Mark
Mark 1 (The Message)
1 The good
news of Jesus Christ - the Message! - begins here, 2 following to the letter
the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead
of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. 3 Thunder in the desert! Prepare
for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! 4 John the Baptizer
appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to
forgiveness of sins. 5 People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as
they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a
changed life. 6 John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather
belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. 7 As he preached he said, "The
real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand,
will change your life. 8 I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old
life in for a kingdom life. His baptism - a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit -
will change you from the inside out." 9 At this time, Jesus came from
Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 The moment he
came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like
a dove, come down on him. 11 Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my
Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." 12 At once, this
same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. 13 For forty wilderness days and
nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels
took care of him. 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching
the Message of God: 15 "Time's up! God's kingdom is here. Change your life
and believe the Message." 16 Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he
saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work.
17 Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman
out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and
bass." 18 They didn't ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed.
19 A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John,
Zebedee's sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets. 20 Right off, he
made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and
the hired hands, and followed. 21 Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath
arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day
there teaching. 22 They were surprised at his teaching - so forthright, so
confident - not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars. 23 Suddenly,
while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply
disturbed and yelling out, 24 "What business do you have here with us,
Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to! You're the Holy One of God, and
you've come to destroy us!" 25 Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of
him!" 26 The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting
loudly - and got out. 27 Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with
curiosity. "What's going on here? A new teaching that does what it says?
He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!" 28 News of
this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee. 29 Directly on leaving the
meeting place, they came to Simon and Andrew's house, accompanied by James and
John. 30 Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed, burning up with fever. They
told Jesus. 31 He went to her, took her hand, and raised her up. No sooner had
the fever left than she was up fixing dinner for them. 32 That evening, after
the sun was down, they brought sick and evil-afflicted people to him, 33 the
whole city lined up at his door! 34 He cured their sick bodies and tormented
spirits. Because the demons knew his true identity, he didn't let them say a
word. 35 While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a
secluded spot and prayed. 36 Simon and those with him went looking for him. 37
They found him and said, "Everybody's looking for you." 38 Jesus
said, "Let's go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also.
This is why I've come." 39 He went to their meeting places all through
Galilee, preaching and throwing out the demons. 40 A leper came to him, begging
on his knees, "If you want to, you can cleanse me." 41 Deeply moved,
Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean."
42 Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. 43 Jesus
dismissed him with strict orders: 44 "Say nothing to anyone. Take the
offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the
priest. This will validate your healing to the people." 45 But as soon as
the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened,
spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no
longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and
came from all over.
Mark 2 (The Message)
1 After a
few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back
home. 2 A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out.
He was teaching the Word. 3 They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four
men. 4 When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part
of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. 5 Impressed by their
bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, "Son, I forgive your
sins." 6 Some religion scholars sitting there started whispering among
themselves, 7 "He can't talk that way! That's blasphemy! God and only God
can forgive sins." 8 Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and
said, "Why are you so skeptical? 9 Which is simpler: to say to the
paraplegic, 'I forgive your sins,' or say, 'Get up, take your stretcher, and start
walking'? 10 Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to
do either, or both . . ." (he looked now at the paraplegic), 11 "Get
up. Pick up your stretcher and go home." 12 And the man did it - got up,
grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They
rubbed their eyes, incredulous - and then praised God, saying, "We've
never seen anything like this!" 13 Then Jesus went again to walk alongside
the lake. Again a crowd came to him, and he taught them. 14 Strolling along, he
saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come
along with me." He came. 15 Later Jesus and his disciples were at home
having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems,
more than a few of them had become followers. 16 The religion scholars and
Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples:
"What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riff-raff?" 17
Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the
sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit." 18 The
disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees made a practice of
fasting. Some people confronted Jesus: "Why do the followers of John and
the Pharisees take on the discipline of fasting, but your followers
don't?" 19 Jesus said, "When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't
skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt,
but not now. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time.
No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!" 20
21 He went on, "No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work
clothes; you want fabrics that match. 22 And you don't put your wine in cracked
bottles." 23 One Sabbath day he was walking through a field of ripe grain.
24 As his disciples made a path, they pulled off heads of grain. The Pharisees
told on them to Jesus: "Look, your disciples are breaking Sabbath
rules!" 25 Jesus said, "Really? Haven't you ever read what David did
when he was hungry, along with those who were with him? 26 How he entered the
sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, with the Chief Priest Abiathar
right there watching - holy bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat -
and handed it out to his companions?" 27 Then Jesus said, "The
Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren't made to serve the Sabbath. 28 The Son
of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath. He's in charge!"
Mark 3 (The Message)
1 Then he
went back in the meeting place where he found a man with a crippled hand. 2 The
Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch
him in a Sabbath infraction. 3 He said to the man with the crippled hand,
"Stand here where we can see you." 4 Then he spoke to the people:
"What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil?
Helping people or leaving them helpless?" No one said a word. 5 He looked
them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed
religion. He said to the man, "Hold out your hand." He held it out -
it was as good as new! 6 The Pharisees got out as fast as they could,
sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod's followers and ruin
him. 7 Jesus went off with his disciples to the sea to get away. But a huge
crowd from Galilee trailed after them - 8 also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea,
across the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon - swarms of people who had heard
the reports and had come to see for themselves. 9 He told his disciples to get
a boat ready so he wouldn't be trampled by the crowd. 10 He had healed many
people, and now everyone who had something wrong was pushing and shoving to get
near and touch him. 11 Evil spirits, when they recognized him, fell down and
cried out, "You are the Son of God!" 12 But Jesus would have none of
it. He shut them up, forbidding them to identify him in public. 13 He climbed a
mountain and invited those he wanted with him. They climbed together. 14 He
settled on twelve, and designated them apostles. The plan was that they would
be with him, and he would send them out to proclaim the Word 15 and give them
authority to banish demons. 16 These are the Twelve: Simon (Jesus later named
him Peter, meaning "Rock"), 17 James, son of Zebedee, John, brother
of James (Jesus nicknamed the Zebedee brothers Boanerges, meaning "Sons of
Thunder"), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, son of
Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, 19 Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).
20 Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered - so many making demands on
him that there wasn't even time to eat. 21 His friends heard what was going on
and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting
carried away with himself. 22 The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down
spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress
them with spiritual power. 23 Jesus confronted their slander with a story:
"Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get
rid of Satan? 24 A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were
fighting Satan, there soon wouldn't be any Satan left. 25 26 27 Do you think
it's possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man,
and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up,
though, and you can clean him out. 28 "Listen to this carefully. I'm
warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. 29 But if you
persist in your slanders against God's Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the
very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing
by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives." 30 He
gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.
31 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed
a message that they wanted a word with him. 32 He was surrounded by the crowd
when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are
outside looking for you." 33 Jesus responded, "Who do you think are
my mother and brothers?" 34 Looking around, taking in everyone seated
around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you - my mother and my
brothers. 35 Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will
is my brother and sister and mother."
Mark 4 (The Message)
1 He went
back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had
to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed
to the water's edge. 2 He taught by using stories, many stories. 3
"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. 4 As he
scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. 5 Some fell
in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, 6 so when the sun
came up it withered just as quickly. 7 Some fell in the weeds; as it came up,
it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. 8 Some fell on good
earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest
dreams. 9 "Are you listening to this? Really listening?" 10 When they
were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve,
asked about the stories. 11 He told them, "You've been given insight into
God's kingdom - you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet,
everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive
insight. 12 These are people - Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose
ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and
getting forgiven." 13 He continued, "Do you see how this story works?
All my stories work this way. 14 "The farmer plants the Word. 15 Some
people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner
do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.
16 "And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first
hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. 17 But there is such shallow
soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives,
there is nothing to show for it. 18 "The seed cast in the weeds represents
the ones who hear the kingdom news 19 but are overwhelmed with worries about
all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress
strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. 20 "But the seed
planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and
produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams." 21 Jesus went on: "Does
anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't
you put it up on a table or on the mantel? 22 We're not keeping secrets, we're
telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open.
23 "Are you listening to this? Really listening? 24 "Listen carefully
to what I am saying - and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to
get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. 25
Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes." 26 Then Jesus said,
"God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man 27 who then goes to
bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows - he has no idea how it
happens. 28 The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of
grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. 29 When the grain is fully formed,
he reaps - harvest time! 30 "How can we picture God's kingdom? What kind
of story can we use? 31 It's like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it is
quite small as seeds go, 32 yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine
tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it." 33 With many stories like
these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their
experience and maturity. 34 He was never without a story when he spoke. When he
was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles,
untying the knots. 35 Late that day he said to them, "Let's go across to
the other side." 36 They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came
along. 37 A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink
it. 38 And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him,
saying, "Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?" 39
Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, "Quiet!
Settle down!" The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.
40 Jesus reprimanded the disciples: "Why are you such cowards? Don't you
have any faith at all?" 41 They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who
is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and
call!"
Mark 5 (The Message)
1 They
arrived on the other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes. 2 As
Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. 3 He
lived there among the tombs and graves. No one could restrain him - he couldn't
be chained, couldn't be tied down. 4 He had been tied up many times with chains
and ropes, but he broke the chains, snapped the ropes. No one was strong enough
to tame him. 5 Night and day he roamed through the graves and the hills,
screaming out and slashing himself with sharp stones. 6 When he saw Jesus a
long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him - 7 then bellowed in
protest, "What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing
with me? I swear to God, don't give me a hard time!" 8 (Jesus had just
commanded the tormenting evil spirit, "Out! Get out of the man!") 9
Jesus asked him, "Tell me your name." 10 Then he desperately begged
Jesus not to banish them from the country. 11 A large herd of pigs was browsing
and rooting on a nearby hill. 12 The demons begged him, "Send us to the
pigs so we can live in them." 13 Jesus gave the order. But it was even
worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into
the sea and drowned. 14 Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and
told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened.
15 They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent
clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man. 16 Those who
had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and
the pigs. 17 At first they were in awe - and then they were upset, upset over
the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back. 18 As Jesus
was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, 19 but
he wouldn't let him. Jesus said, "Go home to your own people. Tell them
your story - what the Master did, how he had mercy on you." 20 The man
went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done
for him. He was the talk of the town. 21 After Jesus crossed over by boat, a
large crowd met him at the seaside. 22 One of the meeting-place leaders named
Jairus came. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, 23 beside himself as he
begged, "My dear daughter is at death's door. Come and lay hands on her so
she will get well and live." 24 Jesus went with him, the whole crowd
tagging along, pushing and jostling him. 25 A woman who had suffered a condition
of hemorrhaging for twelve years - 26 a long succession of physicians had
treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse
off than before - 27 had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and
touched his robe. 28 She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger
on his robe, I can get well." 29 The moment she did it, the flow of blood
dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.
30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around
to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" 31 His disciples said,
"What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you,
you're asking, 'Who touched me?' Dozens have touched you!" 32 But he went
on asking, looking around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, knowing what
had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt
before him, and gave him the whole story. 34 Jesus said to her, "Daughter,
you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live
blessed! Be healed of your plague." 35 While he was still talking, some
people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead.
Why bother the Teacher any more?" 36 Jesus overheard what they were
talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust
me." 37 He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and
John. 38 They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the
gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. 39 Jesus was
abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead;
she's sleeping." 40 Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what
he was talking about. 41 He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha
koum," which means, "Little girl, get up." 42 At that, she was
up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were
all beside themselves with joy. 43 He gave them strict orders that no one was
to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her
something to eat."
Mark 6 (The Message)
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. 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 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. 9 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. 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 dare 20 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. 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 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! 40 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. 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 Message)
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 (The Message)
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." 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
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? 18 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." 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."
Mark 9 (The Message)
1 Then he
drove it home by saying, "This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you
who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive
in full force." In a Light-Radiant Cloud 2 Six days later, three of them
did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain.
His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. 3 His
clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. 4
Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus. 5
Peter interrupted, "Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let's build three
memorials - one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah." 6 He blurted this
out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing. 7 Just
then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice:
"This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him." 8 The next minute
the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but
Jesus, only Jesus. 9 Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy.
"Don't tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead,
you're free to talk." 10 They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth
"rising from the dead" meant. 11 Meanwhile they were asking,
"Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?" 12
Jesus replied, "Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the
coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they
will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly
and be kicked around contemptibly." 13 14 When they came back down the
mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the
religion scholars cross-examining them. 15 As soon as the people in the crowd
saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. 16 He
asked, "What's going on? What's all the commotion?" 17 A man out of
the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a
demon, to you. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams
at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your
disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn't." 19 Jesus
said, "What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go
over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy
here." 20 They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy
into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth. 21
He asked the boy's father, "How long has this been going on?" 22 Many
times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do
anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!" 23 Jesus said, "If? There
are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen." 24 No sooner were the
words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me
with my doubts!" 25 Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the
vile spirit its marching orders: "Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you -
Out of him, and stay out!" 26 Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it
left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, "He's
dead." 27 But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up. 28
After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, "Why
couldn't we throw the demon out?" 29 He answered, "There is no way to
get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer." 30 Leaving there, they
went through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know their whereabouts, 31 for
he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, "The Son of Man is about
to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder
him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive." 32 They didn't
know what he was talking about, but were afraid to ask him about it. 33 They
came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, "What were you
discussing on the road?" 34 The silence was deafening - they had been
arguing with one another over who among them was greatest. 35 He sat down and summoned
the Twelve. "So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the
servant of all." 36 He put a child in the middle of the room. Then,
cradling the little one in his arms, he said, 37 "Whoever embraces one of
these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me - God who sent
me." 38 John spoke up, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to
expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't in our group." 39 Jesus
wasn't pleased. "Don't stop him. No one can use my name to do something
good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down. 40 If he's not an enemy,
he's an ally. 41 Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on
our side. Count on it that God will notice. 42 "On the other hand, if you
give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking
advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better
off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. 43
"If your hand or your foot gets in God's way, chop it off and throw it
away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two
hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. 44 45 47 And if your
eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. 48 You're better off
one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the
fire of hell. 49 "Everyone's going through a refining fire sooner or
later, 50 but you'll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be
preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace."
Mark 10 (The Message)
1 From
there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was
so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. 2
Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, "Is it
legal for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 Jesus said, "What did Moses
command?" 4 They answered, "Moses gave permission to fill out a
certificate of dismissal and divorce her." 5 Jesus said, "Moses wrote
this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. 6 In the original
creation, God made male and female to be together. 7 Because of this, a man
leaves father and mother, and in marriage 8 he becomes one flesh with a woman -
no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. 9 Because God created this
organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them
apart." 10 When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. 11
Jesus gave it to them straight: "A man who divorces his wife so he can marry
someone else commits adultery against her. 12 And a woman who divorces her
husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery." 13 The people
brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. 14 The disciples shooed
them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these
children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the
very center of life in the kingdom. 15 Mark this: Unless you accept God's
kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." 16 Then,
gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
17 As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with
great reverence, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal
life?" 18 Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good,
only God. 19 You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery,
don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honor your father and mother." 20 He
said, "Teacher, I have - from my youth - kept them all!" 21 Jesus
looked him hard in the eye - and loved him! He said, "There's one thing
left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will
then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me." 22 The man's face clouded
over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a
heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let
go. 23 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, "Do you have any idea how
difficult it is for people who 'have it all' to enter God's kingdom?" 24 The
disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: "You
can't imagine how difficult. 25 I'd say it's easier for a camel to go through a
needle's eye than for the rich to get into God's kingdom." 26 That set the
disciples back on their heels. "Then who has any chance at all?" they
asked. 27 Jesus was blunt: "No chance at all if you think you can pull it
off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it." 28 Peter
tried another angle: "We left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus
said, "Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters,
mother, father, children, land - whatever - because of me and the Message 30
will lose out. They'll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes,
brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land - but also in troubles. And then
the bonus of eternal life! 31 This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who
are first will end up last, and the last first." 32 Back on the road, they
set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following,
puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go
over what to expect next. 33 "Listen to me carefully. We're on our way up
to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the
religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will
hand him over to the Romans, 34 who will mock and spit on him, give him the
third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive." 35 James
and John, Zebedee's sons, came up to him. "Teacher, we have something we
want you to do for us." 36 "What is it? I'll see what I can do."
37 "Arrange it," they said, "so that we will be awarded the
highest places of honor in your glory - one of us at your right, the other at
your left." 38 Jesus said, "You have no idea what you're asking. Are
you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I'm
about to be plunged into?" 39 "Sure," they said. "Why
not?" 40 But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. There
are other arrangements for that." 41 When the other ten heard of this
conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. 42 Jesus got them
together to settle things down. "You've observed how godless rulers throw
their weight around," he said, "and when people get a little power
how quickly it goes to their heads. 43 It's not going to be that way with you.
Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. 44 Whoever wants to be first
among you must be your slave. 45 That is what the Son of Man has done: He came
to serve, not to be served - and then to give away his life in exchange for
many who are held hostage." 46 They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus
was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar
by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. 47
When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out,
"Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!" 48 Many tried to hush
him up, but he yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on
me!" 49 Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over." 50
Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus. 51 Jesus
said, "What can I do for you?" The blind man said, "Rabbi, I
want to see." 52 "On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has
saved and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and
followed Jesus down the road.
Mark 11 (The Message)
1 When
they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany on Mount Olives, he sent off
two of the disciples with instructions: 2 "Go to the village across from
you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never yet
been ridden. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone asks, 'What are you doing?'
say, 'The Master needs him, and will return him right away.'" 4 They went
and found a colt tied to a door at the street corner and untied it. 5 Some of
those standing there said, "What are you doing untying that colt?" 6
The disciples replied exactly as Jesus had instructed them, and the people let
them alone. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus, spread their coats on it, and he
mounted. 8 The people gave him a wonderful welcome, some throwing their coats
on the street, others spreading out rushes they had cut in the fields. 9 Running
ahead and following after, they were calling out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who
comes in God's name! 10 Blessed the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna
in highest heaven! 11 He entered Jerusalem, then entered the Temple. He looked
around, taking it all in. But by now it was late, so he went back to Bethany
with the Twelve. 12 As they left Bethany the next day, he was hungry. 13 Off in
the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find
something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn't yet the
season for figs.) 14 He addressed the tree: "No one is going to eat fruit
from you again - ever!" And his disciples overheard him. 15 They arrived
at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out
everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the
tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. 16 He didn't let
anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. 17 And then he taught them,
quoting this text: My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations;
You've turned it into a hangout for thieves. 18 The high priests and religion
scholars heard what was going on and plotted how they might get rid of him.
They panicked, for the entire crowd was carried away by his teaching. 19 At
evening, Jesus and his disciples left the city. 20 In the morning, walking
along the road, they saw the fig tree, shriveled to a dry stick. 21 Peter,
remembering what had happened the previous day, said to him, "Rabbi, look
- the fig tree you cursed is shriveled up!" 22 Jesus was matter-of-fact:
"Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, 23 and nothing will be too much
for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake' - no
shuffling or shilly-shallying - and it's as good as done. 24 That's why I urge
you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include
everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. 25
And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking.
If you have anything against someone, forgive - only then will your heavenly
Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins." 27 Then when
they were back in Jerusalem once again, as they were walking through the Temple,
the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders came up 28 and demanded,
"Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like
this?" 29 Jesus responded, "First let me ask you a question. Answer
my question and then I'll present my credentials. 30 About the baptism of John
- who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me." 31 They were on the spot,
and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say
'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe John; 32 if we say 'humans,' we'll
be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a
prophet." 33 They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't
know," they said. Jesus replied, "Then I won't answer your question
either."
Mark 12 (The Message)
1 Then
Jesus started telling them stories. "A man planted a vineyard. He fenced
it, dug a winepress, erected a watchtower, turned it over to the farmhands, and
went off on a trip. 2 At the time for harvest, he sent a servant back to the
farmhands to collect his profits. 3 "They grabbed him, beat him up, and
sent him off empty-handed. 4 So he sent another servant. That one they tarred
and feathered. 5 He sent another and that one they killed. And on and on, many
others. Some they beat up, some they killed. 6 "Finally there was only one
left: a beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, he sent him, thinking, 'Surely
they will respect my son.' 7 "But those farmhands saw their chance. They
rubbed their hands together in greed and said, 'This is the heir! Let's kill
him and have it all for ourselves.' 8 They grabbed him, killed him, and threw
him over the fence. 9 "What do you think the owner of the vineyard will
do? Right. He'll come and clean house. Then he'll assign the care of the
vineyard to others. 10 Read it for yourselves in Scripture: That stone the
masons threw out is now the cornerstone! 11 This is God's work; we rub our eyes
- we can hardly believe it!" 12 They wanted to lynch him then and there
but, intimidated by public opinion, held back. They knew the story was about them.
They got away from there as fast as they could. Paying Taxes to Caesar 13 They
sent some Pharisees and followers of Herod to bait him, hoping to catch him
saying something incriminating. 14 They came up and said, "Teacher, we
know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don't
pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately. Tell us: Is it
lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 15 He knew it was a trick question,
and said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Bring me a coin and
let me look at it." 16 They handed him one. "This engraving - who
does it look like? And whose name is on it?" "Caesar," they
said. 17 Jesus said, "Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is
his." Their mouths hung open, speechless. 18 Some Sadducees, the party
that denies any possibility of resurrection, came up and asked, 19
"Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child,
his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children. 20 Well, there
once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. 21 The
second married her. He died, and still no child. The same with the third. 22
All seven took their turn, but no child. Finally the wife died. 23 When they
are raised at the resurrection, whose wife is she? All seven were her
husband." 24 Jesus said, "You're way off base, and here's why: One,
you don't know your Bibles; two, you don't know how God works. 25 After the
dead are raised up, we're past the marriage business. As it is with angels now,
all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. 26 And regarding the
dead, whether or not they are raised, don't you ever read the Bible? How God at
the bush said to Moses, 'I am - not was - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob'? 27 The living God is God of the living, not the dead.
You're way, way off base." 28 One of the religion scholars came up.
Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus
was in his answers, he put in his question: "Which is most important of
all the commandments?" 29 Jesus said, "The first in importance is,
'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; 30 so love the Lord God with all
your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' 31 And here is the
second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other
commandment that ranks with these." 32 The religion scholar said, "A
wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate - that God is one and there is
no other. 33 And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and
loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all
offerings and sacrifices put together!" 34 When Jesus realized how
insightful he was, he said, "You're almost there, right on the border of
God's kingdom." After that, no one else dared ask a question. 35 While he
was teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, "How is it that the religion
scholars say that the Messiah is David's 'son,' 36 when we all know that David,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, God said to my Master, "Sit here at my
right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." 37 "David here
designates the Messiah 'my Master' - so how can the Messiah also be his
'son'?" The large crowd was delighted with what they heard. 38 He
continued teaching. "Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to
walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, 39
basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church
function. 40 And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The
longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they'll pay for it in the
end." 41 Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the
crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large
contributions. 42 One poor widow came up and put in two small coins - a measly
two cents. 43 Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that
this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.
44 All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she
couldn't afford - she gave her all."
Mark 13 (The Message)
1 As he
walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at
that stonework! Those buildings!" 2 Jesus said, "You're impressed by
this grandiose architecture? There's not a stone in the whole works that is not
going to end up in a heap of rubble." 3 Later, as he was sitting on Mount
Olives in full view of the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got him off
by himself and asked, 4 "Tell us, when is this going to happen? What sign
will we get that things are coming to a head?" 5 Jesus began, "Watch
out for doomsday deceivers. 6 Many leaders are going to show up with forged
identities claiming, 'I'm the One.' They will deceive a lot of people. 7 When
you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is
routine history, and no sign of the end. 8 Nation will fight nation and ruler
fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There
will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what's coming. 9
"And watch out! They're going to drag you into court. And then it will go
from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my
name. You're placed there as sentinels to truth. 10 The Message has to be
preached all across the world. 11 "When they bring you, betrayed, into
court, don't worry about what you'll say. When the time comes, say what's on
your heart - the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you. 12
"It's going to be brother killing brother, father killing child, children
killing parents. 13 There's no telling who will hate you because of me.
"Stay with it - that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't
be sorry; you'll be saved. 14 "But be ready to run for it when you see the
monster of desecration set up where it should never be. You who can read, make
sure you understand what I'm talking about. If you're living in Judea at the
time, run for the hills; 15 if you're working in the yard, don't go back to the
house to get anything; 16 if you're out in the field, don't go back to get your
coat. 17 Pregnant and nursing mothers will have it especially hard. 18 Hope and
pray this won't happen in the middle of winter. 19 "These are going to be
hard days - nothing like it from the time God made the world right up to the
present. And there'll be nothing like it again. 20 If he let the days of
trouble run their course, nobody would make it. But because of God's chosen
people, those he personally chose, he has already intervened. 21 "If
anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, 'Here's the Messiah!' or points,
'There he is!' don't fall for it. 22 Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are
going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling
performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know
better. 23 So watch out. I've given you fair warning. 24 "Following those
hard times, Sun will fade out, moon cloud over, 25 Stars fall out of the sky,
cosmic powers tremble. 26 "And then they'll see the Son of Man enter in
grand style, his Arrival filling the sky - no one will miss it! 27 He'll
dispatch the angels; they will pull in the chosen from the four winds, from
pole to pole. 28 "Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you
notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around
the corner. 29 And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know
he is at the door. 30 Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for
some future generation, but for this one, too - these things will happen. 31
Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out. 32 "But the exact
day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son.
Only the Father. 33 So keep a sharp lookout, for you don't know the timetable.
34 It's like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in
charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch. 35
So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is
returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. 36 You don't want
him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. 37 I say it to you, and
I'm saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch."
Mark 14 (The Message)
1 In only
two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
would begin. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way they
could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. 2 They agreed that it should not be
done during Passover Week. "We don't want the crowds up in arms,"
they said. 3 Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was
eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume.
Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. 4 Some of the guests became
furious among themselves. "That's criminal! A sheer waste! 5 This perfume
could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the
poor." They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over
her. 6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time?
She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. 7 You will have the
poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it,
you can do something for them. Not so with me. 8 She did what she could when
she could - she pre-anointed my body for burial. 9 And you can be sure that
wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going
to be talked about admiringly." 10 Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went
to the cabal of high priests, determined to betray him. 11 They couldn't
believe their ears, and promised to pay him well. He started looking for just
the right moment to hand him over. 12 On the first of the Days of Unleavened
Bread, the day they prepare the Passover sacrifice, his disciples asked him,
"Where do you want us to go and make preparations so you can eat the
Passover meal?" 13 He directed two of his disciples, "Go into the
city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him. 14 Ask the owner of
whichever house he enters, 'The Teacher wants to know, Where is my guest room
where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?' 15 He will show you a
spacious second-story room, swept and ready. Prepare for us there." 16 The
disciples left, came to the city, found everything just as he had told them,
and prepared the Passover meal. 17 After sunset he came with the Twelve. 18 As
they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, "I have something hard
but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the
conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with me." 19 Stunned, they
started asking, one after another, "It isn't me, is it?" 20 He said,
"It's one of the Twelve, one who eats with me out of the same bowl. 21 In
one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery
well-marked by the Scriptures - no surprises here. In another sense, the man
who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man - better never to have been
born than do this!" "This Is My Body" 22 In the course of their
meal, having taken and blessed the bread, he broke it and gave it to them. Then
he said, Take, this is my body. 23 Taking the chalice, he gave it to them,
thanking God, and they all drank from it. 24 He said, This is my blood, God's
new covenant, Poured out for many people. 25 "I'll not be drinking wine
again until the new day when I drink it in the kingdom of God." 26 They
sang a hymn and then went directly to Mount Olives. 27 Jesus told them, "You're
all going to feel that your world is falling apart and that it's my fault.
There's a Scripture that says, I will strike the shepherd; The sheep will go
helter-skelter. 28 "But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you,
leading the way to Galilee." 29 Peter blurted out, "Even if everyone
else is ashamed of you when things fall to pieces, I won't be." 30 Jesus
said, "Don't be so sure. Today, this very night in fact, before the
rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." 31 He blustered in
protest, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you." All
the others said the same thing. 32 They came to an area called Gethsemane.
Jesus told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took Peter,
James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. 34 He
told them, "I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil
with me." 35 Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a
way out: 36 "Papa, Father, you can - can't you? - get me out of this. Take
this cup away from me. But please, not what I want - what do you want?" 37
He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, you
went to sleep on me? Can't you stick it out with me a single hour? 38 Stay
alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing
it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but
another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire." 39 He then
went back and prayed the same prayer. 40 Returning, he again found them sound
asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open, and they didn't have a
plausible excuse. 41 He came back a third time and said, "Are you going to
sleep all night? No - you've slept long enough. Time's up. The Son of Man is
about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up. Let's get going. My
betrayer has arrived." 43 No sooner were the words out of his mouth when
Judas, the one out of the Twelve, showed up, and with him a gang of ruffians,
sent by the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders, brandishing swords
and clubs. 44 The betrayer had worked out a signal with them: "The one I
kiss, that's the one - seize him. Make sure he doesn't get away." 45 He
went straight to Jesus and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. 46 The
others then grabbed him and roughed him up. 47 One of the men standing there
unsheathed his sword, swung, and came down on the Chief Priest's servant,
lopping off the man's ear. 48 Jesus said to them, "What is this, coming
after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? 49 Day after
day I've been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a
hand against me. What you in fact have done is confirm the prophetic
writings." 50 All the disciples cut and ran. 51 A young man was following
along. All he had on was a bedsheet. Some of the men grabbed him 52 but he got
away, running off naked, leaving them holding the sheet. 53 They led Jesus to
the Chief Priest, where the high priests, religious leaders, and scholars had
gathered together. 54 Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the
Chief Priest's courtyard, where he mingled with the servants and warmed himself
at the fire. 55 The high priests conspiring with the Jewish Council looked high
and low for evidence against Jesus by which they could sentence him to death.
They found nothing. 56 Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges,
but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out. 57 Then a few
of them stood up and lied: 58 "We heard him say, 'I am going to tear down
this Temple, built by hard labor, and in three days build another without
lifting a hand.'" 59 But even they couldn't agree exactly. 60 In the
middle of this, the Chief Priest stood up and asked Jesus, "What do you
have to say to the accusation?" 61 Jesus was silent. He said nothing. The
Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, "Are you the Messiah, the Son
of the Blessed?" 62 Jesus said, "Yes, I am, and you'll see it
yourself: The Son of Man seated At the right hand of the Mighty One, Arriving
on the clouds of heaven." 63 The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his
clothes, he yelled, "Did you hear that? After that do we need witnesses?
64 You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?" They condemned
him, one and all. The sentence: death. 65 Some of them started spitting at him.
They blindfolded his eyes, then hit him, saying, "Who hit you?
Prophesy!" The guards, punching and slapping, took him away. 66 While all
this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest's servant
girls came in 67 and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him
and said, "You were with the Nazarene, Jesus." 68 He denied it:
"I don't know what you're talking about." He went out on the porch. A
rooster crowed. 69 The girl spotted him and began telling the people standing
around, "He's one of them." 70 He denied it again. After a little
while, the bystanders brought it up again. "You've got to be one of them.
You've got 'Galilean' written all over you." 71 Now Peter got really
nervous and swore, "I never laid eyes on this man you're talking
about." 72 Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered
how Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three
times." He collapsed in tears.
Mark 15 (The
Message)
1 At
dawn's first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars,
arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus
securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate. 2 Pilate asked him,
"Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" 3 The high priests let loose a
barrage of accusations. 4 Pilate asked again, "Aren't you going to answer
anything? That's quite a list of accusations." 5 Still, he said nothing.
Pilate was impressed, really impressed. 6 It was a custom at the Feast to
release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. 7 There was one prisoner
called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder
during the uprising against Rome. 8 As the crowd came up and began to present
its petition for him to release a prisoner, 9 Pilate anticipated them: "Do
you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?" 10 Pilate knew by
this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned
Jesus over to him. 11 But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to
ask for the release of Barabbas. 12 Pilate came back, "So what do I do
with this man you call King of the Jews?" 13 They yelled, "Nail him
to a cross!" 14 Pilate objected, "But for what crime?" But they
yelled all the louder, "Nail him to a cross!" 15 Pilate gave the
crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and
crucifixion. 16 The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and
called together the entire brigade. 17 They dressed him up in purple and put a
crown plaited from a thorn bush on his head. 18 Then they began their mockery:
"Bravo, King of the Jews!" 19 They banged on his head with a club,
spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. 20 After they had had their fun,
they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they
marched out to nail him to the cross. 21 There was a man walking by, coming
from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him
carry Jesus' cross. 22 The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning
"Skull Hill." 23 They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with
myrrh), but he wouldn't take it. 24 And they nailed him to the cross. They
divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them. 25 They nailed
him up at nine o'clock in the morning. 26 The charge against him - the king of
the jews - was printed on a poster. 27 Along with him, they crucified two
criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. 29 People passing along the
road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: "You bragged that you
could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days - 30 so show us
your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that
cross!" 31 The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right
there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at
him: "He saved others - but he can't save himself! 32 Messiah, is he? King
of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We'll all become believers then!"
Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery. 33 At noon the sky
became extremely dark. 34 The darkness lasted three hours. At three o'clock,
Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eloi, Eloi, lama
sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned
me?" 35 Some of the bystanders who heard him said, "Listen, he's
calling for Elijah." 36 Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put
it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let's see if Elijah
comes to take him down." 37 But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last
breath. 38 At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. 39
When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit
breathing, he said, "This has to be the Son of God!" 40 There were
women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of
the younger James and Joses, and Salome. 41 When Jesus was in Galilee, these
women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem. 42 Late
in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve),
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came.
He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God.
Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate
questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to
verify that he was really dead. 45 Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the
corpse. 46 Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down,
wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the
rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary,
mother of Joses, watched the burial.
Mark 16 (The Message)
1 When the
Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought
spices so they could embalm him. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun
rose, they went to the tomb. 3 They worried out loud to each other, "Who
will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?" 4 Then they looked up, saw
that it had been rolled back - it was a huge stone - and walked right in. 6 He
said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the
One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can
see for yourselves that the place is empty. 7 Now - on your way. Tell his
disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him
there, exactly as he said." 8 They got out as fast as they could, beside
themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone. 9
[After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary
Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. 10 She went to his former
companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. 11 They saw a young man
sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken
aback, astonished. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and
well, they didn't believe her. 12 Later he appeared, but in a different form,
to two of them out walking in the countryside. 13 They went back and told the
rest, but they weren't believed either. 14 Still later, as the Eleven were
eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their
stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. 15
Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message
of God's good news to one and all. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized is
saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned. 17 "These are some of the
signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name,
they will speak in new tongues, 18 they will take snakes in their hands, they
will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them
well." 19 Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to
heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. 20 And the disciples
went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the
Message with indisputable evidence.]
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