The Daily Audio Bible

The Twelve are appointed

⁷ Jesus went off towards the sea with his disciples, and a large crowd from Galilee followed him. A great company, too, from Judaea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumaea, Transjordan, and the region of Tyre and Sidon, heard what he was doing and came to him.

⁹ There was a real danger that he might be crushed by the crowd, so he told his disciples to get a boat ready for him. ¹⁰ He healed large numbers, and sick people were pushing towards him to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever unclean spirits saw him, they fell down in front of him and yelled out, “You are the son of God!” ¹² He gave them strict orders not to reveal his identity.

¹³ Jesus went up the mountain, and summoned the people he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve (naming them “apostles”) to be with him and to be sent out as heralds, ¹⁵ and to have authority to cast out demons. ¹⁶ In appointing the Twelve, he named Simon “Peter”; ¹⁷ James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John, he named “Boanerges,” which means “sons of thunder.” The others were ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot (the one who handed him over).

Jesus and Beelzebul

²⁰ He went into the house. A crowd gathered again, so that they couldn’t even have a meal. ²¹ When his family heard it, they came to restrain him. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

²² Experts who had come from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! He casts out demons by the prince of demons!”

²³ Jesus summoned them and spoke to them in pictures. “How can the Accuser cast out the Accuser? ²⁴ If a kingdom splits into two factions, it can’t last; ²⁵ if a household splits into two factions, it can’t last. ²⁶ So if the Accuser revolts against himself and splits into two, he can’t last—his time is up! ²⁷ But remember: no one can get into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless first they tie up the strong man; then they can plunder his house.

²⁸ “I’m telling you the truth: people will be forgiven all sins, and all blasphemies of whatever sort. ²⁹ But people who blaspheme the holy spirit will never find forgiveness. They will be guilty of an eternal sin.” ³⁰ That was his response to their claim that he had an unclean spirit.