Study Desk

Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever, so they promptly told Jesushim">[fn] about her.

He said to them, "Let's go to the neighboring towns so that I can preach there, too. For that is why I came out here."here">[fn]Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:43; John 16:28; 17:4;">[xr]

So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:44;">[xr]

But when the manhe">[fn] left, he began to proclaim it freely. He spread the word so widely that Jesushe">[fn] could no longer enter a town openly, but had to stay out in deserted places. Still, peoplethey">[fn] kept coming to him from everywhere.Mark 2:13; Luke 5:15;">[xr]

So many crowds had gathered that there wasn't any room left for them, even in front of the door. JesusHe">[fn] was speaking the word to them

So the manhe">[fn] got up, immediately picked up his cot, and went out before all of them. As a result, all of the people were amazed and began to glorify God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

As he was walking along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector's desk. JesusHe">[fn] said to him, "Follow me!" So Levihe">[fn] got up and followed him.Matthew 9:9; Luke 5:27;">[xr]

So Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea,Luke 6:17;">[xr]

JesusHe">[fn] told his disciples to have a boat ready for him so that the crowd wouldn't crush him.

For he had healed so many people that all who had diseases kept crowding up against him in order to touch him.

Then he went home. The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciplesso that they">[fn] couldn't even eat.Mark 6:31;">[xr]

So Jesushe">[fn] called them together and began to speak to them in parables. "How can Satan drive out Satan?Matthew 12:25;">[xr]

So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand. Indeed, his end has come.

so thatIsaiah 6:9; Matthew 13:14; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 28:26; Romans 11:8;">[xr] 'they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'"Isaiah 6:9-10">[fn]

Then he said to them, "You don't understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables?

but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can't produce a crop.1 Timothy 6:9,17;">[xr]

So they left the crowd and took him along in the boat just as he was.[fn] Other boats were with him.

A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidlyalready">[fn] becoming swamped.

But Jesushe">[fn] was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?"

So the demonsthey">[fn] begged him, "Send us among the pigs, so that we can go into them!"