the Passover
with my disciples?"'
He will show you
a large room upstairs,
furnished and ready.
Make preparations
for us there."
The disciples left,
went into the city
and found things
just as Jesus had told them,
so they prepared
the Passover.
When evening came,
Jesus arrived with the 12.
While they were reclining
at the table eating, he said,
"Truly I tell you,
one of you will betray me--
one who is eating with me."
They were saddened,
and one by one
they said to him,
"Surely you don't mean me?"
"It is one of the 12,"
he replied,
"one who dips bread
into the bowl with me.
The Son of Man will go
just as it is written
about him.
But woe to that man
who betrays the Son of Man!
It would be better for him
if he had not been born."
While they were eating,
Jesus took bread,
and when he had
given thanks,
he broke it and gave it
to his disciples,
saying, "Take it.
This is my body."
Then he took a cup,
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
"This is my blood
of the covenant,
which is poured out
for many," he said to them.
"Truly I tell you,
I will not drink again
from the fruit of the vine
until that day
when I drink it new
in the Kingdom of God."
When they had sung a hymn,
they went out
to the Mount of Olives.
"You will all fall away,"
Jesus told them,
"for it is written,
'I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep
will be scattered.'
But after I have risen,
I will go ahead of you
into Galilee."
Peter declared,
"Even if all fall away,
I will not."
"Truly, I tell you,"
Jesus answered,
"today, yes, tonight-- before the rooster crows twice,
you yourself
will disown me three times."
But Peter insisted
emphatically,
"Even if I have
to die with you,
I will never disown you,"
and all the others
said the same.
They went to a place
called Gethsemane,
and Jesus said
to his disciples,
"Sit here while I pray."
He took Peter, James,
and John along with him,
and he began to be deeply
distressed and troubled.
"My soul is overwhelmed
with sorrow
to the point of death,"
he said to them.
"Stay here and keep watch."
Going a little farther,
he fell to the ground
and prayed
that if possible,
the hour might pass
from him.
"Abba, Father," he said,
"everything is possible
for you.
Take this cup from me.
Yet not what I will,
but what you will."
Then he returned
to his disciples
and found them sleeping.
"Simon," he said to Peter,
"are you asleep?
Couldn't you keep watch
for one hour?
Watch and pray so that you
will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak."
Once more he went away
and prayed the same thing.
When he came back, he again
found them sleeping,
because their eyes
were heavy.
They did not know
what to say to him.
Returning the third time,
he said to them,
"Are you still sleeping
and resting?
Enough! The hour has come.
Look, the Son of Man
is delivered into the hands
of sinners.
Rise! Let us go!
Here comes my betrayer!"
Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the 12, appeared.
With him was a crowd armed
with swords and clubs
sent from the chief priests,
the teachers of the law,
and the elders.
Now the betrayer had arranged
a signal with them.
"The one I kiss is the man.
Arrest him
and lead him away
under guard."
Going at once to Jesus,
Judas said, "Rabbi!",
and kissed him.
The men seized Jesus
and arrested him.
Then one of those
standing near drew his sword
and struck the servant
of the high priest,
cutting off his ear.
"Am I leading a rebellion,"
said Jesus,
"that you have come out
with swords and clubs
to capture me?
Every day I was with you,
teaching in the temple courts,
and you did not arrest me.
But the Scriptures
must be fulfilled."
Then everyone
deserted him and fled.
A young man, wearing nothing
but a linen garment,
was following Jesus.
When they seized him,
he fled naked,
leaving his garment behind.
They took Jesus
to the high priest,
and all the chief priests,
the elders, and the teachers
of the law came together.
Peter followed him
at a distance,
right into the courtyard
of the high priest.
There he sat
with the guards
and warmed himself
at the fire.
The chief priests
and the whole Sanhedrin
were looking for evidence
against Jesus
so that they could
put him to death,
but they did not find any.
Many testified falsely
against him,
but their statements
did not agree.
Then some stood up
and gave this false testimony
against him,
"We heard him say,
'I will destroy this temple
made with human hands
and in three days
will build another,
not made with hands.'"
Yet even then their testimony
did not agree.
Then the high priest
stood up before them
and asked Jesus,
"Are you not going to answer?
What is this testimony
that these men
are bringing against you?"
But Jesus remained silent
and gave no answer.
Again the high priest
asked him,
"Are you the Messiah,
the Son of the Blessed One?"
"I am," said Jesus.
"And you will see
the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand
of the Mighty One
and coming on the clouds
of Heaven."
The high priest
tore his clothes.
"Why do we need
any more witnesses?",
he asked.
"You have heard
the blasphemy.
What do you think?"
They all condemned him
as worthy of death.
Then some began
to spit at him.
They blindfolded him,
struck him with their fists,
and said, "Prophesy!",
and the guards took him
and b*at him.
While Peter was below
in the courtyard,
one of the servant girls
of the high priest came by.
When she saw Peter
warming himself,
she looked closely at him.
"You also were with
that Nazarene, Jesus,"
she said.
But he denied it.
"I don't know or understand
what you're talking about,"
he said, and went out
into the entryway.
When the servant girl
saw him there,
she said, again,
to those standing around,
"This fellow
is one of them."
Again he denied it.
After a little while,
those standing near
said to Peter,
"Surely you are one of them,
for you are a Galilean."
He began to call down curses,
and he swore to them,
"I don't know this man
you're talking about."
Immediately,
the rooster crowed
the second time.
Then Peter
remembered the word
Jesus had spoken to him,
"Before the rooster
crows twice,
you will disown me
three times,"
and he broke down and wept.
Very early in the morning,
the chief priests,
with the elders,
the teachers of the law,
and the whole Sanhedrin,
made their plans.
So they bound Jesus,
led him away
and handed him over
to Pilate.
"Are you the king of
the Jews?", asked Pilate.
"You have said so,"
Jesus replied.
The chief priests
accused him of many things.
So again Pilate asked him,
"Aren't you going to answer?
See how many things
they are accusing you of?"
But Jesus still
made no reply,
and Pilate was amazed.
Now, it was the custom
at the festival
to release a prisoner
whom the people requested.
A man called Barabbas
was in prison
with the insurrectionists
who had committed m*rder
in the uprising.
The crowd came up and asked
Pilate to do for them
what he usually did.
"Do you want me
to release to you
the king of the Jews?",
asked Pilate,
knowing it was out
of self-interest
that the chief priests
had handed Jesus over to him.
But the chief priests
stirred up the crowd
to have Pilate
release Barabbas instead.
"What shall I do, then,
with the one you call
the king of the Jews?",
Pilate asked them.
"Crucify him!",
they shouted.
"Why? What crime
has he committed?",
asked Pilate.
But they shouted
all the louder,
"Crucify him!"
Wanting to satisfy
the crowd,
Pilate released
Barabbas to them.
He had Jesus flogged,
and handed him over
to be crucified.
The soldiers led Jesus away
into the palace,
that is, the Praetorium,
and called together
the whole company
of soldiers.
They put a purple
robe on him,
then twisted together
a crown of thorns
and set it on him.
And they began
to call out to him,
"Hail, king of the Jews!"
Again and again,
they struck him on the head
with a staff
and spit on him.
Falling on their knees,
they paid homage to him.
And when they had
mocked him,
they took off
the purple robe
and put his own
clothes on him.
Then they led him out
to crucify him.
A certain man
from Cyrene, Simon,
the father
of Alexander and Rufus,
was passing by on his way
in from the country,
and they forced him
to carry the cross.
They brought Jesus
to the place called Golgotha,
which means
"the place of the skull."
Then they offered him wine
mixed with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
And they crucified him.
Dividing up his clothes,
they cast lots
to see what each would get.
It was nine in the morning
when they crucified him.
The written notice of
the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
They crucified
two rebels with him,
one on his right
and one on his left.
Those who passed by
hurled insults at him,
shaking their heads
and saying,
"So, you who are going
to destroy the temple
and build it in three days,
come down from the cross
and save yourself!"
In the same way,
the chief priests
and the teachers of the law
mocked him among themselves.
"He saved others,"
they said,
"but he can't save himself!
Let this Messiah,
this king of Israel,
come down now
from the cross,
that we may see
and believe."
Those crucified with him
also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness
came over the whole land
until three
in the afternoon.
And at three
in the afternoon,
Jesus cried out
in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi,
lema sabachthani?"--
which means, "My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing
near heard this, they said,
"Listen,
he's calling Elijah."
Someone ran, filled a sponge
with wine vinegar,
put it on a staff, and offered
it to Jesus to drink.
"Now leave him alone.
Let's see if Elijah
comes to take him down,"
he said.
With a loud cry,
Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple
was torn in two
from top to bottom.
And when the centurion,
who stood there
in front of Jesus
saw how he d*ed,
he said, "Surely this man
was the Son of God."
Some women were watching
from a distance.
Among them
were Mary Magdalene,
Mary, the mother
of James the younger
and of Joseph,
and Salome.
In Galilee, these women
had followed him
and cared for his needs.
Many other women
who had come up with him
to Jerusalem
were also there.
It was Preparation Day--
that is, the day
before the Sabbath.
So as evening approached,
Joseph of Arimathea,
a prominent member
of the Council,
who was himself waiting
for the Kingdom of God,
went boldly to Pilate
and asked for Jesus' body.
Pilate was surprised to hear
that he was already dead.
Summoning the centurion,
he asked him if Jesus
had already d*ed.
When he learned from
the centurion that it was so,
he gave the body to Joseph.
So Joseph bought
some linen cloth,
took down the body,
wrapped it in the linen,
and placed it in a tomb
cut out of rock.
Then he rolled a stone
against the entrance
of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary,
the mother of Joseph,
saw where he was laid.
When the Sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene,
Mary, the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices
so that they might go
to anoint Jesus' body.
Very early
on the first day
of the week,
just after sunrise,
they were on their way
to the tomb
and they asked each other,
"Who will roll the stone away
from the entrance
of the tomb?"
But when they looked up,
they saw that the stone,
which was very large,
had been rolled away.
As they entered the tomb,
they saw a young man
dressed in a white robe
sitting on the right side,
and they were alarmed.
"Don't be alarmed,"
he said.
"You are looking for Jesus
the Nazarene,
who was crucified.
He has risen!
He is not here.
See the place
where they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples
and Peter,
'He is going ahead of you
into Galilee.
There you will see him,
just as he told you.'"
Trembling and bewildered,
the women went out
and fled from the tomb.
They said nothing to anyone,
because they were afraid.
When Jesus rose early
on the first day of the week,
he appeared first
to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had driven
seven demons.
She went and told those
who had been with him
and who were mourning
and weeping.
When they heard
that Jesus was alive
and that she had seen him,
they did not believe it.
Afterwards, Jesus appeared
in a different form
to two of them
while they were walking
in the country.
These returned
and reported it to the rest,
but they did not
believe them either.
Later,
Jesus appeared to the 11
as they were eating.
He rebuked them
for their lack of faith
and their stubborn refusal
to believe those
who had seen him
after he had risen.
He said to them,
"Go into all the world
and preach the gospel
to all creation.
Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved,
but whoever does not believe
will be condemned.
And these signs will accompany
those who believe--
in my name they will
drive out demons,
they will speak
in new tongues,
they will pick up snakes
with their hands,
and when they drink
deadly poison,
it will not
hurt them at all.
They will place their hands
on sick people,
and they will get well."
After the Lord Jesus
had spoken to them,
he was taken up
into Heaven
and he sat
at the right hand of God.
Then the disciples went out
and preached everywhere,
and the Lord worked with them
and confirmed his word
by the signs
that accompanied it.
Gospel of Mark, The (2015)
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