Matthew 14–15; Mark 6–7

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus

2and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

4because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

5Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.

6On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod

7so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked.

8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

9The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted

10and sent to have John beheaded in the prison.

11John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

12Then John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. And they went and informed Jesus.

13When Jesus heard about John, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But the crowds found out about it and followed Him on foot from the towns.

14When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16“They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.”

17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18“Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said.

19And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

21About five thousand men were fed, besides women and children.

22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

23After He had dismissed them, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,

24but the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.

26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.

27But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

28“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”

29“Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.

30But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

32And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down.

33Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region. People brought all the sick to Him

36and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,

2“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”

3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

5But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’

6he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:

8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

9They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

10Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.

11A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

12Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

13But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.

14Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

15Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

16“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked.

17“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?

18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.

19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

20These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

22And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”

23But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

29Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.

30Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them.

31The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

32Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”

33The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”

34“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground.

36Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

37They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

38A total of four thousand men were fed, besides women and children.

39After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

1Jesus went on from there and came to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples.

2When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles?

3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.

4Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

5So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them.

6And He was amazed at their unbelief. And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.

7Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.

8He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—

9and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic.

10And He told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area.

11If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

12So they set out and preached that the people should repent.

13They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.

14Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

16But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!”

17For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.

18For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,

20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

21On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

22When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”

23And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”

24Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?” And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”

25At once the girl hurried back to the king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

26The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her.

27So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison.

28The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

29When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

30Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught.

31And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

32So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place.

33But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them.

34When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

35By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late.

36Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”

38“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them. And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

39Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass.

40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.

42They all ate and were satisfied,

43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

44And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

45Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.

46After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.

47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land.

48He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them,

49but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost—

50for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

51Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded,

52for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

54As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus

55and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was.

56And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

1Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,

2and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.

3Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially.

4And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

5So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

6Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

7They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

8You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.”

9He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition.

10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

11But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),

12he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother.

13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

14Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand:

15Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”

17After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.

18“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him,

19because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)

20He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.

21For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

22greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.

23All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

24Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.

25Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet.

26Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”

30And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

31Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

32Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

33So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.

34And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).

35Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

36Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

37The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”