Part 2
Mt 13:58 Jesus did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief— Mk 6:5 except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed because of their unbelief. Then he went around the villages and taught. Jesus Moves from Nazareth to Capernaum (Mt 4:13-17; Mk 1:15)
Mt 4:13 While in Galilee, Jesus moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
a See Appendix III. "Harmonizing Rejection at Nazareth."
b Isa 61:1-2
15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned."a
17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message: Mk 1:15 "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!"
Healing the Royal Official's Son – Cana, Galilee (Jn 4:46-54)
Jn 4:46 Now Jesus came again to Cana in Galilee where he had made the water wine. In Capernaum there was a certain royal official whose son was sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.
48 So Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe!" 49 "Sir," the official said to him, "come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus told him, "Go home; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home.
51 While he was on his way down, his slaves met him and told him that his son was going to live. 52 So he asked them the time when his condition began to improve, and they told him, "Yesterday at one o'clock in the afternoon the fever left him." 53 Then the father realized that it was the very time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live," and he himself believed along with his entire household.
54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign when he returned from Judea to Galilee. Calling Four Disciplesb - Sea of Galilee (Mt 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; Lk 5:1b-11)
Mt 4:18 As Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).
Lk 5:1 [Later] Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, [Sea of Galilee] and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God. 2 He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
4 When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
5 Simon answered, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word I will lower the nets." 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" 9 For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's business partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people. Mt 4:19 Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people." Lk 5:11 So when they had brought their boats to shore, they immediately left everything and followed him.
Mt 4:21 Going on from there Jesus saw the two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then he called them. 22 They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
a Isa 8:23; 9:1
b Andrew and Simon Peter had earlier left John the Baptist to follow Jesus (Jn 1:35-51). This account, therefore, appears to be the formal calling of these men, to leave everything and become his fulltime disciples. See Appendix IV. "Harmonizing Calling Disciples at Sea of Galilee."
Casting Out an Unclean Spirit – Capernaum, Galilee (Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:31-37)
Lk 4:31 Then Jesus and his disciples went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee. Mk 1:21 When the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people there were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, not like the experts in the law.
Lk 4:33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out, 24 "Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
Mk 1:25 But Jesus rebuked him: "Silence! Come out of him!" 26 After throwing him into convulsions in their midst, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him, Lk 4:35 without hurting him.
Mk 1:27 They were all amazed so that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching with authority and power! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him and come out!" 28 So the news about him spread quickly throughout all the region around Galilee.
Healing at Simon Peter's House – Capernaum, Galilee (Mk 1:29-34; Lk 4:38-41; Mt 8:14-17)
Mk 1:29 Now as soon as they left the synagogue, they entered Simon Peter and Andrew's house, with James and John. 30 Simon's mother-in-law was lying down, sick with a high fever, so they spoke to Jesus at once about her Lk 4:38 and asked him to help her. 39 Standing over her, Jesus commanded the fever, Mk 1:31 raised her up by gently taking her hand, Mt 8:15 and the fever left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.
16 When it was evening, Lk 4:40 as the sun was setting, Mk 1:33 the whole town gathered by the door. Lk 4:40 Those who had any relatives sick with various diseases or demon-possessed brought them to Jesus. He placed his hands on every one of them and healed them, Mt 8:16 and drove out the spirits with a word. Lk 4:41 Demons came out of many, crying out, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
Mt 8: 17 In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled, "He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases."a
MINISTRY BEYOND GALILEE
Private Prayer & Public Healing (Mk 1:35-39; Mt 4:23-24; Lk 4:42-44)
Mk 1:35 Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer. 36 Simon and his companions searched for him, 37 and when they found him, they said, "Everyone is looking for you."
Lk 4:42 The crowds were seeking Jesus, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. Mk 1:38 He replied, "Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages. Lk 4:43 I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, for that is what I was sent to do."
Mt 4:23 So Jesus went throughout all of Galilee and Judea teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, casting out demons and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. 24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them.
BACK IN GALILEE
Healing & Forgiving a Paralytic – Capernaum, Galilee (Mk 2:1-12; Lk 5:17-26; Mt 9:1-8)
Mk 2:1 Now after some days, Mt 9:1 Jesus got into a boat and crossed to the other side and came to his own town. Mk 2:1 When he returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home. Lk 5:17 On one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
a Isa 53:4
Mk 2:2 So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by the door, and Jesus preached the word to them. 3 Some men came bringing to him a paralytic, carried on a stretcher by four of them. Lk 5:18 They were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus. Mk 2:4 But when they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof tiles above Jesus. Then, after tearing them out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on, right in front of Jesus.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Have courage son, your sins are forgiven." 6 Now some of the experts in the law and the Pharisees were sitting there, turning these things over in their minds: 7 "Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Mt 9:4 When Jesus saw their reaction, Mk 2:8 he immediately realized in his spirit that they were contemplating such hostile thoughts, he said to them, "Why are you raising objections within yourselves and thinking such evil things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk'? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"—he said to the paralytic— 11 "I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher, and go home."
Lk 5:25 Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been lying on, and went home Mk
2:12 in front of them all, Lk 5:25 glorifying God. 26 Then astonishment seized them all, and they glorified God Mt 9:8 who had given such authority to men. Lk 5:26 They were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen incredible things today. Mk 2:12 We have never seen anything like this!"
Calling Levi, Eating with Sinners (Mk 2:13-17; Lk 5:27-32; Mt 9:9-13)
Mk 2:13 Jesus went out again by the sea. The whole crowd came to him, and he taught them. 14 As he went along, he saw Levi, or Matthew, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth. "Follow me," he said to him. Lk
5:28 And he got up and followed him, leaving everything behind. Lk 5:29 Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table Mk 2:15 eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
16 When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they complained to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
Mt 9:12 When Jesus heard this he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do. 13 Go and learn what this saying means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.'a For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Fasting – New Wineskins (Mk 2:18-22; Lk 5:33-39; Mt 9:14-17)
Mk 2:18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. So they came to Jesus and said, Lk 5:33 "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but your disciples continue to eat and drink and don't fast."
Mk 2:19 Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast and mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast. 20 But the days are coming when the 3bridegroom will be taken from them, and at that time they will fast." Lk 5:36 He also told them a parable: Mt 9:16 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk new cloth on an old garment, because the new patch will pull away from the old garment and the tear will be worse. Lk 5:36 The piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 Instead new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is good enough.' "
a Hos 6:6
YEAR TWO: A YEAR OF POPULARITY [AD 30] CONTINUED MINISTRY IN GALILEE
Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:1-8; Mk 2:23-28; Lk 6:1-5)
Mt 12:1 At that time Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick some heads of wheat, Lk 6:1 rub them in their hands, and eat them. Mt 12:2 But when some of the Pharisees saw this they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath?"
Mk 2:25 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry—26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, took and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law Mt 12:4 for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?
Mt 12:5 "Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this means: 'I want mercy and not sacrifice,'a you would not have condemned the innocent.
Mk 2:27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. 28 For this reason the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."
Healing a Withered Hand on the Sabbath (Lk 6:6-11; Mk 3:1-7a; Mt 12:9-15a)
Lk 6:6 On another Sabbath, Mt 12:9 after Jesus left that place, Lk 6:6 he entered the synagogue and was teaching. Now a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely, Mt 12:10 and asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Lk 6:7 so they could find a reason to accuse him.
8 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Get up and stand here Mk
3:3 among all these people." Lk 6:8 So he rose and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good and heal on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?" Mk 3:4 But they were silent.
Mt 12:11 Jesus said to them, "Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Mk 3:5 After looking around at them all in anger, grieved by the hardness of their hearts, Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 But the Pharisees, Lk 6:11 filled with mindless rage, Mk 3:6 went out immediately Lk 6:11 and began debating with one another, Mk 3:6 plotting with the Herodians against him, as to how they could assassinate him.
Mt 12:15 Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there Mk 3:7 with his disciples to the sea, and Mt 12:15 great crowds followed him. Crowds by the Sea of Galilee (Mk 3:7b-12; Mt 5:25; 12:15b-21; Lk 6:17-19)
Lk 6:17 A large number of Jesus' disciples had gathered along with a vast multitude Mt 5:25 from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, Mk 3:8 Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, and around the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon [who] came to him when they heard about the things he had done. Lk 6:17 They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.
Mk 3:9 Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so the crowd would not press toward him. 10 For he had healed many, so that all who were afflicted with diseases pressed toward him in order to touch him, Lk 6:19 because power was coming out from him and healing them all. Lk 6:18 And those who suffered from unclean spirts were cured, Mk 3:11 for whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
a Hos 6:6
Mt 12:17 This fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet:
18 "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I take great delight. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory. 21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope."a Choosing the Twelve Apostles (Lk 6:12-16; Mk 3:13-19; Mt 10:2-4)
Lk 6:12 Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples, Mk 3:13 those he wanted, and they came to him. Lk
6:13 He chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles, Mk 3:14 so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach 15 and to have authority to cast out demons.
Mt 10:2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; Mk
3:17 James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, to whom he gave the name Boanerges (that is, "sons of thunder"); Mt 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus (called Judas the son of James); 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
SERMON ON THE MOUNTb - Near the Sea of Galilee
The Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12; Lk 6:17-26)
Lk 6:17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. Mt 5:1 When he saw the crowds, Jesus went [back] up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him. Lk 6:20 Then looking up at his disciples, Mt 5:2 he began to teach them by saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
4 "Blessed are those who mourn or weep, for they will be comforted and laugh. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst now for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Lk 6:22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil Mt 5:11 and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. Lk 6:23 Rejoice in that day and jump for joy because your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors Mt 5:12 persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
Lk 6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort already. 25 "Woe to you who are well satisfied with food now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 "Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets."
a Isa 42:1-4
b See Appendix V. "Harmonizing Sermon on the Mount."
Salt & Light (Mt 5:13-16; Mk 4:21-22, 9:50; Lk 8:16-17, 14:34-35)
Mt 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. Mk 9:50a Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again Lk 14:34 or its flavor be restored? Mt 5:13 It is no longer good for anything. Lk 14:35 It is of no value for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown out Mt 5:13 and be trampled on by people. Mk 9:50b Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other. Lk 14:35 The one who has ears to hear had better listen!"
Mk 4:21 He also said to them, Mt 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. Lk
8:16 No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a basket or jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. Mt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven. Lk 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light."
Fulfilling the Law & Prophets (Mt 5:17-20; Lk 16:17)
Mt 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter Lk 16:17 will become void Mt 15:18 or pass from the law until everything takes place. 19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 "For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
The Real Law: Anger and Murder (Mt 5:21-26; Lk 12:57-59)
Mt 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not murder,'a and 'whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell.
23 "So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift.
Lk 12:57 And why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to quickly settle with him on the way to court, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last cent!"
The Real Law: Lust/Adultery & Divorceb (Mt 5:27-31)
Mt 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'c 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell."
31 "It was said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.'d 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
a Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
b Additional teaching on these topics come later in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
c Ex 20:14; Dt 5:17
d Dt 24:1
The Real Law: Oaths/Vows (Mt 5:33-37)
Mt 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.'a 34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all—not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no.' More than this is from the evil one."
The Real Law: Don't Retaliate & Love Your Enemies (Mt 5:38-48; 7:12; Lk 6:27-36)
Mt 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'b 39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give him your coat also. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you. Lk
6:30 And do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away. Mt 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor'c and 'hate your enemy.' Lk 6:27 "But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat and persecute you, Mt 5:45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Mt 7:12 "In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.
Lk 6:32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you, Mt 5:46 what reward do you have? For even sinners and tax collectors love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. Mt 4:47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don't they?
Lk 6:34 "And if you lend to those from whom you hope to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.
36 "So then, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Mt 5:48 Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Real Giving (Mt 6:1-4; 7:2b, 6; 13:12; Mk 4:24-25; Lk 6:38; 8:18)
Mt 6:1 "Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Lk 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. Mk 4:24 Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. Lk 8:18 So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, Mt 13:12 and will have an abundance. Lk 8:18 But whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.
Mt 7:6 "Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces."
Real Prayer & Fasting (Mt 6:5-8, 16-18)
Mt 6:5 "Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But
a Lv 19:12
b Ex 21:24; Lv 24:20
c Lv 19:18
whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Mt 6:16 "When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. 17 When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you."
Don't Judge/Condemn (Mt 7:1-2a, 3-6; Lk 6:37, 41-42)
Lk 6:37 "Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Mt 7:2a For by the standard you judge you will be judged.
Lk 6:41 "Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,' while you yourself don't see the beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Real Disciples: The Fruit of Their Lives (Mt 7:13-23; Lk 6:43-46)
Mt 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 "Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruit, Lk 6:44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. Mt 7:16 Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?
17 "In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Lk 6:45 The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart.
Mt 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
Lk 6:46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do what I tell you? Mt 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?'
23 "Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Go away from me, you law breakers!' " Real Disciples: Endurance (Mt 7:24-29; Lk 6:46-49)
Lk 6:47 "Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice—I will show you what he is like: 48 He is like a wise man building his house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation on bedrock. Mt 7:25 The rain fell, the winds beat against that house, Lk 6:48 a flood came and the river burst against it but could not shake it. Mt 7:25 It did not collapse because it had been founded on rock Lk 6:48 and had been well built.
Mt 7:26 "But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand Lk 6:49 without a foundation. Mt 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came and the winds beat against that house. Lk 6:48 When the river burst against that house it collapsed immediately and was utterly destroyed!"
28 When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.
CONTINUED MINISTRY IN GALILEE
Healing the Centurion's Slave - Capernaum, Galilee (Lk 7:1-10; Mt 8:1, 5-13)
Lk 7:1 After Jesus had finished teaching all this to the people Mt 8:1 and came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him, Lk 7:1 and he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave who was highly regarded, but who was sick and at the point of death, Mt 8:6 lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish. Lk 7:3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.a 4 When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 because he loves our nation, and even built our synagogue."
Mt 8:7 Jesus said to them, "I will come and heal him." Lk 7:6 So Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not presume to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
Mt 8:10 When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel! 11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 Then Jesus said, "Go; just as he has believed, it will be done for him." And the servant was healed at that hour. Lk 7:10 So when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave well.
Healing a Leper – (Mk 1:40-45; Lk 5:12-16; Mt 8:2-4)
Lk 5:12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came to him who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground begging him for help, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Mk 1:41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be clean!" The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean.
Mk 1:43 Immediately Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning. 44 He told him, "See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."
45 But as the man went out he began to announce it publicly and spread the story widely. Lk 5:15 Such large crowds were gathering together to hear Jesus and to be healed of their illnesses, Mk 1:45 that he was no longer able to enter any town openly but stayed outside in remote places. Still they kept coming to him from everywhere. Lk 5:16 Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
Raising a Widow's Son - Nain, Galilee (Lk 7:11-17)
Lk 7:11 Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep."
14 Then Jesus came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying, "A great prophet has appeared among us!" and "God has come to help his people!" 17 This report about Jesus circulated throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
a Luke reports that the Centurion sent elders and friends to Jesus while Matthew has the Centurion talking directly to Jesus. In condensing this event, Matthew is simply reporting that the request is the Centurion's, even if it is communicated through the elders.
Jesus and John the Baptist (Lk 7:18-35; 16:16; Mt 11:2-19)
Lk 7:18 John's disciples informed him about all these things. Mt 11:2 When John heard in prison about the deeds Christ had done, Lk 7:18 he called two of his disciples 19 and sent them to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?' "
21 At that very time Jesus cured many people of diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and granted sight to many who were blind. 22 So he answered them, "Go tell John what you have seen and heard: Mt 11:5 The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 6 Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
Lk 7:24 When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? Look, those who wear fancy clothes and live in luxury are in kings' courts! 26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 "This is the one about whom it is written, 'Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'a
Mt 11:11 "I tell you the truth, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied Lk 16:16 and were in force until John appeared; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. Mt 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. 15 The one who has ears had better listen!"
Lk 7:29 (Now all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God's justice, because they had been baptized with John's baptism. 30 However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
31 [Jesus continued,] "To what then should 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,
'We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.'
33 "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!' 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 But wisdom is vindicated by all her children, Mt 11:19 by her deeds."
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman (Lk 7:36-50)
Lk 7:36 Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. 37 Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner."
40 So Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." He replied, "Say it, Teacher." 41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."
a Mal 3:1
44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little."
48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"
50 He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Jesus' True Family - Capernum, Galilee (Mt 12:46-50; Mk 3:20-21, 31-35; Lk 8:1-3, 19-21)
Lk 8:1 Some time afterward Jesus went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Cuza (Herod's household manager), Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources.
Mk 3:20 Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they were not able to eat. 21 When his family heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
Mt 12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came. Lk 8:19 Standing outside, they could not get near him because of the crowd, Mk 3:31 so they sent word to him, to summon him, Mt 12:46 asking to speak to him.
47 Someone told Jesus, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to see you and speak to you."
48 To the one who had said this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" Mk 3:34 And looking at his disciples who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Mt 12:50 For whoever hears the word of God and does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
FOCUS ON PARABLES
Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1-9; Mk 4:1-9, 23; Lk 8:4-8)
Mt 13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake Mk 4:1 and began to teach. Lk 8:4 People were coming to Jesus from one town after another. Mk 4:1 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while the whole crowd stood on the shore by the lake. 2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching said to them:
Mk 4:3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow his seed. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path Lk 8:5 and was trampled on, and the wild birds came and devoured it. Mk 4:5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root Lk 8:6 and had no moisture, Mt 13:6 it withered. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with them and choked it, and it did not produce grain. 8 But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times."
9 And he said, "Whoever has ears had better listen!" Why Parables? (Mt 13:10-11, 13-17; Mk 4:10-12; Lk 8:9-10)
Mk 4:10 When Jesus was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him, Mt 13:10 "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He replied, "You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not.
Mt 13:13 "For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
'You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend. 15 For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'a
16 "But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets, kings and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Parable of the Sower Explained (Mt 13:18-23; Mk 4:13-20; Lk 8:11-15)
Mk 4:13 Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable? Lk
8:11 Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God and Mk 4:14 the sower sows the word. Mt 13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one (Satan, the devil) comes and snatches away the word that was sown in his heart Lk 8:12 so that he may not believe and be saved. Mt 13:19 This is the seed sown along the path.
Mt 13:20 "The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Lk 8:13 He believes for a while, Mt 13:21 but he has no root in himself and does not endure Lk 8:13 in a time of testing. Mt 13:21 When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.
22 "The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, Lk 8:14 but as they go on their way Mt 13:22 worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth and the pleasures of life choke the word, so it does not mature and produces nothing.
23 "But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word, understands and receives it, Lk 8:15 clinging to it with an honest and good heart and steadfast endurance. Mt 13:23 He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown."
Parable of Wheat & Weeds (Mt 13:24–30)
Mt 13:24 Jesus presented them with another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 When the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27 "So the slaves of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?'
28 "He said, 'An enemy has done this.' "So the slaves replied, 'Do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 "But he said, 'No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn. "
Parables of Seeds & Yeast (Mk 4:26-34; Mt 13:31-35; Lk 13:18-21)
Mk 4:26 Jesus also said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. 27 He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle because the harvest has come."
a Isa 6:9-10
30 Jesus also asked, "To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground— 32 when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade."
Lk 13:20 Again Jesus said, "To what should I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen."
Mk 4:33 So with many parables like these, Jesus spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples. Mt 13:35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."a Parable of Wheat & Weeds Explained (Mt 13:36-43)
Mt 13:36 Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
37 He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 "As the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!"
Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven: Treasure, Pearls, Nets (Mt 13:44-52)
Mt 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. 49 It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all these things?" They replied, "Yes." 52 Then he said to them, "Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old."
CONTINUED MINISTRY IN & AROUND GALILEE
Jesus Calms a Storm – Sea of Galilee (Mk 4:35-41; Mt 8:18, 23-27; Lk 8:22-25)
Mk 4:35 On that day, when evening came, Mt 8:18 Jesus saw a large crowd around him Mk 4:35 and said to his disciples, "Let's go across to the other side of the lake." 36 So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was. Mt 8:23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him, Mk 4:36 and other boats were with him.
Lk 8:23 Now a violent windstorm came down on the lake Mt 8:24 and a great storm developed on the sea. Mk 4:37 The waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped.
Mk 4:38 But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. Mt 8:25 So they came and woke him up saying, "Lord (Master, Teacher), save us! Mk 4:38 Don't you care that we are about to die?"
a Ps 78:2
Mt 8:26 But Jesus said to them, "Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith? Mk 4:40 Do you still not have faith?" Mk 4:39 So Jesus got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the raging sea, "Be quiet! Calm down!" Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.
Lk 8:25 But the disciples were overwhelmed by fear and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!"
Healing Demon-Possessed Mana - Decapolis, E side of Sea of Galilee (Mk 5:1-20; Mt 8:28-34; Lk 8:26-39)
Mk 5:1 So they sailed to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat and stepping ashore, a certain man with an unclean spirit (demonpossessed) came from the tombs near the town and met him. Mt 8:28 He was extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. Lk 8:27 For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs.
Mk 5:3 No one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Lk 8:29 He would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places. Mk
5:5 Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him. 7 Then he cried out with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God—do not torment me! Mt 8:29 Have you come here to torment me before the time?" Mk 5:8 (For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!")
9 Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." 10 He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region into the abyss.
11 There on the hillside, some distance from them, a great herd of pigs was feeding. 12 And the demonic spirits begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the pigs. Let us enter them."
13 Jesus gave them permission and said, "Go!" So the unclean spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.
14 Now the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, Mt 8:33 telling everything that had happened to the demon-possessed man. Lk 8:35 So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the "Legion" of demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Mk 5:16 Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed, Mk 5:16 and they also told about the pigs. Lk 8:37 Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region Mt 8:34 came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they Lk 8:37 asked Jesus to leave them alone Mt 8:34 and begged him to leave their region, Lk 8:37 for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and left.
Mk 5:18 As Jesus was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, "Return to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you." 20 So he went away and began to proclaim throughout the whole Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.
Healing Jairus's Daughter & a Bleeding Woman – Capernaum, Galilee (Mk 5:21-43; Lk 8:40-56; Mt 9:18-26)
Mk 5:21 When Jesus had crossed again in a boat and returned to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Lk 8:40 and welcomed him because they were all waiting for him Mk 5:21 by the sea. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers named Jairus came up Lk 8:42 because he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. Mk 5:22 When he saw Jesus, he bowed low before him and fell at his feet. 23 He asked him urgently, "My little
a Matthew's much shorter version describes two men while Mark and Luke only mention one man.
daughter is near death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be healed and live." 24 Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around him.
Lk 8:43 Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years but could not be healed by anyone. Mk 5:26 She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched the edge of his cloak, 28 for she kept saying, "If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 At once the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Mk 5:30 Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?"
Lk 8:45 When they all denied it, Peter and the disciples said to him, "Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you Mk 5:31 and you say, 'Who touched me?' "
Lk 8:46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me." Mk 5:32 He looked around to see who had done it.
Mk 5:33 Then the woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. Lk 8:47 In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.
Mk 5:34 Jesus said to her, "Have courage daughter! Your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease." Mt 9:22 And the woman was healed from that hour.
Lk 8:49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler's house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer."
50 But when Jesus heard this, he told him, "Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." 51 Now when he came to the house of the synagogue ruler, Jesus did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, and the child's father and mother. Mt 9:23 When Jesus entered the ruler's house he saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd. Mk 5:38 There was noisy confusion and people mourning for her, weeping and wailing loudly.
Mk 5:39 Jesus said to them, "Why are you distressed and weeping? Lk 8:52 Stop your weeping Mt 9:24 and go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep." Lk 8:53 And they began making fun of him, because they knew that she was dead. Mk 5:40 But he put them all outside and he took the child's father and mother and his own companions and went into the room where the child was. 41 Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up." Lk 8:55 Her spirit returned, and she got up immediately and Mk 5:42 began to walk around. They were completely astonished at this. 43 But Jesus strictly ordered that no one should know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. Mt 9:26 And the news of this spread throughout that region.
Healing Two Blind Men & a Mute Demon-Possessed Man (Mt 9:27-34) Mt 9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" 28 When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." 29 Then he touched their eyes saying, "Let it be done for you according to your faith."
30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about this." 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.
32 As they were going away, a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him. 33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!"
34 But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of demons he casts out demons."
John the Baptist Executed (Mk 6:17-29; Mt 14:3-12) Mk 6:17 Herod himself had sent men, arrested John, and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had repeatedly told Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Mt 14:5 Although Herod wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd because they accepted John as a prophet. Mt 14:4 So Herod put him in prison.
Mk 6:19 Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she could not 20 because Herod stood in awe of John and protected him, since he knew that John was a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard him, he was thoroughly baffled, and yet he liked to listen to John.
21 But a suitable day came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee. 22 When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests so much that he said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." 23 He swore an oath to her, promising, "Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."
24 So she went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother said, "The head of John the baptizer." 25 Instructed by her mother, she immediately hurried back to the king and made her request: "I want the head of John the Baptist here on a platter immediately."
26 Although it grieved the king deeply, he did not want to reject her request because of his oath and his guests, Mt 14:9 so he commanded it to be given. Mk 6:27 The king sent an executioner at once to bring John's head, and he went and beheaded John in prison. 28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John's disciples heard this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb Mt
14:12 and went and told Jesus. 13 Now when Jesus heard this he went away from there privately in a boat to an isolated place.
MINISTRY IN JUDEA
Healing a Paralytic – Jerusalem (Jn 5:2-15) Jn 5:1 After this there was a Jewish feast, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool called Bethzatha in Aramaic, which has five covered walkways. 3 A great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying in these walkways. 5 Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized that the man had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, "Do you want to become well?"
7 The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, someone else goes down there before me."
8 Jesus said to him, "Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.)
10 So the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat."
11 But he answered them, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' " 12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your mat and walk'?" 13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.
14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "Look, you have become well. Don't sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you." 15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Jesus Claims to be the Son of God, Equal with God (Jn 5:15-47) Jn 5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting him. 17 So he told them, "My Father is working until now, and I too am working." 18 For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.