Rejection at Nazareth

He(A) went away from there and came to His hometown,(B) and His disciples(C) followed Him. When the Sabbath(D) came, He began to teach(E) in the synagogue,(F) and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom(G) given to Him, and how are these miracles(H) performed by His hands? Isn’t this the carpenter,(I) the son of Mary,(J) and the brother of James,(K) Joses, Judas,(L) and Simon? And aren’t His sisters here with us?” So they were offended(M) by Him.

Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet(N) is not without honor(O) except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.” So He was not able to do any miracles[a](P) there, except that He laid His hands on(Q) a few sick(R) people and healed(S) them. And He was amazed(T) at their unbelief.(U)

Commissioning the Twelve

Now He was going around the villages in a circuit, teaching.(V) He(W) summoned(X) the Twelve(Y) and began to send(Z) them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean(AA) spirits.(AB) He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a walking stick: no bread, no traveling bag,(AC) no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals, but not put on an extra shirt.(AD) 10 Then He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any place does not welcome(AE) you and people refuse to listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet(AF) as a testimony(AG) against them.”[b]

12 So they went out and preached(AH) that people should repent.(AI) 13 And they were driving out many demons,(AJ) anointing(AK) many sick(AL) people with olive oil,(AM) and healing them.(AN)

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 King(AO) Herod(AP) heard of this, because Jesus’ name(AQ) had become well known. Some[c] said, “John the Baptist(AR) has been raised from the dead,(AS) and that’s why supernatural powers(AT) are at work(AU) in him.” 15 But others said, “He’s Elijah.”(AV) Still others said, “He’s a prophet[d]—like one of the prophets.”(AW)

16 When Herod(AX) heard of it, he said, “John,(AY) the one I beheaded, has been raised!”(AZ) 17 For(BA) Herod himself had given orders to arrest John and to chain(BB) him in prison on account of Herodias,(BC) his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.(BD) 18 John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful(BE) for you to have your brother’s wife!”(BF) 19 So Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to kill(BG) him. But she could not, 20 because Herod was in awe(BH) of[e] John and was protecting him, knowing he was a righteous(BI) and holy(BJ) man. When Herod heard him he would be very disturbed,[f](BK) yet would hear him gladly.(BL)

21 Now an opportune time came on his birthday, when Herod gave a banquet(BM) for his nobles,(BN) military commanders,(BO) and the leading men of Galilee.(BP) 22 When Herodias’s own daughter[g] came in and danced,(BQ) she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 So he swore(BR) oaths(BS) to her: “Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(BT)

24 Then she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”

“John the Baptist’s(BU) head!” she said.

25 Immediately she hurried to the king and said, “I want you to give me John the Baptist’s(BV) head on a platter(BW)—right now!”

26 Though the king was deeply distressed,(BX) because of his oaths(BY) and the guests[h] he did not want to refuse(BZ) her. 27 The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. So he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples[i](CA) heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb.(CB)

Feeding 5,000

30 The(CC) apostles(CD) gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them. People ran there by land from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.[j] 34 So as He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd and had compassion(CE) on them, because they were like sheep(CF) without a shepherd. Then He began to teach them many things.

35 When it was already late, His disciples(CG) approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness,(CH) and it is already late! 36 Send them away, so they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”

37 “You give them something to eat,” He responded.

They said to Him, “Should we go and buy 200 denarii(CI) worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

38 And He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look.”

When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”

39 Then He instructed them to have all the people sit down[k] in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in ranks of hundreds and fifties. 41 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to His disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 Everyone ate and was filled.(CJ) 43 Then they picked up 12 baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who ate the loaves were 5,000 men.

Walking on the Water

45 Immediately(CK) He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, to Bethsaida,(CL) while He dismissed the crowd. 46 After He said good-bye to them, He went away to the mountain(CM) to pray.(CN) 47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 He saw them being battered(CO) as they rowed,[l] because the wind was against them. Around three in the morning[m] He came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. 49 When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost(CP) and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified.(CQ) Immediately He spoke with them and said, “Have courage!(CR) It is I.(CS) Don’t be afraid.”(CT) 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded,[n] 52 because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.(CU)

Miraculous Healings

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret(CV) and beached the boat. 54 As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Him. 55 They hurried throughout that vicinity and began to carry the sick(CW) on mats to wherever they heard He was. 56 Wherever He would go, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might touch just the tassel(CX) of His robe.(CY) And everyone who touched it was made well.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:5 Lit miracle
  2. Mark 6:11 Other mss add I assure you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom or Gomorrah on judgment day than for that town.
  3. Mark 6:14 Other mss read He
  4. Mark 6:15 Lit Others said, “A prophet
  5. Mark 6:20 Or Herod feared
  6. Mark 6:20 Other mss read When he heard him, he did many things
  7. Mark 6:22 Other mss read When his daughter Herodias
  8. Mark 6:26 Lit and those reclining at the table
  9. Mark 6:29 = John’s disciples
  10. Mark 6:33 Other mss add and gathered around Him
  11. Mark 6:39 Lit people recline
  12. Mark 6:48 Or them struggling as they rowed
  13. Mark 6:48 Lit Around the fourth watch of the night = 3 to 6 a.m.
  14. Mark 6:51 Lit were astounded in themselves

A Prophet Without Honor(A)

Jesus left there and went to his hometown,(B) accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came,(C) he began to teach in the synagogue,(D) and many who heard him were amazed.(E)

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon?(F) Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.(G)

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”(H) He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on(I) a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(J)

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.(K) Calling the Twelve to him,(L) he began to send them out two by two(M) and gave them authority over impure spirits.(N)

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet(O) as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent.(P) 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil(Q) and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded(R)(S)

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,[b] “John the Baptist(T) has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”(U)

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,(V) like one of the prophets of long ago.”(W)

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.(X) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”(Y) 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.(Z) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet(AA) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.(AB) 22 When the daughter of[d] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(AC)

24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand(AD)(AE)

30 The apostles(AF) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.(AG) 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat,(AH) he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat(AI) to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.(AJ) So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”(AK)

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages[e]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”(AL)

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.(AM) Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water(AN)(AO)

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat(AP) and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida,(AQ) while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.(AR)

47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.(AS) They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”(AT) 51 Then he climbed into the boat(AU) with them, and the wind died down.(AV) They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.(AW)

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.(AX) 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak,(AY) and all who touched it were healed.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:3 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
  2. Mark 6:14 Some early manuscripts He was saying
  3. Mark 6:20 Some early manuscripts he did many things
  4. Mark 6:22 Some early manuscripts When his daughter
  5. Mark 6:37 Greek take two hundred denarii