Study Desk

The guards were so afraid that they trembled and became like dead men.

So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

The guards took the money and did what they were told to do. And so that is the report spread around by the Jews to this very day.

So John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching. "Turn away from your sins and be baptized," he told the people, "and God will forgive your sins."

The people were all so amazed that they started saying to one another, "What is this? Is it some kind of new teaching? This man has authority to give orders to the evil spirits, and they obey him!"

And so the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the province of Galilee.

So he traveled all over Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons.

But the man went away and began to spread the news everywhere. Indeed, he talked so much that Jesus could not go into a town publicly. Instead, he stayed out in lonely places, and people came to him from everywhere.

So many people came together that there was no room left, not even out in front of the door. Jesus was preaching the message to them

Because of the crowd, however, they could not get the man to him. So they made a hole in the roof right above the place where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they let the man down, lying on his mat.

At once Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, "Why do you think such things?

I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the paralyzed man,

Some teachers of the Law, who were Pharisees, saw that Jesus was eating with these outcasts and tax collectors, so they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such people?"

So the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do that on the Sabbath!"

so he went into the house of God and ate the bread offered to God. This happened when Abiathar was the High Priest. According to our Law only the priests may eat this bread—but David ate it and even gave it to his men."

So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong; so they watched him closely to see whether he would cure the man on the Sabbath.

Jesus was angry as he looked around at them, but at the same time he felt sorry for them, because they were so stubborn and wrong. Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it became well again.

So the Pharisees left the synagogue and met at once with some members of Herod's party, and they made plans to kill Jesus.

The crowd was so large that Jesus told his disciples to get a boat ready for him, so that the people would not crush him.