Study Desk

Then Jesus^(a) returned from the Jordan,^(b) full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over,^[a] He was hungry.

The Devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

But Jesus answered him, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone. " ^[b](c)[c]

So he took Him up^[d] and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

The Devil said to Him, "I will give You their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me,^(d) and I can give it to anyone I want.

If You, then, will worship me,^[e] all will be Yours."

And Jesus answered him,^[f] "It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve ^(e) Him only. " ^[g]

So he took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you, ^(f)[h]

¹¹and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. "^(g)[i]

And Jesus answered him, "It is said: Do not test the Lord your God. " ^(h)[j]

After the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him for a time.

Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,⁽ⁱ⁾ and news about Him spread throughout the entire vicinity.^(j)

He was teaching in their synagogues,^(k) being acclaimed^[k] by everyone.

He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.^(l) As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day^(m) and stood up to read.⁽ⁿ⁾

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me ^[l] to proclaim freedom ^[m] to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. ^[n](o)[o]

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.^(p) And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

He began by saying to them, "Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled."

They were all speaking well of Him^[p] and were amazed by the gracious words that came from His mouth, yet they said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?"^(q)

Then He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb^[q] to Me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. So all we've heard that took place in Capernaum,^(r) do here in Your hometown also.'"

He also said, "I assure you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown.^(s)

But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah's days,^(t) when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land.

Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them—but to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

And in the prophet Elisha's time, there were many in Israel who had serious skin diseases, yet not one of them was healed^[r] —only Naaman the Syrian." ^(u)

When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged.

They got up, drove Him out of town,^(v) and brought Him to the edge^[s] of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl Him over the cliff.

But He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.^(w)

Then He went down to Capernaum,^(x) a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.

They were astonished at His teaching because His message had authority.^(y)

In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice,^(z)

"Leave us alone!^[t] What do You have to do with us,^[u] Jesus—Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"

But Jesus rebuked him^(aa) and said, "Be quiet and come out of him!" And throwing him down before them, the demon came out of him without hurting him at all.

Amazement came over them all, and they kept saying to one another, "What is this message? For He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!"

And news about Him began to go out to every place in the vicinity.

After He left the synagogue, He entered Simon's house.^(ab) Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him about her.

So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them.

When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him. As He laid His hands on each one of them, He would heal them.^(ac)

Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, "You are the Son of God!"^(ad) But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Messiah.^(ae)

When it was day, He went out and made His way to a deserted place.^(af) But the crowds were searching for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them.

But He said to them, "I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose."

And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.^[v](ag)

As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God's word,^(a) He was standing by Lake Gennesaret.^[a](b)

He saw two boats at the edge of the lake;^[b] the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

He got into one of the boats,^(c) which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down^[c] your nets for a catch." ^(d)

"Master,"^(e) Simon replied, "we've worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I'll let down the nets."^[d]

When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets^[e] began to tear.

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, because I'm a sinful man, Lord!"

For he and all those with him were amazed^[f] at the catch of fish they took,

and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's partners. "Don't be afraid," ^(f) Jesus told Simon. "From now on you will be catching people!" ^(g)

Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.^(h)

While He was in one of the towns, a man was there who had a serious skin disease all over him.⁽ⁱ⁾ He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged Him: "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

Reaching out His hand, He touched him, saying, "I am willing; be made clean," and immediately the disease left him.

Then He ordered him to tell no one: "But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing as a testimony to them."

But the news^[g] about Him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.^(j)

On one of those days while He was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law^(k) were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem. And the Lord's power to heal was in Him.^(l)

Just then some men came,^(m) carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before Him.

Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the mat through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus.

Seeing their faith He said, "Friend,^[h] your sins are forgiven you."

Then the scribes and the Pharisees⁽ⁿ⁾ began to think: "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"^(o)

But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, "Why are you thinking this in your hearts?^[i]

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, ‘Get up and walk'?

But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" —He told the paralyzed man, "I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home."

Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

Then everyone was astounded, and they were giving glory to God. And they were filled with awe^(p) and said, "We have seen incredible things today!"

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office,^(q) and He said to him, "Follow Me!"

So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow Him.

Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests^[j] with them.^(r)

But the Pharisees and their scribes^(s) were complaining to His disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Jesus replied to them, "The healthy don't need a doctor, but the sick do.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Then they said to Him, "John's disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but Yours eat and drink."^[k]

Jesus said to them, "You can't make the wedding guests^[l] fast while the groom is with them, can you?

But the time^[m] will come^(t) when the groom will be taken away from them—then they will fast in those days."

He also told them a parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. Otherwise, not only will he tear the new, but also the piece from the new garment will not match the old.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, it will spill, and the skins will be ruined.

But new wine should be put into fresh wineskins.^[n]

And no one, after drinking old wine, wants new, because he says, ‘The old is better.'" ^[o]

On a Sabbath,^[a] He passed through the grainfields.^(a) His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

Jesus answered them, "Haven't you read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry—

how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?^(b) He even gave some to those who were with him." ^(c)

Then He told them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

On another Sabbath^(d) He entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was paralyzed.

The scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely,^(e) to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against Him.^(f)

But He knew their thoughts^(g) and told the man with the paralyzed hand, "Get up and stand here." ^[b] So he got up and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to destroy it?" ^(h)

After looking around at them all,⁽ⁱ⁾ He told him, "Stretch out your hand." ^(j) He did so, and his hand was restored.^[c]

They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.

During those days He went out to the mountain to pray^(k) and spent all night in prayer to God.

When daylight came, He summoned His disciples,^(l) and He chose 12 of them—He also named them apostles:^(m)

Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

Matthew and Thomas;⁽ⁿ⁾ James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;

Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

After coming down with them, He stood on a level place with a large crowd of His disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.^(o)

They came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well.

The whole crowd was trying to touch Him,^(p) because power was coming out from Him and healing them all.^(q)

Then looking up at^[d] His disciples, He said:^(r) You who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God is yours.

You who are now hungry are blessed, because you will be filled. You who now weep are blessed, because you will laugh.

You are blessed when people hate you, when they exclude you,^(s) insult you, and slander your name as evil ^(t) because of the Son of Man. ^(u)

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets. ^(v)

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort.

Woe to you who are now full, for you will be hungry. Woe to you^[e] who are now laughing, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you ^[f] when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets. ^(w)