UST MARK Chapter 6

◄ MARK 6 ► ║ ═ ©

6 After that, Jesus left the city of Capernaum. He traveled to the city of Nazareth, where he had grown up. His apprentices went with him. 2 When it was the Jewish day of rest, he started to instruct the people there when they gathered in the Jewish meeting place. What they heard him say impressed the many people who were there. They said to each other, “We do not know how this man is able to do what he does. We do not know how he is so wise and does such powerful things. 3 He is just a woodworker! He is Mary’s son, and he is an older brother to James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. His younger sisters live here in our town.” So, these people rejected Jesus.

4 So, Jesus told them, “The only ones who do not respect people who speak for God are those from where they grew up, their clans, and their own families.”

5 Jesus could do very few powerful things in that place. He only touched a few people who were sick and cured them. 6 How little the people trusted him surprised Jesus. After that, Jesus traveled through the small towns in that area, and he instructed the people there.

7 One day, Jesus told his 12 representatives to come to him. He told them that he was going to have them travel around in groups of two. He authorized them to force demons out of people.8-9 8-9He told them to wear sandals and to bring a walking stick. However, he instructed them not to pack anything else to bring with them, including food, a traveler’s bag, money, or an extra shirt. 10 He also told them, “When someone welcomes you into their home, continue to stay there until you leave that area. 11 Whenever people in a certain place do not welcome you or listen to you, you should leave that place. As you are going, shake the dust from that place off your feet to warn them that God will punish them.”

12 Then Jesus’ 12 representatives left to travel around. They preached that people should stop doing what was wrong. 13 They forced demons out of many people. They put olive oil on many people who were sick. Then, they cured them.

14 By this time, Jesus had become famous. So, King Herod Antipas, the ruler over the region of Galilee, heard people talking about him. Some people declared, “God has made John the Baptizer alive again as Jesus, and that is why he does these powerful things.”

15 Other people declared, “He is the prophet Elijah, who has returned to us.”

Other people declared, “He is a person who speaks for God, just like one of the people who spoke for God long ago.”

16 King Herod Antipas listened to those people. Then he declared, “I had someone cut John the Baptizer’s head off! However, God must have made him alive again as Jesus.”

17-18 17-18Herod said that because John had already died. Here is how that happened: Herod married Herodias, who had previously been the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. John the Baptizer told Herod, “Our law forbids you to marry Herodias, your sister-in-law.” So, Herod told his soldiers to go and arrest John. They tied him up and put him in jail.19-20 19-20Herodias was so upset with John that she wanted to have someone execute him. However, Herod realized that God had set John apart and that John did what was right. So, Herod was afraid to do anything to John. Also, he prevented Herodias from doing what she wanted to John. Whenever Herod listened to John, he was not sure how to respond, but he enjoyed listening to him.

21 Then, one day, Herodias realized that she might be able to have someone execute John. It was Herod’s birthday, and he had invited his important officials, some military commanders, and the most important people in the region of Galilee to feast with him. 22 While they were feasting, Herod’s stepdaughter, the daughter of Herodias, came in. She danced for Herod and his guests, and they greatly enjoyed her dancing. So, King Herod told her, “I will give you whatever you request!” 23 Further, he solemnly promised, “You can even ask for half of what I rule over. I will still give you whatever you request!”

24 So, the young woman left that place and went to her mother, Herodias. She asked her mother, “What should I request?”

Her mother replied, “Request that someone cut off John the Baptizer’s head and give it to you.”

25 As soon as her mother said that, the young woman hurried back to King Herod. She told him, “I want you to cut off John the Baptizer’s head right now and bring it to me on a plate!”

26 King Herod was sad about what she asked for. However, because he had solemnly promised in front of all his guests to give her what she asked for, he decided to do what she requested. 27 So, King Herod told a soldier to go to the jail where John was, cut off his head, and bring his head back. The soldier left and cut off John’s head while he was in jail. 28 Then, the soldier put John’s head on a plate and gave it to the young woman. She left and gave it to her mother, Herodias. 29 When John’s apprentices learned what had happened, they went to the jail. They took John’s dead body and buried it.

30 As for Jesus’ representatives, they returned to Jesus from where they had traveled. They told him about everything that they had done and everything that they had instructed people about. 31 Now people were arriving and leaving where they were all the time. In fact, they did not even have enough time to eat food. So, Jesus told his representatives, “Come to a place where no one lives and where no one else will be with us. Then, you can rest some!”

32 So, they sailed in a boat to a place where no one lived and where no one else would be with them. 33 Now people noticed them sailing away. Many of those people realized that it was Jesus and his apprentices. So, they left all their towns and ran to where Jesus and his apprentices were sailing. They got there before Jesus and his apprentices did! 34 When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large group of people. He noticed that they were like sheep who did not have a sheepherder to lead them and to take care of them. So, he pitied them and started to instruct them about many things.

35 When it was already late in the day, the apprentices approached Jesus. They said to him, “This is a place where no one lives, and it is already late in the day. 36 So, please tell these people to walk to the places that are near us, where they can buy food to eat.”

37 Jesus replied, “I want you to provide them with food to eat!”

They responded, “Surely you do not want us to go and spend 200 coins to buy enough loaves of bread to provide these people with food!”

38 Then Jesus asked his apprentices, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Find out!”

Once they had found out how many they had, they told Jesus, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus told all the people who were there to sit down in groups on the fresh grass that was growing on the ground. 40 So, they sat down in groups. Some groups had 100 people, and some groups had 50 people. 41 He picked up the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Then he thanked God for the food. After that, he tore the bread into pieces and gave the pieces to his apprentices. That way, they could serve them to the people who were there. He similarly had his apprentices serve the two fish to everyone who was there. 42 Everyone ate the bread and the fish, and they all had enough to eat. 43 Then the apprentices gathered what was left of the bread and fish. They filled 12 large containers with the leftovers! 44 There were about 5,000 men who ate the bread and fish.

45 As soon as everyone finished eating, Jesus had his apprentices get into a boat and sail without him across the Sea of Galilee to the town of Bethsaida. He stayed behind to tell the large group of people to go home. 46 After he said goodbye to the people who were there, he walked to the top of a hill to pray to God. 47 When it became dark, the apprentices were in the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. Meanwhile, Jesus was on the hill by himself. 48 Now the wind was blowing from where the apprentices wanted to go, so they were struggling to row the boat across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus noticed that. So, soon before morning, he joined them. He was walking on top of the Sea of Galilee! He planned to walk right past them.49-50 49-50When the apprentices saw Jesus walking on top of the Sea of Galilee, it disturbed them. They did not know that it was Jesus, so they thought that he must be a dangerous spiritual being. So, they shouted loudly.

However, as soon as they shouted loudly, Jesus told them, “Do not worry! I am Jesus. Stop being afraid!” 51 Then Jesus joined the apprentices in the boat. At that moment, the wind stopped blowing. When that happened, it impressed them greatly. 52 They reacted that way because they did not realize what it meant when Jesus fed the large group of people with the loaves of bread. In fact, they stubbornly refused to understand it.

53 After Jesus and his apprentices finished sailing across the Sea of Galilee, they landed on the shore in the region of Gennesaret. They tied the boat there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people realized that Jesus was there. 55 Those people hurried to all the places within that region. Whenever people in those places learned that Jesus was in a specific place, they started to bring there on sleeping pads many other people who were sick. 56 Jesus visited many villages, towns, and farms. Wherever he visited, people put those who were sick in the open areas. These people who were sick asked Jesus to allow them just to touch the hem of his robe. Everyone who did so became healthy.

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