Book Order Plan

¹Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority and power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

²Now these are the names of the twelve apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives): first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

³Philip and Bartholomew (Nathanael); Thomas and Matthew (Levi) the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus (Judas, not Iscariot);

⁴Simon the Cananaean (Zealot), and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

⁵Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them: "Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not go into a city of the Samaritans;

⁶but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

⁷And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

⁹Do not take gold, or silver, or [even] copper money in your money belt,

¹⁰or a provision bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker deserves his support.

¹¹Whatever city or village you enter, ask who in it is worthy [who welcomes you and your message], and stay at his house until you leave [that city].

¹²As you go into the house, give it your greeting [that is, 'Peace be to this house'].

¹³If [the family living in] the house is worthy [welcoming you and your message], give it your [blessing of] peace [that is, a blessing of well-being and prosperity, the favor of God]. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.

¹⁴Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties].

¹⁵I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city [since it rejected the Messiah's messenger].

¹⁶"Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda].

¹⁷Beware of men [whose nature is to act in opposition to God], for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues;

¹⁸and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

¹⁹But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you within that [very] hour;

²⁰for it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

²¹"Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will rise up and rebel against their parents and cause them to be put death.

²²And you will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but it is the one who has patiently persevered and endured to the end who will be saved.

²³"When they persecute you in one city [because of your faith in Me], flee to the next; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will not finish going through all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a bond-servant above his master.

²⁵It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the bond-servant like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul (Satan), how much more [will they speak evil of] the members of his household.

²⁶"So do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed [at the judgment], or kept secret that will not be made known [at the judgment].

²⁷What I say to you in the dark (privately), tell in the light (publicly); and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops [to many people].

²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.

³⁰But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered [for the Father is sovereign and has complete knowledge].

³¹So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

³²"Therefore, the one who confesses and acknowledges Me before men [as Lord and Savior, affirming a state of oneness with Me], that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven.

³³But the one who denies and rejects Me before men, that one I will also deny and reject before My Father who is in heaven.

³⁴"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword [of division between belief and unbelief].

³⁵For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

³⁶and a man's enemies will be the members of his [own] household [when one believes and another does not].

³⁷" He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

³⁸And he who does not take his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] is not worthy of Me.

³⁹Whoever finds his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], and whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].

⁴⁰"He who receives and welcomes you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

⁴¹He who receives and welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a righteous (honorable) man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

⁴²And whoever gives to one of these little ones [these who are humble in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward."

¹When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and to preach in their [Galilean] cities.

²Now when John [the Baptist] in prison heard about the activities of Christ, he sent word by his disciples

³and asked Him, "Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else [who will be the promised One]?"

⁴Jesus answered, "Go and report to John what you hear and see:

⁵the blind receive [their] sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed [by healing] and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

⁶And blessed [joyful, favored by God] is he who does not take offense at Me [accepting Me as the Messiah and trusting confidently in My message of salvation]."

⁷As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind [which is commonplace]?

⁸What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing [entirely unsuited for the harsh desert]? Those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings!

⁹But what did you [really] go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one [more eminent, more remarkable, and] far more than a prophet [who foretells the future].

¹⁰This is the one of whom it is written [by the prophet Malachi], 'Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

¹¹I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he.

¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].

¹³For all the prophets and the Law prophesied up until John.

¹⁴And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is [the fulfillment of] Elijah [as the messenger] who was to come [before the kingdom].

¹⁵He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.

¹⁶"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others,

¹⁷and say 'We piped the flute for you [playing wedding], and you did not dance; we wailed sad dirges [playing funeral], and you did not mourn and cry aloud.'

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking [with others], and they say, 'He has a demon!'

¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, 'Look! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews]!' Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by her deeds [in the lives of those who respond to Me]."

²⁰Then He began to denounce [the people in] the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent [and change their hearts and lives].

²¹"Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon [cities of the Gentiles], they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes [their hearts would have been changed and they would have expressed sorrow for their sin and rebellion against God].

²²Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for [the pagan cities of] Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

²³And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven [for your apathy and unresponsiveness]? You will descend to Hades (the realm of the dead); for if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

²⁴But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you."

²⁵At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God's will and purpose].

²⁶Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.

²⁷All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him.

²⁸"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].

²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.

³⁰For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light."