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Notes on the meaning of
the Gospel of Luke
in EasyEnglish (2800 word vocabulary)
Leslie Pride
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
Words in italics are not in the Greek text. We believe that they are implicit.
The original authors of the Bible wanted people to understand their books. So, they used popular languages and clear words. They encouraged people to read their books aloud, and to explain them to other people.
The first readers understood the books well. And so did the people whom they taught. But later readers did not always find the meaning easy. Many centuries have passed. Customs have changed. Now people read the Bible in many different nations. And some readers may not know anyone who can explain a difficult passage to them.
We designed these notes to help people who are translating the Bible into their own languages. We wanted them to understand the complete meaning of each verse. So, we have explained the words in a special way:
· We believe that the accurate words of the Bible are very important. It is these words that we want to explain. So, wherever possible, we have allowed these words to explain themselves. You will see these words in normal print. Sometimes a verse may seem to be longer here than it is in a normal translation. That is because we explain the meaning of the verse. But if the words are in normal print, they are from the Bible.
· We use italic [1] print to show our explanations, if we are not using words from the original verse. We do not think that any of these meanings were secret or unknown. The original readers would have understood everything without the words in italics. These meanings are clear for people who study the Bible today. We have simply expressed them, so that they are clear for everyone. However, in more difficult passages, Bible teachers may have different opinions about the meanings.
When people translate the Bible, the new translation must be clear. This is a particular problem in places where there are few Christian churches. And it is also a problem in places where people do not know much about the Bible. So, the *translator might use some of the explanations in italics to help people to understand the meaning. And the *translator must also decide how to connect sentences and ideas in the local language.
v1-2 My noble friend Theophilus, many people saw the things that Jesus did. They were with him from the time when he started to serve God. They served God too, because they taught people God’s *Message. Many people heard what they taught. And some of those people wrote down accounts of the things that Jesus did. v3 I myself have carefully studied all these accounts. This history began before Jesus was born. Therefore, I decided to write an account for you. It seemed a good idea that I write about all these things in their order. v4 You have heard about these things before. But I want you to know the truth.
v5 King *Herod the Great ruled Judea district. At that time there was a *Jewish priest called Zechariah. He belonged to the group of priests called the Abijah group. He and his wife Elizabeth both belonged to Aaron’s family. And Aaron had been the first priest among *Israel’s people long ago. v6 God considered that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were *righteous. They obeyed perfectly all God’s commands and rules. v7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was not able to have children. Also, she and her husband were very old.
v8 One day Zechariah and his group were doing their work in God’s great house, called the *Temple. Zechariah was serving God as a priest. v9 The other priests chose him by the way that their custom taught them. They chose him to enter the *Lord’s house on behalf of the people. He would burn *incense, which made a sweet smell inside the *Lord’s house. This was their gift to God. v10 While Zechariah was burning the *incense, many people were praying outside the door. v11 Then one of God’s *angels appeared to Zechariah. The *Lord had sent this *angel from *heaven. This *heavenly servant came to the place where the priests burned the *incense. And he was standing at the right side of this place. v12 He astonished Zechariah, who became very afraid.
v13 But God’s *angel spoke to him. ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid!’ the *angel said. ‘When you prayed to God, you asked for a son. And God heard what you prayed. So, your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to your son, and you must name him John. v14 He will cause you to be very happy. Also, many other people will be happy because he is born,’ the *angel said.
v15 ‘God will consider your son to be a very important person. He must never drink wine or any other drink that contains alcohol. The *Holy Spirit will control him from the time that he is born,’ the *angel said to Zechariah. v16 ‘Your son will persuade many people in your nation, called *Israel. Then they will turn away from their evil deeds. He will persuade them to please the *Lord their God.’
v17 ‘God’s *Spirit will cause your son to tell God’s *Message with power. Your son will be like God’s special servant Elijah was long ago,’ the *angel said. ‘And your son will come ahead of the *Lord that God has chosen. Your son will cause parents to be at *peace with their children again. Also, many people do not obey God. But your son will cause them to obey,’ the *angel said. ‘Then they will listen to the wise things that good people tell them. And so, the people will be ready when the *Messiah comes.’
v18 Then Zechariah replied to God’s *angel. ‘I am very old, so I cannot have a son’, he said. ‘My wife is also so old that she cannot have children. I cannot believe what you say. How shall I know that this will really happen?’
v19 ‘I am God’s chief servant in *heaven. My name is Gabriel!’ the *angel answered. ‘I always do what God tells me to do! And he sent me to tell this good *Message to you. Therefore, I am telling you about what will happen to you. v20 And what I have told you will certainly happen. God has decided the time, but you did not believe my words. So now, God will cause you to be dumb. You will not be able to talk again until the day that your son is born!’
v21 While they were talking, the people outside were waiting for Zechariah. ‘Why is he staying in God’s house for such a long time?’ they wondered. v22 But when Zechariah came out, he was not able to answer them. Because he could not talk, he made movements with his hands. He was trying to show them what had happened to him. So then they realised that God had given a *vision to him in the *Temple.
v23 Zechariah’s time to work as a priest in the *Temple finished. So, he left Jerusalem and he returned to his home. v24 Some time later his wife, Elizabeth, was expecting a baby. Then she did not leave her house for 5 months. She could not tell other people about the baby earlier, because they would not believe such an old woman. v25 But she spoke to herself. ‘God has given this baby to me!’ she said. ‘At this time, he has pitied me. Now I will no longer be ashamed because I have no children!’
v26 Elizabeth had been expecting the baby for almost 6 months. Then God sent his *angel called Gabriel from *heaven, again. v27 This time, the *angel went to Nazareth town, in Galilee district. He went there to speak to a young woman. Her name was Mary and she had never been with a man. But her parents had promised that she would marry a certain man in that town. His name was Joseph. King David lived long ago, and this Joseph belonged to David’s family. v28 God’s servant, the *angel, spoke to Mary. ‘Greetings! The *Lord God is with you. He has decided to be very good to you!’ the *angel told her.
v29 But the *angel’s message confused Mary. She wondered what he meant by those words. v30 Then he spoke to her again. ‘Mary, God is very pleased with you, so do not be afraid. v31 Soon, you will have a son, and you must call him Jesus. v32 He will become great. People will say that he is God’s *Son. And God, the *Lord, will cause him to be a king like his great *ancestor King David long ago. v33 He will be the king over you *Jews for all time, all you who belong to Jacob’s family. He will never stop ruling as king!’
v34 Then Mary replied to the *heavenly servant. ‘Since I have not been with a man, how can I have a baby?’ she asked.
v35 And the *angel answered her. ‘The *Holy Spirit will come to you and you will feel God’s power in you. He will cause you to expect a baby. Therefore, the child that you will have will be special for God’s purposes. In addition, people will say that he is God’s *Son. v36 I also need to tell you something else. Although your cousin, Elizabeth, is very old, she is expecting a baby too. People said that she could never have any children. However, she has been expecting a son for almost 6 months now! v37 This news should not surprise you, because God can do everything!’
v38 ‘I want to serve the *Lord’, Mary said. ‘I have heard all that you have said to me. So let it come true.’ Then God’s *angel left her.
v39 Soon after that *angel’s visit, Mary set out. She hurried to a town in the Judea district. It was in the high country. v40 There she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted his wife, Elizabeth. v41 As soon as Mary greeted her, the baby inside Elizabeth jumped. The *Holy Spirit took complete control of Elizabeth, v42 and she spoke with a loud voice. ‘God has *blessed you more than he has *blessed any other woman!’ she said to Mary. ‘And he has *blessed your child who will be born! v43 I am not important! But God has allowed you to visit me! You will be my *Lord’s mother! v44 I heard you greet me. And at that moment, the baby inside me jumped because he was happy! He was so happy that you have come here! v45 God has *blessed you because you believed him. You believed what the *Lord told to you. And it will certainly happen.’
v46 Then Mary praised God as she said this:
‘Oh, how great the *Lord is!
v47 I am very glad deep inside me because God saves me.
v48 I was only his servant girl, so I was not very important.
But he did not forget me!
So from now on, people who live in all future ages will know about me.
They will say that I pleased God.
v49 They will hear about the things that God has done on my behalf.
He is great and wonderful, and he has all the power!
v50 He pities people who respect him.
He helps them in every age.
v51 He shows people that he is very powerful.
And he will scatter those who think proud thoughts.
v52 He will send great kings away. And he will not allow them to continue to rule.
Some good people think that they themselves are not important.
But he will make them important.
v53 He will give good things to those who are hungry.
Then they can eat.
But he will send rich people away. He will not give anything to them.
v54-55 He promised to Abraham and to all our other *ancestors since that time, that he would pity them.
And he has remembered to do what he promised.
He has helped them and me and all other people in *Israel who serve him.’
v56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then she returned to her home.
Luke 1:57-66 John, the man who *baptised people, is born
v57 At the right time, Elizabeth gave birth to her baby and he was a boy. v58 Her neighbours and relatives heard how kind the *Lord had been to her. Therefore, they were happy, just as Elizabeth was very happy.
v59 A week later, everybody gathered together for the ceremony to *circumcise the baby boy. Since his father’s name was Zechariah, the family wanted to give the baby the same name. v60 But his mother stopped them. ‘No, his name will be John,’ she said.
v61 Then the rest of the family answered her. ‘But none among your relatives is called John, so you should not give him that name!’
v62 Then they signalled with their hands to ask Zechariah. They wanted to know what name Zechariah wanted to give to his son. v63 Zechariah was still unable to speak, so he signalled to the family. Then they gave him something to write on. And he wrote on it: ‘His name is John.’ This surprised everyone there! v64 Immediately Zechariah could speak again, so he started to praise God.
v65 This event astonished all their neighbours! So, those neighbours told everybody about what had happened. And the news spread all over the high country in Judea district. v66 Everyone who heard the news was thinking deeply about it. ‘What work will this child do for God when he grows up?’ they wondered. They were sure that God would help him in a powerful way.
Luke 1:67-80 Zechariah praises God
v67 Zechariah praised God after his son was born. His words came from God, because the *Holy Spirit completely directed him.
v68 ‘Let us praise the *Lord! We are *Israel’s people.
And he is the God whom we *worship.
We *worship him because he has come to free us from our enemies.
v69 He is sending someone to us who will use his great power.
He will use his power to save us.
King David loyally served God long ago.
And this person belongs to David’s family.
v70 Long ago God caused his special servants, the *prophets,
to tell us about this person.
v71 He will rescue us from our enemies.
And he will save us from all those people who hate us.
v72 He made an agreement with our *ancestors long ago.
He said that he would be kind to all of us. We belong to their families.
And he has not forgotten what he promised to our *ancestors.
v73 He made a firm promise about this to our great *ancestor, Abraham.
v74 God promised that he would rescue us from our enemies.
Then we could serve him without fear.
v75 He would cause us to be his people only.
So then, we could live as he wants us to live for our whole lives.’
v76 Then Zechariah spoke to his little son:
‘My child, people will say that you are God’s special servant.
You will begin your work before the *Messiah comes.
You will prepare people, so that they will be ready for him.
v77 You will tell God’s people how he will save them.
He will forgive them, so that he does not have to punish them because of their *sins.
v78 Our God will do that because he is very kind to us.
A new day starts when the sun appears in the sky.
And God will do that new thing for us
when the *Messiah comes to us from *heaven.
v79 We are like people who sit in the darkness.
Such people are afraid that they will die soon.
However, when the *Messiah tells God’s *Message to us,
it will be like a bright light.
He will guide us, so that we will live in *peace.’
v80 As Zechariah’s son grew older, God’s *Spirit made him strong. He lived in the dry region until he began to teach *Israel’s people.
Luke 2:1-7 Jesus is born
v1 About that time, the Great King called *Caesar Augustus gave an order. He told his officials to write down all the people’s names. Many people lived in countries that the *Roman government controlled. And *Caesar wanted to know about everybody so that his officials could collect taxes. v2 Syria *province included Judea district. And this was the first time that they wrote down all the people’s names there. They did this while Quirinius was governing that territory. v3 Every person had to go to the town where his *ancestors had lived. So then, the officials could write down their names, by families.
v4 Joseph belonged to King David’s family. So, he left Nazareth town, where he lived in Galilee district. He went up to Bethlehem town in Judea district because King David used to live there. v5 Joseph went with Mary, whom people considered his wife. And Mary was expecting a baby. They went so that they could register their names.
v6-7 When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them. They could not stay in the house where visitors stay. So, they had to stay in the place where the animals lived. Then it was time for Mary’s baby to be born. And she gave birth to her first son in that place. She wrapped him in pieces of cloth. She had no proper place to put her baby so that he could sleep. Instead, she had to put the baby in a basin. Normally, people would use that basin to feed their animals.
Luke 2:8-20 God gives a message to some men who looked after sheep
v8 That night some men were looking after their sheep in the usual manner. They were in the fields near Bethlehem town. v9 Then the *Lord sent one of his *angels to them from *heaven. They saw this *angel when a great light from *heaven shone on them and all round them. So, they became very afraid. v10 But God’s *heavenly servant spoke to them. ‘Do not be afraid!’ he said.
‘I have come to tell you good news. And it will cause you to be very happy! This *Message is for everyone to hear! v11 The *Message is that a special baby has been born today. He is there in Bethlehem, the town where King David lived long ago. That baby has come to rescue people from their *sin! He will be the *Messiah, your *Lord!’ the *angel said.
v12 ‘I will tell you how you can recognise him: In Bethlehem town, you will find a baby whose mother has wrapped him in pieces of cloth. Then she placed him in a basin that people would normally use to feed animals.’
v13 Suddenly an army of God’s *angels from *heaven appeared in the sky. They joined the other *angel. They were all singing and praising God.
v14 ‘May all God’s servants praise him in the highest place, which is *heaven!
God has shown how kind he is to all the people in the world.
May they be at *peace with him!’ the *angels sang.
v15 Then the *angels left and they returned to *heaven. And the men, who looked after sheep, spoke to each other. ‘God has told us that this wonderful thing has happened!’ they said. ‘Let us go to Bethlehem to see this wonderful thing for ourselves.
v16 So, the *shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. They found the place where Mary and Joseph were staying. And they saw the baby. He was lying in a basin that people would normally use to feed animals.
v17 Then the *shepherds told Mary and Joseph and other people what the *angels had told them about this child. v18 Their words astonished everyone who heard them. v19 But Mary did not talk to other people about what the *angels had said. She just continued to think a lot about it all.
v20 Then the men returned to their sheep. They had heard and seen all those things. So, they continued to thank and to praise God very much. Everything had happened just as God’s *heavenly servant had told them.
Luke 2:21-35 Simeon meets the baby, Jesus, in the *Temple
v21 A week later the proper person [2] *circumcised the baby. Mary and Joseph named the baby ‘Jesus’ because God’s *angel had told that name to Mary. And the *angel had promised that she would have this baby.
v22-23 Long ago, *Moses had written a *law that God told him. It referred to the time when a *Jewish woman gave birth to her first son. After a certain time, the parents must take the child to God’s great house in Jerusalem, the *Temple. There they could offer the child to the *Lord. Then, God would accept the parents’ *worship again. The time came when Mary and Joseph needed to obey this *law. So, they took Jesus to Jerusalem. v24 Also, the *Lord had ordered in this *law that, at the same time, the parents should offer a gift. They should bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons [3]. Therefore, Mary and Joseph gave two such birds to the priest, so that he could offer them to God.
v25 At that time an old man lived in Jerusalem. His name was Simeon. He did what pleased God. He obeyed God’s *Law always. And he was waiting until God would encourage *Israel’s people. He expected God to send the *Messiah. And the *Messiah would save the people. The *Holy Spirit was guiding Simeon. v26 And the *Holy Spirit had told God’s plan to him. Simeon would see God’s *Messiah before he (Simeon) died. v27 That day the *Spirit guided Simeon to enter the yard round the *Temple. So, when the parents brought their baby, Jesus, to the *Temple, Simeon met them. They came to obey *Moses’ *Law. But the *Spirit told Simeon that this baby was the *Messiah. v28 So Simeon took Jesus up in his arms and praised God.
v29-32 ‘*Lord, I am your servant’, Simeon said.
‘You promised that I would see the *Messiah.
He is the one who will save all kinds of people.
He will rescue them from their *sins.
He will be like a light.
And he will show your truth to people who are not *Jews, also.
He will bring honour to your people, *Israel’s people.
I have now seen the one that you promised to send.
So, now let me die at *peace.’
v33 His parents wondered about all that Simeon said about Jesus. Then Simeon blessed them, and he spoke to Mary. v34 ‘Remember what I say to you now. God has chosen this child,’ Simeon said.
‘Later, many of *Israel’s people will refuse to believe God because of this child. But he will cause many more of them to turn back to God. He will be like a sign to warn people. But many people will oppose him,’ he said.
v35 ‘Then, the fact that many people’s thoughts are really evil will become clear. The cruel things that they will do to him will be like a sword. It will be as if that sword was to cut right into your *inner being,’ Simeon said to Mary.
v36 There was also a very old woman named Anna in the *Temple. She was one of God’s special servants who tell his messages to people. Her father, Phanuel belonged to the Asher family. After she had been married only 7 years, her husband died. v37 After that, she lived alone until she was 84 years old. And she was still a widow. She stayed in the *Temple all the time, night and day, and she *worshipped God there. She often did not eat food for a time so that she could pray more.
v38 While Joseph and Mary were still in the *Temple with the baby, Jesus, Anna approached them. She thanked God for the baby, because she recognised him as the *Messiah. Many *Jewish people were expecting God to send the *Messiah. They expected the *Messiah to free their people from the *Romans. Now Anna spoke to these people about Jesus.
Luke 2:39-40 Jesus’ family return to Nazareth
v39 Joseph and Mary finished all that the law of the *Lord ordered them to do in Jerusalem. They did all that parents needed to do because of their first son. Then they returned to their own town, Nazareth, in Galilee district. v40 As the child grew up, he became strong and very wise. And God was very pleased with him.
Luke 2:41-52 The boy, Jesus, in Jerusalem
v41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem city during the *Passover holy days. v42 This was the custom at *Passover. So, when Jesus was 12 years old, they all went up to Jerusalem city.
v43 When *Passover ended, his parents left the city to return to their home. But they did not realise that Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem city. v44 A lot of other people were travelling with his parents. And his parents thought that Jesus was with those people. So, they walked all day. In the evening, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. v45 But they did not find him. So, they returned to Jerusalem city to search for him there.
v46 And three days later they found Jesus with the *Jewish teachers in the *Temple yard. He was listening to what the teachers said. And he was asking them questions. v47 Jesus’ words astonished everyone who heard him. He understood so much! And he answered so well, when the teachers asked him questions. v48 The sight really surprised Jesus’ parents when they found him. And his mother said to him, ‘My son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very anxious about you. You should have realised that we would be worried. We have been searching for you everywhere!’
v49 ‘I am surprised that you did not know where to find me’, Jesus answered. ‘You should have known where I would be. It is necessary for me to do my *Father’s work. So I need to be in my *Father’s house!’ Jesus was speaking to them about God who was his *Father. v50 But they did not understand what his words really meant.
v51 Then Jesus returned to Nazareth town with his parents. He always obeyed them, but his mother continued to think a lot about all these things. v52 As the years passed, Jesus continued to grow bigger. And he became wiser. God continued to approve of him more and more, and so did the people.
v1 The great King Tiberius had ruled the *Roman *empire for 15 years. Pontius Pilate was governing Judea district on his behalf, and *Herod Antipas was ruling Galilee district for him. *Herod’s brother, Philip, was ruling Iturea and Trachonitis districts, and Lysanius was ruling Abilene district. v2 The names of the chief priests in Jerusalem city at that time were Annas and Caiaphas. Then God gave messages to Zechariah’s son John, while he was still living in the dry region.
v3 So John went across the area close to the Jordan River. He told people continually, ‘Do you want God to forgive you? Then you must turn back to him. You must be sorry that you did wrong things. Then ask me to *baptise you!’
v4 Long ago God’s special servant, Isaiah, wrote God’s *Messages in a book.
Now John was speaking to the people. And John’s words showed that Isaiah’s *Messages were true. Isaiah wrote:
‘Someone will shout to the people who pass by in the dry area,
‘People, prepare the road for an important official.
You must prepare yourselves to receive the *Lord!
You people, make straight paths where an important official can come.
You must make yourselves ready for the time when he comes.
v5 You people, make level all the places where the land is not level.
Use the extra soil to fill in all the valleys.
Make the path straight where it is not straight.
Make every rough place smooth.
Make a good road where a King can travel.
Just as you remove objects from the road,
you must remove all the bad things from your lives!
Those bad things are the reason why God does not *bless you!
v6 Then people everywhere will understand how God saves people.
He saves them from the blame that their *sins cause.’
v7 Large groups of *Jewish people came to John. They asked him to *baptise them. But he knew that many of them were not sincere. So, he spoke to them continually. ‘You people are evil. You are as bad as poisonous snakes!’ John said.
‘I warn people about what God will do. Some day he will punish everyone who does bad things. You may belong to Abraham’s family. But do not think that you can avoid your punishment. He will punish you, if you do not turn away from your *sins! v8 Do those things that are right! This will show that you really have turned away from your *sins!’ Some people were very proud because they belonged to Abraham’s great family, called *Israel. But John said: ‘God can change these stones here to make them children in Abraham’s family. So do not start to say to yourselves: “Since we belong to Abraham’s family, God will not punish us!” God is ready to punish you!’ John said.
v9 ‘God is like a man who has his axe ready. His axe will cut through the roots in order to cut down the bad trees. He will cut down every tree that does not produce good fruit. And he will throw those bad trees into a fire,’ John said to the people.
v10 Then various people in the crowd asked him: ‘What should we do to please God?’
v11 John answered them. ‘If someone has two shirts, he should give one of them to someone without a shirt. If someone has plenty of food, he should give some to a person without food.’
v12 Also, some men who collected taxes came to him. They asked him to *baptise them. ‘Teacher, what shall we do to please God?’ they asked him.
v13 ‘Do not take more money from the people than you should take,’ John said. ‘The *Roman government tells you the right amount to take!’
v14 Then some soldiers came to him: ‘What about us?’ they asked him. ‘What should we do to please God?’
John replied to them. ‘Do not say to people, “You must give me some money, or I will hurt you. I will take you to court. And I will say that you have done something wrong!” Instead, you must be content with your wages,’ Jesus told them.
v15 People were expecting that the *Messiah would come soon. So, many of them wondered about John. And some of the people asked him if he was the *Messiah. v16 But John replied to them all. ‘No. I use only water when I *baptise you. This shows that you want to change your lives,’ John said.
‘However, the *Messiah will come soon! He is much greater than I am,’ John said. ‘He is so great that I am not important enough to be his slave! I cannot even untie his *sandals as a slave would do! He will put his *Holy Spirit into you and he will really change your lives!’ John said. ‘But the *Messiah will punish those people who do not believe in him. They will burn in a fire.
v17 The *Messiah will be like a man who stores the wheat in his store,’ John said. ‘He throws the stems into the air with a fork to separate them from the grain. The grain falls on the ground where he separates it from the dry stems. And so, the *Messiah will separate good people from evil people. He will do as the man who gathers his wheat into the store room. But he will burn the stems with a fire that will never go out.’
v18 John urged the people to turn to God. He told them the good *Message from God in many different ways. v19 He also told King *Herod that he was wrong. The king had stolen Herodias, his brother’s wife, and he had done many other evil things. v20 But *Herod ordered his soldiers to put John in prison. That was one more evil thing that *Herod did.
v21 But before they put John in prison, he *baptised many people. He *baptised Jesus too. Then, as Jesus was praying, the sky opened. v22 And the *Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus. The *Holy Spirit appeared as a bird called a dove. Then God spoke to Jesus from *heaven. ‘You are my *son whom I love. I am very pleased with you!’ God said.
v23 When Jesus began his work for God, he was about 30 years old. People thought that he was Joseph’s son. And Joseph was Heli’s son. [4] v24 Heli was Matthat’s son. And Matthat was Levi’s son. Levi was Melchi’s son. And Melchi was Jannai’s son. Jannai was Joseph’s son. v25 And Joseph was Mattathias’s son. Mattathias was Amos’s son. And Amos was Nahum’s son. Nahum was Esli’s son. And Esli was Naggai’s son. v26 Naggai was Maath’s son. And Maath was Mattathias’ son. Mattathias was Semein’s son. And Semein was Josech’s son. Josech was Joda’s son. v27 And Joda was Joanan’s son. Joanan was Rhesa’s son. And Rhesa was Zerubbabel’s son. Zerubbabel was Shealtiel’s son. And Shealtiel was Neri’s son. v28 Neri was Melchi’s son. And Melchi was Addi’s son. Addi was Cosam’s son. And Cosam was Elmadam’s son. Elmadam was Er’s son. v29 And Er was Joshua’s son. Joshua was Eliezer’s son. And Eliezer was Jorim’s son. Jorim was Matthat’s son. And Matthat was Levi’s son. v30 Levi was Simeon’s son. And Simeon was Judah’s son. Judah was Joseph’s son. And Joseph was Jonam’s son. Jonam was Eliakim’s son. v31 And Eliakim was Melea’s son. Melea was Menna’s son. And Menna was Mattatha’s son. Mattatha was Nathan’s son. And Nathan was David’s son. v32 David was Jesse’s son. And Jesse was Obed’s son. Obed was Boaz’s son. And Boaz was Sala’s son. Sala was Nahshon’s son. v33 And Nahshon was Amminadab’s son. Amminadab was Admin’s son. And Admin was Arni’s son. Arni was Hezron’s son. And Hezron was Perez’s son. Perez was Judah’s son. v34 And Judah was Jacob’s son. Jacob was Isaac’s son. And Isaac was Abraham’s son. Abraham was Terah’s son. And Terah was Nahor’s son. v35 Nahor was Serug’s son. And Serug was Reu’s son. Reu was Peleg’s son. And Peleg was Eber’s son. Eber was Shelah’s son. v36 And Shelah was Cainan’s son. Cainan was Arphaxad’s son. And Arphaxad was Shem’s son. Shem was Noah’s son. And Noah was Lamech’s son. v37 Lamech was Methuselah’s son. And Methuselah was Enoch’s son. Enoch was Jared’s son. And Jared was Mahalaleel’s son. Mahalaleel was Cainan’s son. v38 And Cainan was Enos’s son. Enos was Seth’s son. And Seth was Adam’s son. And Adam was the man that God created.
v1 The *Holy Spirit controlled Jesus completely now. So, Jesus left the Jordan river valley and went into the dry area. v2 For 40 days the *Spirit led him about the dry area. And during that time, Jesus did not eat anything. So, when that time ended, he was very hungry. Then the *devil came to him and tempted him. v3 The *devil spoke to Jesus: ‘You say that you are *God’s *Son’, the *devil said. ‘So tell this stone to become bread. Then you can eat it!’
v4 But Jesus replied to the *devil: ‘No, I will not do that,’ he said. ‘The *Scriptures say, “Food alone is not enough to keep people alive.” ’
v5 Then the *devil took Jesus up to the top of a high mountain. In one moment, the *devil showed Jesus all the countries across the world. v6 Then the *devil spoke to Jesus again: ‘I will give you authority to rule all these areas,’ the *devil said. ‘I will make you famous. I can do this! I have received the authority to control the entire world. So, anyone that I wish can rule it! v7 Therefore, you must *worship me. Then I will let you rule it all!’
v8 But Jesus replied to the *devil: ‘No, I shall never *worship you. The *Scriptures say, “You must *worship the *Lord, your God. You must serve only him!” ’
v9 Then the *devil took Jesus to Jerusalem city. He took him up on the highest part of the *Temple and he spoke to him there. ‘You say that you are *God’s *Son’, the *devil said to Jesus. ‘So, throw yourself down to the ground from here. v10 If you do that, nothing will hurt you. You know what the *Scriptures say: “God will tell his *angels in *heaven to protect you.” v11 And the *Scriptures also say: “They will lift you up with their hands, so that no stone can hurt your foot.” ’
v12 But Jesus replied, ‘No, I will not do that. The Bible also says: “Nobody must do something foolish just to test the *Lord our God. People must not try to see what God will do.” ’
v13 The *devil tested Jesus in many ways, but he could not test him any more. So, he left Jesus. The *devil wanted to test Jesus again later. But he would wait until he had a good opportunity.
Luke 4:14-30 Jesus returns to Nazareth town
v14 The *Spirit gave power to Jesus, and he returned to Galilee district. People all over that region heard about what he was doing. v15 He taught people in their *synagogues and, as a result, everyone praised him.
v16 Then he went to Nazareth, the town where he grew up. On the *Sabbath day he went into the *synagogue there, as he usually did. He stood up to show what he wished to do. He wished to read to the people from God’s books. v17 So, an older man there handed a book to him. It contained the words that the *prophet Isaiah had written. Then Jesus opened the book. He found the place from which he wanted to read. And he read these words:
v18 ‘The *Lord God’s *Spirit is upon me.
He has appointed me to declare God’s good news to poor people.
He has sent me here to speak on behalf of God.
So I will tell good news to people whom *Satan has seized.
I will tell the news to them so that God will free them.
And I will say that I can cure people because of God’s power.
Then those people who are blind will see again.
And I will free those people who are suffering.
v19 I will declare that God has chosen this year.
This is the time when the *Lord will act in a favourable way toward people.’
v20 Jesus closed the book and he gave it back to the older man. Then he sat down to teach the people. Everyone in the *synagogue was looking straight at him. v21 And he began to speak to them. He said, ‘You have heard what I am saying today. And I am beginning to make these words true.’
v22 At first, everyone there spoke well about him, and his attractive words astonished them. But then some of them said, ‘He is only Joseph’s son! Why should we listen to what he says?’
v23 Then Jesus spoke to them again. ‘I am certain that some of you do not like my words’, he said. ‘You will tell me these words that people often say: “Doctor, cure yourself!” What you will mean is, “People told us that you did wonderful things in Capernaum town. Now you must do things like that here in your own home town too!” v24 It is very true that people in a man’s home town suspect that man’s message. They do not accept him as God’s special servant, in other words, a *prophet.’
v25 Jesus continued to speak to the people in Nazareth. ‘But think about this,’ he said. ‘There were many widows in *Israel long ago when the *prophet Elijah was alive. During that time, it did not rain for three years and 6 months. So, there was nothing which the people could eat in the whole country,’ Jesus said.
v26 ‘But God did not send Elijah to help any of those *Jewish widows. God sent him to Zarephath town near Sidon city. God sent him there to help a *non-Jewish widow,’ Jesus said. v27 ‘Also, many people in *Israel suffered from the disease called *leprosy when another *prophet called Elisha was alive. But Elisha did not cure any of them. He cured only Naaman, a *non-Jewish man from the country called Syria.’
v28 When all the people in the *synagogue heard that, they were very angry. Immediately they realised what he was suggesting. They knew that he was willing to help *non-Jewish people also. And that thought made them very angry. v29 So they all got up from their seats and they seized him. Their town was on a hill. So, they took him to the top of the hill, because they wanted to throw him off the cliff. They intended to kill him. v30 But he just walked away quietly through the middle of the crowd. The people were unable to hurt him because God protected him. So he went away.
v31 One day Jesus went down to Capernaum with his *disciples. Capernaum was a town in Galilee district. On the *Sabbath day Jesus taught God’s *Message to the people in their *synagogue there. v32 What he taught them astonished them. Jesus spoke with God’s authority. He spoke as someone who has the right to give commands.
v33 In the *synagogue, there was a man with an *evil spirit in him. That spirit controlled the man. The man shouted very loudly. v34 ‘Oh! Jesus, from Nazareth town!’ he shouted. ‘Since we have nothing in common, do not struggle with us *evil spirits now! Do not destroy us yet!’ the man said. ‘I know who you are. You are the holy person who has come from God!’
v35 Jesus ordered the *evil spirit to stop shouting. ‘Be quiet! And come out of that man!’ he said.
Then the *evil spirit caused the man to fall down on the ground in front of the people. But the *evil spirit left the man and it did not hurt him. v36 This astonished all the people, so they spoke to each other with excitement. ‘This Jesus’ words are extremely powerful!’ they said. ‘He speaks to the *evil spirits with God’s authority. He seems to have the right to give commands to them. As a result, they leave people!’ v37 So those people told other people in every village in the entire region about what Jesus had done.
v38 Jesus and some friends left the *synagogue and they went into Simon’s house. Simon’s wife’s mother was ill and she was very hot. So, the people there asked Jesus to help her.v39 Then Jesus leaned over her. And he ordered her illness to stop. He cured her immediately! So, she stood up and she served them some food.
v40 The sun was setting [6]. So, many people brought their friends or relatives to Jesus. Everyone who had an ill friend or relative brought that person to Jesus. These people were suffering from various diseases. Jesus put his hands on each one of them and he cured all of them. v41 He also caused the *evil spirits to come out from many people. As the *spirits left those people, they shouted to Jesus: ‘You are God’s *Son!’ But Jesus ordered them not to speak. He would not allow the *evil spirits to tell people about him. All the *evil spirits knew that Jesus was the *Messiah.
v42 As the sun rose the next morning, Jesus left that house. He went to a place where nobody was living. Then many people searched for him until they found him. And they urged him not to leave them. v43 But Jesus spoke to them. ‘I must tell the good *Message to people in other towns also,’ he told them. ‘This good *Message tells people how God wants to rule their lives. God sent me to tell this to people.’ v44 So he continued to teach people in the *synagogues in Judea district.
v1 One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret [7]. And many people were crowding round him to hear the *Message from God. v2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake, and one of them belonged to Simon. The men had been fishing earlier and now they were washing their nets on the shore.
v3 Jesus got into Simon’s boat. Then he asked Simon to put the boat a short distance away from the shore. Jesus sat in that boat and he taught the people. They were still standing on the shore. v4 After Jesus had spoken to them all, he spoke to Simon. ‘Take the boat out to a place where the water is deep,’ he said. ‘Then let down your nets into the water to catch some fish!’
v5 ‘Master’, Simon replied, ‘we worked all night and we did not catch any fish! But because you say so, I will let down the nets again.’
v6 Simon and the men with him let down their nets into the water, and they caught many fish. There were so many fish that their nets were breaking. v7 They signalled to their partners in the other boat that they should help them. So, their partners came and they filled both the boats with fish from the net. As a result, the boats were so full that they began to sink.
v8-10 Simon Peter and the men with him could hardly believe how many fish they had taken! All these fish astonished James and John too. They were Zebedee’s sons and they were Simon’s partners. Simon looked at the fish. Then he fell down on his knees in front of Jesus. ‘*Lord, leave me, because I am a man who has *sinned much!’ he said.
But Jesus replied to Simon. ‘Do not be afraid! Until now, you have gathered fish. But from now on, you will gather people to become my *disciples,’ Jesus told him.
v11 So they pulled their boats onto the shore. Then they left all their possessions with other people, and they went with Jesus.
v12 While Jesus was in a certain city in Galilee district, he met a man. This man was suffering much from the illness called *leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he threw himself down in front of him. ‘Please cure me, *Lord’, the man asked Jesus in a desperate manner. ‘I know that you can cure me from this disease! You have the power. You can make my body *clean again, if you want to!’
v13 The *Jewish religion had a rule. This rule said that nobody should come close to a person with *leprosy. But Jesus reached out his hand and he touched the man. ‘I want to cure you’; he said. ‘You are *clean now!’ Immediately the disease went away from the man. The man had *leprosy no longer!
v14 Then Jesus spoke to him again so that he would do the right things. (This was necessary so that he could live among other people again.) ‘Go to Jerusalem city and show yourself to the priest there. He will examine you. Then he will see that you are well now. Do not tell anyone else yet!’ Jesus said to the man. ‘Go and speak to the priest. *Moses made this rule for people who have become *clean from *leprosy. They should take a particular gift to God when they speak to the priest. Then he will tell the local people that you are *clean again.’
v15 But many people heard the man’s report about what Jesus had done for him. As a result, large crowds gathered where Jesus was. They wanted to hear his *Message. And they wanted him to cure their illnesses. v16 But often Jesus would go away from all the people to the places where nobody lived. There he would pray to God.
v17 One day Jesus was teaching God’s Word and some men from the *Pharisee group were sitting there. Some of them were men who taught the *Jewish *Law. Those men had come from Jerusalem city. Other teachers had come from many other villages in Galilee and Judea districts. Jesus possessed God’s power to cure people. v18 And just then, several men brought with them another man who could not walk.
They carried the sick man on a mat. The men wanted to bring him into the house so that they could lay him in front of Jesus. v19 But they could not get into the house, because so many people were there. So, the men carried the sick man up the steps onto the roof. They removed some of the roof and they let down the sick man through the hole. So they let him down into the middle of the room. He was still lying on the mat when he arrived in front of Jesus.
v20 And Jesus knew that those men believed in him. They believed that Jesus could cure their sick friend. So, Jesus spoke to the man. ‘My friend, I forgive you although you have done bad things!’ Jesus said.
v21 The men who taught the *Jewish *Law and the rest of the *Pharisees began to think to themselves. ‘This man, Jesus, is acting as if he is God! He is insulting God when he speaks like that! No human person can forgive *sins! Only God can do that!’
v22 But Jesus understood what they were thinking. So he replied to the thoughts of those *Jewish leaders. ‘You should not be thinking such things about what I said. Think about this instead,’ he said. v23 ‘I can easily tell this man that I forgive him: “Although you have done bad things, I forgive you.” Nobody can prove that God has really forgiven him. But I can say to him, “Get up and walk!” Then people can see easily whether I can cure him or not,’ Jesus said.
v24 ‘So, I will say that to him in order that you may see God’s power. Then you will know that God has given this authority to me. I came to earth from *heaven [8]. I can forgive *sins and I can cure people.’
Then Jesus spoke to the man who could not walk: ‘This is what I say to you. Get up now! Pick up your mat, and go home!’ he said.
v25 Immediately, the man got up in front of all the people. The man picked up the mat on which he had been lying. Then he went home and he was praising God all the way. v26 This astonished all the people there. So, they praised God, but they were afraid too. They were saying to each other, ‘We have seen wonderful things today!’
v27 Later Jesus left the house. He saw a man who collected taxes on behalf of the *Roman government. This man’s name was Levi. And he was collecting taxes at his desk when Jesus passed by. Then Jesus spoke to him. ‘Come with me and be my *disciple!’ he said. v28 So, Levi left everything and he went with Jesus.
v29 Later, Levi went to his own house. And he prepared a special meal for Jesus to eat with his *disciples. A large group of other people was eating with them also. Levi’s *tax collector friends were there, together with other friends. v30 But some *Pharisees and some men who taught the *Jewish *Law complained to Jesus’ *disciples. ‘It is terrible that you are eating with those men!’ they said. ‘They collect taxes on behalf of the *Romans, who are our enemies! And we consider all these people here to be wicked too!’
v31 But Jesus heard those *Pharisees’ words, so he answered them. He wanted to show that such people needed his help. And he was ready to help anyone who asked him. ‘People who are well do not need a doctor’, he said. ‘But people do need a doctor if they are sick! v32 Similarly, people may think that they are good. Then they imagine that they do not need to turn away from their *sins. So I cannot help such people. Instead, I came to invite people who know about their *sins. They know that they are wicked. They need to turn away from their *sins. And they need to come to God.’
v33 Some people asked Jesus a question. ‘John, the man who *baptised people, has *disciples. And often, they refuse to eat food’, they said to Jesus. ‘They do this in order to be humble. They are sad about their *sins, and they want to please God. So, they pray during the time when they do not eat. The *Pharisees’ *disciples do the same thing. But your *disciples continue to eat and to drink! Why is that?’
v34 Jesus knew that his *disciples would be very sad in the future. This would happen at the time when he could not remain with them. So he replied. ‘Think about a man who is marrying his wife,’ he said. ‘The man’s friends eat and drink. They do that all the time while the man is still there with them. v35 But some day the man’s enemies will take him away from his friends. Then, at that time, his friends will not eat, because they will be sad.’
v36 Then Jesus told those people two stories. He wanted to show them how God’s new *Message changes people. People who believe God’s *Message do not need to obey old traditions. For example, they do not need to refuse food on certain days because of tradition. And people who obey old traditions are not eager to change their behaviour. ‘People do not tear a piece of cloth out of new clothes in order to repair old clothes,’ Jesus said. ‘If they do that, they will ruin the new clothes. And the new piece of cloth will not match the old clothes,’ Jesus said to them.
v37 ‘Also, nobody puts new wine into old *wineskins,’ he said. ‘As the new wine becomes more mature, it needs more space. And then it would burst the old *wineskins. That would ruin the old *wineskins and all the wine will spill out. v38 Instead, people must put new wine into new *wineskins. v39 Certainly, if a person has drunk only old wine, he is content with that. That person does not want to drink new wine. Instead he says, “The old wine is better.” ’
v1 One *Sabbath day Jesus was walking through some fields with his *disciples. The *disciples picked some of the ripe grain that was growing there. They rubbed it in their hands to separate out the actual grain. Then they ate the grain. v2 However, some *Pharisees were watching them. ‘Our *Law says that people must not work on the *Sabbath day!’ those *Pharisees said to Jesus. ‘But your *disciples are doing work when they separate out the grain!’
v3 Then Jesus replied to them. He reminded them that the chief priest helped King David long ago. The priest decided not to obey God’s law when David’s men needed food. And God permitted this. ‘You have read about what David did many centuries ago’, Jesus said. ‘But you do not think about what the priest’s kind act means. David and the men with him were very hungry.’
v4 ‘So, David entered God’s special tent, and the chief priest gave him the bread from there. It was the bread that the priest offered to God every *Sabbath day. And *Moses’ *Law says that only the priests should eat that bread. But David ate some of that bread, and he gave some to his men. And God did not say that David was wrong!’
v5 Then Jesus added, ‘I am the man who came from *heaven. So I can say what my *disciples do on the *Sabbath day!’
v6 On another *Sabbath day, Jesus entered a *Jewish *synagogue to teach God’s words to the people there. A man was present whose right hand seemed dry and dead. He could not move it and he could not use it. v7 Some men who taught the *Jewish *Law and some *Pharisees were present too. They were watching Jesus. They wanted to see if he would cure the man’s hand on a *Sabbath day. If Jesus cured the man, those *Jews would accuse him. They would say that he was not obeying the *Law. They would say that he had worked on the *Sabbath day. v8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So, he spoke to the man with the bad hand. ‘Come and stand here in front of everyone!’ he said.
So, the man did that.
v9 Then Jesus spoke to everyone: ‘I want to tell you this: Our *Jewish *Law permits us to do good things on the *Sabbath day. It certainly does not say that we should do evil things then.’ Jesus said. ‘The *Law permits us to save a person’s life on the *Sabbath day. It does not permit us to let that person die. So we should not refuse to help someone on the *Sabbath day.’
v10 Jesus looked round at all those *Jews, but they said nothing. Then Jesus spoke to the man, ‘Reach out your hand!’ Jesus said.
So, the man reached out his hand, and it became well again! v11 But the *Jewish teachers and the *Pharisees who saw this event were very angry. And they discussed with each other what they could do about Jesus.
v12 About that time Jesus went up into the hills to pray. He prayed to God all night. v13 The next day he asked all his *disciples to come near to him. From among them, he chose 12 men, whom he called *apostles. v14 One man was Simon, but Jesus called him Peter. Another man was Simon’s younger brother Andrew. Jesus chose James and his younger brother John too. And Jesus chose Philip, Bartholomew, v15 Matthew, Thomas and another James, who was Alpheus’ son. Also, Jesus chose another Simon who belonged to the Zealot party. (The Zealots encouraged people to oppose the *Roman government.) v16 And Jesus chose Judas, another James’ son, and the other Judas who was from Kerioth town. He was the man who helped Jesus’ enemies later.
v17 Jesus came down from the hills with his *disciples. He stopped and he stood in a level place. There was a great crowd of his *disciples with him, and a large group of other people joined them also. Those people had come from Jerusalem city and from many other places in Judea district. They also came from areas near Tyre and Sidon cities on the coast. v18 The people had come to listen to Jesus as he taught. And they wanted him to cure their diseases. He also cured those people whom *evil spirits were upsetting. v19 Everyone in the crowd was trying to touch Jesus, because he was curing everyone by God’s power.
v20 Then Jesus looked at his *disciples and he spoke to them.
‘You please God. But you are poor now, because men rule over you.
But you will receive all the benefits as God rules over your lives.
v21 You please God, although you have very little food to eat now.
But God will provide everything that you need.
You please God, although you are sad now, because of *sin.
Later you will be happy.
v22 You please God, although people hate you.
They order you to go away, and they insult you.
They say that you are evil. They insult you like that because you believe me.
And I am the man who came from *heaven,’ Jesus said.
v23 ‘When these things happen, be happy! Jump up and down because you are so happy! God will give you a great reward in *heaven! When people do these things to you, it will show them something. It will prove to them that you are God’s servants. Their grandfathers did the same bad things to the *prophets who served God so well long ago.’
v24 ‘But trouble is coming to you rich people,’ Jesus continued.
‘You have already received all your happiness from your riches.
v25 Trouble is coming to you who have plenty to eat now.
You think that you need nothing.
Later, you will be hungry.
Trouble is coming to you who are happy now.
Later, you will be very sad and you will weep.
v26 Trouble will come to you if everyone seems to speak well about you.
Their words will prove that you are not God’s servants.
Long ago, those peoples’ grandfathers used to speak well about people who falsely pretended to be *prophets.’
Luke 6:27-36 We must love our enemies
v27 ‘But I say this to all of you who are listening to me,’ Jesus said.
‘Love your enemies! Do good things to help those people who hate you! v28 Ask God to be kind to those people who insult you! Pray on behalf of those people who are cruel to you!’ Jesus said. v29 ‘Someone may insult you and hit your cheek. Then turn your face, so that they can hit the other cheek also. Someone may want to take away your coat. Let them have it. And let them take your shirt also.’
v30 Jesus was teaching his *disciples to act in an extraordinary manner, in order to show God’s kindness to people. ‘Give your possessions to everyone who asks you for them,’ Jesus said. ‘Someone may take away things that belong to you. Do not ask that person to return those things. v31 You all know how you would like other people to behave towards you. So you should behave towards them in the same manner.’
v32 ‘Perhaps you love only those people who love you. Then, do not expect God to reward you,’ Jesus said. ‘Even bad people love the people who love them. v33 Perhaps you only help those people who do good things for you. Then, do not expect God to reward you. Even bad people do that. v34 Perhaps you lend things or money to people. But you expect them to give something back to you. Then, do not expect that God will reward you. Even bad people lend things to other bad people. And they expect them to pay back everything.’
v35 ‘Instead, love your enemies!’ Jesus said. ‘Help them! Lend things to them! But do not expect them to pay back anything! If you do good things like that, God will give you a great reward. And you will be acting as God’s children should act. Remember that God is kind to everyone. He is kind to people who are not grateful. And he is kind to people who are wicked. That is why he was kind to you. And now he expects you to be kind like that too. v36 Pity other people, even as your *Father in *heaven pities them.’
v37 ‘Do not accuse other people because of their *sins,’ Jesus continued. ‘Then, God may not need to accuse you because of your *sins. Do not decide how God ought to punish other people. Then, God may not decide to punish you. Forgive other people, and then God will forgive you.’
v38 ‘Give things to other people, and then God will give things to you,’ Jesus said. ‘It will be as if God is putting good things in your basket. He will give you a complete amount and he will press it down in the basket. Then he will shake the basket so that he can put more in it. He will fill your basket until the contents spill over the sides! You will receive all that as a gift. Remember! God will act toward you in the same way as you act toward other people!’
v39 Then Jesus told them these examples. He wanted to show them that they should not be like the leaders of their religion. ‘You certainly would not expect a blind man to lead another blind man. If he tried to do that, probably they would both fall into a hole,’ Jesus said.
v40 ‘I am your teacher and you *disciples should be like me. A *disciple should not expect other people to think that he is important. He is not a greater person than his teacher is. But if a teacher completely trains a student, that student can then become like his teacher. So, you should try to be like me.’
v41 ‘You should not notice the small mistakes that someone else makes,’ Jesus continued. ‘You need to notice your own big errors first. The other person’s mistakes may seem like tiny bits of dust that fall into an eye. But your own errors may be like a beam of wood! First, you must notice the beam of wood that is in your own eye! Then, you can see clearly when you look at the other person. “Friend,” you may say, “let me take out that bit of dust that is in your eye!” ’ Jesus said.
‘If you do not deal with yourself first, you have double standards! You should first stop your own errors. They may be like a great beam in your own eye. Afterwards, you will be able to help your friend to deal with his small errors.’
v43 ‘People are like trees. Healthy trees do not produce bad fruit. But trees that are not healthy do not produce good fruit,’ Jesus said. v44 ‘You can know if a tree is good or bad. You just look at its fruit. So also, you can know if a person is good or bad. You just look at the way that he lives. Also, you can see what tree it is from its fruit. People do not pick *figs from *thorn bushes. And people do not pick *grapes from *thorn bushes either.’
v45 ‘In the same way, good people have many good thoughts deep inside themselves,’ Jesus said. ‘Because of their good thoughts, they will act in right ways. And evil people have many evil thoughts deep inside themselves. So, because of their evil thoughts, they will act in wrong ways. And they will speak in wrong ways too. They will act just as they think in their minds.’
v46 ‘People should obey what their masters tell them to do. But you do not do what I tell you to do. That is very bad! And you still say that I am your master.’ Jesus said. v47 ‘Some people sincerely come to me to hear my words. They listen to my words and they obey them. My next story will show you what they are like.’
v48 ‘They are like some men who built a house,’ Jesus said. ‘They dug deep into the ground so that it would stand strong. They made sure that it stood on solid rock. Then, there was a sudden flood. And the flood water rose against the house. But the water could not move the house, because the men had built it well. They built it on solid ground.’
v49 ‘However, other people hear my words and they do not obey them,’ Jesus said. ‘They are like someone else who just built a house on top of the ground. That person did not dig deep so that the house would stand strong. Then, the river flooded. The house fell immediately and the flood completely ruined it.’
v1 Jesus finished what he was teaching the people. Then, he went with his *disciples to Capernaum town. v2 A certain *Roman army officer in that town had a *slave whom he respected very much. This *slave was so ill that the officer expected him to die soon. v3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he contacted some older *Jewish leaders. He told them to go to Jesus. He wanted Jesus to cure his *slave. They must ask Jesus to come quickly.
v4 The *Jewish leaders came to the place where Jesus was. And they urgently asked Jesus to go to the officer’s house with them. ‘This officer deserves that you do this for him,’ they said. v5 ‘He loves our *Jewish people. And he paid the money to build our *synagogue.’
v6 So, Jesus went with the *Jewish leaders. They had come near the officer’s house, when the officer called some friends to him. ‘Go to Jesus and tell him this,’ the officer said to his friends: ‘Tell him: “Sir, you do not need to come to my house. I am not a *Jew. So, I do not deserve that you should come into my house. v7 I do not even deserve to come to you. That is why I did not come myself to speak to you. But just cure my servant with a command, and he will be well again! v8 I believe that you can do this. When my own chief officers give me commands, I obey them. And I have soldiers also and I give them commands. I say to one of my soldiers, “Go somewhere!” So, he goes there. I say to another of my soldiers, “Come here!” So, he comes here. I tell my *slave to do something! And he does it. And I believe that you have the same kind of authority.” ’
v9 Then the officer’s friends went to Jesus. And they told him what the officer had said. Jesus was very surprised to hear the officer’s words. He turned to the crowd that was travelling with him. ‘I have never seen anyone who trusts me like this. This *non-Jewish man trusts me more than anyone else trusts me,’ Jesus said. ‘I would expect *Jewish people to trust me. But nobody from *Israel has ever trusted me like this man trusts me!’
v10 The officer’s friends returned to the officer’s house. And they found that the *slave had recovered.
v11 Soon after that, Jesus went to a town called Nain. Jesus’ *disciples and a large crowd of other people went with him. v12 As they approached the town gate, they met a group of people. The people were carrying a young man’s dead body out of the town. They were going outside the town boundary to bury him. The young man’s mother was a widow, and he was her only son. Many of the people from the town were going with her to bury him. v13 When the *Lord Jesus saw the young man's mother, he pitied her. He spoke to her, ‘Do not cry!’ he said.
v14 Then Jesus came closer. And he touched the *stretcher on which the body was lying. So, the men who were carrying the *stretcher stood still. Then, Jesus spoke to the dead body: ‘Young man, I am speaking to you. Get up now!’ he said.
v15 The man sat up and he began to talk! Jesus gave him back to his mother. v16 Everyone there was very afraid of God, because of what had happened. But they praised God: ‘A great *prophet has come among us!’ they said. And they also said: ‘God has come to help his people!’
v17 All over the Judea district and other areas near there, people were telling each other all that Jesus was doing.
v18 John, who *baptised people, was in prison. But John had some *disciples also. And they told John all that people were saying about Jesus. So, one day John called two of his own *disciples to him. v19 Then, John told them to ask the *Lord Jesus these questions:
‘Are you the *Messiah that God will send to us? Or should we expect that someone else will come?’
v20 The two men came to Jesus. ‘John, who *baptises people, sent us here,’ they said to him. ‘Are you the *Messiah that God will send to us? Or should we expect someone else to come?’
v21 At that time, many people had come to Jesus with diseases and other illnesses, and Jesus was curing them. He was also causing *evil spirits to leave people. And he was curing many blind people so that they could see again. v22 So, Jesus answered John’s two *disciples. ‘Go back to John’, Jesus said. ‘Tell him what I am doing to these people. Tell him what I am telling these people. You have seen and heard these things,’ he said. ‘I am helping blind people so that they can see. I am helping people to walk who were not able to walk. I am curing *lepers. I am helping deaf people so that they can hear. I am causing dead people to become alive again, and I am telling God’s good *Message to poor people,’ Jesus said.
And he added: v23 ‘Some people do not like what I am doing. But God is pleased with anyone who believes still in me.’
v24 John’s two *disciples went away. Then Jesus talked to all the people about John. ‘You went to see John out there in the desert,’ he said. ‘You did not know what kind of person you would see. Other people could not persuade John to change what he said. He was not like grass stems, which the wind can shake. v25 That was not the kind of person that you saw,’ Jesus said.
‘You did not see a man who wore beautiful, expensive clothes. You did not see someone who lived in luxury. No! People who wear splendid clothes live in kings’ palaces. They do not live in the middle of a desert. v26 That was not the kind of person you saw,’ Jesus said.
‘You went to see a *prophet. And yes, John was a *prophet. But John was more important than an ordinary *prophet. v27 A *prophet once wrote these words in *Scripture. They are words which God spoke to his *Messiah. And in these words, God was referring to John’s special task:
Listen! I have chosen someone whom I will send ahead of you.
He will prepare people for your arrival.’
v28 ‘This is what I am telling you,’ Jesus said. ‘Think about this. Very many people were born in this world before John was born. But not one of them was more important than John is. God rules many peoples’ lives now because of his *Messiah. And anyone whose life God rules, God considers greater than John. It does not matter how unimportant that person is.’
v29 All the people who were standing there had listened to John. Everyone disliked the people who collected the *Roman taxes. But even those people agreed with everyone else that God’s way was right. And so, John had *baptised them all, including the tax officials. They did what God wanted them to do. v30 But the *Pharisees and the men who taught the *Jewish *Laws did not let John *baptise them. They refused to do what God wanted them to do.
v31 Then Jesus added this. ‘Let me tell you what these people are like. They have listened to all that I was teaching. But nobody who comes with a message from God can please them. v32 They are like children who are playing games in an open area. Some of them are sitting down. They are calling to the other children: “We played happy songs, but you did not dance!” they shout. “Then we sang sad funeral songs, but you did not cry!”
v33 ‘What I mean is this,’ Jesus said. ‘John, who *baptised people, spoke God’s *Message to you. He lived a strict life. He did not eat much food or drink any wine during all that time. He did not attend your happy parties. But you refused to listen to him. “A *demon is controlling him!” you said.
v34 ‘But then God sent me to you. I am the man who came from *heaven. My life is very different from John’s life,’ Jesus said. ‘I eat the same food as you do. I drink wine with you. But you refuse to accept me. “Look!” you say. “He eats too much food and drinks too much wine. Also, he is a friend to people who collect the *Roman taxes and to other *sinful people!” But really, you are making excuses because you do not want to believe God’s *Message. You would not believe it when John said it. And you do not believe it when I say it. v35 But some people believe me. They prove that God is really wise. And they are truly God’s children.’
v36 One day, a *Pharisee called Simon invited Jesus to eat a meal with him. So, Jesus went to the man’s house. Then, he sat down to eat the food. v37 A woman from that city heard that Jesus was eating in the *Pharisee’s house. So, she bought some oil in a stone jar. This oil was expensive because of its sweet smell. And she brought this oil with her when she came to the *Pharisee’s house. This woman’s *sins were well-known in that town.
v38 The woman stood behind Jesus by his feet. And she was crying because she had *sinned against God. As she cried, her tears fell on Jesus’ feet. Then, she wiped Jesus’ feet with her long hair, and she kissed his feet many times. After that, she poured the oil that had a sweet smell over his feet.
v39 The *Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw her. And he thought to himself, ‘If Jesus was really a *prophet, he would know about this woman. He would know who she is. And he would know what kind of a person she is. He would know, because God would tell a *prophet about such matters. But Jesus is letting her touch him! And her *sins are well-known!’.
v40 But God showed Jesus what the *Pharisee was thinking. So Jesus spoke to him. ‘Simon, there is something I want to tell you,’ Jesus said.
‘Teacher, What is it?’ Simon asked.
v41 Then Jesus told him this story. ‘Two people owed some money to someone who lent money,’ Jesus said. ‘One man owed 500 silver coins to that person, and the other man owed him 50 silver coins. v42 But they were not able to pay back the money that they owed to that person (the lender). So, the man said that they did not have to pay back anything. He was very kind to them. So, which of those two men will be most grateful to him? What is your opinion?’
v43 Simon replied, ‘The man who owed most money to him will be most grateful. That is what I think. He will be most grateful to the person who was so kind to him.’
‘That is correct,’ Jesus said.
v44 Then, Jesus turned toward the woman, and he spoke to Simon again. ‘Look at this woman!’ Jesus said. ‘When I entered your house, you did not perform our custom. You did not give me any water to wash my feet. But this woman washed my feet with her tears and then she wiped them off with her hair! v45 ‘You did not perform our custom and kiss me as a greeting,’ Jesus said. ‘But this woman has not stopped kissing my feet since I came in! v46 You did not perform our custom and put *olive oil on my head. But she has put this oil that has a sweet smell on my feet.
v47 ‘And so, I am telling you this,’ Jesus said to Simon the *Pharisee. ‘I am telling you that I have forgiven her. Although she has *sinned very much, still I forgive her. She has done all this for me. And in this way, she has shown that she loved me very much. But some people do not love me very much. They are the people who did not really want me to forgive them,’ Jesus said to Simon.
v48 Then Jesus spoke to the woman. ‘I forgive you although you have done wrong things.’
v49 Then the people who were eating with Jesus spoke to each other: ‘This man is speaking as if he is God. That is terrible!’ they said. ‘He says that he can even forgive people. He can forgive people although they have done wrong things.’
v50 But Jesus said to the woman, ‘God has rescued you because you have trusted me. You are now at *peace with God. You can go home now.’
v1 Soon after that, Jesus went on a journey with his 12 *disciples. They travelled through various towns and villages. Everywhere that they went, Jesus was telling God’s good *Message to people. He told them how God can rule in their hearts. And God wants people everywhere to come under his rule, Jesus said.
v2 Some women were travelling with him also. Jesus had forced *evil spirits to leave some of these women. He had cured them from various diseases. The women included Mary, the woman from Magdala village. He had forced 7 *evil spirits to leave her. v3 Also Chuza’s wife, Joanna, was in the group. Chuza was one of King *Herod Antipas’s officials. Also Susanna and many other women were with them. These women were using some of their own funds to help Jesus and his *disciples.
v4 A great crowd of people came to Jesus from many towns. Then Jesus told them this story:
v5 ‘A farmer went out to his field in order to sow some seed,’ Jesus began. ‘As the farmer scattered the seed, some seeds fell on the path. Then, people walked on those seeds and birds ate them. v6 Other seeds fell on rock where the soil on top was very thin. As soon as the seeds grew, the plants dried up. The soil was not damp enough,’ Jesus said.
v7 ‘Other seeds fell on ground which had roots of *thorn plants in it. The seeds grew, but the *thorn plants also grew. Then, the *thorn plants crowded out the good plants so that they died. v8 But some seeds fell into good soil and the plants grew well. Each seed later produced a hundred new seeds.’
After Jesus said this, he added: ‘If you really want to understand, think about my words carefully!’
v9 Later, Jesus’ *disciples asked him what that story meant. v10 So, Jesus told them. ‘God is allowing you, my *disciples, to know the truth now,’ Jesus said. ‘He does want to rule in peoples’ hearts. But he did not allow people to know all these things in previous years. However, I need to use stories to tell other people about such things. They see what I am doing. But they do not really understand why I do it. They hear what I am saying. But they do not understand what I mean.’
v11 ‘So, this is the meaning of that story: The seeds are like God’s *Message,’ Jesus said. v12 ‘Some people are like the path on which the seeds fell. They hear God’s *Message, but then the *devil comes. He stops them so that they cannot think about the *Message. And so, they do not believe God’s words, and God cannot rescue them from evil things,’ Jesus said.
v13 ‘Other people are like the rock with shallow soil on the top. They are people who listen to God’s *Message. And they are very happy to hear it. But the *Message does not go deeply into their minds. So, they believe it for a short time. But when difficult things happen to them, they do not believe it any more,’ Jesus said.
v14 ‘Other people are like the ground which had roots of *thorn plants in it. Those people hear God’s *Message, but afterwards they worry about things. They try to become rich and they want to have much pleasure. So, they do not continue to do things that please God,’ Jesus said.
v15 ‘But some people are like the good soil. They hear God’s *Message and they keep it in their hearts. They are good and honest people. So, they patiently do things that please God.’
v16 Then Jesus explained to his *disciples that he wanted them to tell God’s *Message to other people. He said: ‘When people light a lamp, they do not cover it with a basket,’ he said. ‘And they do not put it under a bed. Instead, they put the lamp on top of something high. Then, it can give light to people who enter the house’ [9].
v17 ‘That lamp is like God’s *Message. God wants people to understand all of his *Message. He had kept it secret in previous years,’ Jesus said. ‘But God intends that his people should tell other people all of his *Message. It was as if he hid the *Message before. But now he has let you find it.’
v18 ‘So, listen carefully to what I tell to you,’ Jesus said: ‘God will help anyone who believes my words. They will be able to understand even more. But God will not help anyone who refuses to believe. God will not let them remember. They will forget even the few words that they heard.’
v19 One day Jesus’ mother and his younger brothers came to visit him. But there was a large crowd all round Jesus in that house. So, his mother and his brothers could not get near to him. v20 Someone told him, ‘Your mother and your younger brothers are standing outside. They want to talk to you.’
v21 Then Jesus said, ‘My mother and my younger brothers are my family. But those people who obey God’s *Message are very important to me. I love them even as I love my own family.’
v22 One day Jesus got into a boat with his *disciples. ‘Let us go round to the other side of the lake,’ he said to them.
So, Jesus and his *disciples started to sail there. v23 As the boat was sailing along, Jesus was asleep. Suddenly a storm with a very strong wind came down on the lake. Soon, the boat was filling with water and they were in danger. v24 So, the *disciples woke Jesus up. ‘Master! Master! We are drowning! Please help us!’ they said.
Then Jesus awoke. He ordered the wind and the waves to be calm. So, the wind stopped blowing and the waves became calm again. v25 Then, Jesus spoke to the *disciples. ‘You disappoint me because you did not trust me!’ he said.
This astonished the *disciples and they were afraid. So, they spoke to each other: ‘This man astonishes us! He not only gives orders to people, but he also gives orders to the wind and the water. And they obey him!’ they said.
v26 Jesus and the *disciples had crossed the lake from Galilee district. Now they arrived at the area near Gerasa town. v27 They stepped out of the boat onto the land. There, a man from Gerasa town met them. *Evil spirits controlled that man. For a long time, he had not worn any clothes and he did not live in a house. Instead, he lived in some caves where the people from Gerasa town buried their dead relatives.
v28-29 The *evil spirits had attacked this man many times. And people tried to guard him so that he would not attack other people. They fastened chains on his hands and iron bands on his feet. But when the *evil spirits controlled the man, he would break the chains and iron bands. Then the *spirits would send him away to the dry area near there, where nobody lived.
When Jesus stepped out of the boat onto the shore, that man saw him. He ran to Jesus. He threw himself down on the ground in front of him. Then, Jesus ordered the *evil spirits to come out of that man. But the man shouted out loudly, ‘Jesus, *Son of God in *heaven. You have nothing in common with me. So, I ask you to leave me alone! Do not punish me yet!’
v30 ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked the man.
The man replied, ‘My name is Crowd.’
The man said that because a crowd of *evil spirits had entered him. v31 The *evil spirits asked Jesus many times: ‘Please do not send us to the place where God would punish us.’
v32 At that time a large number of pigs were eating food on the hill’s side. The *evil spirits asked Jesus if they could enter the pigs’ bodies. So, Jesus permitted them to do that.
v33 So, the *evil spirits left the man and they entered the pigs’ bodies. Then, the whole group of pigs rushed down the steep slope and they fell into the lake. They all drowned.
v34 The men who were feeding the pigs saw this event. So, they ran away to the town and to the local farms. There, they told all the people what had happened. v35 So, everyone went out to see what had happened to their pigs.
Then, they came to the place where Jesus was standing. And they saw the man. He was sitting calmly at Jesus’ feet. And he was listening to Jesus, who was teaching him. Jesus had caused the *evil spirits to leave this man. So now, the man had clothes on, and his mind was normal again. Then, the local people became really afraid.
v36 Some people had seen how Jesus had cured the man. So, they told the other people. He was the same man whom *evil spirits were living in before. v37 But the Gerasa people and many other people from near there were very afraid. They were afraid of what Jesus might do. So, they all asked Jesus to leave their area.
Then, Jesus and the *disciples got into the boat to go back across the lake. v38 The man whom Jesus had cured from the *evil spirits was there also. And he wanted very much to go with Jesus. But Jesus refused to allow him. Instead, Jesus told him v39 to go back to his home. ‘Tell everybody about all the good things that God has done for you!’ Jesus said to him.
So, the man went away and he talked to everybody in the town. He told them how much Jesus had done for him.
v40 So, Jesus and his *disciples returned to Capernaum town. A crowd of people *welcomed them, because they were all waiting for Jesus. v41 A man called Jairus was one of the leaders of the *synagogue there. Jairus came near to Jesus and he threw himself down by Jesus’ feet. And urgently he requested Jesus to come with him to his house. v42 His only daughter, who was about 12 years old, was dying.
As Jesus was walking along with Jairus, many people crowded close to him. v43 Then a woman approached him. She had suffered from an illness for 12 years, and she was bleeding continuously. No doctor was able to cure her. v44 She came behind Jesus and she touched the edge of his clothes. She did this because she wanted Jesus to cure her. And at once she stopped bleeding.
v45 ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked.
Everybody said that they had not touched him. Then Peter said: ‘*Lord, a great crowd is pressing against you, so any one of them might have touched you!’
v46 But Jesus said: ‘No, someone did touch me particularly. I know that because some of my power has gone out from me. And my power has cured that person who touched me.’
v47 The woman realised that she could not hide. She realised that Jesus knew all about her. She was trembling as she threw herself down in front of him. Then, she explained why she had touched Jesus. All the people who were there heard her. She explained how she became well immediately. v48 Then Jesus spoke to the woman: ‘I cured you because you believed me. You are now at *peace with God. You can go home now.’
v49 Jesus was still talking to the woman, when a man arrived from Jairus’s house. The man told Jairus: ‘Your daughter has died. So, do not ask the teacher to come with you any longer!’
v50 But Jesus heard that, so he spoke to Jairus: ‘Do not be afraid. Just believe that I can cure her. If you do that, she will become well.’
v51 So, they arrived outside the house. But Jesus allowed only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s mother and father to go into the house with him. v52 All the people already inside the house were shouting and crying. They were so sad. But Jesus just said: ‘Do not weep! The little girl is not dead. She is just sleeping.’
v53 The people there laughed at Jesus. They knew that the girl was dead. v54 But Jesus held her hand and he spoke to her: ‘Child, get up!’ he said.
v55 At once her spirit returned to her body and she got up. Then, Jesus told the child’s parents to give her something to eat. v56 She was alive and this astonished her parents. But Jesus told them not to tell anyone else what had happened.
v1 One day Jesus called his 12 *apostles to him. He gave them power to remove all kinds of *evil spirits from people. And Jesus gave the *apostles authority to cure people with diseases. v2 Then, Jesus was ready to send them to tell people about God. They should tell people how God will rule in the world. They should tell them that, in the future, God will have complete control over peoples’ lives. And they should cure sick people.
v3 But before Jesus sent them out, he spoke to them. ‘Do not take things for your journey,’ Jesus said. ‘Do not take a stick to help you walk. Do not take a traveller’s bag or food or money. Do not take extra clothes,’ he said. v4 ‘Whatever house you lodge in at first, stay in that house. Stay there until you leave that town. v5 If the people in one town do not *welcome you, leave that town. And as you leave, shake off the dust from your *sandals. This will show the people there that God will not accept them,’ Jesus said.
v6 Then the *apostles left and they travelled through many villages. Everywhere they went, they told God’s good *Message to the people. They also cured many sick people.
v7 *Herod Antipas was the ruler of the *province. He had heard about all that Jesus and his *disciples were doing. This *Herod had previously ordered his soldiers to kill John the *Baptiser. So now *Herod wondered who Jesus was. It all confused him.
Because some people were saying that John had become alive again. So John was doing those *miracles, they said. v8 But other people were saying that the *prophet Elijah had appeared again. Elijah was doing those things, they said. Still other people were saying that another former *prophet had become alive again. And he was doing those *miracles, they said.
v9 But *Herod said, ‘It cannot be John who is doing these *miracles. I ordered my soldiers to cut off his head. And they obeyed me. So, who is doing these *miracles that I often hear about?’ That was why *Herod wanted to meet Jesus.
v10 The *apostles returned from the various villages where they had been travelling. They told Jesus everything that they had done. Then Jesus took them with him and they went in private to a town called Bethsaida. v11 Crowds of people had been listening to Jesus. Now they found out where Jesus had gone. So, they followed him there. And when the crowds reached Jesus, he *welcomed them. Jesus taught them about how God will rule as king some day. He said that God would have complete control over people’s lives. He also cured the people who were ill.
v12 Late in the afternoon, the 12 *disciples who are the *apostles came to Jesus. ‘There is nothing to eat here,’ they told him. ‘So, send the people away. They can go to the villages and other places round here. They can get food there and they can find lodgings.’
v13 But Jesus told the *disciples, ‘No. You, yourselves, give them something to eat!’
But they replied, ‘We have only 5 small loaves of bread and two fish that someone cooked. What do you want us to do? Should we go somewhere and buy food for all these people?’ v14 There were about 5000 men there.
Jesus replied to his *disciples, ‘No, tell the people to sit down,’ he said. ‘Tell them to sit in groups, with about 50 people in each group.’
v15 So, the *disciples told all the people to sit down in groups. And they did that. v16 Then, Jesus took the 5 loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward *heaven and he thanked God for the food. Then he broke the food into pieces. And he gave the broken pieces to the *disciples to distribute to the crowd. v17 The *disciples did that, and all the people had enough. They ate the food until it had completely satisfied them. Then the *disciples collected the food that remained. They filled 12 large baskets with the broken pieces that the people had not eaten.
v18 One day Jesus was praying in private. Only the *disciples were with him. So, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds of people say that I am really?’
v19 The *disciples replied to him: ‘Some people say that you are John. That is, the man who *baptised. And those people imagine that John is alive again, by a *miracle. Other people say that you are the *prophet Elijah. They say that he is alive again. And some people say that one of the other *prophets from long ago has become alive again. And so people are saying that you are one of these *prophets.’
v20 ‘What about you?’ Jesus asked them. ‘Who do you say that I am?’
Then Peter replied, ‘You are the *Messiah who has come from God.’
v21 Jesus warned them strongly not to tell anyone about this yet. v22 Then he told them more. ‘I am the man who came from *heaven,’ he said. ‘The older *Jewish leaders, the chief priests and the men who teach the *Jewish *laws will refuse to accept me. I must suffer many things, and people will kill me. But I will become alive again three days later.’
v23 Then Jesus spoke to all the people. ‘Perhaps one of you wants to be my *disciple,’ Jesus said. ‘Then, you must not do what you yourself want to do. Each day you must be ready to follow me, and not to follow your own desires. Each day you must be like the person who carries his own *cross. Such a person is going to the place where his enemies will kill him. That is what it means to follow me. All this may happen to anyone who wants to be my *disciple,’ Jesus said.
v24 ‘If you try to protect your own selfish life, you will fail. But if you die because of your relationship with me, you will live with me always,’ Jesus said.
v25 ‘Some people may get everything that they want in this world. But they may not have the *life that never ends. In that case, they gain nothing and they waste their lives. v26 Many people refuse to follow me and they do not accept my *Message. They are ashamed of me,’ Jesus said.
‘But I, the man who came from *heaven, will come back again. I will come back with my own holy *angels from *heaven. And people will give honour to me, even as they give honour to my *Father. Then, I will refuse also to accept any evil people. I will be ashamed of them. v27 But listen carefully, you who are standing here now. Some of you will really see God before you die! He will be ruling in this world with power,’ Jesus finished his speech.
v28 It was about a week after Jesus had said those things. Then, Jesus took Peter, James and James’s brother John with him and they left the town. He led the three *disciples up a mountain so that he could pray there. v29 And as Jesus was praying to God his *Father, his *disciples saw that his face was very different. And his clothes became as bright as lightning.
v30-31 Suddenly, two men appeared and *heaven’s *brightness surrounded them. These two men were the *prophets, *Moses and Elijah, who had lived long ago. And they started to talk with Jesus. They knew that Jesus would die very soon in Jerusalem city. And they were talking about what Jesus would achieve by his death.
v32 Peter and the other *disciples who were with him were asleep. But they woke up and they saw that Jesus suddenly looked very bright. They also saw the two men who were standing with him. v33 *Moses and Elijah were leaving. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful to be here with you!’ he said. ‘Therefore, allow us to make three shelters. One shelter will be for you. Then, one will be for *Moses, and one will be for Elijah!’ (But really Peter did not realise what he was saying.)
v34 As he said this, a bright cloud appeared. The cloud covered all of them. The *disciples were afraid as the cloud surrounded them. v35 Then God spoke to them out of the cloud. ‘This is my *son that I love very much. I have chosen him to do a great work on my behalf. Therefore, listen to him!’
v36 After God’s voice had spoken those words, *Moses and Elijah were not still with them. Only Jesus remained there. The *disciples said nothing about this. They did not tell anyone what they had seen until much later.
v37 The next day, Jesus and the three *disciples came down from the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, a large crowd of people had gathered to meet Jesus. v38 One man in the crowd was desperate and he called out to Jesus: ‘Teacher, you must help my son! He is my only child!’ the man said. v39 ‘An *evil spirit frequently seizes him. It makes him scream. This *evil spirit shakes him hard and it makes white bubbles come out of his mouth. It hurts him badly. And it seems unwilling to leave him for a long time,’ the man said.
v40 ‘I asked your *disciples that were still here again and again. I wanted them to force out the *evil spirit. I wanted the *evil spirit to leave the boy alone. But your *disciples were not able to do it!’ the man said.
v41 Jesus spoke to everyone in reply: ‘I am very disappointed that you do not want to believe. Your thoughts are not right. You do not seem to believe that God can cure people!’ Jesus said. ‘I have been here with you already for too long. I will not be patient with you much longer.’ Then he spoke to the man: ‘Now, bring your son here to me!’
v42 However, even while they were bringing the boy to Jesus, the *evil spirit attacked the boy. It threw him onto the ground, and it shook him. But Jesus told the *evil spirit that it was wrong. Then Jesus cured the boy and he gave the boy back to his father. v43 This *miracle showed God’s wonderful nature, which astonished all the people there.
People were still wondering much about all the *miracles that Jesus was doing. Then Jesus spoke to his *disciples: v44 ‘Think carefully about what I am telling you,’ Jesus said to them. ‘I am the man who came from *heaven. And someone will soon hand me over to my enemies.’
v45 But the *disciples did not understand what he was saying. God made them unable to understand it at this time. So, they did not know yet what he meant. Also, the *disciples were afraid to ask Jesus about what he had said.
v46 Then the *disciples began to argue with each other. Each one of them wanted to be the most important person when Jesus became king. v47 But Jesus realised what they were thinking. So, he brought a young child to his side. v48 Then Jesus told them: ‘This is how I *welcome a little child. If you do the same, you are also *welcoming me,’ Jesus said. ‘And whoever *welcomes me is *welcoming my *Father. And he sent me. Remember this: One of you may think that he is the least important. But he will be the one that God considers to be the most important.’
v49 Then John said this: ‘Master, we saw a man who was forcing *evil spirits out of people. He insisted that you had given him the authority. But he does not travel with us. So, we told him to stop. He must not continue to force out *evil spirits.’
v50 But Jesus said to John: ‘Do not tell him to stop his work to free people from *evil spirits. Remember this: Anyone who does not oppose you may actually be helping you!’
v51 The time was coming near when God would take Jesus back to *heaven. So, Jesus made a firm decision to go to Jerusalem. He sent people ahead of him v52 to prepare for his visit to a village in Samaria district. v53 But the people in Samaria district did not like *Jewish people. The *Jews insisted that everyone must *worship God only in Jerusalem. And Jesus was going to Jerusalem. So the people in that village did not want Jesus to travel through their village.
v54 Two of Jesus’ *disciples, James and John, heard what those village people said. And immediately they spoke to Jesus: ‘*Lord, God could send fire down from *heaven and it would kill those people. Do you want God to do that? Shall we ask him to do that?’
v55 But Jesus turned round and looked at them severely. He told them that they should not say that. It was very wrong.v56 Then Jesus and the people with him went to a different village instead.
v57 Jesus and the people with him continued to walk along the road to Jerusalem. Then a man spoke to Jesus: ‘I will go with you wherever you go!’ he said.
v58 This was how Jesus answered him: ‘Foxes have holes in the ground in which they live. And flying birds have nests in which they live,’ Jesus said. ‘But I do not have any home in which to sleep. And I am the man who came from *heaven.’
v59 Jesus turned to another man. ‘Come with me! Join me on my journey,’ Jesus said.
But the man replied to Jesus: ‘*Lord, let me go home first,’ he said. ‘I must wait for my father to die first. Then I will bury him and afterwards I will join you.’
v60 Then Jesus answered him: ‘God considers people to be dead if they do not have a right relationship with him. They are the people who should consider it important to bury dead relatives,’ Jesus said. ‘But you should go and give God’s *Message to other people. Tell them that God wants to have complete control over their lives.’
v61 Another man spoke to Jesus. ‘*Lord, I will come with you and I will be your *disciple. But first let me go home so that I can say goodbye to my relatives,’ the man said.
v62 But this was Jesus’ reply: ‘People must not look behind them when they are ploughing their fields. They must look forward to what is ahead. They must not keep looking at what they have finished [10]. If people keep looking behind them, they cannot serve me properly. They will not be ready for God to control their lives completely.’
v1 After that, the *Lord Jesus chose 72 other people. His plan was to send these other *disciples out in pairs. He was sending them to every town and village where he intended to go later. v2 ’Many people are ready to hear what you will say to them,’ Jesus said to these *disciples. ‘They are like grain in a field that is ready for the harvest. But there are not many people who are ready to bring them to me. Therefore, you must ask the *Lord God to send out more of his people. Then, they will work in order to bring other people to God,’ Jesus said.
v3 ‘You can go now,’ Jesus said. ‘But some people will attack you because you believe me. I am sending you out to tell people my *Message. And you will be like young sheep among fierce animals.’
v4 ‘Do not take any money with you in a purse. Do not take a traveller’s bag. Do not take extra *sandals. Do not waste time as you greet people along the way,’ Jesus said.
v5 ‘Whenever you go to stay in a house, first speak these words. Say: “I pray that God will give his *peace to everyone in this house!” Jesus told his *disciples. v6 ‘If *peaceful people live there, they will have that inner *quietness. If the people in that house are not *peaceful, it will be different. But you will be *peaceful because of God.’ Jesus said.
v7 ‘If people *welcome you into their house, stay there. Stay in that same house until you leave that village. And accept gratefully the food and drink that they give to you. A worker deserves to get wages from his employers. And you also deserve to receive food and a place to stay. The people