Part 3
19 So Jesus answered them, "I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves
the Son and shows him everything he does, and will show him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
24 "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 27 and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
28 "Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. 30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.
31 "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 (I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light.
36 "But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
41 "I do not accept praise from people, 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don't seek the praise that comes from the only God?
45 "Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe my words?"
BACK IN GALILEE
Sending Out the Twelve (Mt 9:35-38; 10:1, 5-15, 40-42; 11:1; Mk 6:7-13; Lk 9:1-6)
Mt 9:35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest."
10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits so they could cast them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness. 5 Jesus sent out these twelve two by two Lk 9:1 to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Mt 10:5 He instructed them as follows: "Do not go to Gentile regions and do not enter any Samaritan town. 6 Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near!' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
Mk 6:8 "Take nothing for the journey except a staff, 9 and put on sandals. Mt 10:9 Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts – Mk 6:8 no bread, Mt 10:10 no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the worker deserves his provisions.4
Mt 10:11 "Whenever you enter a town or village, find out who is worthy there and stay with them until you leave the area. 12 As you enter the house, give it greetings. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, Lk 9:5 as you leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. Mt 10:15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!
Mt 10:40 "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward."
Mt 11:1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their towns. Lk 9:6 Then the disciples departed and went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news Mk 6:12 and preaching that all should repent. 13 They cast out many demons and anointed sick people everywhere with oil and healed them.
Herod Confuses Jesus with John the Baptist (Mk 6:14-16; Mt 14:1-2; Lk 9:7-9)
Lk 9:7 Now King Herod the tetrarch heard Mt 14:1 reports about Jesus Lk 9:7 and everything that was happening, Mk
6:14 for Jesus' name had become known. Lk 9:7 Herod was thoroughly perplexed, because Mk 6:14 some people were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead." 15 Others said, "He is Elijah." Others said, "He is a prophet like one of the prophets from the past."
16 But when Herod heard this, Mt 14:2 he said to his servants, Lk 9:9 "I had John the Baptist beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things? Mt 14:2 This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him." Lk 9:9 So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus. Feeding the 5,000+a – Bethsaida, N side Sea of Galilee, E of Jordan River (Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:30-44; Lk 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-14)
Mk 6:30 When the apostles returned, they gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, "Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a while" (for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat).
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to some remote place near a town called Bethsaida, Jn 6:1 on the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). 2 But a large crowd was following Jesus because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. Mk 6:33 Many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived there ahead of them.
34 As Jesus came ashore he saw the large crowd, welcomed them Jn 6:3 went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. 4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover was near.) Mk 6:34 Jesus taught them many things Lk 9:11 about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing.
Mk 6:35 When it was already late, Jesus' disciples came to him and said, "This is an isolated place and it is already very late. 36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy something for themselves to eat and find lodging."
37 But Jesus answered them, "They don't need to go. You give them something to eat." Jn 6:5 He said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?" 6 (Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.)
Jn 6:7 Philip replied, "Two hundred silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little. Mk 6:37 Should we go and buy bread for two hundred silver coins and give it to them to eat?"
Mk 6:38 Jesus said to his disciples, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see."
a Since "the men alone numbered about 5,000," there were probably at least two times that many people including women and children.
Jn 6:8 One of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother found out and said, "Here is a boy who has only five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people— Lk 9:13 unless we go and buy food for all of them?"
Mk 6:39 Then he directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. Jn 6:10 (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) Mk 6:40 So they did as Jesus directed, and sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to his disciples to serve the people, and he divided the two fish among all who were seated, Jn 6:11 as much as they wanted.
Jn 6:12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, "Gather up the broken pieces and fish that are left over, so that nothing is wasted. 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves and fish that were left over by the people who had eaten. Mt 14:21 Not counting women and children, there were about five thousand men who ate.
Jn 6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, "This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world."
Walking on Water – Sea of Galilee (Mt 14:22-36; Mk 6:45-52; Jn 6:15-21) Jn 6:15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, Mk 6:45
immediately made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, [past] Bethsaida,a while he dispersed the crowds. Jn 6:16 Now when evening came, Mt 14:23 after Jesus said good-bye to them and sent the crowds away, he went up the mountainside by himself to pray.
Jn 6:17 His disciples started to cross the lake to Capernaum. (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) Jn 6:18 By now strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. Mt 14:24 Meanwhile the boat, already far from land, Mk 6:47 in the middle of the sea, Mt 14:24 was taking a beating from the waves. Mk
6:47 Jesus was alone on the land, 48 and saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Jn 6:19 Then, when the night was ending and they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, Mk 6:48 for he wanted to pass by them. Mt 14:26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and said, "It's a ghost!" and cried out with fear.
Mt 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them: "Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid." 28 Peter said to him, "Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water."
29 So Jesus said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
32 When they went up into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Mk 6:51 They were completely astonished, 52 because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Jn 6:21 Immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.b Bread of Life – Capernaum, Gennesaret - NW side Sea of Galilee (Jn 6:22-58; Mt 14:34-35a; Mk 6:53-54) Mk 6:53 After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaretc and anchored there. 54 As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Jesus.
a Going to "the other side, to Bethsaida" is confusing. The disciples had already gone by boat to Bethsaida "on the other (NE) side of the Sea of Galilee" (Jn 6:1). Then they get into a boat to cross to Capernaum, on the NW side of the lake (Jn 6:16). The meaning may be that they started back past Bethsaida to Capernaum on the other side.
b Capernaum is only about 6 nautical miles from Bethsaida, but the storm greatly increased the distance traveled.
c Plain of Gennesaret, where the town of Capernaum is located.
Jn 6:22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" 26 Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. 27 Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life—the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him."
28 So then they said to him, "What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?" 29 Jesus replied, "This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent." 30 So they said to him, "Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'a"
32 Then Jesus told them, "I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34 So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread all the time!" 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me—that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father—for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," 42 and they said, "Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43 Jesus replied, "Do not complain about me to one another. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.'b Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God—he has seen the Father.)
47 "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began to argue with one another, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever."
a Ex 16:4
b Isa 54:13
Many Followers Depart – Capernaum (Jn 6:59-71) Jn 6:59 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said, "This is a difficult saying! Who can understand it?"
61 When Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about this, he said to them, "Does this cause you to be offended? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? 63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 So Jesus added, "Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come."
66 After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You don't want to go away too, do you?"
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!"
70 Jesus replied, "Didn't I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?" 71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.)
YEAR THREE – INTENSIFIED REJECTION [AD 31]
CONTINUED MINISTRY IN GALILEE
God's Righteousness, Not Human Tradition (Jn 7:1; Mk 6:55-7:23; Mt 14:35b-15:20; Lk 6:39) Jn 7:1 After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. (He stayed out of Judea because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him.) Mk 6:55 The people ran through that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever he was rumored to be. 56 And wherever he would go—into villages, towns, or countryside—they would place the sick in the marketplaces, and would beg him if they could just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Mk 7:1 Now the Pharisees and some of the experts in the law who came from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2 And they saw that some of Jesus' disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches.)
5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?"
6 He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:
'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.'a
8 Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition." 9 He also said to them, "You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. 10 For God said through Moses, 'Honor your father and your mother,'b and, 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.'c 11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you would have received from me is corban' (that is, a gift for God), 12 then he does not need to do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this."
14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand. 15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into his mouth. Rather, it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles him."
Mk 7:17 Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, Mt 15:12 the disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?"
13 And he replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leave them! They are blind guides. Lk 6:39 Someone who is blind cannot lead another who is blind, can he? Won't they both fall into a pit?"
Mt 15:15 Peter said to Jesus, "Explain this parable to us." 16 Jesus said, "Even after all this, are you still so foolish? Mk 7:18 Don't you understand that whatever goes into a person's mouth from outside cannot defile him? 19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer." (This means all foods are clean.) Mt 15:18 "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. Mk 7:21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, false testimony,
a Isa 29:13
b Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16
c Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9
slander, pride, and folly. Mt 15:20 These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person."
MINISTRY IN PHOENICIA & DECAPOLIS
Faith of a Gentile Woman – Tyre & Sidon, Phoenicia, E. coast of Mediterranean (Mk 7:24-30; Mt 15:21-28) Mk 7:24 After Jesus left there, he went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but he was not able to escape notice. 25 Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek (Canaanite), of Syrophoenician origin.
Mt 15:22 She cried out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!" 23 But Jesus did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, "Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us."
24 So Jesus answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and bowed down before him and said, "Lord, help me!" Mk 7:27 He said to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and to throw it to the dogs."
Mt 15:27 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
28 Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, your faith is great! 29 Because you said this, you may go Mt 15:28 and let what you want be done for you. Mk 7:29 The demon has left your daughter."
Mt 15:28 And her daughter was healed from that hour. Mk 7:30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
MINISTRY AROUND THE SEA OF GALILEE
Healing a Deaf Mute & Many Others – East coast, Sea of Galilee (Mk 7:31-37; Mt 15:29-31) Mk 7:31 Then Jesus went out again from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. Mt 15:29 Jesus went up a mountain, where he sat down. 30 Then large crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. Mk 7:32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him.
Mk 7:33 After Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man's ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 Then he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, "Ephphatha" (that is, "Be opened"). 35 And immediately the man's ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly.
Mt 15:31 As a result, the crowd was completely astounded when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel. Mk 7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more, 37 saying, "He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
Feeding 4,000+ (Mk 8:1-9; Mt 15:32-38) Mk 8:1 In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way, and some of them have come from a great distance."
Mt 15:33 The disciples said to him, "Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?"
34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They replied, "Seven—and a few small fish." 35 After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 Jesus took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds.
37 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 38 Not counting children and women, there were four thousand men who ate.
Demand for a Miracle – W coast, Sea of Galilee (Mt 15:39-16:4; Mk 8:10-12) Mt 15:39 After sending away the crowd, Mk 8:10 Jesus immediately got into a boat with his discples and went to the district of Dalmanutha, Mt 15:39 in the region of Magadan.a
Mt 16:1 Now when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, they began to argue and asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He said, "When evening comes you say, 'It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,' 3 and in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.' You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times."
Mk 8:12 Sighing deeply in his spirit Jesus said, "Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, Mt
16:4 a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Yeast of the Leaders – NE coast, Sea of Galilee (Mk 8:13-21; Mt 16:5-12) Mk 8:13 Then Jesus left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 And Jesus ordered them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees and the yeast of Herod!"
Mt 16:7 So they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, "Is it because we brought no bread." 8 When Jesus learned of this, he said, "You who have such little faith! Why are you arguing among yourselves about having no bread? Mk 8:17 Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? 18 Though you have eyes, don't you see? And though you have ears, can't you hear? Don't you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?"
They replied, "Twelve." 20 "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?" They replied, "Seven." 21 Then he said to them, "Do you still not understand? Mt 16:11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"
12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Healing a Blind Man – Bethsaida, NE coast of Sea of Galilee (Mk 8:22-26) Mk 8:22 Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside of the village. Then he spit on his eyes, placed his hands on his eyes and asked, "Do you see anything?"
24 Regaining his sight he said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking." 25 Then Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes again. And he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."
MINISTRY IN & AROUND JERUSALEM
Going to the Feast of Tabernacles – Galilee to Jerusalem – Sept/Oct (Jn 7:2-10) Jn 7:2 Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. 3 So Jesus' brothers advised him, "Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. 4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." 5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.)
6 So Jesus replied, "My time has not yet arrived, but you are ready at any opportunity! 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil. 8 You go up to the feast
a Magadan and Dalmanutha: exact location is unknown, but on the west coast of Sea of Galilee.
yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because my time has not yet fully arrived." 9 When he had said this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus himself also went up, not openly but in secret. "My Message Comes from God" – (Jn 7:11-24) Jn 7:11 The Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus at the feast, asking, "Where is he?" 12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some were saying, "He is a good man," but others, "He deceives the common people." 13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders.
14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts and began to teach. 15 Then the Jewish leaders were astonished and said, "How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?"
16 So Jesus replied, "My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do God's will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 18 The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him. 19 Hasn't Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law! Why do you want to kill me?"
20 The crowd answered, "You're possessed by a demon! Who is trying to kill you?" 21 Jesus replied, "I performed one miracle and you are all amazed. 22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child on the Sabbath. 23 But if a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper judgment."
Is Jesus the Messiah? – (Jn 7:25-52) Jn 7:25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem began to say, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him. Do the rulers really know that this man is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from. Whenever the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from."
28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "You both know me and know where I come from! And I have not come on my own initiative, but the one who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him, because I have come from him and he sent me."
30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the crowd believed in him and said, "Whenever the Christ comes, he won't perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?"
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about Jesus, so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Then Jesus said, "I will be with you for only a little while longer, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come."
35 Then the Jewish leaders said to one another, "Where is he going to go that we cannot find him? He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What did he mean by saying, 'You will look for me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come'?"
37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, 'From within him will flow rivers of living water.' "a 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd began to say, "This really is the Prophet!" 41 Others said, "This is the Christ!" But still others said, "No, for the Christ doesn't come from Galilee, does he? 42 Don't the
a Isa 44:3-4; 58:11
scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant of David and comes from Bethlehem,a the village where David lived?" 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus. 44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why didn't you bring him back with you?"
46 The officers replied, "No one ever spoke like this man!" 47 Then the Pharisees answered, "You haven't been deceived too, have you? 48 None of the rulers or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 49 But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!"
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of the rulers, said, 51 "Our law doesn't condemn a man unless it first hears from him and learns what he is doing, does it?" 52 They replied, "You aren't from Galilee too, are you? Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee!"
b[53 And each one departed to his own house. 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. A Woman Caught in Adultery (Jn 8:2-11) Jn 8:2 Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The experts in the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery.
They made her stand in front of them 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to deathc such women. What then do you say?" 6 (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against him.)
Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied, "Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground.
9 Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
10 Jesus stood up straight and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" 11 She replied, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more."] "I am the Light of the World, Sent by My Father from Above" (Jn 8:12-29) Jn 8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, "I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
13 So the Pharisees objected, "You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!" 14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you people do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15 You people judge by outward appearances; I do not judge anyone. 16 But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, because I am not alone when I judge, but I and the Father who sent me do so together. 17 It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.d 18 I testify about myself and the Father who sent me testifies about me."
19 Then they began asking him, "Who is your father?" Jesus answered, "You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too." 20 (Jesus spoke these words near the offering box while he was teaching in the temple courts. No one seized him because his time had not yet come.)
a Mic 5:2
b Jn 7:53-8:11 is not in the earliest Greek manuscripts.
c Lv 20:10; Dt 22:22-24
d Dt 7:6
21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will look for me but will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come." 22 So the Jewish leaders began to say, "Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, 'Where I am going you cannot come.' "
23 Jesus replied, "You people are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world. 24 Thus I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins."
25 So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus replied, "What I have told you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the Father who sent me is truthful, and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world." 27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.)
28 Then Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what the Father taught me. 29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do those things that please him."
True Descendants of Abraham (Jn 8:30-47) Jn 8:30 While he was saying these things, many people believed in him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, "If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33 "We are descendants of Abraham," they replied, "and have never been anyone's slaves! How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the family forever, but the son remains forever. 36 So if the son sets you free, you will be really free. 37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants. But you want to kill me, because my teaching makes no progress among you. 38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the Father; as for you, practice the things you have heard from the Father!"
39 They answered him, "Abraham is our father!" Jesus replied, "If you are Abraham's children, you would be doing the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 41 You people are doing the deeds of your father."
Then they said to Jesus, "We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father, God himself."
42 Jesus replied, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me. 43 Why don't you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching. 44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God's words. You don't listen and respond, because you don't belong to God."
"I am" (Jn 8:48-59) Jn 8:48 The Judeans replied, "Aren't we correct in saying that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?"
49 Jesus answered, "I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father—and yet you dishonor me. 50 I am not trying to get praise for myself. There is one who demands it, and he also judges. 51 I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see death."
52 Then the Judeans responded, "Now we know you're possessed by a demon! Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, 'If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never experience death.' 53 You aren't greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?"
54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say, 'He is our God.' 55 Yet you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not
know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching. 56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad."
57 Then the Judeans replied, "You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?"
58 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!" 59 Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area. Healing a Man Born Blind (Jn 9:1-41) Jn 9:1 Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him. 4 We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6 Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He smeared the mud on the blind man's eyes 7 and said to him, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "sent"). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar began saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some people said, "This is the man!" while others said, "No, but he looks like him."
The man himself kept insisting, "I am the one!" 10 So they asked him, "How then were you made to see?" 11 He replied, "The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and was able to see."
12 They said to him, "Where is that man?" He replied, "I don't know." 13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. 14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath.) 15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. He replied, "He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see."
16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, "This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?" Thus there was a division among them. 17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, "What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?"
"He is a prophet," the man replied. 18 Now the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned the parents of the man who had become able to see. 19 They asked the parents, "Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?"
20 So his parents replied, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself." 22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, "He is a mature adult, ask him.")
24 Then they summoned the man who used to be blind a second time and said to him, "Promise before God to tell the truth. We know that this man is a sinner."
25 He replied, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see."
26 Then they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?" 27 He answered, "I told you already and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You people don't want to become his disciples too, do you?"
28 They heaped insults on him, saying, "You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!"
30 The man replied, "This is a remarkable thing, that you don't know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! 31 We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, God
listens to him. 32 Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
34 They replied, "You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume to teach us?" So they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36 The man replied, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus told him, "You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you." [38 He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said,]a "For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind."
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him, "We are not blind too, are we?" 41 Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains."
"I Am the Good Shepherd" (Jn 10:1-21) Jn 10:1 "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not recognize the stranger's voice." 6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus said to them again, "I tell you the solemn truth, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs away.
14 "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father."
19 Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, "He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind! Why do you listen to him?" 21 Others said, "These are not the words of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, can it?"
"The Father & I Are One" – Nov/Dec (Jn 10:22-42) Jn 10:22 Then came the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem. 23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon's Portico. 24 The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus replied, "I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my Father's name testify about me. 26 But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and
a Some important manuscripts omit these words.
they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one."
31 The Jewish leaders picked up rocks again to stone him to death. 32 Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good deeds from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?"
33 The Jewish leaders replied, "We are not going to stone you for a good deed but for blasphemy, because you, a man, are claiming to be God."
34 Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'?a 35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called 'gods' (and the scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 If I do not perform the deeds of my Father, do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, so that you may come to know and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me."
39 Then they attempted again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches.
a Ps 82:6
YEAR FOUR: FOCUSED ON THE CROSS [AD 32] MINISTRY IN GALILEE
Leaving Judea – (Jn 10:40-42) 40 Jesus went back across the Jordan River again to the place where John had been baptizing at an earlier time, and he stayed there.a 41 Many came to him and began to say, "John performed no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true!" 42 And many believed in Jesus there.
Peter's Confession – Caesarea Philippi, 20 aerial mi. N of Sea of Galilee (Mt 16:13-20; Mk 8:27-30; Lk 9:18-21) Mk 8:27 Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, Lk 9:18 when Jesus was praying by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
19 They answered, "John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen."
Mt 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven."
20 Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. The Cross is Coming for Jesus & His Followers (Mt 16:21-28; Mk 8:31-9:1; Lk 9:22-27) Mt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem and be rejected and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: "God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!" 23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but on man's."
Mk 8:34 Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. 36 For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life? 37 What can a person give in exchange for his life?
38 "For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Mt 16:27 And then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Mt 16:28 "I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the Son of Man coming with power in his kingdom."
The Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-13; Mk 9:2-13; Lk 9:28-36) Mt 17:1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain to pray. Lk 9:29 As Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, shining like the sun, and his clothes became very bright, brilliantly white as light, Mk 9:3 more so than any launderer in the world could bleach them.
a Tt is uncertain if this "Bethany across the Jordan" is just north of the Dead Sea or just south of the Sea of Galilee.
Lk 9:30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus. 31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure that he was about to carry out at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33 Then as the men were starting to leave, Peter said to Jesus, "Master (Lord, Rabbi), it is good for us to be here. If you want, let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." Mk 9:6 (For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.)
Mt 17:5 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. Lk9:36 After the voice had spoken, Mk 9:8 they quickly looked around and saw no one with them anymore except Jesus. Mt 17:7 He came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Do not be afraid."
Mt 17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Do not tell anyone about the vision until after the Son of Man is raised from the dead." Lk 9:36 So they kept silent and told no one at that time anything of what they had seen.
Mk 9:10 Then the disciples discussed what this rising from the dead meant 11 and they asked Jesus, "Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?"
12 He said to them, "Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has certainly already come. Mt
17:12 Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted, Mk 9:13 just as it is written about him. Mt
17:12 In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands." Mt 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. Faith & Healing a Demon Possessed Boy (Mk 9:14-29; Mt 17:14-21; Lk 9:37-43) Lk 9:37 Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, Mk 9:14 they came to the disciples and saw a large crowd around them and experts in the law arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw Jesus, they were amazed and ran at once and greeted him. 16 He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"
Lk 9:38 Then a man from the crowd Mt 7:14 came to him, knelt before him and cried out, Mk 9:17 "Teacher, I brought you my son. Lk 9:38 I beg you to look at him—he is my only child! Mk 9:17 He is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. 18 Whenever it seizes him, he suddenly screams, it throws him down into convulsions, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. Lk 9:39 It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely. Mt 17:16 I brought him to your disciples Lk 9:40 and begged them to cast it out, but they could not do so."
Mk 9:19 Jesus answered them, "You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring your son here to me."
20 So they brought the boy to him. Lk 9:42 But as the boy was approaching Mk 9:20 and the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. Mt 17:15 Lord, have mercy on him, because he suffers terribly. Mk 9:22 If you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
23 Then Jesus said to him, "'If you are able?' All things are possible for the one who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He is dead!" 27 But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up. Lk 9:42 Then Jesus gave him back to his father. Mt 17:18 The boy was healed from that moment, and Lk 9:43 they were all astonished at the mighty power of God.
Mk 9:28 Then after Jesus went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we cast it out?"
Mt 17:20 Jesus told them, "It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to here' and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you. Mk 9:29 But this kind can come out only by prayer."
Jesus Again Predicts His Death & Resurrection (Mk 9:30-33a; Mt 17:22-23; Lk 9:43-45) Lk 9:43 While the entire crowd was amazed at everything Jesus was doing, Mk 9:30 he and his disciples went out from there and passed through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples and telling them, Lk 9:44 "Take these words to heart, for the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men. Mt 17:23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised."
Mt 17:32 The disciples became greatly distressed. Lk 9:45 They did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
Temple Tax Found in a Fish – Capernaum, Galilee (Mt 17:24-27; Mk 9:33a) Mk 9:33 Then they came to Capernaum. Mt 17:24 After they arrived, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn't he?"
25 He said, "Yes." When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes—from their sons or from foreigners?"
26 Peter said, "From foreigners." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. 27 But so that we don't offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you."
Who Is the Greatest?, Children, Stumbling Blocks (Mk 9:33b-49; Mt 18:1-14; Lk 9:46-50; 17:1-3a) Mt 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus Mk 9:33 inside the house Mt 18:1 saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
Lk 9:47 But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts, Mk 9:33 he asked the disciples, "What were you discussing on the way?" 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
Mk 9:35 After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." 36 He took a little child and had him stand by his side among them, Mt 18:3 and said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven! 4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."