Mark 6
6
Nazareth Rejects Jesus
(Matthew 13:54–58; Luke 4:14–30)
1Jesus left that place and went to his hometown. His disciples followed him. 2When the day of rest—a holy day, came, he began to teach in the synagogue. He amazed many who heard him. They asked, “Where did this man get these ideas? Who gave him this kind of wisdom and the ability to do such great miracles? 3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they took offense at him.
4But Jesus told them, “The only place a prophet isn’t honored is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” 5He couldn’t work any miracles there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and cure them. 6Their unbelief amazed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
(Matthew 10:5–42; Luke 9:1–6)
Then Jesus went around to the villages and taught.
7He called the twelve apostles, sent them out two by two, and gave them authority over evil spirits. 8He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick. They were not to take any food, a traveling bag, or money in their pockets. 9They could wear sandals but could not take along a change of clothes.
10He told them, “Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you’re ready to leave that place. 11Wherever people don’t welcome you or listen to you, leave and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them.”
12So the apostles went and told people that they should turn to God and change the way they think and act. 13They also forced many demons out of people and poured oil on many who were sick to cure them.
Recalling John’s Death
(Matthew 14:1–12; Luke 9:7–9)
14King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus’ name had become well-known. Some people were saying, “John the Baptizer has come back to life. That’s why he has the power to perform these miracles.” 15Others said, “He is Elijah.” Still others said, “He is a prophet like one of the other prophets.” 16But when Herod heard about it, he said, “I had John’s head cut off, and he has come back to life!”
17Herod had sent men who had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison. Herod did that for Herodias, whom he had married. (She used to be his brother Philip’s wife.) 18John had been telling Herod, “It’s not right for you to be married to your brother’s wife.”
19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she wasn’t allowed to do it 20because Herod was afraid of John. Herod knew that John was a fair and holy man, so he protected him. When he listened to John, he would become very disturbed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
21An opportunity finally came on Herod’s birthday. Herod gave a dinner for his top officials, army officers, and the most important people of Galilee. 22His daughter, that is, Herodias’ daughter, came in and danced. Herod and his guests were delighted with her. The king told the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23He swore an oath to her: “I’ll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom.”
24So she went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”
Her mother said, “Ask for the head of John the Baptizer.”
25So the girl hurried back to the king with her request. She said, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter at once.”
26The king deeply regretted his promise. But because of his oath and his guests, he didn’t want to refuse her. 27Immediately, the king sent a guard and ordered him to bring John’s head. The guard cut off John’s head in prison. 28Then he brought the head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
29When John’s disciples heard about this, they came for his body and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Matthew 14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–14)
30The apostles gathered around Jesus. They reported to him everything they had done and taught. 31So he said to them, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone to rest for a while.” Many people were coming and going, and Jesus and the apostles didn’t even have a chance to eat.
32So they went away in a boat to a place where they could be alone. 33But many people saw them leave and recognized them. The people ran from all the cities and arrived ahead of them. 34When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd and felt sorry for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So he spent a lot of time teaching them.
35When it was late, his disciples came to him. They said, “No one lives around here, and it’s already late. 36Send the people to the closest farms and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”
37Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, “Should we go and spend about a year’s wages on bread to feed them?”
38He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out, they told him, “Five loaves of bread and two fish.”
39Then he ordered all of them to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41After he took the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed the food. He broke the loaves apart and kept giving them to the disciples to give to the people. He also gave pieces of the two fish to everyone. 42All of them ate as much as they wanted. 43When they picked up the leftover pieces, they filled twelve baskets with bread and fish. 44There were 5,000 men who had eaten the bread.
Jesus Walks on the Sea
(Matthew 14:22–36; John 6:15–21)
45Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him while he sent the people away. 46After saying goodbye to them, he went up a mountain to pray. 47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.
48Jesus saw that they were in a lot of trouble as they rowed, because they were going against the wind. Between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them. He was walking on the sea. He wanted to pass by them. 49When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought, “It’s a ghost!” and they began to scream. 50All of them saw him and were terrified.
Immediately, he said, “Calm down! It’s me. Don’t be afraid!” 51He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples were astounded. 52(They didn’t understand what had happened with the loaves of bread. Instead, their minds were closed.)
53They crossed the sea, came to shore at Gennesaret, and anchored there.
54As soon as they stepped out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. 55They ran all over the countryside and began to carry the sick on cots to any place where they heard he was. 56Whenever he would go into villages, cities, or farms, people would put their sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was made well.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Mark 6
6
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
1Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary#6:3a Some manuscripts read He’s just the son of the carpenter and of Mary. and the brother of James, Joseph,#6:3b Most manuscripts read Joses; see Matt 13:55. Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
4Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples
Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. 7And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil#6:7 Greek unclean. spirits. 8He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money.#6:8 Greek no copper coins in their money belts. 9He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.
10 “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. 11But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
12So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. 13And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.
The Death of John the Baptist
14Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying,#6:14 Some manuscripts read He was saying. “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.” 15Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.”
16When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead.”
17For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her. 18John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” 19So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, 20for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.
21Herodias’s chance finally came on Herod’s birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. 22Then his daughter, also named Herodias,#6:22 Some manuscripts read the daughter of Herodias herself. came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. “Ask me for anything you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you.” 23He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!”
24She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”
Her mother told her, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!”
25So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, “I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!”
26Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn’t refuse her. 27So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, 28brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. 29When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
30The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
32So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
35Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”
37But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money#6:37 Greek It would take 200 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage. to buy food for all these people!”
38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
39Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
41Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42They all ate as much as they wanted, 43and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.#6:44 Some manuscripts read fed from the loaves.
Jesus Walks on Water
45Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
47Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning#6:48 Greek About the fourth watch of the night. Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50They were all terrified when they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!#6:50 Or The ‘I Am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.” 51Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
53After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 54and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
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