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