John Prepares the Way^(A)

1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

² The prophet Isaiah wrote,

⁴ John the Baptizer was in the desert telling people about a baptism of repentance ^[a] for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went to him. As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁶ John was dressed in clothes made from camel’s hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷ He announced, “The one who comes after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. ⁸ I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(B)

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ As Jesus came out of the water, he saw heaven split open and the Spirit coming down to him as a dove. ¹¹ A voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(C)

¹² At once the Spirit brought him into the desert, ¹³ where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. He was there with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.

Calling of the First Disciples^(D)

¹⁴ After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and told people the Good News of God. ¹⁵ He said, “The time has come, and God’s kingdom is near. Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News.”

¹⁶ As he was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.” ¹⁸ They immediately left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ As Jesus went on a little farther, he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat preparing their nets ⌞to go fishing⌟. ²⁰ He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee and the hired men in the boat and followed Jesus.

Jesus Forces an Evil Spirit out of a Man^(E)

²¹ Then they went to Capernaum. On the next day of rest—a holy day, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people were amazed at his teachings. Unlike their experts in Moses’ Teachings, he taught them with authority.

²³ At that time there was a man in the synagogue who was controlled by an evil spirit. He shouted, ²⁴ “What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ Jesus ordered the spirit, “Keep quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ The evil spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out of him with a loud shriek.

²⁷ Everyone was stunned. They said to each other, “What is this? This is a new teaching that has authority behind it! He gives orders to evil spirits, and they obey him.”

²⁸ The news about him spread quickly throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Jesus Cures Simon’s Mother-in-Law and Many Others^(F)

²⁹ After they left the synagogue, they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew. James and John went with them. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. The first thing they did was to tell Jesus about her. ³¹ Jesus went to her, took her hand, and helped her get up. The fever went away, and she prepared a meal for them.

³² In the evening, when the sun had set, people brought to him everyone who was sick and those possessed by demons. ³³ The whole city had gathered at his door. ³⁴ He cured many who were sick with various diseases and forced many demons out of people. However, he would not allow the demons to speak. After all, they knew who he was.

Spreading the Good News in Galilee^(G)

³⁵ In the morning, long before sunrise, Jesus went to a place where he could be alone to pray. ³⁶ Simon and his friends searched for him. ³⁷ When they found him, they told him, “Everyone is looking for you.”

³⁸ Jesus said to them, “Let’s go somewhere else, to the small towns that are nearby. I have to spread ⌞the Good News⌟ in them also. This is why I have come.”

³⁹ So he went to spread ⌞the Good News⌟ in the synagogues all over Galilee, and he forced demons out of people.

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease^(H)

⁴⁰ Then a man with a serious skin disease came to him. The man fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “If you’re willing, you can make me clean.” ^[b]

⁴¹ Jesus felt sorry for him, reached out, touched him, and said, “I’m willing. So be clean!”

⁴² Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean.

⁴³ Jesus sent him away at once and warned him, ⁴⁴ “Don’t tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifices which Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.”

⁴⁵ When the man left, he began to talk freely. He spread his story so widely that Jesus could no longer enter any city openly. Instead, he stayed in places where he could be alone. But people still kept coming to him from everywhere.

Jesus Forgives Sins^(I)

2 Several days later Jesus came back to Capernaum. The report went out that he was home. ² Many people had gathered. There was no room left, even in front of the door. Jesus was speaking ⌞God’s⌟ word to them.

³ Four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man. ⁴ Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Some experts in Moses’ Teachings were sitting there. They thought, ⁷ “Why does he talk this way? He’s dishonoring God. Who besides God can forgive sins?”

⁸ At once, Jesus knew inwardly what they were thinking. He asked them, “Why do you have these thoughts? ⁹ Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your cot, and walk’? ¹⁰ I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I’m telling you to get up, pick up your cot, and go home!”

¹² The man got up, immediately picked up his cot, and walked away while everyone watched. Everyone was amazed and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Jesus Chooses Levi [Matthew] to Be a Disciple^(J)

¹³ Jesus went to the seashore again. Large crowds came to him, and he taught them.

¹⁴ When Jesus was leaving, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ Later Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners who were followers of Jesus were eating with him and his disciples. ¹⁶ When the experts in Moses’ Teachings who were Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard that, he said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.”

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting^(K)

¹⁸ John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples don’t?”

¹⁹ Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests fast while the groom is still with them? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

²¹ “No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. Otherwise, the new patch will shrink and rip away some of the old cloth, and the tear will become worse. ²² People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.”

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day^(L)

²³ Once on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus was going through the grainfields. As the disciples walked along, they began to pick the heads of grain.

²⁴ The Pharisees asked him, “Look! Why are your disciples doing something that is not permitted on the day of rest—a holy day?”

²⁵ Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and his men were in need and were hungry? ²⁶ Haven’t you ever read how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was chief priest and ate the bread of the presence? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. Haven’t you ever read how he also gave some of it to his men?”

²⁷ Then he added, “The day of rest—a holy day, was made for people, not people for the day of rest. ²⁸ For this reason the Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day^(M)

3 Jesus went into a synagogue again. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there. ² The people were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of rest—a holy day, so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong.

³ So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand in the center ⌞of the synagogue⌟.” ⁴ Then he asked them, “Is it right to do good or to do evil on the day of rest—a holy day, to give a person back his health or to let him die?”

But they were silent. ⁵ Jesus was angry as he looked around at them. He was deeply hurt because their minds were closed. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and his hand became normal again.

⁶ The Pharisees left, and with Herod’s followers they immediately plotted to kill Jesus.

Many People Are Cured^(N)

⁷ Jesus left with his disciples for the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, and from across the Jordan River, and from around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they had heard about everything he was doing. ⁹ Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready so that the crowd would not crush him. ¹⁰ He had cured so many that everyone with a disease rushed up to him in order to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever people with evil spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² He gave them orders not to tell people who he was.

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles^(O)

¹³ Jesus went up a mountain, called those whom he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve whom he called apostles.^[c] They were to accompany him and to be sent out by him to spread ⌞the Good News⌟. ¹⁵ They also had the authority to force demons out of people.

¹⁶ He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter), ¹⁷ James and his brother John (Zebedee’s sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus).

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul^(P)

²⁰ Then Jesus went home. Another crowd gathered so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. ²¹ When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!”

²² The experts in Moses’ Teachings who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”

²³ Jesus called them together and used this illustration: “How can Satan force out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. ²⁵ And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last. ²⁶ So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot last. That will be the end of him.

²⁷ “No one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man’s house and steal his property.

²⁸ “I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse. ²⁹ But whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an everlasting sin.” ³⁰ Jesus said this because the experts in Moses’ Teachings had said that he had an evil spirit.

The True Family of Jesus^(Q)

³¹ Then his mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask him to come out. ³² The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ He replied to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ³⁴ Then looking at those who sat in a circle around him, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. ³⁵ Whoever does what God wants is my brother and sister and mother.”

A Story about a Farmer^(R)

4 Jesus began to teach again by the Sea of Galilee. A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was in the water while the entire crowd lined the shore. ² He used stories as illustrations to teach them many things.

While he was teaching them, he said, ³ “Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. ⁴ Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ When the sun came up, they were scorched. They didn’t have any roots, so they withered. ⁷ Other seeds were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up and choked them, and they didn’t produce anything. ⁸ But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.” ⁹ He added, “Let the person who has ears listen!”

¹⁰ When he was alone with his followers and the twelve apostles, they asked him about the stories.

¹¹ Jesus replied to them, “The mystery about God’s kingdom has been given ⌞directly⌟ to you. To those on the outside, it is given in stories:

¹³ Jesus asked them, “Don’t you understand this story? How, then, will you understand any of the stories I use as illustrations?

¹⁴ “The farmer plants the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. Whenever they hear the word, Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was planted in them. ¹⁶ Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy. ¹⁷ But they don’t develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall ⌞from faith⌟. ¹⁸ Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can’t produce anything. ²⁰ Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.”

A Story about a Lamp

²¹ Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a lamp stand? ²² There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light. ²³ Let the person who has ears listen!”

²⁴ He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you’re listening to! ⌞Knowledge⌟ will be measured out to you by the measure ⌞of attention⌟ you give. This is the way knowledge increases. ²⁵ Those who understand ⌞these mysteries⌟ will be given ⌞more knowledge⌟. However, some people don’t understand ⌞these mysteries⌟. Even what they understand will be taken away from them.”

A Story about Seeds That Grow

²⁶ Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. ²⁷ He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn’t know how. ²⁸ The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come.”

A Story about a Mustard Seed^(S)

³⁰ Jesus asked, “How can we show what God’s kingdom is like? To what can we compare it? ³¹ It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth. ³² However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade.”

³³ Jesus spoke ⌞God’s⌟ word to them using many illustrations like these. In this way people could understand what he taught. ³⁴ He did not speak to them without using an illustration. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Jesus Calms the Sea^(T)

³⁵ That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side.”

³⁶ Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus along in a boat just as he was. Other boats were with him.

³⁷ A violent windstorm came up. The waves were breaking into the boat so that it was quickly filling up. ³⁸ But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat.

So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

³⁹ Then he got up, ordered the wind to stop, and said to the sea, “Be still, absolutely still!” The wind stopped blowing, and the sea became very calm.

⁴⁰ He asked them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?”

⁴¹ They were overcome with fear and asked each other, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

A Discussion about Divorce^(A)

10 Jesus left there and went into the territory of Judea along the other side of the Jordan River. Crowds gathered around him again, and he taught them as he usually did.

² Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Can a husband divorce his wife?”

³ Jesus answered them, “What command did Moses give you?”

⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her.”

⁵ Jesus said to them, “He wrote this command for you because you’re heartless. ⁶ But God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation. ⁷ That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, ⁸ and the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one. ⁹ Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”

¹⁰ When they were in a house, the disciples asked him about this. ¹¹ He answered them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman is committing adultery. ¹² If a wife divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Children^(B)

¹³ Some people brought little children to Jesus to have him hold them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.

¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he became irritated. He told them, “Don’t stop the children from coming to me. Children like these are part of God’s kingdom. ¹⁵ I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn’t receive God’s kingdom as a little child receives it will never enter it.”

¹⁶ Jesus put his arms around the children and blessed them by placing his hands on them.

Eternal Life in the Kingdom^(C)

¹⁷ As Jesus was coming out to the road, a man came running to him and knelt in front of him. He asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Never cheat. Honor your father and mother.”

²⁰ The man replied, “Teacher, I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. He told him, “You’re still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”

²² When the man heard that, he looked unhappy and went away sad, because he owned a lot of property.

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for rich people to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁴ The disciples were stunned by his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter God’s kingdom! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”

²⁶ This amazed his disciples more than ever. They asked each other, “Who, then, can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “It’s impossible for people ⌞to save themselves⌟, but it’s not impossible for God to save them. Everything is possible for God.”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We’ve given up everything to follow you.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “I can guarantee this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the Good News ³⁰ will certainly receive a hundred times as much here in this life. They will certainly receive homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields, along with persecutions. But in the world to come they will receive eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life^(D)

³² Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking ahead of them. His disciples were shocked ⌞that he was going to Jerusalem⌟. The others who followed were afraid. Once again he took the twelve apostles aside. He began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “We’re going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to foreigners. ³⁴ They will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he will come back to life.”

James and John Make a Request^(E)

³⁵ James and John, sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus. They said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do us a favor.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

³⁷ They said to him, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ Jesus said, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive?”

³⁹ “We can,” they told him.

Jesus told them, “You will drink the cup that I’m going to drink. You will be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive. ⁴⁰ But I don’t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for certain people.”

⁴¹ When the other ten apostles heard about it, they were irritated with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called the apostles and said, “You know that the acknowledged rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. ⁴³ But that’s not the way it’s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. ⁴⁵ It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Jesus Gives Sight to Bartimaeus^(F)

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples, and many people were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth ⌞was passing by⌟, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ The people told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!” They called the blind man and told him, “Cheer up! Get up! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ The blind man threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see again.”

⁵² Jesus told him, “Go, your faith has made you well.”

At once he could see again, and he followed Jesus on the road.

Pilate Questions Jesus^(A)

15 Early in the morning the chief priests immediately came to a decision with the leaders and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. The whole Jewish council decided to tie Jesus up, lead him away, and hand him over to Pilate.

² Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Yes, I am,” Jesus answered him.

³ The chief priests were accusing him of many things.

⁴ So Pilate asked him again, “Don’t you have any answer? Look how many accusations they’re bringing against you!”

⁵ But Jesus no longer answered anything, so Pilate was surprised.

The Crowd Rejects Jesus^(B)

⁶ At every Passover festival, Pilate would free one prisoner whom the people asked for. ⁷ There was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was with some rebels who had committed murder during a riot. ⁸ The crowd asked Pilate to do for them what he always did. ⁹ Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews for you?” ¹⁰ Pilate knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.

¹¹ The chief priests stirred up the crowd so that Pilate would free Barabbas for them instead.

¹² So Pilate again asked them, “Then what should I do with the king of the Jews?”

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted back.

¹⁴ Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Pilate wanted to satisfy the people, so he freed Barabbas for them. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus^(C)

¹⁶ The soldiers led Jesus into the courtyard of the palace and called together the whole troop. ¹⁷ They dressed him in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown, and placed it on his head. ¹⁸ Then they began to greet him, “Long live the king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept hitting him on the head with a stick, spitting on him, and kneeling in front of him with false humility.

The Crucifixion^(D)

²⁰ After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. ²¹ A man named Simon from the city of Cyrene was coming ⌞into Jerusalem⌟ from his home in the country. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. As he was about to pass by, the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.

²² They took Jesus to Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ They tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but he wouldn’t take it. ²⁴ Next they crucified him. Then they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice to see what each one would get. ²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ There was a written notice of the accusation against him. It read, “The king of the Jews.”

²⁷ They crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.^[a]

²⁹ Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads and said, “What a joke! You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. ³⁰ Come down from the cross, and save yourself!” ³¹ The chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings made fun of him among themselves in the same way. They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. ³² Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with him were insulting him.

Jesus Dies on the Cross^(E)

³³ At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

³⁵ When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “Listen! He’s calling Elijah.” ³⁶ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. The man said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

³⁷ Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. ³⁸ The curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom.

³⁹ When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, “Certainly, this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of young James and Joseph), and Salome. ⁴¹ They had followed him and supported him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there too.

Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb^(F)

⁴² It was Friday evening, before the day of rest—a holy day, ⁴³ when Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and was an important member of the Jewish council. He, too, was waiting for God’s kingdom. Joseph boldly went to Pilate’s quarters to ask for the body of Jesus.

⁴⁴ Pilate wondered if Jesus had already died. So he summoned the officer to ask him if Jesus was, in fact, dead. ⁴⁵ When the officer had assured him that Jesus was dead, Pilate let Joseph have the corpse.

⁴⁶ Joseph had purchased some linen cloth. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in the cloth. Then he laid the body in a tomb, which had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary from Magdala and Mary (the mother of Joses) watched where Jesus was laid.

Jesus Comes Back to Life^(G)

16 When the day of rest—a holy day, was over, Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome bought spices to go and anoint Jesus.

² On Sunday they were going to the tomb very early when the sun had just come up. ³ They said to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴ When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. It was a very large stone. ⁵ As they went into the tomb, they saw a young man. He was dressed in a white robe and sat on the right side. They were panic-stricken.

⁶ The young man said to them, “Don’t panic! You’re looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been brought back to life. He’s not here. Look at the place where they laid him. ⁷ Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he’s going ahead of them to Galilee. There they will see him, just as he told them.”

⁸ They went out of the tomb and ran away. Shock and trembling had overwhelmed them. They didn’t say a thing to anyone, because they were afraid.^[b]

Jesus Appears to His Followers

⁹ After Jesus came back to life early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary from Magdala, from whom he had forced out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told his friends, who were grieving and crying. ¹¹ They didn’t believe her when they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him.

¹² Later Jesus appeared to two disciples as they were walking to their home in the country. He did not look as he usually did. ¹³ They went back and told the others, who did not believe them either. ¹⁴ Still later Jesus appeared to the eleven apostles while they were eating. He put them to shame for their unbelief and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive.

¹⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

¹⁷ “These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people. They will speak new languages. ¹⁸ They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them.”

¹⁹ After talking with the apostles, the Lord was taken to heaven, where he received the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the throne.

²⁰ The disciples spread ⌞the Good News⌟ everywhere. The Lord worked with them. He confirmed his word by the miraculous signs that accompanied it.