Helpfinder Sampler - Flipbook - Page 42
MAR K 4
watched him closely. If he healed the man’s
hand, they planned to accuse him of working
on the Sabbath.
3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed
hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.”
4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does
the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is
it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life
or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
5 He looked around at them angrily and was
deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he
said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the
man held out his hand, and it was restored! 6 At
once the Pharisees went away and met with the
supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.
Crowds Follow Jesus
7 Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples,
and a large crowd followed him. They came
from all over Galilee, Judea, 8 Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even
from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news
about his miracles had spread far and wide, and
vast numbers of people came to see him.
9 Jesus instructed his disciples to have a
boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.
10 He had healed many people that day, so all
the sick people eagerly pushed forward to
touch him. 11 And whenever those possessed
by evil* spirits caught sight of him, the spirits
would throw them to the ground in front of him
shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But Jesus
sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who
he was.
Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles
13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and
called out the ones he wanted to go with him.
And they came to him. 14 Then he appointed
twelve of them and called them his apostles.*
They were to accompany him, and he would
send them out to preach, 15 giving them authority to cast out demons. 16 These are the twelve
he chose:
17
18
19
Simon (whom he named Peter),
James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus
nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”*),
Andrew,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
Thomas,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus,
Simon (the zealot*),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Jesus and the Prince of Demons
20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the
crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his
disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When
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his family heard what was happening, they
tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,”
they said.
22 But the teachers of religious law who had
arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by
Satan,* the prince of demons. That’s where he
gets the power to cast out demons.”
23 Jesus called them over and responded with
an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 24 “A kingdom divided by civil
war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan
is divided and fights against himself, how can
he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough
to enter the house of a strong man and plunder
his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder
his house.
28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy
can be forgiven, 29 but anyone who blasphemes
the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a
sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them
this because they were saying, “He’s possessed
by an evil spirit.”
The True Family of Jesus
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see
him. They stood outside and sent word for him
to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a
crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said,
“Your mother and your brothers* are outside
asking for you.”
33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are
my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those around
him and said, “Look, these are my mother and
brothers. 35 Anyone who does God’s will is my
brother and sister and mother.”
Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
Once again Jesus began teaching by the
lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then
he sat in the boat while all the people remained
on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many
stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some
seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of
the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came
and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with
underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon
wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t
have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among
thorns that grew up and choked out the tender
plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other
4
3:11 Greek unclean; also in 3:30. 3:14 Some manuscripts do
not include and called them his apostles. 3:17 Greek whom he
named Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder. 3:18 Greek
the Cananean, an Aramaic term for Jewish nationalists.
3:22 Greek Beelzeboul; other manuscripts read Beezeboul;
Latin version reads Beelzebub. 3:32 Some manuscripts add
and sisters.
