Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 272
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
1:14-34
Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he
preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at
last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins
and believe the Good News!”
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw
Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they
fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will
show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and
followed him.
A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in
a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed
him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.
Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people
were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit
cried out, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you
come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion,
and then came out of him.
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had
happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has
such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” The news about Jesus
spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.
After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon
and Andrew’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a
high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. So he went to her bedside,
took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she
prepared a meal for them.
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were
brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus
healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out
many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not
allow them to speak.
