Study Desk

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,^[b] which is across the lake from Galilee.

When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me,^(x) Jesus, Son of the Most High God?^(y) I beg you, don't torture me!"

For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.

And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.^(z)

A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission.

When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake^(aa) and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside,

and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet,^(ab) dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed^(ac) man had been cured.

Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them,^(ad) because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

"Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.

Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader,^(af) came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house

because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding^(ag) for twelve years,^[c] but no one could heal her.

She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak,^(ah) and immediately her bleeding stopped.

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master,^(ai) the people are crowding and pressing against you."

But Jesus said, "Someone touched me;^(aj) I know that power has gone out from me."^(ak)

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.

Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you.^(al) Go in peace."^(am)

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader.^(an) "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher anymore."

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James,^(ao) and the child's father and mother.

Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning^(ap) for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."^(aq)

They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"^(ar)

Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.

Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.^(as)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve^(a)(b)

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons^(c) and to cure diseases,^(d)

and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God^(e) and to heal the sick.

He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.^(f)

Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.

If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."^(g)

So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

Now Herod^(h) the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John⁽ⁱ⁾ had been raised from the dead,^(j)

others that Elijah had appeared,^(k) and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.^(l)

But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see him.^(m)

When the apostles^(p) returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,^(q)

but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God,^(r) and healed those who needed healing.

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."

He replied, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd."

(About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

The disciples did so, and everyone sat down.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.^(s) Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Once when Jesus was praying^(v) in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist;^(w) others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."^(x)

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "God's Messiah."^(y)

Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.^(z)

And he said, "The Son of Man^(aa) must suffer many things^(ab) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(ac) and he must be killed^(ad) and on the third day^(ae) be raised to life."^(af)

Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.^(ag)

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.^(ah)

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them^(ai) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.^(aj)

"Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James^(al) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.^(am)

As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.

They spoke about his departure,^[a](an) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions were very sleepy,^(ao) but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master,^(ap) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen;^(aq) listen to him."^(ar)

When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.^(as)

The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.

A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.

A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.

I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."

"You unbelieving and perverse generation,"^(au) Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,

"Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."^(av)

But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it,^(aw) and they were afraid to ask him about it.

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.^(ax)

Jesus, knowing their thoughts,^(ay) took a little child and had him stand beside him.

Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.^(az) For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest."^(ba)

"Master,"^(bb) said John, "we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."

"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."^(bc)

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven,^(bd) Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.^(be)

And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan^(bf) village to get things ready for him;

but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.

When the disciples James and John^(bg) saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[b]?"^(bh)

But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

Then he and his disciples went to another village.

As they were walking along the road,^(bj) a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man^(bk) has no place to lay his head."

He said to another man, "Follow me."^(bl) But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."^(bm)

Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family."^(bn)

Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two^(a)(b)(c)

After this the Lord^(d) appointed seventy-two^[a] others^(e) and sent them two by two^(f) ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.^(g)

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.^(h)

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.⁽ⁱ⁾

Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

"When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.'

If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.

Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.^(j) Do not move around from house to house.

"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.^(k)

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God^(l) has come near to you.'

But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,

‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.^(m) Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.'⁽ⁿ⁾

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom^(o) than for that town.^(p)

"Woe to you,^(q) Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth^(r) and ashes.

But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

And you, Capernaum,^(s) will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[b]

"Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me."^(t)