Daily Gospel Plan

¹Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.

²Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

³Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.”

⁴Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

⁵He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!

⁶At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

⁷Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea,

⁸Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

⁹Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.

¹⁰He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.

¹¹And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!”

¹²But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.

¹³Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him.

¹⁴Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach,

¹⁵giving them authority to cast out demons.

¹⁶These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter),

¹⁷James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder” ),

¹⁸Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot ),

¹⁹Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

²⁰One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.

²¹When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

²²But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

²³Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked.

²⁴“A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.

²⁵Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

²⁶And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive.

²⁷Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger — someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

²⁸“I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven,

²⁹but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.”

³⁰He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

³¹Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them.

³²There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”

³³Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”

³⁴Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.

³⁵Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

¹Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.

²He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

³“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.

⁴As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.

⁵Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.

⁶But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.

⁸Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

⁹Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

¹⁰Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

¹¹He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,

¹²so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’ ”

¹³Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

¹⁴The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.

¹⁵The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

¹⁶The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.

¹⁷But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

¹⁸The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word,

¹⁹but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

²⁰And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

²¹Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.

²²For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.

²³Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

²⁴Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given — and you will receive even more.

²⁵To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

²⁶Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.

²⁷Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens.

²⁸The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.

²⁹And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

³⁰Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?

³¹It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds,

³²but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”

³³Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.

³⁴In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

³⁵As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”

³⁶So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).

³⁷But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

³⁸Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

³⁹When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

⁴⁰Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”