Study Desk

^(C1)Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by ^(C2)the lake of Gennesaret;

and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

And ^(C1)He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat.

Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and ^(C1)let down your nets for a catch."

Simon responded and said, "^(C1)Master, ^(C2)we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but ^(F1)I will do as You say and let down the nets."

And when they had done this, ^(C1)they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear;

so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking.

But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;

and likewise also were ^(F1)James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "^(C1)Do not fear; from now on you will be ^(C2)catching people."

When they had brought their boats to land, ^(C1)they left everything and followed Him.

^(C1)While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man ^(F1)covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him.

And He ordered him to tell no one, saying, "But go and ^(C1)show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

But ^(C1)the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

But Jesus Himself would often slip away ^(F1)to the ^(F2)wilderness and ^(C1)pray.

^(F1)One day He was teaching, and ^(C1)there were some Pharisees and ^(C2)teachers of the Law sitting there who had ^(C3)come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and ^(C4)the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

^(C1)And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.

But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on ^(C1)the roof and let him down ^(C2)through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.

And seeing their faith, He said, "^(F1)Friend, ^(C1)your sins are forgiven you."

The scribes and the Pharisees ^(C1)began thinking of the implications, saying, "^(C2)Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? ^(C3)Who can forgive sins, except God alone?"

But Jesus, ^(F1)aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, "Why are you thinking this way in your hearts?

"Which is easier, to say: 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?

"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," He said to the ^(C1)man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home."

And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home ^(C1)glorifying God.

And ^(F1)they were all struck with astonishment and began ^(C1)glorifying God. They were also filled ^(C2)with fear, saying, "We have seen remarkable things today!"

^(C1)After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named ^(F1)(C2)Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, "Follow Me."

And he ^(C1)left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.

And ^(C1)Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of ^(C2)tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

^(C1)The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and ^(F1)sinners?"

And Jesus answered and said to them, "^(C1)It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.

"I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners."

And they said to Him, "^(C1)The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do ^(F1)the same, but Yours eat and drink."

And Jesus said to them, "You cannot make the ^(F1)attendants of the groom fast while the groom is with them, can you?

"^(C1)But the days will come; and when the groom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days."

And He was also telling them a parable: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the patch from the new garment will not match the old.

"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.

"But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

"And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, 'The old is fine.'"

^(C1)Now it happened that ^(F1)Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples ^(C2)were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.

But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what ^(C1)is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

And Jesus, answering them, said, "Have you not even read ^(C1)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,

how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the ^(F1)consecrated bread, which ^(C1)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?"

And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

^(C1)On another Sabbath He entered ^(C2)the synagogue and taught; and a man was there ^(F1)whose right hand was withered.

Now the scribes and the Pharisees ^(C1)were watching Him ^(F1)closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him.

But He ^(C1)knew ^(F1)what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and ^(F2)come forward!" And he got up and ^(F3)came forward.

And Jesus said to them, "I ask you whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?"

And after ^(C1)looking around at them all, He said to him, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did so; and his hand was restored.

But they themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.

Now it was ^(F1)at this time that He went off to ^(C1)the mountain to ^(C2)pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God.

And when day came, ^(C1)He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as ^(C2)apostles:

Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and ^(F1)James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;

and ^(C1)Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;

Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And then Jesus ^(C1)came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was ^(C2)a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the coastal region of ^(C3)Tyre and Sidon,

who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured.

And all the ^(F1)people were trying to ^(C1)touch Him, because ^(C2)power was coming from Him and healing them all.

And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and began saying, "^(C1)Blessed are ^(F1)you who are poor, for ^(C2)yours is the kingdom of God.

"Blessed are ^(F1)you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are ^(F1)you who weep now, for you will laugh.

"^(C1)Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they ^(F1)(C2)exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.

"Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to ^(F1)treat the prophets ^(C2)the same way.

"But woe to ^(C1)you who are rich, for ^(C2)you are receiving your comfort in full.

"Woe to you who ^(F1)are well-fed now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

"Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to ^(F1)treat the ^(C1)false prophets the same way.

"But I say to you who hear, ^(C1)love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you, ^(C1)pray for those who are abusive to you.

"^(C1)Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your ^(F1)cloak, do not withhold your ^(F2)tunic from him either.

"Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

"^(F1)(C1)Treat people the same way you want them to ^(F2)treat you.

"^(C1)If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

"And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

"^(C1)And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

"But ^(C1)love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be ^(C2)sons of ^(C3)the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people.

"^(F1)Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"^(C1)Do not ^(F1)judge, and you will not be judged; and do not ^(F2)condemn, and you will not be condemned; ^(F3)(C2)pardon, and you will be pardoned.

"Give, and it will be given to you. They will ^(F1)pour ^(C1)into your lap a ^(C2)good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

Now He also spoke a parable to them: "^(C1)A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?

"^(C1)A ^(F1)student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

"Why do you look at the ^(F1)speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the ^(F1)speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the ^(F1)speck that is in your brother's eye.

"^(C1)For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, ^(F1)on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit.

"^(C1)For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.

"^(C1)The good person out of the good ^(F1)treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; ^(C2)for his mouth speaks from ^(F2)that which fills his heart.

"Now ^(C1)why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

"^(C1)Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and ^(F1)acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

he is like a man building a house, who ^(F1)dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built.

"But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

^(C1)When He had completed all His ^(F1)teaching in the hearing of the people, ^(C2)He went to Capernaum.

Now a centurion's slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

When he heard about Jesus, ^(C1)he sent some ^(F1)Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

When they came to Jesus, they strongly urged Him, saying, "He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue."

Now Jesus started on His way with them; but already, when He was not yet far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, "^(F1)Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to enter under my roof;

for that reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You; but just ^(F1)say the word, and my servant ^(F2)shall be healed.

"For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under myself; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."

Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, "I say to you, ^(C1)not even in Israel have I found such great faith."

And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, ^(F1)accompanied by a large crowd.

Now as He approached the gate of the city, ^(F1)a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

When ^(C1)the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her, "Do not go on weeping."

And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!"

And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

^(C1)Fear gripped them all, and they began ^(C2)glorifying God, saying, "A great ^(C3)prophet has appeared among us!" and, "God has ^(F1)visited His people!"

^(C1)And this report about Him spread throughout Judea and in all the surrounding region.

^(C1)The disciples of John also reported to him about all these things.

And after summoning ^(F1)two of his disciples, John sent them to ^(C1)the Lord, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or are we to ^(F2)look for another?"

When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, ^(F1)to ask, 'Are You the Coming One, or are we to ^(F2)look for another?'"

At that very ^(F1)time He ^(C1)cured many people of diseases and ^(C2)afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: people who were ^(C1)blind receive sight, people who limped walk, people with leprosy are cleansed and people who were deaf hear, dead people are raised up, and ^(C2)people who are poor have the gospel preached to them.

"And blessed is ^(F1)anyone who does not take offense at Me."

When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the ^(F1)wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

"^(F1)But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!

"But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.

"This is the one about whom it is written: '^(C1)BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER ^(F1)AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.'

"I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is ^(F1)least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged ^(C1)God's justice, ^(C2)having been baptized with ^(C3)the baptism of John.

But the Pharisees and the ^(F1)(C1)lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by ^(F2)John.

"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?

"They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not weep.'

"For John the Baptist has come neither ^(C1)eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!'

"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a ^(F1)heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and ^(F2)sinners!'

"And yet wisdom ^(C1)is vindicated by all her children."

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.

^(C1)And there was a woman in the city who was a ^(F1)sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,

and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this Man were ^(C1)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a ^(F1)sinner!"

And Jesus responded and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he ^(F1)replied, "Say it, Teacher."

"A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred ^(F1)(C1)denarii, and the other, fifty.

"When they ^(C1)were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered and said, "I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."

And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you ^(C1)gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

"You ^(F1)(C1)gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in.

"^(C1)You did not ^(F1)anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little."

And He said to her, "^(C1)Your sins have been forgiven."

And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying ^(F1)to themselves, "^(C1)Who is this Man who even forgives sins?"

And He said to the woman, "^(C1)Your faith has saved you; ^(C2)go in peace."

Soon afterward, ^(F1)Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, ^(C1)proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him,

and also ^(C1)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: ^(C2)Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

and Joanna the wife of Chuza, ^(C1)Herod's ^(C2)steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

^(C1)Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

"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.

"Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it came up, it withered away because it had no moisture.

"Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

"And yet other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as much." As He said these things, He would call out, "^(C1)The one who has ears to hear, ^(F1)let him hear."

^(C1)Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable ^(F1)meant.

And He said, "^(C1)To you it has been granted to know the ^(F1)mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that ^(F2)(C2)while seeing they may not see, and ^(F3)while hearing they may not understand.

"Now this is the parable: ^(C1)the seed is the word of God.

"And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.

"Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; ^(F1)they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they ^(F2)fall away.

"And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.

"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word ^(F1)with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with ^(F2)perseverance.

"Now ^(C1)no one lights a lamp and covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see the light.

"^(C1)For nothing is concealed that will not become evident, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

"So take care how you listen; ^(C1)for whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^(F1)thinks he has will be taken away from him."

^(C1)Now His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.

And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You."

But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these ^(C1)who hear the word of God and do it."

^(C1)Now on one of those days ^(F1)Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let's cross over to the other side of ^(C2)the lake." So they launched out.

But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on ^(C1)the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

They came up to Jesus and woke Him, saying, "^(C1)Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and ^(C2)rebuked the wind and the surging ^(F1)waves, and they stopped, and ^(F2)it became calm.

And He said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

^(C1)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

And when He stepped out onto the land, a man from the city met Him who was possessed with demons; and he had not put on clothing for a long time and was not living in a house, but among the tombs.

And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and said with a loud voice, "^(F1)(C1)What business do You have with me, Jesus, Son of ^(C2)the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!"

For He had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into the desert.

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "^(C1)Legion"; because many demons had entered him.

And they were begging Him not to command them to go away into ^(C1)the abyss.

Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding there on the mountain; and the demons begged Him to permit them to enter ^(F1)the pigs. And He gave them permission.

And the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^(C1)the lake and was drowned.

Now when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported everything in the city, and in the country.

And the people came out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down ^(C1)at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

Those who had seen everything reported to them how the man who had been ^(C1)demon-possessed had been ^(F1)made well.

And all the ^(F1)people of the territory of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed by great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.

^(C1)But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might ^(F1)accompany Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

"Return to your home and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city what great things Jesus had done for him.

^(C1)And as Jesus was returning, the ^(F1)people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

^(C1)And a man named Jairus came, and he was an ^(F1)(C2)official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus' feet, and began urging Him to come to his house;

for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His ^(F1)cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "^(C1)Master, the ^(F1)people are crowding and pressing in on You."

But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that ^(C1)power had left Me."

Now when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and admitted in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

And He said to her, "Daughter, ^(C1)your faith has ^(F1)made you well; ^(C2)go in peace."

While He was still speaking, someone ^(*)came from the house of ^(C1)the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore."

But when Jesus heard this, He responded to him, "^(C1)Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be ^(F1)made well."

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him except Peter, John, and James, and the girl's father and mother.

Now they were all weeping and ^(C1)mourning for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but ^(C2)is asleep."

And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.

He, however, took her by the hand and spoke ^(F1)forcefully, saying, "Child, arise!"

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

Her parents were amazed; but He ^(C1)instructed them to tell no one what had happened.