Historical

Rejection at Nazareth

6 He^(A) left there and came to his home town,^(B) and his disciples^(C) followed him. ² 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) that has been given to him, and how are these miracles^(H) performed by his hands? ³ 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.

⁴ Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet^(N) is not without honour^(O) except in his home town, among his relatives, and in his household.’ ⁵ He was not able to do a miracle^(P) there, except that he laid his hands on^(Q) a few ill^(R) people and healed^(S) them. ⁶ And he was amazed^(T) at their unbelief.^(U) He was going around the villages teaching.^(V)

Commissioning the Twelve

⁷ 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) 8} He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff – no bread, no travelling bag,^(AC) no money in their belts, ⁹ but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt.^{(AD) 10} 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 or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet^(AF) as a testimony^(AG) against them.’^{[a] 12} So they went out and preached^(AH) that people should repent.^{(AI) 13} They drove out many demons,^(AJ) anointed^(AK) many ill^(AL) people with oil^(AM) and healed them.^(AN)

John the Baptist Beheaded

¹⁴ King^(AO) Herod^(AP) heard about it, because Jesus’s name^(AQ) had become well known. Some^[b] said, ‘John the Baptist^(AR) has been raised from the dead,^(AS) and that’s why miraculous powers^(AT) are at work^(AU) in him.’ ¹⁵ But others said, ‘He’s Elijah.’^(AV) Still others said, ‘He’s a prophet, like one of the prophets from long ago.’^(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, because he had married her.^{(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 feared^(BH) John and protected him, knowing he was a righteous^(BI) and holy^(BJ) man. When Herod heard him he would be very perplexed,^[c](BK) and yet he liked to listen to him.^(BL)

²¹ 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^[d] 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 He promised her with an^(BR) oath:^(BS) ‘Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’^(BT)

²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for? ’

‘John the Baptist’s^(BU) head,’ she said.

²⁵ At once she hurried to the king and said, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s^(BV) head on a dish^(BW) immediately.’ ²⁶ Although the king was deeply distressed,^(BX) because of his oaths^(BY) and the guests^[e] 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 dish, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When John’s disciples^(CA) heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb.^(CB)

Feeding of the Five Thousand

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 recognised them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.^[f]

³⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a large 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 grew late, his disciples^(CG) approached him and said, ‘This place is deserted,^(CH) and it is already late. ³⁶ Send them away so that 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 two hundred denarii^[g] worth of bread and give them something to eat? ’

³⁸ He asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’

When they found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ ³⁹ Then he instructed 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 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 satisfied.^{(CI) 43} They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men.

Walking on the Water

⁴⁵ Immediately^(CJ) he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida,^(CK) while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After he said goodbye to them, he went away to the mountain^(CL) to pray.^{(CM) 47} Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ He saw them straining^(CN) at the oars,^[h] because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning^[i] he came towards 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^(CO) and cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.^(CP) Immediately he spoke with them and said, ‘Have courage!^(CQ) It is I.^(CR) Don’t be afraid.’^{(CS) 51} Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, ⁵² because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.^(CT)

Miraculous Healings

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gennesaret^(CU) and anchored there.

⁵⁴ As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognised him. ⁵⁵ They hurried throughout that region and began to carry the sick^(CV) on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end^(CW) of his robe.^(CX) And everyone who touched it was healed.

The Traditions of the Elders

7 The^(CY) Pharisees^(CZ) and some of the scribes^(DA) who had come from Jerusalem^(DB) gathered around him. ² They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean^(DC) – that is, unwashed – hands. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace,^(DD) they do not eat unless they have washed.^(DE) And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, kettles, and dining couches.^[j](DF)) ⁵ So the Pharisees^(DG) and the scribes^(DH) asked him, ‘Why don’t your disciples live^[k] according to the tradition of the elders,^(DI) instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean^[l] hands? ’

⁶ He answered them, ‘Isaiah^(DJ) prophesied^(DK) correctly about you hypocrites,^(DL) as it is written:^(DM)

⁸ Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.’^{[n] 9} He also said to them, ‘You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up^[o] your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses^(DR) said: Honour your father and your mother;^[p](DS) and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.^{[q](DT) 11} But you say, “If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit^(DU) you might have received from me is corban” ’ (that is, an offering^(DV) devoted to God), ¹² ‘you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ You nullify the word of God^(DW) by your tradition that you have handed^(DX) down. And you do many other similar things.’

¹⁴ Summoning^(DY) the crowd again, he told them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand:^{(DZ) 15} Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.’^[r]

¹⁷ When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ He said to them, ‘Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realise that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach^(EA) and is eliminated’ (thus he declared all foods clean^(EB)). ²⁰ And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,^(EC) thefts, murders,^{(ED) 22} adulteries,^(EE) greed,^(EF) evil actions, deceit,^(EG) self-indulgence,^(EH) envy,^[s] slander,^(EI) pride,^(EJ) and foolishness.^{(EK) 23} All these evil things come from within and defile a person.’

A Gentile Mother’s Faith

²⁴ He got up and departed from^(EL) there to the region of Tyre.^[t](EM) He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it, but he could not escape notice. ²⁵ Instead, immediately after hearing about him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit^(EN) came and fell at his feet.^{(EO) 26} The woman was a Gentile,^[u](EP) a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon^(EQ) out of her daughter. ²⁷ He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, because it isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’^(ER)

²⁸ But she replied to him, ‘Lord,^(ES) even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’

²⁹ Then he told her, ‘Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.’ ³⁰ When she went back to her home, she found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

Jesus Does Everything Well

³¹ Again, leaving the region of Tyre,^(ET) he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,^(EU) through^[v] the region of the Decapolis.^{(EV) 32} They brought to him a deaf^(EW) man who had difficulty speaking^(EX) and begged Jesus to lay his hand on^(EY) him. ³³ So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting,^(EZ) he touched his tongue. ³⁴ Looking up to heaven,^(FA) he sighed deeply and said to him, ‘Ephphatha! ’^[w] (that is, ‘Be opened! ’). ³⁵ Immediately his ears were opened,^(FB) his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.^{(FC) 36} He ordered them to tell no one,^(FD) but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.^(FE)

³⁷ They were extremely astonished and said, ‘He has done everything well.^(FF) He even makes the deaf^(FG) hear and the mute speak.’^(FH)