Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Chapter 4
The Temptation of Jesus.[a] 1 (A)Filled with the holy Spirit,[b] Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days,[c] to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.(B) 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”(C) 5 Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. 6 The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.(D) 7 All this will be yours, if you worship me.” 8 Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written:
‘You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.’”(E)
9 [d]Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,’(F)
11 and:
‘With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”(G)
12 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”(H) 13 [e]When the devil had finished every temptation,(I) he departed from him for a time.
IV. The Ministry in Galilee
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry. 14 (J)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread[f] throughout the whole region.(K) 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
The Rejection at Nazareth.[g](L) 16 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom[h] into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17 and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,[i]
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.(M)
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”[j] 22 And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”(N) 23 He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”[k] 24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 [l]Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.(O) 26 [m]It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath(P) in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”(Q) 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
The Cure of a Demoniac. 31 [n]Jesus then went down to Capernaum,(R) a town of Galilee.(S) He taught them on the sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority.(T) 33 In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,(U) and he cried out in a loud voice, 34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?[o] I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”(V) 35 Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
The Cure of Simon’s Mother-in-Law. 38 (W)After he left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.[p] Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. 39 He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.
Other Healings.(X) 40 At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. 41 [q]And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”(Y) But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Leaves Capernaum.(Z) 42 [r]At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.”(AA) 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.[s]
Chapter 5
The Call of Simon the Fisherman.[t](AB) 1 (AC)While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 (AD)After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9 For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, 10 and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”(AE) 11 When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything[u] and followed him.(AF)
The Cleansing of a Leper.(AG) 12 Now there was a man full of leprosy[v] in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 13 Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. 14 Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;[w] that will be proof for them.”(AH) 15 The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, 16 but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.(AI)
The Healing of a Paralytic.(AJ) 17 [x]One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees[y] and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. 18 And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence. 19 But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles[z] into the middle in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”[aa] 21 Then the scribes[ab] and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”(AK) 22 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?(AL) 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 [ac](AM)But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25 He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. 26 Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”
The Call of Levi.(AN) 27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything behind,[ad] he got up and followed him. 29 (AO)Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
The Question About Fasting.(AP) 33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” 34 [ae]Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests[af] fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 [ag]And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. 37 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. 39 [And] no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”[ah]
Chapter 6
Debates About the Sabbath.[ai] 1 (AQ)While he was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.(AR) 2 Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” 3 (AS)Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those [who were] with him were hungry? 4 [How] he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,[aj] which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions.”(AT) 5 Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
6 (AU)On another sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.(AV) 8 But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there.(AW) 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” 10 Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. 11 But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
The Mission of the Twelve.[ak] 12 (AX)In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer[al] to God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve,[am] whom he also named apostles: 14 (AY)Simon, whom he named Peter,[an] and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot,[ao] 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot,[ap] who became a traitor.
Ministering to a Great Multitude.(AZ) 17 [aq]And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon 18 came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. 19 Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.
Sermon on the Plain.(BA) 20 [ar]And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,[as]
for the kingdom of God is yours.
21 Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.(BB)
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.(BC)
23 Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.(BD)
24 But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.(BE)
25 But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.(BF)
26 Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.(BG)
Love of Enemies.[at] 27 (BH)“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,(BI) 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.(BJ) 29 To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.(BK) 32 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.(BL) 35 But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.(BM) 36 Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.
Judging Others.[au] 37 (BN)“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.(BO) 38 Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”(BP) 39 And he told them a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?(BQ) 40 No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.(BR) 41 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.
A Tree Known by Its Fruit.(BS) 43 [av]“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 45 A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
The Two Foundations. 46 (BT)“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? 47 [aw]I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.(BU) 48 That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. 49 But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.