Mark
6
- Jesus left there and went to his hometown,
accompanied by his disciples.
- When the Sabbath came, he began to teach
in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this
man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has
been given him, that he even does miracles !
- Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's
son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters
here with us?" And they took offense at him.
- Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown,
among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
- He could not do any miracles there, except
lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
- And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
- Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out
two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
- These were his instructions: "Take nothing
for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.
- Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.
- Whenever you enter a house, stay there until
you leave that town.
- And if any place will not welcome you or
listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony
against them."
- They went out and preached that people should
repent.
- They drove out many demons and anointed many
sick people with oil and healed them.
- King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name
had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised
from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."
- Others said, "He is Elijah." And
still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long
ago."
- But when Herod heard this, he said, "John,
the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead !"
- For Herod himself had given orders to have
John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because
of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married.
- For John had been saying to Herod, "It
is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
- So Herodias nursed a grudge against John
and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,
- because Herod feared John and protected him,
knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was
greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.
- Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday
Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the
leading men of Galilee.
- When the daughter of Herodias came
in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the
girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you."
- And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever
you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."
- She went out and said to her mother, "What
shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptist," she answered.
- At once the girl hurried in to the king with
the request: "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist
on a platter."
- The king was greatly distressed, but because
of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.
- So he immediately sent an executioner with
orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison,
- and brought back his head on a platter. He
presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.
- On hearing of this, John's disciples came
and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
- The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported
to him all they had done and taught.
- Then, because so many people were coming
and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come
with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
- So they went away by themselves in a boat
to a solitary place.
- But many who saw them leaving recognized
them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
- When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd,
he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
So he began teaching them many things.
- By this time it was late in the day, so his
disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and
it's already very late.
- Send the people away so they can go to the
surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
- But he answered, "You give them something
to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's
wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat
?"
- "How many loaves do you have?"
he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five--and
two fish."
- Then Jesus directed them to have all the
people sit down in groups on the green grass.
- So they sat down in groups of hundreds and
fifties.
- Taking the five loaves and the two fish and
looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them
to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among
them all.
- They all ate and were satisfied,
- and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls
of broken pieces of bread and fish.
- The number of the men who had eaten was five
thousand.
- Immediately Jesus made his disciples get
into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the
crowd.
- After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside
to pray.
- When evening came, the boat was in the middle
of the lake, and he was alone on land.
- He saw the disciples straining at the oars,
because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he
went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,
- but when they saw him walking on the lake,
they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,
- because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't
be afraid."
- Then he climbed into the boat with them,
and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,
- for they had not understood about the loaves;
their hearts were hardened.
- When they had crossed over, they landed at
Gennesaret and anchored there.
- As soon as they got out of the boat, people
recognized Jesus.
- They ran throughout that whole region and
carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
- And wherever he went--into villages, towns
or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him
to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were
healed.
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