Ministering Women

¹Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve [disciples] were with Him, ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene [from the city of Magdala in Galilee], from whom seven demons had come out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means [as was the custom for a rabbi’s disciples].

Parable of the Sower

⁴ When a large crowd was gathering together, and people from city after city were coming to Him, He spoke [to them] using a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up. ⁶ And some seed fell on [shallow soil covering] the rocks, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ And some fell into good soil, and grew up and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.”

⁹ Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “To you [who have been chosen] it has been granted to know and recognize the ^[a]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that though seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now [the meaning of] the parable is this: The seed is the word of God [concerning eternal salvation]. ¹² Those beside the road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and takes the message [of God] away from their hearts, so that they will not believe [in Me as the Messiah] and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are the people who, when they hear, receive and welcome the word with joy; but these have no firmly grounded root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation they fall away [from Me and abandon their faith]. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but as they go on their way they are suffocated with the anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.

Parable of the Lamp

¹⁶ “Now no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a container [to hide it], or puts it under a bed; instead, he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. ¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open. ¹⁸ So be careful how you listen; for whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a longing for truth], even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

¹⁹ Then Jesus’ mother and His brothers came up toward Him, but they could not reach Him because of the crowd. ²⁰ And He was told, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, asking to see You.” ²¹ But He answered, “My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!”

Jesus Calms the Sea

²² Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake (Sea of Galilee).” So they set out. ²³ But as they were sailing, He fell asleep. And a fierce gale of wind swept down [as if through a wind tunnel] on the lake, and they began to be swamped, and were in great danger. ²⁴ They came to Jesus and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are about to die!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging, violent waves, and they ceased, and it became calm [a perfect peacefulness]. ²⁵ And He said to them, “Where is your faith [your confidence in Me]?” They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?”

The Demoniac Cured

²⁶ Then they sailed to the ^[b]country of the Gerasenes, which is east of Galilee. ²⁷ Now when Jesus stepped out on land, He was met by a man from the city [of Gerasa] who was possessed with demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and was not living in a house, but among the ^[c]tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out [with a terrible voice from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in dread and terror], and shouted loudly, “^[d]What business do we have [in common] with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me [before the appointed time of judgment]!” ²⁹ Now He was [already] commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him [violently] many times; and he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, “Legion”; because many demons had entered him. ³¹ They continually begged Him not to command them to go into the abyss.

³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the mountain. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and told it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ And people came out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind (mentally healthy); and they were frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed with fear. So Jesus got into the boat and returned [to the west side of the Sea of Galilee]. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Him, pleading to go with Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return home and tell [about] all the great things God has done for you.” So the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Miracles of Healing

⁴⁰ Now as Jesus was returning [to Galilee], the people welcomed Him, for they had all been expecting Him. ⁴¹ Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus’ feet and began begging Him to come to his house; ⁴² for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as Jesus went, the people were crowding against Him [almost crushing Him].

⁴³ And a woman who had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years ^[e][and had spent all her money on physicians], and could not be healed by anyone, ⁴⁴ came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His outer robe, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” While they all were denying it, Peter ^[f][and those who were with him] said, “Master, the people are crowding and pushing against You!” ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, because I was aware that power [to heal] had gone out of Me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling and fell down before Him. She declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being).”

⁴⁹ While He was still speaking, someone from the synagogue official’s house came and said [to Jairus], “Your daughter is dead; do not inconvenience the Teacher any further.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus, hearing this, answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe and trust [in Me and have faith in My ability to do this], and she will be made well.” ⁵¹ When He came to the house, He allowed no one to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. ⁵² Now they were all weeping loudly and mourning for her; but He said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead, but is sleeping.” ⁵³ Then they began laughing scornfully at Him and ridiculing Him, knowing [without any doubt] that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But Jesus took hold of her hand and spoke, saying, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵ And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were greatly astonished [by the miracle]; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.