Study Desk

When some teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with such bad people, they asked his followers, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

On the Sabbath day, Jesus and his followers were walking through some grain fields. The followers picked some grain to eat.

Jesus looked at the people. He was angry, but he felt very sad because they were so stubborn. He said to the man, "Hold out your hand." The man held out his hand, and it was healed.

Jesus went away with his followers to the lake. A large crowd of people from Galilee followed them.

Jesus saw how many people there were, so he told his followers to get a small boat and make it ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the crowds of people could not push against him.

James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (the ones Jesus named Boanerges, which means "Sons of Thunder"),

Judas Iscariot (the one who handed Jesus over to his enemies).

Then Jesus went home, but again a large crowd gathered there. There were so many people that he and his followers could not eat.

His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people said he was crazy.

So Jesus called them together and talked to them using some stories. He said, "Satan will not force his own demons out of people.

If Satan is against himself and is fighting against his own people, he will not survive. That would be the end of Satan.

"Whoever wants to enter a strong man's house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house.

Jesus used stories to teach them many things. One of his lessons included this story:

Later, Jesus was away from the people. The twelve apostles and his other followers asked him about the stories.

He always used stories to teach them. But when he was alone with his followers, Jesus explained everything to them.

That day, at evening, Jesus said to his followers, "Come with me across the lake."

Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, "Teacher, don't you care about us? We are going to drown!"

He said to his followers, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

Jesus and his followers went across the lake to the area where the Gerasene people lived.

Many times people had put chains on his hands and feet, but he broke the chains. No one was strong enough to control him.