Bible in 90 Days

Jesus Before the Leaders

⁵⁷ Those men who arrested Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. The teachers of the law and the Jewish elders were gathered there. ⁵⁸ Peter followed Jesus but did not go near him. He followed Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest’s house. He sat down with the guards to see what would happen to Jesus.

⁵⁹ The leading priests and the Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so that they could kill him. ⁶⁰ Many people came and told lies about him. But the council could find no real reason to kill Jesus. Then two people came and said, ⁶¹ “This man said, ‘I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.’”

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus said nothing.

Again the high priest said to Jesus, “You must swear to this. I command you by the power of the living God to tell us the truth. Tell us, are you the Christ, the Son of God?”

⁶⁴ Jesus answered, “Yes, I am. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One. And you will see him coming in clouds in the sky.”

⁶⁵ When the high priest heard this, he was very angry. He tore his clothes and said, “This man has said things that are against God! We don’t need any more witnesses. You all heard him say these things against God. ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

The people answered, “He is guilty, and he must die.”

⁶⁷ Then the people there spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. Others slapped Jesus. ⁶⁸ They said, “Prove to us that you are a prophet, you Christ! Tell us who hit you!”

Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus

⁶⁹ At that time, Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A servant girl came to him and said, “You were with Jesus, that man from Galilee.”

⁷⁰ But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said this to all the people there. Peter said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

⁷¹ Then he left the courtyard. At the gate, another girl saw him. She said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² Again, Peter said that he was never with Jesus. Peter said, “I swear that I don’t know this man Jesus!”

⁷³ A short time later, some people standing there went to Peter. They said, “We know you are one of those men who followed Jesus. We know this because of the way you talk.”

⁷⁴ Then Peter began to curse. He said, “May a curse fall on me if I’m not telling the truth. I don’t know the man.” After Peter said this, a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then he remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried painfully.

Jesus Is Taken to Pilate

27 Early the next morning, all the leading priests and elders of the people decided to kill Jesus. ² They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.

Judas Kills Himself

³ Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Judas was the one who gave Jesus to his enemies. When Judas saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the priests and the leaders. ⁴ Judas said, “I sinned. I gave you an innocent man to be killed.”

The leaders answered, “What is that to us? That’s your problem, not ours.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged himself.

⁶ The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple. They said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money. This money has paid for a man’s death.” ⁷ So they decided to use the coins to buy a field called Potter’s Field. This field would be a place to bury strangers who died while visiting Jerusalem. ⁸ That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. ⁹ So the thing came true that Jeremiah the prophet had said: “They took 30 silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was worth. ¹⁰ They used those 30 silver coins to buy Potter’s Field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[a]

Pilate Questions Jesus

¹¹ Jesus stood before Pilate the governor. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Yes, I am.”

¹² When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing.

¹³ So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear these people accusing you of all these things?”

¹⁴ But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate. Pilate was very surprised at this.

Pilate Tries to Free Jesus

¹⁵ Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one person from prison. This was always a person the people wanted to be set free. ¹⁶ At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas.^{[b] 17} All the people gathered at Pilate’s house. Pilate said, “Which man do you want me to free: Barabbas,^[c] or Jesus who is called the Christ?” ¹⁸ Pilate knew that they gave Jesus to him because they were jealous.

¹⁹ Pilate said these things while he was sitting on the judge’s seat. While he was sitting there, his wife sent a message to him. The message said, “Don’t do anything to that man. He is not guilty. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”

²⁰ But the leading priests and elders told the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.

²¹ Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?”

The people answered, “Barabbas!”

²² Pilate asked, “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”

They all answered, “Kill him on a cross!”

²³ Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?”

But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!”

²⁴ Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this, and a riot was starting. So he took some water and washed his hands^[d] in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing it!”

²⁵ All the people answered, “We will be responsible. We accept for ourselves and for our children any punishment for his death.”

²⁶ Then Pilate freed Barabbas. Pilate told some of the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.

²⁷ Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. ²⁸ They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. ²⁹ Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ They spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. ³¹ After they finished making fun of Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross.

Jesus Is Killed on a Cross

³² The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They forced another man to carry the cross to be used for Jesus. This man was Simon, from Cyrene. ³³ They all came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the Place of the Skull.) ³⁴ At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall.^[e] He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. ³⁵ The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. They threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.^{[f] 36} The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. ³⁷ They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him written on it. The sign read: “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ³⁸ Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left. ³⁹ People walked by and insulted Jesus. They shook their heads, ⁴⁰ saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!”

⁴¹ The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also there. These men made fun of Jesus ⁴² and said, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the King of Israel! If he is the King, then let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ And in the same way, the robbers who were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.

Jesus Dies

⁴⁵ At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness lasted for three hours. ⁴⁶ About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”

⁴⁷ Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with vinegar and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”

⁵⁰ Again Jesus cried out in a loud voice. Then he died.

⁵¹ Then the curtain in the Temple^[g] split into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way down to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. ⁵² The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death. ⁵³ They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from death. They went into the holy city, and many people saw them.

⁵⁴ The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened. They were very frightened and said, “He really was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. These were women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. ⁵⁶ Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.

Jesus Is Buried

⁵⁷ That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. He was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. ⁵⁸ Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph. ⁵⁹ Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰ He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had cut in a wall of rock. He rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.

The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded

⁶² That day was the day called Preparation Day. The next day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from death.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. His followers might come and steal the body. Then they could tell the people that he has risen from death. That lie would be even worse than the first one.”

⁶⁵ Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” ⁶⁶ So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and then putting soldiers there to guard it.

Jesus Rises from Death

28 The day after the Sabbath day was the first day of the week. At dawn on the first day, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary went to look at the tomb.

² At that time there was a strong earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. The angel went to the tomb and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then he sat on the stone. ³ He was shining as bright as lightning. His clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The soldiers guarding the tomb were very frightened of the angel. They shook with fear and then became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, the one who was killed on the cross. ⁶ But he is not here. He has risen from death as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was. ⁷ And go quickly and tell his followers. Say to them: ‘Jesus has risen from death. He is going into Galilee. He will be there before you. You will see him there.’” Then the angel said, “Now I have told you.”

⁸ The women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also very happy. They ran to tell Jesus’ followers what had happened. ⁹ Suddenly, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings.” The women came up to Jesus, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go on to Galilee. They will see me there.”

The Soldiers Report to the Jewish Leaders

¹¹ The women went to tell Jesus’ followers. At the same time, some of the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They went to tell the leading priests everything that had happened. ¹² Then the priests met with the Jewish elders and made a plan. They paid the soldiers a large amount of money. ¹³ They said to the soldiers, “Tell the people that Jesus’ followers came during the night and stole the body while you were asleep. ¹⁴ If the governor hears about this, we will satisfy him and save you from trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers kept the money and obeyed the priests. And that story is still spread among the Jews even today.

Jesus Talks to His Followers

¹⁶ The 11 followers went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. ¹⁷ On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him. But some of them did not believe that it was really Jesus. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. ¹⁹ So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.”

John Prepares for Jesus

1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God,^{[h] 2} as the prophet Isaiah wrote:

⁴ John was baptizing people in the desert. He preached a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to John. They told about the sins they had done. Then they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ This is what John preached to the people: “There is one coming later who is greater than I. I am not good enough even to kneel down and untie his sandals. ⁸ I baptize you with water. But the one who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus Is Baptized

⁹ At that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ When Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven open. The Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove. ¹¹ A voice came from heaven and said: “You are my Son and I love you. I am very pleased with you.”

¹² Then the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert alone. ¹³ He was in the desert 40 days and was there with the wild animals. While he was in the desert, he was tempted by Satan. Then angels came and took care of Jesus.

Jesus Chooses Some Followers

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee and preached the Good News from God. ¹⁵ Jesus said, “The right time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Change your hearts and lives and believe the Good News!”

¹⁶ When Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw Simon^[i] and Simon’s brother, Andrew. They were fishermen and were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come and follow me. I will make you fishermen for men.” ¹⁸ So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat, preparing their nets to catch fish. ²⁰ Their father Zebedee and the men who worked for him were in the boat with the brothers. When Jesus saw the brothers, he called them to come with him. They left their father and followed Jesus.

Jesus Removes an Evil Spirit

²¹ Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. On the Sabbath day Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people there were amazed at his teaching. He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like a person who had authority. ²³ While he was in the synagogue, a man was there who had an evil spirit in him. The man shouted, ²⁴ “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”

²⁵ Jesus said strongly, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” ²⁶ The evil spirit made the man shake violently. Then the spirit gave a loud cry and came out of him.

²⁷ The people were amazed. They asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new. And he teaches with authority. He even gives commands to evil spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸ And the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many People

²⁹ Jesus and his followers left the synagogue. They all went at once with James and John to the home of Simon^[j] and Andrew. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. The people there told Jesus about her. ³¹ So Jesus went to her bed, took her hand, and helped her up. Immediately the fever left her, and she was healed. Then she began serving them.

³² That night, after the sun went down, the people brought to Jesus all who were sick. They also brought those who had demons in them. ³³ The whole town gathered at the door of the house. ³⁴ Jesus healed many who had different kinds of sicknesses. He also forced many demons to leave people. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.

³⁵ Early the next morning, Jesus woke and left the house while it was still dark. He went to a place to be alone and pray. ³⁶ Later, Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. ³⁷ They found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!”

³⁸ Jesus answered, “We should go somewhere else, to other towns around here. Then I can preach there too. That is the reason I came.” ³⁹ So he traveled everywhere in Galilee. He preached in the synagogues and forced demons to leave people.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man

⁴⁰ A man who had a harmful skin disease came to Jesus. The man fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “I know that you can heal me if you will.”

⁴¹ Jesus felt sorry for the man. So he touched him and said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” ⁴² At once the disease left the man, and he was healed.

⁴³ Jesus told the man to go at once. But Jesus warned him strongly, ⁴⁴ “Don’t tell anyone about what I did for you. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer a gift to God because you have been healed. Offer the gift that Moses commanded.^[k] This will show the people that you are healed.” ⁴⁵ The man left there, but he told everyone he saw that Jesus had healed him. So the news about Jesus spread. That is the reason Jesus could not enter a town if people saw him. He stayed in places where nobody lived. But people came from all the towns to wherever he was.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

2 A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that he was home. ² So many people gathered to hear him preach that the house was full. There was no place to stand, not even outside the door. Jesus was teaching them. ³ Some people came, bringing a paralyzed man to Jesus. Four of them were carrying the paralyzed man. ⁴ But they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd. So they went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in the roof. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. ⁵ Jesus saw that these men had great faith. So he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this man say things like that? He is saying things that are against God. Only God can forgive sins.”

⁸ At once Jesus knew what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.” ¹² Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He took his mat and walked out while everyone was watching him.

The people were amazed and praised God. They said, “We have never seen anything like this!”

¹³ Jesus went to the lake again. A crowd followed him there, and he taught them. ¹⁴ While he was walking beside the lake, he saw a tax collector named Levi son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi stood up and followed Jesus.

¹⁵ Later that day, Jesus ate at Levi’s house. There were many tax collectors and “sinners” eating there with Jesus and his followers. Many people like this followed Jesus. ¹⁶ The teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with the tax collectors and “sinners.” They asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ Jesus heard this and said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. It is the sick who need a doctor. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

Jesus’ Followers Are Criticized

¹⁸ One day the followers of John^[l] and the Pharisees were giving up eating.^[m] Some people came to Jesus and said, “John’s followers and the followers of the Pharisees give up eating. But your followers don’t. Why?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “When there is a wedding, the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They do not give up eating while the bridegroom is still there. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then the friends will be sad and will give up eating.

²¹ “When a person sews a patch over a hole on an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. ²² Also, no one ever pours new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If he does, the new wine will break the bags, and the wine will be ruined along with the bags for the wine. People always put new wine into new leather bags.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

²³ On the Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His followers were with him and picked some grain to eat. ²⁴ The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry and needed food. ²⁶ It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God’s house and ate the bread that was made holy for God. The law of Moses says that only priests may eat that bread. But David also gave some of the bread to those who were with him.”

²⁷ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people. They were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day. ²⁸ The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals a Man’s Crippled Hand

3 Another time when Jesus went into a synagogue, a man with a crippled hand was there. ² Some people there wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so they could accuse him. They watched him closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day.

³ Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked the people, “Which is right on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” But they said nothing to answer him.

⁵ Jesus was angry as he looked at the people. But he felt very sad because they were stubborn. Then he said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out for Jesus, and it was healed. ⁶ Then the Pharisees left and began making plans with the Herodians^[n] about a way to kill Jesus.

Many People Follow Jesus

⁷ Jesus left with his followers for the lake. A large crowd from Galilee followed him. ⁸ Also many people came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the lands across the Jordan River, and from the area of Tyre and Sidon. They came because they had heard about all the things Jesus was doing. ⁹ Jesus saw the crowds. So he told his followers to get a boat ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the many people would not crowd themselves against him. ¹⁰ He had healed many people. So all the sick were pushing toward him to touch him. ¹¹ Some had evil spirits in them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But Jesus strongly commanded the spirits not to tell who he was.

Jesus Chooses His 12 Apostles

¹³ Then Jesus went up on a hill and called some men to come to him. These were the men Jesus wanted, and they went up to him. ¹⁴ Jesus chose 12 men and called them apostles.^[o] He wanted these 12 to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to preach. ¹⁵ He also wanted them to have the power to force demons out of people. ¹⁶ These are the 12 men he chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter); ¹⁷ James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”); ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot. Judas is the one who gave Jesus to his enemies.

People Say Jesus Has a Devil

²⁰ Then Jesus went back home. But again a crowd gathered. There were so many people that Jesus and his followers could not eat. ²¹ His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people were saying that Jesus was out of his mind.

²² And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem were saying, “Beelzebul is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out.”

²³ So Jesus called the people together and used stories to teach them. He said, “Satan will not force his own demons out of people. ²⁴ A kingdom that fights against itself cannot continue. ²⁵ And a family that is divided cannot continue. ²⁶ And if Satan is against himself and fights against his own people, then he cannot continue. And that is the end of Satan. ²⁷ If a person wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things, first he must tie up the strong man. Then the thief can steal the things from the strong man’s house. ²⁸ I tell you the truth. All sins that people do can be forgiven. And all the bad things people say against God can be forgiven. ²⁹ But any person who says bad things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of a sin that continues forever.”

³⁰ Jesus said this because the teachers of the law said that Jesus had an evil spirit inside him.

Jesus’ True Family

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone in to tell him to come out. ³² Many people were sitting around Jesus. They said to him, “Your mother and brothers^[p] are waiting for you outside.”

³³ Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ³⁴ Then Jesus looked at those sitting around him. He said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ My true brother and sister and mother are those who do the things God wants.”

A Story About Planting Seed

4 Another time Jesus began teaching by the lake. A great crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat and went out on the lake. All the people stayed on the shore close to the water. ² Jesus used many stories to teach them. He said, ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to plant his seed. ⁴ While the farmer was planting, some seed fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. ⁵ Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much dirt. The seed grew very fast there because the ground was not deep. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the plants withered. The plants died because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not make grain. ⁸ Some other seed fell on good ground. In the good ground, the seed began to grow. It grew and made a crop of grain. Some plants made 30 times more grain, some 60 times more grain, and some 100 times more grain.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Let those with ears use them and listen!”

Jesus Tells Why He Used Stories

¹⁰ Later, when Jesus was alone, the 12 apostles and others around him asked him about the stories.

¹¹ Jesus said, “Only you can know the secret truth about the kingdom of God. But to other people I tell everything by using stories. ¹² I do this so that:

Jesus Explains the Seed Story

¹³ Then Jesus said to the followers, “Do you understand this story? If you don’t, then how will you understand any story? ¹⁴ The farmer is like a person who plants God’s teaching in people. ¹⁵ Sometimes the teaching falls on the road. This is like some people. They hear the teaching of God. But Satan quickly comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them. ¹⁶ Others are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching and quickly accept it with joy. ¹⁷ But they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching, they quickly give up. ¹⁸ Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching. ¹⁹ But then other things come into their lives: worries, the love of money, and wanting all kinds of other things. These things stop the teaching from growing. So that teaching does not produce fruit^[q] in their lives. ²⁰ Others are like the seed planted in the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce fruit—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.”

Use What You Have

²¹ Then Jesus said to them, “Do you hide a lamp under a bowl or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand. ²² Everything that is hidden will be made clear. Every secret thing will be made known. ²³ Let those with ears use them and listen!

²⁴ “Think carefully about the things you hear. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. But God will give you more than you give. ²⁵ The person who has something will be given more. But the person who does not have much, even what he has will be taken from him.”

Jesus Uses a Story About Seed

²⁶ Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who plants seed in the ground. ²⁷ The seed comes up and grows night and day. It doesn’t matter whether the man is asleep or awake; the seed still grows. The man does not know how it grows. ²⁸ Without any help, the earth produces grain. First the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head. ²⁹ When the grain is ready, the man cuts it. This is the harvest time.”

A Story About Mustard Seed

³⁰ Then Jesus said, “How can I show you what the kingdom of God is like? What story can I use to explain it? ³¹ The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. ³² But when you plant this seed, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants. It produces large branches. Even the wild birds can make nests in it and be protected from the sun.”

³³ Jesus used many stories like these to teach them. He taught them all that they could understand. ³⁴ He always used stories to teach them. But when he and his followers were alone together, Jesus explained everything to them.

Jesus Stops a Storm

³⁵ That evening, Jesus said to his followers, “Come with me across the lake.” ³⁶ He and the followers left the people there. They went in the boat that Jesus was already sitting in. There were also other boats with them. ³⁷ A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves began coming over the sides and into the boat. It was almost full of water. ³⁸ Jesus was at the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Teacher, do you care about us? We will drown!”

³⁹ Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and the waves to stop. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.

⁴⁰ Jesus said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ The followers were very afraid and asked each other, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

A Man with Demons Inside Him

5 Jesus and his followers went across the lake to the region of the Gerasene^[r] people. ² When Jesus got out of the boat, a man came to him from the caves where dead people were buried. This man, who lived in the caves, had an evil spirit living in him. ³ No one could tie him up, not even with a chain. ⁴ Many times people had used chains to tie the man’s hands and feet. But he always broke the chains off. No one was strong enough to control him. ⁵ Day and night he would wander around the burial caves and on the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ While Jesus was still far away, the man saw him. He ran to Jesus and knelt down before him. ^7-8 Jesus said to the man, “You evil spirit, come out of that man.”

But the man shouted in a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, promise God that you will not punish me!”

⁹ Then Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?”

The man answered, “My name is Legion,^[s] because I have many spirits in me.” ¹⁰ The man begged Jesus again and again not to send the spirits out of that area.

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was eating on a hill near there. ¹² The evil spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs. Let us go into them.” ¹³ So Jesus allowed them to do this. The evil spirits left the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd of pigs rushed down the hill into the lake and were drowned. There were about 2,000 pigs in that herd.

¹⁴ The men who took care of the pigs ran away. They went to the town and to the countryside, telling everyone about this. So people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and saw the man who had had the many evil spirits. The man was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind. The people were frightened. ¹⁶ Some people were there who saw what Jesus had done. They told the others what had happened to the man who had the demons living in him. And they also told about the pigs. ¹⁷ Then the people began to beg Jesus to leave their area.

¹⁸ Jesus was getting ready to leave in the boat. The man who was freed from the demons begged to go with him.

¹⁹ But Jesus would not allow the man to go. Jesus said, “Go home to your family and friends. Tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man left and told the people in the Ten Towns^[t] about the great things Jesus had done for him. All the people were amazed.

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals A Sick Woman

²¹ Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake. There, a large crowd gathered around him. ²² A ruler from the synagogue, named Jairus, came to that place. Jairus saw Jesus and bowed before him. ²³ The ruler begged Jesus again and again. He said, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her. Then she will be healed and will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with the ruler, and many people followed Jesus. They were pushing very close around him.

²⁵ A woman was there who had been bleeding for the past 12 years. ²⁶ She had suffered very much. Many doctors had tried to help her. She had spent all the money she had, but she was not improving. She was getting worse. ²⁷ When the woman heard about Jesus, she followed him with the people and touched his coat. ²⁸ The woman thought, “If I can even touch his coat, that will be enough to heal me.” ²⁹ When she touched his coat, her bleeding stopped. She could feel in her body that she was healed.

³⁰ At once Jesus felt power go out from him. So he stopped and turned around. Then he asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ The followers said, “There are so many people pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him. ³³ The woman knew that she was healed. So she came and bowed at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole story. ³⁴ Jesus said to the woman, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace. You will have no more suffering.”

³⁵ Jesus was still speaking to her when some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. The men said, “Your daughter is dead. There is now no need to bother the teacher.”

³⁶ But Jesus paid no attention to what the men said. He said to the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; only believe.”

³⁷ Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James go with him to Jairus’s house. ³⁸ They came to the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus found many people there crying loudly. There was much confusion. ³⁹ Jesus entered the house and said to the people, “Why are you crying and making so much noise? This child is not dead. She is only asleep.” ⁴⁰ But they only laughed at Jesus. He told all the people to leave. Then he went into the room where the child was. He took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room with him. ⁴¹ Then he took hold of the girl’s hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means, “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”) ⁴² The girl stood right up and began walking. (She was 12 years old.) The father and mother and the followers were amazed. ⁴³ Jesus gave the father and mother strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl some food.

Jesus Goes to His Hometown

6 Jesus left there and went back to his hometown. His followers went with him. ² On the Sabbath day he taught in the synagogue. Many people heard him and were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get these teachings? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And where did he get the power to work miracles? ³ He is only the carpenter. His mother is Mary. He is the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters are here with us.” The people did not accept Jesus.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “Other people give honor to a prophet. But in his own town with his own people and in his own home, a prophet does not receive honor.” ⁵ Jesus was not able to work many miracles there. The only miracles he did were to heal some sick people by putting his hands on them. ⁶ Jesus was amazed that they had no faith.

Then Jesus went to other villages in that area and taught. ⁷ He called the 12 followers together and sent them out in groups of 2. He gave them authority over evil spirits. ⁸ This is what Jesus told them: “Take nothing for your trip except a walking stick. Take no bread, no bag, and no money in your pockets. ⁹ Wear sandals, and take only the clothes you are wearing. ¹⁰ When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. ¹¹ If any town refuses to accept you or its people refuse to listen to you, then leave that town. Shake its dust off your feet.^[u] This will be a warning to them.”^[v]

¹² The followers went out and preached to the people to change their hearts and lives. ¹³ The followers forced many demons out and poured olive oil on many sick people and healed them.

How John the Baptist Was Killed

¹⁴ King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus was now well known. Some people said,^[w] “He is John the Baptist. He is risen from death. That is the reason he can work these miracles.”

¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah.”^[x]

Other people said, “Jesus is a prophet. He is like the prophets who lived long ago.”

¹⁶ Herod heard all these things about Jesus. He said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has been raised from death!”

¹⁷ Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John, and John was put in prison. Herod did this to please his wife, Herodias. Herodias was the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. But then Herod married her. ¹⁸ John told Herod that it was not lawful for him to be married to his brother’s wife. ¹⁹ So Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him. But she could not because of Herod. ²⁰ Herod was afraid to kill John because he knew John was a good and holy man. So Herod protected John. Also, Herod enjoyed listening to John preach. But John’s preaching always bothered him.

²¹ Then the perfect time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. It happened on Herod’s birthday. Herod gave a dinner party for the most important government leaders, the commanders of his army, and the most important people in Galilee. ²² The daughter of Herodias^[y] came to the party and danced. When she danced, Herod and the people eating with him were very pleased.

So King Herod said to the girl, “I will give you anything you want.” ²³ He promised her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you. I will even give you half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ The girl went to her mother and asked, “What should I ask the king to give me?”

Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵ Quickly the girl went back to the king. She said to him, “Please give me the head of John the Baptist. Bring it to me now on a platter.”

²⁶ The king was very sad. But he had promised to give the girl anything she wanted. And the people eating there with him had heard his promise. So Herod could not refuse what she asked. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent a soldier to bring John’s head. The soldier went and cut off John’s head in the prison ²⁸ and brought it back on a platter. He gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ John’s followers heard about what happened. So they came and got John’s body and put it in a tomb.

More Than 5,000 People Fed

³⁰ The apostles that Jesus had sent out to preach returned. They gathered around him and told him about all the things they had done and taught. ³¹ Crowds of people were coming and going. Jesus and his followers did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come with me. We will go to a quiet place to be alone. There we will get some rest.”

³² So they went in a boat alone to a place where there were no people. ³³ But many people saw them leave and recognized them. So people from all the towns ran to the place where Jesus was going. They got there before Jesus arrived. ³⁴ When he landed, he saw a great crowd waiting. Jesus felt sorry for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.

³⁵ It was now late in the day. Jesus’ followers came to him and said, “No one lives in this place. And it is already very late. ³⁶ Send the people away. They need to go to the farms and towns around here to buy some food to eat.”

³⁷ But Jesus answered, “You give them food to eat.”

They said to him, “We can’t buy enough bread to feed all these people! We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!”

³⁸ Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have now? Go and see.”

When they found out, they came to him and said, “We have five loaves and two fish.”

³⁹ Then Jesus said to the followers, “Tell all the people to sit in groups on the green grass.” ⁴⁰ So all the people sat in groups. They sat in groups of 50 or groups of 100. ⁴¹ Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to heaven and thanked God for the bread. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² All the people ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ The followers filled 12 baskets with the pieces of bread and fish that were not eaten. ⁴⁴ There were about 5,000 men there who ate.

Jesus Walks on the Water

⁴⁵ Then Jesus told his followers to get into the boat and go to Bethsaida on the other side of the lake. Jesus said that he would come later. He stayed there to tell the people they could go home. ⁴⁶ After sending them away, he went into the hills to pray.

⁴⁷ That night, the boat was in the middle of the lake. Jesus was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ He saw the followers working hard to row the boat because the wind was blowing against them. At some time between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He continued walking until he was almost past the boat. ⁴⁹ But when his followers saw him walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost and cried out. ⁵⁰ They all saw him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke to them and said, “Have courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he got into the boat with them. And the wind became calm. The followers were greatly amazed. ⁵² They had seen Jesus make more bread from the five loaves. But they did not understand what it meant. Their minds were closed.

⁵³ When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret. They tied the boat there. ⁵⁴ When they got out of the boat, the people saw Jesus and immediately recognized him. ⁵⁵ They ran to tell others everywhere in that area that Jesus was there. They brought sick people on mats to every place Jesus went. ⁵⁶ Jesus went into towns and cities and farms around that area. And everywhere he went, the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them just touch the edge of his coat. And all who touched him were healed.

Obey God’s Law Not Men’s

7 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. ² They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean. (“Not clean” means that they did not wash their hands in the way the Pharisees said people must. ³ The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in this special way. They do this to follow the teaching given to them by their great people who lived before them. ⁴ And when the Jews buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash it in a special way. They also follow other rules of their great people who lived before them. They follow rules about the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.^[z])

⁵ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Your followers don’t follow the rules given to us by our great people who lived before us. Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean. Why do they do this?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke about you. Isaiah wrote,

⁸ You have stopped following the commands of God. Now you only follow the teachings of men.”^[aa]

⁹ Then Jesus said to them: “You think you are clever! You ignore the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings! ¹⁰ Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’^[ab] Then Moses also said, ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’^{[ac] 11} But you teach that a person can say to his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ ¹² You are telling that person that he does not have to do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think that it is more important to follow your own rules, which you teach people. And you do many things like that.”

¹⁴ Jesus called the people to him again. He said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying. ¹⁵ There is nothing a person puts into his body that makes him unclean. A person is made unclean by the things that come out of him. ¹⁶ [Let those with ears use them and listen!]”^[ad]

¹⁷ When Jesus left the people and went inside, his followers asked him about this story. ¹⁸ Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean. ¹⁹ Food does not go into a person’s mind. Food goes into his stomach. Then that food goes out of his body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that there is no food that is unclean for people to eat.)

²⁰ And Jesus said, “The things that come out of a man are the things that make him unclean. ²¹ All these evil things begin inside a person, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, ²² selfishness, doing bad things to other people, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, saying bad things about people, pride, and foolish living. ²³ All these evil things come from within a person. These things make a person unclean.”

Jesus Helps a Non-Jewish Woman

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre.^[ae] He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. But Jesus could not stay hidden. ²⁵ A woman heard that he was there. Her little daughter had an evil spirit in her. So the woman quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. ²⁶ She was not Jewish. She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ Jesus told the woman: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.”

²⁸ She answered, “That is true, Lord. But the dogs under the table can eat the pieces of food that the children don’t eat.”

²⁹ Then Jesus said, “That is a very good answer. You may go. The demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰ The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed. The demon was gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

³¹ Then Jesus left the area around Tyre. He went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns.^{[af] 32} While he was there, some people brought a man to him. This man was deaf and could not talk. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him.

³³ Jesus led the man away from the crowd, to be alone with him. Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ Jesus looked up to heaven and took a deep breath. He said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means, “Be opened.”) ³⁵ When Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. He was also able to use his tongue, and he spoke clearly.

³⁶ Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he commanded them, the more they told about it. ³⁷ They were really amazed. They said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk—Jesus makes them able to speak.”

More Than 4,000 People Fed

8 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus. They had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers to him. He said, ² “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. ³ I cannot send them home hungry. If they leave without eating, they will faint on the way home. Some of them live a long way from here.”

⁴ Jesus’ followers answered, “But we are far away from any towns. Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people?”

⁵ Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

They answered, “We have seven loaves.”

⁶ Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Jesus divided the bread and gave the pieces to his followers. He told them to pass out the bread to the people, and they did so. ⁷ The followers also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and told his followers to give the fish to the people. ⁸ All the people ate and were satisfied. Then the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. ⁹ There were about 4,000 men who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus told them to go home. ¹⁰ Then he went in a boat with his followers to the area of Dalmanutha.

The Leaders Ask for a Miracle

¹¹ The Pharisees came to Jesus and asked him questions. They wanted to trap him. So they asked Jesus to do a miracle to show that he was from God. ¹² Jesus sighed deeply. He said, “Why do you people ask for a miracle as proof? I tell you the truth. No miracle will be given to you.” ¹³ Then Jesus left the Pharisees. He went in the boat to the other side of the lake.

Guard Against Wrong Teachings

¹⁴ The followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. They had forgotten to bring more bread. ¹⁵ Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

¹⁶ Among themselves, his disciples discussed the meaning of this. They said, “He said this because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Jesus knew what his followers were talking about. So he asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? You still don’t see or understand? Are your minds closed? ¹⁸ You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen. Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread? ¹⁹ I divided five loaves of bread for 5,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?”

They answered, “We filled 12 baskets.”

²⁰ “And remember that I divided seven loaves of bread for 4,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?”

They answered, “We filled 7 baskets.”

²¹ Then Jesus said to them, “You remember these things I did, but you still don’t understand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man

²² Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. ²³ So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes. He put his hands on the blind man and asked, “Can you see now?”

²⁴ The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide. His eyes were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.”^[ag]

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ

²⁷ Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah.^[ah] And others say that you are one of the prophets.”

²⁹ Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”

³⁰ Jesus ordered his followers, “Don’t tell anyone who I am.”

³¹ Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He taught that the Son of Man would not be accepted by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He taught that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from death after three days. ³² Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticize him. ³³ But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he criticized Peter and said, “Go away from me, Satan!^[ai] You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things men think are important.”

³⁴ Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing to die on a cross, and he must follow me. ³⁵ Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. But whoever gives up his life for me and for the Good News will have true life forever. ³⁶ It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he loses his soul. ³⁷ A person could never pay enough to buy back his soul. ³⁸ The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching, then I will be ashamed of him. I will be ashamed of him when I come with the glory of my Father and the holy angels.”

9 Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you the truth. Some of you standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before you die.”

Jesus with Moses and Elijah

² Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John and went up on a high mountain. They were all alone there. While these followers watched, Jesus was changed. ³ His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them. ⁴ Then two men appeared, talking with Jesus. The men were Moses and Elijah.^[aj]

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. We will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ Peter did not know what to say, because he and the others were so frightened.

⁷ Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Obey him!”

⁸ Then Peter, James, and John looked around, but they saw only Jesus there alone with them.

⁹ As Jesus and his followers were walking back down the mountain, he commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the things you saw on the mountain. Wait till the Son of Man rises from death. Then you may tell.”

¹⁰ So the followers obeyed Jesus and said nothing about what they had seen. But they discussed what Jesus meant about rising from death.

¹¹ They asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

¹² Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah must come first. Elijah makes all things the way they should be. But why does the Scripture say that the Son of Man will suffer much and that people will treat him as if he were nothing? ¹³ I tell you that Elijah has already come. And people did to him whatever they wanted to do. The Scriptures said this would happen to him.”