Mark 6

Just a Carpenter

1 He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along.2 On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?"

3 But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "He's just a carpenter-Mary's boy. We've known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?" They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.

4 Jesus told them, "A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child."5 Jesus wasn't able to do much of anything there-he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that's all.6 He couldn't get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.

The Twelve

7 Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition.8-9 He sent them off with these instructions: "Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple.

10 "And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave.

11 "If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."

12 Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different;13 right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.

The Death of John

14 King Herod heard of all this, for by this time the name of Jesus was on everyone's lips. He said, "This has to be John the Baptizer come back from the dead-that's why he's able to work miracles!"

15 Others said, "No, it's Elijah." Others said, "He's a prophet, just like one of the old-time prophets."

16 But Herod wouldn't budge: "It's John, sure enough. I cut off his head, and now he's back, alive."

17 Herod was the one who had ordered the arrest of John, put him in chains, and sent him to prison at the nagging of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.18 For John had provoked Herod by naming his relationship with Herodias "adultery."19 Herodias, smoldering with hate, wanted to kill him, but didn't dare20 because Herod was in awe of John. Convinced that he was a holy man, he gave him special treatment. Whenever he listened to him he was miserable with guilt-and yet he couldn't stay away. Something in John kept pulling him back.

21 But a portentous day arrived when Herod threw a birthday party, inviting all the brass and bluebloods in Galilee.

22 Herodias's daughter entered the banquet hall and danced for the guests. She dazzled Herod and the guests.23 Carried away, he kept on, "I swear, I'll split my kingdom with you if you say so!"

24 She went back to her mother and said, "What should I ask for?" "Ask for the head of John the Baptizer."

25 Excited, she ran back to the king and said, "I want the head of John the Baptizer served up on a platter. And I want it now!"

26 That sobered the king up fast. But unwilling to lose face with his guests, he caved in and let her have her wish.27 The king sent the executioner off to the prison with orders to bring back John's head. He went, cut off John's head,28 brought it back on a platter, and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.29 When John's disciples heard about this, they came and got the body and gave it a decent burial.

Supper for Five Thousand

30 The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught.31 Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat.

32 So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves.33 Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them.34 When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke-like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.

35 When his disciples thought this had gone on long enough-it was now quite late in the day-they interrupted: "We are a long way out in the country, and it's very late.36 Pronounce a benediction and send these folks off so they can get some supper."

37 Jesus said, "You do it. Fix supper for them." They replied, "Are you serious? You want us to go spend a fortune on food for their supper?"

38 But he was quite serious. "How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory." That didn't take long. "Five," they said, "plus two fish."39-40 Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred-they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass!41 He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish.42 They all ate their fill.43 The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers.44 More than five thousand were at the supper.

Walking on the Sea

45 As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation.46 After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray.

47 Late at night, the boat was far out at sea; Jesus was still by himself on land.48 He could see his men struggling with the oars, the wind having come up against them. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. He intended to go right by them.49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and screamed, scared out of their wits.

50 Jesus was quick to comfort them: "Courage! It's me. Don't be afraid."51 As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on.52 They didn't understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.

53 They beached the boat at Gennesaret and tied up at the landing.54 As soon as they got out of the boat, word got around fast.55 People ran this way and that, bringing their sick on stretchers to where they heard he was.56 Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat-that's all. And whoever touched him became well.

Mark 7

The Source of Your Pollution

1 The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him.2 They noticed that some of his disciples weren't being careful with ritual washings before meals.3 The Pharisees-Jews in general, in fact-would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing,4 with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they'd give jugs and pots and pans).

5 The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, "Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?"

6 Jesus answered, "Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull's-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it.7 They act like they are worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy,8 Ditching God's command and taking up the latest fads."

9 He went on, "Well, good for you. You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions!10 Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.'11 But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,'12 thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother.13 You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this."

14 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, "Listen now, all of you-take this to heart.15 It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it's what you vomit-that's the real pollution."

17 When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, "We don't get it. Put it in plain language."

18 Jesus said, "Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you see that what you swallow can't contaminate you?19 It doesn't enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed." (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)

20 He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes:21 obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries,22 greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness -23 all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."

24 From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn't think he would be found, but he couldn't escape notice.25 He was barely inside when a woman who had a disturbed daughter heard where he was. She came and knelt at his feet,26 begging for help. The woman was Greek, Syro-Phoenician by birth. She asked him to cure her daughter.

27 He said, "Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there's any left over, the dogs get it."

28 She said, "Of course, Master. But don't dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?"

29 Jesus was impressed. "You're right! On your way! Your daughter is no longer disturbed. The demonic affliction is gone."30 She went home and found her daughter relaxed on the bed, the torment gone for good.

31 Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns.32 Some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him.33 He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man's ears and some spit on the man's tongue.34 Then Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, "Ephphatha!-Open up!"35 And it happened. The man's hearing was clear and his speech plain-just like that.

36 Jesus urged them to keep it quiet, but they talked it up all the more,37 beside themselves with excitement. "He's done it all and done it well. He gives hearing to the deaf, speech to the speechless."

Mark 8

A Meal for Four Thousand

1 At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said,2 "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat.3 If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way-some of them have come a long distance."

4 His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"

5 He asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they said.

6 So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd.7 They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well.8 The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected.9 There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home.10 He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha.

11 When they arrived, the Pharisees came out and started in on him, badgering him to prove himself, pushing him up against the wall.12 Provoked, he said, "Why does this generation clamor for miraculous guarantees? If I have anything to say about it, you'll not get so much as a hint of a guarantee."

Contaminating Yeast

13 He then left them, got back in the boat, and headed for the other side.14 But the disciples forgot to pack a lunch. Except for a single loaf of bread, there wasn't a crumb in the boat.15 Jesus warned, "Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod."

16 Meanwhile, the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread.17-18 Jesus overheard and said, "Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don't you see the point of all this? Don't you get it at all?19 Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?" They said, "Twelve."

20 "And the seven loaves for the four thousand-how many bags full of leftovers did you get?" "Seven."

21 He said, "Do you still not get it?"

22 They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch.23 Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man's eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, "Do you see anything?"

24 He looked up. "I see men. They look like walking trees."25 So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus.26 Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, "Don't enter the village."

The Messiah

27 Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, "Who do the people say I am?"

28 "Some say 'John the Baptizer,'" they said. "Others say 'Elijah.' Still others say 'one of the prophets.'"

29 He then asked, "And you-what are you saying about me? Who am I?" Peter gave the answer: "You are the Christ, the Messiah."

30 Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone.31 He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive."

32 He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it.33 Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."

34 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.35 Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.36 What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?37 What could you ever trade your soul for?

38 "If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."