Journey Through God's Word

¹⁴Then Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread through the entire region.

¹⁵And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised and glorified and honored by all.

¹⁶So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),

¹⁹to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly]."

²⁰Then He rolled up the scroll [having stopped in the middle of the verse], gave it back to the attendant and sat down [to teach]; and the eyes of all those in the synagogue were [attentively] fixed on Him.

²¹He began speaking to them: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and in your presence."

²²And [as He continued on] they all were speaking well of Him, and were in awe and were wondering about the words of grace which were coming from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

²³So He said to them, "You will no doubt quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal Yourself! Whatever [miracles] that we heard were done [by You] in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.'"

²⁴Then He said, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.

²⁵But in truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was closed up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

²⁶and yet Elijah was not sent [by the Lord] to a single one of them, but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

²⁷And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and not one of them was cleansed [by being healed] except Naaman the Syrian."

²⁸As they heard these things [about God's grace to these two Gentiles], the people in the synagogue were filled with a great rage;

²⁹and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to hurl Him down the cliff.

³⁰But passing [miraculously] through the crowd, He went on His way.

³¹Then He came down [from the hills of Nazareth] to Capernaum, a city of Galilee [on the shore of the sea], and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;

³²and they were surprised [almost overwhelmed] at His teaching, because His message was [given] with authority and power and great ability.

³³There was a man in the synagogue who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud and terrible voice,

³⁴"Let us alone! What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"

³⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent (muzzled, gagged) and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown the man down among them, he came out of him without injuring him in any way.

³⁶They were all astonished and in awe, and began saying to one another, "What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out!"

³⁷And the news about Him spread into every place in the surrounding district (Galilee).

³⁸Then Jesus got up and left the synagogue and went to Simon's (Peter's) house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her.

³⁹Standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she got up and began serving them [as her guests].

⁴⁰While the sun was setting [marking the end of the Sabbath day], all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them [exhibiting His authority as Messiah].

⁴¹Demons also were coming out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

⁴²When daybreak came, Jesus left [Simon Peter's house] and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and [they] came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them.

⁴³But He said, "I must preach [the good news of] the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because I was sent for this purpose."

⁴⁴So He continued preaching in the synagogues of Judea [the country of the Jews, including Galilee].

¹Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him,

²and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene [from the city of Magdala in Galilee], from whom seven demons had come out,

³and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means [as was the custom for a rabbi's disciples].

⁴When a large crowd was gathering together, and people from city after city were coming to Him, He spoke [to them] using a parable:

⁵"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.

⁶And some seed fell on [shallow soil covering] the rocks, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

⁷Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

⁸And some fell into good soil, and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words."

⁹Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant.

¹⁰And He said, "To you [who have been chosen] it has been granted to know and recognize the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that though seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹"Now [the meaning of] the parable is this: The seed is the word of God [concerning eternal salvation].

¹²Those beside the road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and takes the message [of God] away from their hearts, so that they will not believe [in Me as the Messiah] and be saved.

¹³Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith].

¹⁴The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but as they go on their way they are suffocated with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.

¹⁵But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.

¹⁶"Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open.

¹⁸So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."

¹⁹Then Jesus' mother and His brothers came up toward Him, but they could not reach Him because of the crowd.

²⁰And He was told, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, asking to see You."

²¹But He answered, "My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!"

²²Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake (Sea of Galilee)." So they set out.

²³But as they were sailing, He fell asleep. And a fierce gale of wind swept down [as if through a wind tunnel] on the lake, and they began to be swamped, and were in great danger.

²⁴They came to Jesus and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are about to die!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging, violent waves, and they ceased, and it became calm [a perfect peacefulness].

²⁵And He said to them, "Where is your faith [your confidence in Me]?" They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?"

²⁶Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is east of Galilee.

²⁷Now when Jesus stepped out on land, He was met by a man from the city [of Gerasa] who was possessed with demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and was not living in a house, but among the tombs.

²⁸Seeing Jesus, he cried out [with a terrible voice from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in dread and terror], and shouted loudly, " What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me [before the appointed time of judgment]!"

²⁹Now He was [already] commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him [violently] many times; and he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

³⁰Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Legion"; because many demons had entered him.

³¹They continually begged Him not to command them to go into the abyss.

³²Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and told it in the city and out in the country.

³⁵And people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind (mentally healthy); and they were frightened.

³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed.

³⁷Then all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed with fear. So Jesus got into the boat and returned [to the west side of the Sea of Galilee].

³⁸But the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Him, pleading to go with Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹"Return home and tell [about] all the great things God has done for you." So the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰Now as Jesus was returning [to Galilee], the people welcomed Him, for they had all been expecting Him.

⁴¹Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus' feet and began begging Him to come to his house;

⁴²for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as Jesus went, the people were crowding against Him [almost crushing Him].

⁴³And a woman who had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years[and had spent all her money on physicians], and could not be healed by anyone,

⁴⁴came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His outer robe, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" While they all were denying it, Peter[and those who were with him] said, "Master, the people are crowding and pushing against You!"

⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, because I was aware that power [to heal] had gone out of Me."

⁴⁷When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling and fell down before Him. She declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

⁴⁸He said to her, "Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being)."

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone from the synagogue official's house came and said [to Jairus], "Your daughter is dead; do not inconvenience the Teacher any further."

⁵⁰But Jesus, hearing this, answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe and trust [in Me and have faith in My ability to do this], and she will be made well."

⁵¹When He came to the house, He allowed no one to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl's father and mother.

⁵²Now they were all weeping loudly and mourning for her; but He said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead, but is sleeping."

⁵³Then they began laughing scornfully at Him and ridiculing Him, knowing [without any doubt] that she was dead.

⁵⁴But Jesus took hold of her hand and spoke, saying, "Child, arise!"

⁵⁵And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that she be given something to eat.

⁵⁶Her parents were greatly astonished [by the miracle]; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

¹Now all the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] were coming near Jesus to listen to Him.

²Both the Pharisees and the scribes began muttering and complaining, saying, "This man accepts and welcomes sinners and eats with them."

³So He told them this parable:

⁴"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, [searching] until he finds it?

⁵And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

⁶And when he gets home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!'

⁷I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

⁸"Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins [each one equal to a day's wages] and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

⁹And when she has found it, she calls together her [women] friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, because I found the lost coin!'

¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents [that is, changes his inner self—his old way of thinking, regrets past sins, lives his life in a way that proves repentance; and seeks God's purpose for his life]."

¹¹Then He said, "A certain man had two sons.

¹²The younger of them [inappropriately] said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.' So he divided the estate between them.

¹³A few days later, the younger son gathered together everything [that he had] and traveled to a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and immoral living.

¹⁴Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to do without and be in need.

¹⁵So he went and forced himself on one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

¹⁶He would have gladly eaten the [carob] pods that the pigs were eating [but they could not satisfy his hunger], and no one was giving anything to him.

¹⁷But when he [finally] came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough food, while I am dying here of hunger!

¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] treat me like one of your hired men."'

²⁰So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

²¹And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly bring out the best robe [for the guest of honor] and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet.

²³And bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let us [invite everyone and] feast and celebrate;

²⁴for this son of mine was [as good as] dead and is alive again; he was lost and has been found.' So they began to celebrate.

²⁵"Now his older son was in the field; and when he returned and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶So he summoned one of the servants and began asking what this [celebration] meant.

²⁷And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.'

²⁸But the elder brother became angry and deeply resentful and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

²⁹But he said to his father, 'Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never neglected or disobeyed your command. Yet you have never given me [so much as] a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

³⁰but when this [other] son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you slaughtered that fattened calf for him!'

³¹The father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

³²But it was fitting to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was [as good as] dead and has begun to live. He was lost and has been found.'"