Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 34
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and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so
they can go to the villages and buy food for
themselves.”
16
But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you
feed them.”
17
“But we have only five loaves of bread
and two fish!” they answered.
18
“Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he
told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus
took the five loaves and two fish, looked up
toward heaven, and blessed them. Then,
breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the
bread to the disciples, who distributed it to
the people. 20 They all ate as much as they
wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked
up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000
men were fed that day, in addition to all the
women and children!
Jesus Walks on Water
22
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that
his disciples get back into the boat and cross
to the other side of the lake, while he sent the
people home. 23 After sending them home,
he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
Night fell while he was there alone.
24
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble
far away from land, for a strong wind had
risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.
25
About three o’clock in the morning* Jesus
came toward them, walking on the water.
26
When the disciples saw him walking on the
water, they were terrified. In their fear, they
cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
27
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be
afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!*”
28
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s
really you, tell me to come to you, walking
on the water.”
29
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat
and walked on the water toward J esus. 30 But
when he saw the strong* wind and the waves,
he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me,
Lord!” he shouted.
31
Jesus immediately reached out and
grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus
said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32
When they climbed back into the boat,
the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!”
they exclaimed.
34
After they had crossed the lake, they
landed at Gennesaret. 35 When the people
recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival
spread quickly throughout the whole area,
and soon people were bringing all their sick
to be healed. 36 They begged him to let the
sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and
all who touched him were healed.
C H A P T E R 15
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law
now arrived from Jerusalem to see J esus. They
asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples disobey
our age-old tradition? For they ignore our
tradition of ceremonial hand washing before
they eat.”
3
Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your
traditions, violate the direct commandments
of God? 4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor
your father and mother,’* and ‘Anyone who
speaks disrespectfully of father or mother
must be put to death.’* 5 But you say it is all
right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry,
I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to
God what I would have given to you.’ 6 In
this way, you say they don’t need to honor
their parents.* And so you cancel the word of
God for the sake of your own tradition. 7 You
hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
8
‘These people honor me with
their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
4:25 Greek In the fourth watch of the night.
1
14:27 Or The ‘I Am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14. 14:30 Some
manuscripts do not include strong.
15:4a Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16. 15:4b Exod 21:17 (Greek version); Lev 20:9
(Greek version). 15:6 Greek their father; other manuscripts read their father or their mother.
14:22-23 Time alone to focus on our tasks and pray is necessary if we are engaged in any form of
prolonged recovery program. Although we may feel we are wasting time, it is important to recharge
our batteries—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If we don’t, we will burn out. Since Jesus took
time out to pray and recharge, we should follow his example.
15:1-20 Some people will look down on us and criticize us for our dependencies and our need for
recovery. They take on a self-righteous posture because they are fulfilling all their “religious” duties,
while we may be far from a model church member. Jesus says that outward activities don’t necessarily correspond to inner righteousness. If we do all the right things with proud and selfish hearts, we
will be judged by God. If we have accepted Jesus into our hearts and are humbly trying to recover,
God is pleased with us, no matter what others may say.
