Study Desk

Soon afterward, ^(F1)Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, ^(C1)proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him,

and also ^(C1)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: ^(C2)Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

and Joanna the wife of Chuza, ^(C1)Herod's ^(C2)steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

^(C1)Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

"The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up.

"Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it came up, it withered away because it had no moisture.

"Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

"And yet other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as much." As He said these things, He would call out, "^(C1)The one who has ears to hear, ^(F1)let him hear."

^(C1)Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable ^(F1)meant.

And He said, "^(C1)To you it has been granted to know the ^(F1)mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that ^(F2)(C2)while seeing they may not see, and ^(F3)while hearing they may not understand.

"Now this is the parable: ^(C1)the seed is the word of God.

"And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.

"Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; ^(F1)they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they ^(F2)fall away.

"And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.

"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word ^(F1)with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with ^(F2)perseverance.

"Now ^(C1)no one lights a lamp and covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see the light.

"^(C1)For nothing is concealed that will not become evident, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

"So take care how you listen; ^(C1)for whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^(F1)thinks he has will be taken away from him."

^(C1)Now His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.

And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You."

But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these ^(C1)who hear the word of God and do it."

^(C1)Now on one of those days ^(F1)Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let's cross over to the other side of ^(C2)the lake." So they launched out.

But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on ^(C1)the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

They came up to Jesus and woke Him, saying, "^(C1)Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and ^(C2)rebuked the wind and the surging ^(F1)waves, and they stopped, and ^(F2)it became calm.

And He said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

^(C1)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

And when He stepped out onto the land, a man from the city met Him who was possessed with demons; and he had not put on clothing for a long time and was not living in a house, but among the tombs.

And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and said with a loud voice, "^(F1)(C1)What business do You have with me, Jesus, Son of ^(C2)the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!"

For He had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into the desert.

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "^(C1)Legion"; because many demons had entered him.

And they were begging Him not to command them to go away into ^(C1)the abyss.

Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding there on the mountain; and the demons begged Him to permit them to enter ^(F1)the pigs. And He gave them permission.

And the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^(C1)the lake and was drowned.

Now when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported everything in the city, and in the country.

And the people came out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down ^(C1)at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

Those who had seen everything reported to them how the man who had been ^(C1)demon-possessed had been ^(F1)made well.

And all the ^(F1)people of the territory of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed by great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.

^(C1)But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might ^(F1)accompany Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

"Return to your home and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city what great things Jesus had done for him.

^(C1)And as Jesus was returning, the ^(F1)people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

^(C1)And a man named Jairus came, and he was an ^(F1)(C2)official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus' feet, and began urging Him to come to his house;

for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His ^(F1)cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "^(C1)Master, the ^(F1)people are crowding and pressing in on You."

But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that ^(C1)power had left Me."

Now when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and admitted in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

And He said to her, "Daughter, ^(C1)your faith has ^(F1)made you well; ^(C2)go in peace."

While He was still speaking, someone ^(*)came from the house of ^(C1)the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore."

But when Jesus heard this, He responded to him, "^(C1)Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be ^(F1)made well."

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him except Peter, John, and James, and the girl's father and mother.

Now they were all weeping and ^(C1)mourning for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but ^(C2)is asleep."

And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.

He, however, took her by the hand and spoke ^(F1)forcefully, saying, "Child, arise!"

And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that something be given her to eat.

Her parents were amazed; but He ^(C1)instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

^(C1)Now He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and the power to heal diseases.

And He sent them out to ^(C1)proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

And He said to them, "^(C1)Take nothing for your journey, ^(C2)neither a staff, nor a ^(F1)bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two ^(F2)tunics.

"And whatever house you enter, stay there ^(F1)until you leave that city.

"And as for all who do not receive you, when you leave that city, ^(C1)shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."

And as they were leaving, they began going ^(F1)throughout the villages, ^(C1)preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

^(C1)Now ^(C2)Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that ^(C3)John had risen from the dead,

and by some that ^(C1)Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.

Herod said, "I myself had John beheaded; but who is this Man about whom I hear such things?" And ^(C1)he kept trying to see Him.

^(C1)When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. ^(C2)And taking them with Him, He withdrew privately to a city called ^(C3)Bethsaida.

But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and He welcomed them and began speaking to them about the kingdom of God, and curing those who had need of healing.

Now the day ^(F1)was ending, and the twelve came up and said to Him, "Dismiss the crowd, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get ^(F2)something to eat; because here, we are in a secluded place."

But He said to them, "You give them something to eat!" But they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people."

(For there were about five thousand men.) But He said to His disciples, "Have them recline to eat ^(C1)in groups of about fifty each."

They did so, and had them all recline.

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd.

And they all ate and were satisfied; and ^(F1)the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve ^(C1)baskets full.

^(C1)And it happened that while He was ^(C2)praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the ^(F1)people say that I am?"

They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen."

And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "^(C1)The ^(F1)Christ of God."

But He ^(F1)(C1)warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,

^(C1)saying, "^(C2)The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised on the third day."

And He was saying to them all, "^(C1)If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

"For ^(C1)whoever wants to save his ^(F1)life will lose it, but whoever loses his ^(F1)life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.

"For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but ^(C1)loses or forfeits himself?

"^(C1)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

"But I say to you truthfully, ^(C1)there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

^(C1)About eight days after these sayings, He took along ^(C2)Peter, John, and James, and ^(C3)went up on the mountain ^(C4)to pray.

And while He was ^(C1)praying, the appearance of His face ^(C2)became different, and His clothing became white and ^(F1)gleaming.

And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,

who, appearing in ^(F1)glory, were speaking of His ^(C1)departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Now Peter and his companions ^(C1)had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who were standing with Him.

And as ^(F1)these two men were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "^(C1)Master, it is good that we are here; and ^(C2)let's make three ^(F2)tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—^(C3)not realizing what he was saying.

But while he was saying this, a cloud ^(F1)formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

And then ^(C1)a voice came from the cloud, saying, "^(C2)This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"

And when the voice ^(F1)had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And ^(C1)they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.

^(C1)On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.

And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he is my only son,

and a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.

"And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not."

And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

And they were all amazed at the ^(F1)(C1)greatness of God. ^(C2)But while everyone was astonished at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,

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"As for you, let these words sink into your ears: ^(C1)for the Son of Man is going to be ^(F1)handed over to men."

But ^(C1)they ^(F1)did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not comprehend it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

^(C1)Now an argument ^(F1)started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.

But Jesus, ^(C1)knowing ^(F1)what they were thinking in their hearts, took a child and had him stand by His side,

and He said to them, "^(C1)Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; ^(C2)for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great."

^(C1)John answered and said, "^(C2)Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow along with us."

But Jesus said to him, "Do not hinder him; ^(C1)for the one who is not against you is ^(F1)for you."

When the days were approaching for ^(C1)His ^(F1)ascension, He ^(F2)was determined ^(C2)to go to Jerusalem;

and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the ^(C1)Samaritans to ^(F1)make arrangements for Him.

And they did not receive Him, ^(C1)because ^(F1)He was traveling toward Jerusalem.

When His disciples ^(C1)James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to ^(C2)command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

But He turned and rebuked them.^(F1)

And they went on to another village.

^(C1)As they were going on the road, ^(C2)someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go."

And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but ^(C1)the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

And He said to another, "^(C1)Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father."

But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and ^(C1)proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God."

Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but ^(C1)first permit me to say goodbye to those at my home."

But Jesus said to him, "^(C1)No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."