When Jesus’ disciples returned to him they reported all they had said and done and also brought him news of John the Baptist’s death. Upon hearing this, Jesus left on a boat to be alone. But the crowds learned he had moved on and followed him from the shore. When Jesus’s boat landed and he saw a large crowd had already gathered he felt compassion for them and healed their sick. As the night approached Jesus’ followers said, “We’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s getting late. Send everyone back to the nearby villages so they can buy themselves some food.”
Jesus replied, “They don’t need to leave. You give them something to eat.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish. There are thousands of men here, along with their families.” they said.
“Bring them to me.” Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down. He took the bread, then looked to heaven, gave thanks, and broke it. Then he gave the bread pieces to his followers to pass it out to the crowd. Everyone ate until they were full and Jesus’ followers collected 12 baskets full of leftovers.
The people started excitedly saying among themselves, “This is the one that prophesied about.” Jesus knew that if they were allowed to continue in this they would soon desire to make him king, by force if necessary, so he sent the crowds away.
Jesus then instructed his followers to get on a boat and go on ahead of him while he went up the mountainside, alone, to pray. Later that night, when the boat was in the middle of the water a storm kicked up and buffeted its sides. Seeing them struggle to maintain control of the boat, Jesus walked out on the surface of the water. When his followers saw this, they were terrified and cried out, “It’s a ghost.”
But Jesus called back, “Don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come out to you on the water.”
“Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the surface of the water towards Jesus.
But when he felt the wind whip his face and saw crashing waves he was afraid and began to sink, calling out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. “Oh, Peter. Why did you doubt?”
When they climbed back onto the boat, the storm immediately died down. Everyone on the boat worshipped Jesus and said, “It is clear to us now that you are the son of God.”
When they reached the shore the men of that region recognized Jesus and sent word to the nearby towns. People brought their sick to Jesus and begged just to be able to touch his clothing. Everyone who did, was healed. Then Jesus travelled to Capernaum.
Some people who had been a part of the crowd Jesus had fed were now looking for him on that side of the Sea of Galilee because they knew he had not gotten on the boat with his disciples. When they could not find him, they eventually made their way to Capernaum. When they found him there they asked, “When did you get here?”
Jesus replied, “You aren’t looking for me because you understand the significance of the miracle I did, but because you were fed. Don’t pursue bread that can mold, but bread that will last forever, which I will give you, because I am sent by God.
They asked, “What does God require of us?”
“God wants you to believe in me.”
“What sign can you show us to prove you are who you say you are? Our ancestor knew Moses was sent by God when they ate manna in the wilderness.”
Jesus replied, “It wasn’t Moses who provided your ancestors manna, but God, my father. Everyone who ate manna eventually died. But my flesh is the true bread of heaven that gives eternal life to the world. Whoever eats of me will never be hungry. You have seen me and you still don’t believe. I came from heaven not to do what I want, but to obey the commands of God. And that command is that I guard everyone who comes to me, resurrecting them to eternal life in the end.”
When Jesus spoke about himself this way, some of the Jews grumbled among themselves, and said, “How can this person offer his own flesh for us to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Stop your grumbling. No one can approach God except through me. In all of human history, no one has truly seen God except for me, the son. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you do not have eternal life in you.”
But none of them, not even his disciples, could fully comprehend his words. Some of his followers said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Jesus asked them, “Do my words offend you? My words are full of the Holy Spirit, which gives life, but some of you, though you are my followers, still do not believe them.” After he said this, many of his followers abandoned him. Jesus asked his 12 closest disciples, “You don’t want to leave me too, do you?”
Simon Peter answered for them, saying, “Who on earth could we follow instead of you? Your words bring eternal life. We have come to believe that you are the Son of God.”
After this, some of the religious leaders came to him and asked, “Why do your followers break with our traditions and not wash their hands before they eat?”
Jesus replied, “You are hypocrites. You find ways to break God’s law to satisfy your traditions. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of it.”
After the religious leaders left Jesus’ followers said, “You know you offended them with what you said. What did you even mean by that?”
Jesus replied, “Can’t you see that what you eat doesn’t go into your heart. It goes into your stomach and then out of your body. You can’t be defiled by what you eat. It’s what comes out of a person’s heart that defiles them: breaking God’s commands about marriage, stealing, murder, greed, hatred, lying, offensive behavior, thinking you deserve what someone else has, thinking too highly of yourself, and foolishness. Every plant not planted by God will be pulled up by the root. Don’t concern yourself with them. They are blind guides and anyone who follows them will fall into a pit.
Jesus then travelled to Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman came to him and said, “Lord, have mercy on me. My daughter is possessed by a demon and suffering.”
Jesus did not answer her so his followers said, “Send her away, she keeps bothering us.”
“Lord, help me.” she cried out.
“I was sent to help the lost sheep of Israel. It is not right to take bread meant for children and give it to the family dog.” Jesus replied.
“Lord,” she answered, “Even a dog is allowed to eat the crumbs that fall from its master’s bountiful table.”
Jesus then said, “You have great faith. Your daughter is healed.”
Then Jesus returned to Galilee before travelling east to Decapolis. There, some people brought a man to Jesus who was deaf and could barely speak. Jesus touched the man’s ears and tongue, looked up to heaven and said, “be opened”, and the man was instantly healed. Though he told them not to tell anyone, word soon spread, Everyone who heard the story was amazed and a crowd soon gathered around him.
After three days, the crowd, which had grown to over 4000, had gotten very hungry. Knowing that they could collapse from hunger if they were sent away to find food, Jesus took the seven loaves of bread his disciples had and once more he broke them and fed the entire crowd.
As Jesus was returning to the Sea of Galilee, the Pharisees approached and asked him for a sign to prove that his authority was from God. Jesus replied, “When a red sky comes in the evening, you say, ‘Tomorrow we will have fair weather.’ When a red sky comes in the morning you say, ‘Today will be stormy.” You know how to interpret these signs, but you cannot interpret the signs you have already been given. Why does this wicked generation continue to look for a sign? They will not receive it.”
After Jesus had crossed the sea, his followers realized they had forgotten to bring any bread with them. Jesus said to them, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
They started talking among themselves and then said, “He said that because we forgot to bring bread.”
But Jesus knew what they were saying and replied, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not understand? Not once, but twice you have seen thousands fed with only a few loaves. How many baskets of leftovers did you gather? How do you not understand that I’m not talking about bread? Be on your guard against the YEAST of the religious leaders.” Then they realized that he was talking about their teachings.
When they came to Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee’s north shore, some people brought a blind man to Jesus to be healed. Jesus took the man outside the village and put his hands on his eyes, asking, “Do you see anything?”
The man replied, “I see people, but they look fuzzy, like trees walking around.”
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his sight was fully restored and he saw everything clearly. Jesus told him, “Go straight home, don’t talk to anyone about this in the village.”
Jesus continued travelling north to Caesarea Philippi. Along the way, he asked his followers, “who do people say that I am?”
They replied, “Some say you are John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets come back to life.”
“What about you?” Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter spoke up, “You are our savior. The Son of the only God.”
Jesus looked at Peter and said, “You have been greatly blessed, Simon. This isn’t something that any person taught you. It was God who revealed this to you. This is why I call you Peter, because you are the rock on which I will build my church, my people. I will give you the keys to heaven and all the authority that goes with it.” Then he ordered his followers not to tell anyone who he was.
From that time on, Jesus started telling his followers that the day would come when he would go to Jerusalem and suffer terribly at the hands of the Sanhedrin, that he would be killed by them, but that after three days he would come back to life. This was so upsetting to Peter, that he took Jesus aside and rebuked him, saying “Never, Lord! You are our savior. This cannot be what happens to you.”
Jesus replied, “Peter, do not become a rock that I stumble over. Satan seeks to tempt me through your words. You don’t understand what God’s plan is. You are only seeing things from your limited human perspective.” Then he spoke to them all, “Whoever wants to be my follower must put aside what they want and be willing to follow the path I take, even if it means suffering and death.” Jesus continued to tell his followers of his impending death at various times when they were together in private.
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John off by themselves up a high mountain. They remained there for a while and the disciples started to doze off. Suddenly, Jesus began to change. His face was as bright as the sun and his clothes looked like white light. The disciples sprang up, wide awake, and saw that beside Jesus, Moses and Elijah had appeared and were speaking with him.
Wanting to hold on to this holy moment he was witnessing, Peter suggested they put up a shelter for Moses, Elijah and Jesus, because he could not understand its significance. As he spoke, a bright cloud covered them all and a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my son. I love him and everything he does brings me joy. Listen to him!”
When Peter, James and John heard this they fell face down, terrified. But Jesus came to them and said, “You can get up. Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up the only person they saw was Jesus.
As they were coming back down the mountain, Jesus said to them, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw here today until after I have been brought back to life.”
But the three asked him, “If you are the savior, why do the prophecies say that Elijah has to return to us first?”
Jesus answered, “Elijah has already come, but they didn’t recognize him and had him killed. In the same way, I will suffer.” Then they understood that he was speaking about John the Baptist.
When they returned to town they saw the rest of the disciples were surrounded by a crowd and arguing with some of the Pharisees. Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”
A man approached Jesus, knelt down and said, “Lord have mercy on my son. He is possessed by a demon. He can’t speak. He foams at the mouth and becomes rigid when it takes hold of him. I brought him to your followers, but they could not heal him.”
Jesus replied, “How long will I have to stay with this unbelieving generation? Bring the boy here.” When the boy saw Jesus the demon inside of him made him fall immediately to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the man, “How long has he been like this?”
“Since he was a child. It often causes him to fall into water or fire in an attempt to kill him. If you can do anything, please help us.”
“If I can?” Jesus said, “Everything is possible for someone who believes.”
The boy’s father exclaimed, “I believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!”
So Jesus said to the spirit, “I command you to come out of him and never return.” The spirit shrieked, shook the boy violently, and then came out. People thought he had died, but Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet.
Later, Jesus’ followers asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive that demon out?”
He replied, “Because you didn’t have enough faith. The truth is, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed you could move a mountain. Nothing would be impossible.”
They traveled back to Capernaum and when they approached the local temple, the tax collectors asked Peter, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
Peter was upset by this accusation, so he said, “Yes he does.”
Later, Jesus said to Peter, “Who do kings collect taxes from, their own children or others?”
“Others.”
“Right, children are exempt.” Jesus said, “But just so we don’t offend those at the temple, go take your fishing rod and cast it into the lake. The first fish you catch will have coins in its mouth to pay the temple tax.”
One day, Jesus’ followers started talking among themselves and asked Jesus, “Who will be the greatest in God’s kingdom?”
Jesus called a small child over and said, “The truth is, unless you change and become like this child you will never enter God’s kingdom. Whoever sees themself as small will be the greatest. If anyone causes those who believe in me to stumble, they would be better off being thrown into the sea strapped to a boulder. If there is any part of your life that is causing you to sin, you must rid yourself of it, no matter how painful. It would be better to painfully limp into God’s kingdom than confidently stride through the gates of hell.”
“If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off and gets lost, he will leave the other 99 in the pen and search for it. If he finds it he is happier about that one sheep than the other 99 who didn’t wander off. God feels the same way about those who believe in me.”
“If you see another believer that you know sinning, go and talk with them about it privately. If they listen to you, you have helped them. If they don’t listen to you, bring someone else along as a witness. If they still won’t listen, then bring the matter to your spiritual leaders. If they still won’t listen, you can treat them like you would treat any other unbeliever.”
Sometime after this Peter asked Jesus, “How many times should I forgive another believer when they sin against me? We’re taught to forgive 3 times, but I’m willing to forgive 7 times.”
Jesus replied, “Not 7 times, or even 77 times, instead be people who are always willing to forgive. God’s kingdom is like a man who had servants that owed him money. One servant owed him 10,000 bags of gold. Of course he couldn’t repay such a massive sum, so the man ordered that his family be sold as slaves to pay the debt. The servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘be patient with me, I’ll repay everything I owe.’ The man had pity on his servant, forgave his debt and let him go. A short time later, the servant came across another servant who owed him 100 silver coins. He choked the man yelling, ‘Pay back what you owe me.’ The fellow servant fell on his knees and said, ‘be patient with me, I’ll repay everything I owe.’ But he had his fellow servant thrown into prison to work off his debt. When the servant’s master heard about this from the other servants he said to the first, ‘You are wicked. I canceled all your debts when you begged me. Shouldn't’ you have done the same for your fellow servant? In his anger the master had this servant sent to prison to repay his massive debt. This is how God will treat you if you refuse to forgive each other.”
Jesus remained in Galilee, avoiding Judea for the next few months because the Sanhedrin were looking for a way to kill him. But when the time came for an important festival, Jesus’ brothers came to Capernaum and said to him, “It’s time for you to be seen on a grander stage. You should go to Judea so that all of your followers there can see you. No man who wants to become a public figure keeps himself hidden like you do.”
Because his own brothers did not believe that he was the savior of prophecy, Jesus replied, “For you, any time seems like a good time. That is because you do not understand how hated I will be by the world when I testify against its evil ways. I will not travel with you to the festival because my time has not yet come.” After his brothers left for Jerusalem, Jesus also went, but in secret. The crowds there whispered among themselves about Jesus, some claiming he was a good man, while others claimed he deceived people.
Halfway through the festival, Jesus began to teach in the temple courts. Those who listened were amazed, asking, “How did you gain such wisdom without a formal education?”
Jesus answered, “My words are not my own. They come from the one who sent me. Those who follow God will know if my words come from God or myself. Many who speak desire their own glory, but those who desire the glory of God speak only the truth.”
As he spoke, some in the crowd said, “Isn’t this the man the Sanhedrin wants dead? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they aren’t doing anything about it. Have they decided he really is the savior of prophecy? How could that be? We know who this man is and where he came from.”
Jesus answered them, “Yes, you know my name, and you know my hometown, but I am not here under my own authority, but God’s. You do not know God like I do because I am from God who sent me here to earth.”
These words infuriated the crowd and they tried to grab him, but were unable to because the time had not yet come. Jesus continued, “I am only going to be with you a short time, then I am returning to my father. You will look for me, but you will not find me and where I am going you cannot follow.”
They asked each other, “Where could he go that we couldn’t find him? Will he go and live with our people who have been scattered throughout the empire? What does he mean? Is he going to kill himself?”
Jesus replied, “You are from this world, I am not. If you do not believe in me, your sins will be the death of you. When you lift me up you will know that I am who I say I am and speak what my father has taught me. He is always with me and I always do what pleases him.”
On the last day of the festival Jesus said, “Whoever is thirsty for God, believe in me and I will put a river of living water inside of you.”
That day, many who were gathered there came to believe Jesus was the savior of prophecy, but others asked, “How could our savior come from Galilee? The prophets said our savior would come from Bethlehem and be a descendant of David.” So the people were divided in their opinion of Jesus.
When the Pharisees heard that some of the people were claiming Jesus was their savior, they sent the temple guards to arrest him. But they returned and said, “No one speaks like this man does.”
“So he has deceived you too,” they said accusingly. “No Pharisee believes he is the savior of prophecy, but you side with this uneducated rabble whose ignorance brings a curse upon them?”
But one of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, asked, “Does the law of Moses allow us to condemn a man who hasn’t been given an opportunity to explain himself?”
The rest angrily replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Study the Tanakh for yourself and see that the savior does NOT come from Galilee.”
Jesus continued to teach in the temple courts and one morning the Pharisees and Sadducees brought a woman to him who they had caught violating the covenant of marriage. They said, “Moses’ law commands that we kill this woman for what she did. What do you say?” They were hoping to trick him into saying something they could arrest him for. But he remained quiet, writing something in the dirt with his finger.
When they kept insisting he answer he said, “Whichever one of you does not sin can be the first to throw a stone at her.” They all slowly started to leave until only Jesus was left. Jesus looked at the woman and said, “So none of them remain to condemn you?”
“No sir.” She replied.
“Then I don’t condemn you either. Go and leave your sin behind,” he told her.
Another time when Jesus was teaching he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life inside of them.”
The pharisees argued, “You have no one else as a witness to your authority. Your words are invalid.”
“Your law says that testimony requires a corroborating witness. My witness is my father, who sent me.”
“Where is your father?”
You do not know my father, or you would know me and if you knew me, you would know my father,” he answered, then continued to address those Jews who believed in him. “If you hold onto my teachings, you are my disciples and you will be set free by the truth I give you.”
In their pride they asked, “How can you say we will be set free? We are Abraham’s descendants, we’ve never been anyone’s slaves.”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave has no permanent place, but a son belongs to his family forever. If the son of God sets you free, then you are truly free. You are Abraham’s descendants, but you do not follow his ways. Instead, some of you want to kill me because you will not allow yourselves to listen to my words. I have been in the presence of my father and follow him. You follow your father.
Those whom he had spoken against protested, “We are not illegitimate children. God is our father!”
Jesus replied, “If God was your father, you would love me, for I was sent by God. Why can you not understand what I am saying? Your father is Satan, whose native tongue is lies and death. Can any of you prove that I have sinned? The reason you cannot hear me is that you do not belong to God.”
They yelled back, “You are demon-possessed lunatic!”
He replied, “I am not. You dishonor me even as I honor my father. I do not seek my own glory, but God’s, who is your judge. Whoever obeys my words will never die.”
They scoffed, “Now we know you’re demon possessed. Even Abraham and the prophets died. Do you think you are greater than them?”
Jesus answered, “If I bring glory to myself, it means nothing. My father, who you claim as your God, glorifies me. Your father, Abraham, longed for and rejoiced in the promise of my coming. He saw me and was glad.”
“How could you have seen Abraham? You are a man in your thirties.”
With powerful authority Jesus answered, “Before Abraham was born, I AM.”
Hearing Jesus claim the name God had spoken to Moses when he first appeared to him, many in the crowds grabbed stones and meant to kill Jesus, but he escaped their wrath and headed back to Galilee.
As Jesus left Jerusalem he lamented the state of the holy city of David, saying, “Oh Jerusalem. How I’ve longed to gather you under my wing like a mother hen, but you were unwilling. You will not see me again until you say, ‘blessed is he who comes in the name of God.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish. There are thousands of men here, along with their families.” they said.
“Bring them to me.” Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down. He took the bread, then looked to heaven, gave thanks, and broke it. Then he gave the bread pieces to his followers to pass it out to the crowd. Everyone ate until they were full and Jesus’ followers collected 12 baskets full of leftovers.
The people started excitedly saying among themselves, “This is the one that prophesied about.” Jesus knew that if they were allowed to continue in this they would soon desire to make him king, by force if necessary, so he sent the crowds away.
Jesus then instructed his followers to get on a boat and go on ahead of him while he went up the mountainside, alone, to pray. Later that night, when the boat was in the middle of the water a storm kicked up and buffeted its sides. Seeing them struggle to maintain control of the boat, Jesus walked out on the surface of the water. When his followers saw this, they were terrified and cried out, “It’s a ghost.”
But Jesus called back, “Don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come out to you on the water.”
“Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the surface of the water towards Jesus.
But when he felt the wind whip his face and saw crashing waves he was afraid and began to sink, calling out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. “Oh, Peter. Why did you doubt?”
When they climbed back onto the boat, the storm immediately died down. Everyone on the boat worshipped Jesus and said, “It is clear to us now that you are the son of God.”
When they reached the shore the men of that region recognized Jesus and sent word to the nearby towns. People brought their sick to Jesus and begged just to be able to touch his clothing. Everyone who did, was healed. Then Jesus travelled to Capernaum.
Some people who had been a part of the crowd Jesus had fed were now looking for him on that side of the Sea of Galilee because they knew he had not gotten on the boat with his disciples. When they could not find him, they eventually made their way to Capernaum. When they found him there they asked, “When did you get here?”
Jesus replied, “You aren’t looking for me because you understand the significance of the miracle I did, but because you were fed. Don’t pursue bread that can mold, but bread that will last forever, which I will give you, because I am sent by God.
They asked, “What does God require of us?”
“God wants you to believe in me.”
“What sign can you show us to prove you are who you say you are? Our ancestor knew Moses was sent by God when they ate manna in the wilderness.”
Jesus replied, “It wasn’t Moses who provided your ancestors manna, but God, my father. Everyone who ate manna eventually died. But my flesh is the true bread of heaven that gives eternal life to the world. Whoever eats of me will never be hungry. You have seen me and you still don’t believe. I came from heaven not to do what I want, but to obey the commands of God. And that command is that I guard everyone who comes to me, resurrecting them to eternal life in the end.”
When Jesus spoke about himself this way, some of the Jews grumbled among themselves, and said, “How can this person offer his own flesh for us to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Stop your grumbling. No one can approach God except through me. In all of human history, no one has truly seen God except for me, the son. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you do not have eternal life in you.”
But none of them, not even his disciples, could fully comprehend his words. Some of his followers said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Jesus asked them, “Do my words offend you? My words are full of the Holy Spirit, which gives life, but some of you, though you are my followers, still do not believe them.” After he said this, many of his followers abandoned him. Jesus asked his 12 closest disciples, “You don’t want to leave me too, do you?”
Simon Peter answered for them, saying, “Who on earth could we follow instead of you? Your words bring eternal life. We have come to believe that you are the Son of God.”
After this, some of the religious leaders came to him and asked, “Why do your followers break with our traditions and not wash their hands before they eat?”
Jesus replied, “You are hypocrites. You find ways to break God’s law to satisfy your traditions. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of it.”
After the religious leaders left Jesus’ followers said, “You know you offended them with what you said. What did you even mean by that?”
Jesus replied, “Can’t you see that what you eat doesn’t go into your heart. It goes into your stomach and then out of your body. You can’t be defiled by what you eat. It’s what comes out of a person’s heart that defiles them: breaking God’s commands about marriage, stealing, murder, greed, hatred, lying, offensive behavior, thinking you deserve what someone else has, thinking too highly of yourself, and foolishness. Every plant not planted by God will be pulled up by the root. Don’t concern yourself with them. They are blind guides and anyone who follows them will fall into a pit.
Jesus then travelled to Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman came to him and said, “Lord, have mercy on me. My daughter is possessed by a demon and suffering.”
Jesus did not answer her so his followers said, “Send her away, she keeps bothering us.”
“Lord, help me.” she cried out.
“I was sent to help the lost sheep of Israel. It is not right to take bread meant for children and give it to the family dog.” Jesus replied.
“Lord,” she answered, “Even a dog is allowed to eat the crumbs that fall from its master’s bountiful table.”
Jesus then said, “You have great faith. Your daughter is healed.”
Then Jesus returned to Galilee before travelling east to Decapolis. There, some people brought a man to Jesus who was deaf and could barely speak. Jesus touched the man’s ears and tongue, looked up to heaven and said, “be opened”, and the man was instantly healed. Though he told them not to tell anyone, word soon spread, Everyone who heard the story was amazed and a crowd soon gathered around him.
After three days, the crowd, which had grown to over 4000, had gotten very hungry. Knowing that they could collapse from hunger if they were sent away to find food, Jesus took the seven loaves of bread his disciples had and once more he broke them and fed the entire crowd.
As Jesus was returning to the Sea of Galilee, the Pharisees approached and asked him for a sign to prove that his authority was from God. Jesus replied, “When a red sky comes in the evening, you say, ‘Tomorrow we will have fair weather.’ When a red sky comes in the morning you say, ‘Today will be stormy.” You know how to interpret these signs, but you cannot interpret the signs you have already been given. Why does this wicked generation continue to look for a sign? They will not receive it.”
After Jesus had crossed the sea, his followers realized they had forgotten to bring any bread with them. Jesus said to them, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
They started talking among themselves and then said, “He said that because we forgot to bring bread.”
But Jesus knew what they were saying and replied, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not understand? Not once, but twice you have seen thousands fed with only a few loaves. How many baskets of leftovers did you gather? How do you not understand that I’m not talking about bread? Be on your guard against the YEAST of the religious leaders.” Then they realized that he was talking about their teachings.
When they came to Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee’s north shore, some people brought a blind man to Jesus to be healed. Jesus took the man outside the village and put his hands on his eyes, asking, “Do you see anything?”
The man replied, “I see people, but they look fuzzy, like trees walking around.”
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his sight was fully restored and he saw everything clearly. Jesus told him, “Go straight home, don’t talk to anyone about this in the village.”
Jesus continued travelling north to Caesarea Philippi. Along the way, he asked his followers, “who do people say that I am?”
They replied, “Some say you are John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets come back to life.”
“What about you?” Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter spoke up, “You are our savior. The Son of the only God.”
Jesus looked at Peter and said, “You have been greatly blessed, Simon. This isn’t something that any person taught you. It was God who revealed this to you. This is why I call you Peter, because you are the rock on which I will build my church, my people. I will give you the keys to heaven and all the authority that goes with it.” Then he ordered his followers not to tell anyone who he was.
From that time on, Jesus started telling his followers that the day would come when he would go to Jerusalem and suffer terribly at the hands of the Sanhedrin, that he would be killed by them, but that after three days he would come back to life. This was so upsetting to Peter, that he took Jesus aside and rebuked him, saying “Never, Lord! You are our savior. This cannot be what happens to you.”
Jesus replied, “Peter, do not become a rock that I stumble over. Satan seeks to tempt me through your words. You don’t understand what God’s plan is. You are only seeing things from your limited human perspective.” Then he spoke to them all, “Whoever wants to be my follower must put aside what they want and be willing to follow the path I take, even if it means suffering and death.” Jesus continued to tell his followers of his impending death at various times when they were together in private.
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John off by themselves up a high mountain. They remained there for a while and the disciples started to doze off. Suddenly, Jesus began to change. His face was as bright as the sun and his clothes looked like white light. The disciples sprang up, wide awake, and saw that beside Jesus, Moses and Elijah had appeared and were speaking with him.
Wanting to hold on to this holy moment he was witnessing, Peter suggested they put up a shelter for Moses, Elijah and Jesus, because he could not understand its significance. As he spoke, a bright cloud covered them all and a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my son. I love him and everything he does brings me joy. Listen to him!”
When Peter, James and John heard this they fell face down, terrified. But Jesus came to them and said, “You can get up. Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up the only person they saw was Jesus.
As they were coming back down the mountain, Jesus said to them, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw here today until after I have been brought back to life.”
But the three asked him, “If you are the savior, why do the prophecies say that Elijah has to return to us first?”
Jesus answered, “Elijah has already come, but they didn’t recognize him and had him killed. In the same way, I will suffer.” Then they understood that he was speaking about John the Baptist.
When they returned to town they saw the rest of the disciples were surrounded by a crowd and arguing with some of the Pharisees. Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about?”
A man approached Jesus, knelt down and said, “Lord have mercy on my son. He is possessed by a demon. He can’t speak. He foams at the mouth and becomes rigid when it takes hold of him. I brought him to your followers, but they could not heal him.”
Jesus replied, “How long will I have to stay with this unbelieving generation? Bring the boy here.” When the boy saw Jesus the demon inside of him made him fall immediately to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the man, “How long has he been like this?”
“Since he was a child. It often causes him to fall into water or fire in an attempt to kill him. If you can do anything, please help us.”
“If I can?” Jesus said, “Everything is possible for someone who believes.”
The boy’s father exclaimed, “I believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!”
So Jesus said to the spirit, “I command you to come out of him and never return.” The spirit shrieked, shook the boy violently, and then came out. People thought he had died, but Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet.
Later, Jesus’ followers asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive that demon out?”
He replied, “Because you didn’t have enough faith. The truth is, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed you could move a mountain. Nothing would be impossible.”
They traveled back to Capernaum and when they approached the local temple, the tax collectors asked Peter, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
Peter was upset by this accusation, so he said, “Yes he does.”
Later, Jesus said to Peter, “Who do kings collect taxes from, their own children or others?”
“Others.”
“Right, children are exempt.” Jesus said, “But just so we don’t offend those at the temple, go take your fishing rod and cast it into the lake. The first fish you catch will have coins in its mouth to pay the temple tax.”
One day, Jesus’ followers started talking among themselves and asked Jesus, “Who will be the greatest in God’s kingdom?”
Jesus called a small child over and said, “The truth is, unless you change and become like this child you will never enter God’s kingdom. Whoever sees themself as small will be the greatest. If anyone causes those who believe in me to stumble, they would be better off being thrown into the sea strapped to a boulder. If there is any part of your life that is causing you to sin, you must rid yourself of it, no matter how painful. It would be better to painfully limp into God’s kingdom than confidently stride through the gates of hell.”
“If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off and gets lost, he will leave the other 99 in the pen and search for it. If he finds it he is happier about that one sheep than the other 99 who didn’t wander off. God feels the same way about those who believe in me.”
“If you see another believer that you know sinning, go and talk with them about it privately. If they listen to you, you have helped them. If they don’t listen to you, bring someone else along as a witness. If they still won’t listen, then bring the matter to your spiritual leaders. If they still won’t listen, you can treat them like you would treat any other unbeliever.”
Sometime after this Peter asked Jesus, “How many times should I forgive another believer when they sin against me? We’re taught to forgive 3 times, but I’m willing to forgive 7 times.”
Jesus replied, “Not 7 times, or even 77 times, instead be people who are always willing to forgive. God’s kingdom is like a man who had servants that owed him money. One servant owed him 10,000 bags of gold. Of course he couldn’t repay such a massive sum, so the man ordered that his family be sold as slaves to pay the debt. The servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘be patient with me, I’ll repay everything I owe.’ The man had pity on his servant, forgave his debt and let him go. A short time later, the servant came across another servant who owed him 100 silver coins. He choked the man yelling, ‘Pay back what you owe me.’ The fellow servant fell on his knees and said, ‘be patient with me, I’ll repay everything I owe.’ But he had his fellow servant thrown into prison to work off his debt. When the servant’s master heard about this from the other servants he said to the first, ‘You are wicked. I canceled all your debts when you begged me. Shouldn't’ you have done the same for your fellow servant? In his anger the master had this servant sent to prison to repay his massive debt. This is how God will treat you if you refuse to forgive each other.”
Jesus remained in Galilee, avoiding Judea for the next few months because the Sanhedrin were looking for a way to kill him. But when the time came for an important festival, Jesus’ brothers came to Capernaum and said to him, “It’s time for you to be seen on a grander stage. You should go to Judea so that all of your followers there can see you. No man who wants to become a public figure keeps himself hidden like you do.”
Because his own brothers did not believe that he was the savior of prophecy, Jesus replied, “For you, any time seems like a good time. That is because you do not understand how hated I will be by the world when I testify against its evil ways. I will not travel with you to the festival because my time has not yet come.” After his brothers left for Jerusalem, Jesus also went, but in secret. The crowds there whispered among themselves about Jesus, some claiming he was a good man, while others claimed he deceived people.
Halfway through the festival, Jesus began to teach in the temple courts. Those who listened were amazed, asking, “How did you gain such wisdom without a formal education?”
Jesus answered, “My words are not my own. They come from the one who sent me. Those who follow God will know if my words come from God or myself. Many who speak desire their own glory, but those who desire the glory of God speak only the truth.”
As he spoke, some in the crowd said, “Isn’t this the man the Sanhedrin wants dead? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they aren’t doing anything about it. Have they decided he really is the savior of prophecy? How could that be? We know who this man is and where he came from.”
Jesus answered them, “Yes, you know my name, and you know my hometown, but I am not here under my own authority, but God’s. You do not know God like I do because I am from God who sent me here to earth.”
These words infuriated the crowd and they tried to grab him, but were unable to because the time had not yet come. Jesus continued, “I am only going to be with you a short time, then I am returning to my father. You will look for me, but you will not find me and where I am going you cannot follow.”
They asked each other, “Where could he go that we couldn’t find him? Will he go and live with our people who have been scattered throughout the empire? What does he mean? Is he going to kill himself?”
Jesus replied, “You are from this world, I am not. If you do not believe in me, your sins will be the death of you. When you lift me up you will know that I am who I say I am and speak what my father has taught me. He is always with me and I always do what pleases him.”
On the last day of the festival Jesus said, “Whoever is thirsty for God, believe in me and I will put a river of living water inside of you.”
That day, many who were gathered there came to believe Jesus was the savior of prophecy, but others asked, “How could our savior come from Galilee? The prophets said our savior would come from Bethlehem and be a descendant of David.” So the people were divided in their opinion of Jesus.
When the Pharisees heard that some of the people were claiming Jesus was their savior, they sent the temple guards to arrest him. But they returned and said, “No one speaks like this man does.”
“So he has deceived you too,” they said accusingly. “No Pharisee believes he is the savior of prophecy, but you side with this uneducated rabble whose ignorance brings a curse upon them?”
But one of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, asked, “Does the law of Moses allow us to condemn a man who hasn’t been given an opportunity to explain himself?”
The rest angrily replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Study the Tanakh for yourself and see that the savior does NOT come from Galilee.”
Jesus continued to teach in the temple courts and one morning the Pharisees and Sadducees brought a woman to him who they had caught violating the covenant of marriage. They said, “Moses’ law commands that we kill this woman for what she did. What do you say?” They were hoping to trick him into saying something they could arrest him for. But he remained quiet, writing something in the dirt with his finger.
When they kept insisting he answer he said, “Whichever one of you does not sin can be the first to throw a stone at her.” They all slowly started to leave until only Jesus was left. Jesus looked at the woman and said, “So none of them remain to condemn you?”
“No sir.” She replied.
“Then I don’t condemn you either. Go and leave your sin behind,” he told her.
Another time when Jesus was teaching he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life inside of them.”
The pharisees argued, “You have no one else as a witness to your authority. Your words are invalid.”
“Your law says that testimony requires a corroborating witness. My witness is my father, who sent me.”
“Where is your father?”
You do not know my father, or you would know me and if you knew me, you would know my father,” he answered, then continued to address those Jews who believed in him. “If you hold onto my teachings, you are my disciples and you will be set free by the truth I give you.”
In their pride they asked, “How can you say we will be set free? We are Abraham’s descendants, we’ve never been anyone’s slaves.”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave has no permanent place, but a son belongs to his family forever. If the son of God sets you free, then you are truly free. You are Abraham’s descendants, but you do not follow his ways. Instead, some of you want to kill me because you will not allow yourselves to listen to my words. I have been in the presence of my father and follow him. You follow your father.
Those whom he had spoken against protested, “We are not illegitimate children. God is our father!”
Jesus replied, “If God was your father, you would love me, for I was sent by God. Why can you not understand what I am saying? Your father is Satan, whose native tongue is lies and death. Can any of you prove that I have sinned? The reason you cannot hear me is that you do not belong to God.”
They yelled back, “You are demon-possessed lunatic!”
He replied, “I am not. You dishonor me even as I honor my father. I do not seek my own glory, but God’s, who is your judge. Whoever obeys my words will never die.”
They scoffed, “Now we know you’re demon possessed. Even Abraham and the prophets died. Do you think you are greater than them?”
Jesus answered, “If I bring glory to myself, it means nothing. My father, who you claim as your God, glorifies me. Your father, Abraham, longed for and rejoiced in the promise of my coming. He saw me and was glad.”
“How could you have seen Abraham? You are a man in your thirties.”
With powerful authority Jesus answered, “Before Abraham was born, I AM.”
Hearing Jesus claim the name God had spoken to Moses when he first appeared to him, many in the crowds grabbed stones and meant to kill Jesus, but he escaped their wrath and headed back to Galilee.
As Jesus left Jerusalem he lamented the state of the holy city of David, saying, “Oh Jerusalem. How I’ve longed to gather you under my wing like a mother hen, but you were unwilling. You will not see me again until you say, ‘blessed is he who comes in the name of God.”
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