Hear this Good News for Everybody!
An EasyEnglish Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) of the Gospel of Luke
Ruth Davies and Shirley Chapman
This translated Bible text has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are comments on the text.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
Luke obeyed what Jesus taught. He was also a doctor. People think that he was not a *Jew. He wrote this book some time between the years *AD 59 and *AD 80. Some people think that he wrote it in the city called Rome. He wrote it for a man called Theophilus. He was an important *Roman officer and he was a rich man.
Luke also wrote the book for other people that believed in Jesus. It would help them to know Jesus better. Then they could answer questions when people asked them about him. Many people had wrong ideas about Jesus. Luke wanted people to know what was true.
Luke writes about the Good News. The Good News is that God wants to rule in the lives of his people. God will rule in the lives of *Jews and of those people that are not *Jews. Luke tells us who Jesus is. And he tells us how Jesus was born. He also tells us about his life and death. Luke explains to us why Jesus came to earth. He also explains what he did during his life here. And he tells us how he went to live with God again. And, at the end, he explains to us about God’s gift of the *Holy Spirit.
Luke knew that Jesus had told people about the Good News. Jesus wanted his people to let everyone in the world know the message about himself. Luke wanted everyone to know what Jesus had said.
The book of Luke is in 4 parts:
1. What happened before Jesus started his work (1:1 - 4:13).
2. What happened when Jesus was working in the country called Galilee (4:14 - 9:50).
3. What happened when Jesus was working in the countries called Judea and Perea (9:51 - 19:27).
4. What happened in the city called Jerusalem in the last week of Jesus’ life (19:28 - 24:53).
v1 Great things have happened in our country. Many people have tried to write about them. v2 Some people were present when these things started to happen. They saw everything that happened. They told us what they had seen. And they told us what they had heard. They are the people who told the Good News. v3 Most important Theophilus, I have checked all these facts. Now I also know about all the things that happened from the beginning. I am writing to tell them to you. It is good for you also to know all these facts. This is the reason for this letter. v4 You have already heard about all these things. Now you can be sure that they are true.
v5 There was a man whose name was Zechariah. He lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a *priest and he belonged to a group of *priests from the *family of Abijah. He had a wife called Elizabeth. And they were both from the *family of the *priest called Aaron.
This Herod was called Herod the Great. He was king in Judea from the year 37 *BC to the year 4 *BC.
A *priest is a special servant of God. He worked at the *Jewish meeting place or at the *Great House of God in Jerusalem. All the *priests came from the *family of Aaron. He was the brother of Moses. They both lived a long time before Jesus. We can read about Aaron in the book called Exodus. There were 24 groups of *priests. One group at a time worked in the *Great House of God. Every group had a name. Zechariah was in the group of Abijah.
v6 Zechariah and Elizabeth obeyed God all the time. They did not do wrong things. God liked how they lived. v7 But they had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby and they were both getting old.
At that time, people without children thought that God was angry with them. Elizabeth and Zechariah would have felt very sad because they had no children.
v8 One day, Zechariah’s group was working at the *Great House of God. And Zechariah had a special job to do. v9 The *priests chose one of their group to go into a special room inside the *Great House of God. Zechariah’s job was to burn *incense there.
They did a special thing to know who would go into the room. It was something like a game that we play. But it was serious and important.
v10 While Zechariah was burning *incense, many men were outside the special room. They were praying to God.
The *Jews made *incense from special sticky *liquid that they got from certain kinds of trees. It makes a sweet smell when it burns. They used it in the *Great House of God. They burnt *incense in God’s house while they prayed. God had said in his rules that they should do this.
v11 The *incense was burning on a special table, when an *angel from God appeared to Zechariah. The *angel was standing at the right hand side of the table.
An *angel is a servant of God that brings his messages. The ‘right hand side’ means the place of importance.
v12 When Zechariah saw the *angel, he was very surprised. He was also very afraid. v13 ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid’, the *angel said to him. ‘God has heard what you prayed. He will give you what you asked for. Your wife Elizabeth will have a baby boy. You will call him John. v14-15 He will be very important to the *Lord. So, he will make you very happy. Many other people will also be very happy because he has been born. He must never drink anything with alcohol in it. From the time that he is born, the *Holy Spirit will live inside him.
v16 He will teach many people in *Israel. Then they will turn their lives towards the *Lord their God and they will obey God again. v17 John will prepare the people for the *Lord. The *Holy Spirit will lead John as he led Elijah. John will be as powerful as Elijah was. He will help fathers to love their children. He will teach people that do not obey God. Then they will think right things. And they will do right things that good people do. John will prepare *Israel’s people. Then they will be ready when the *Lord comes.’
God chose Elijah to speak for him. The *Holy Spirit showed him what to say. Elijah gave special messages from God to his people. He taught them to stop doing the things that God did not like. He told them that they should obey God. We can read about Elijah in 1 Kings, chapter 13.
The people of *Israel came from the family of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their children. We call them Jews. God chose them as his special people. He gave the name *Israel to Jacob. We can read about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis.
v18 ‘How can I be sure about this?’ Zechariah asked the *angel. ‘After all, I am an old man. My wife is also old.’
v19 ‘I am called Gabriel’, answered the *angel. ‘My place is in front of God. I am always ready to work for God. He has sent me to speak to you. He told me that I should tell you this good news. v20 Now listen to me. Because you did not believe my message, you will be quiet. You will not speak again until the time that your son is born. My message will become true at the right time.’
v21 While this was happening, the people outside were waiting for Zechariah. They were thinking, ‘Why has Zechariah stayed for such a long time in the special room? Why has he not come out yet?’ v22 When he did come out, he tried to talk to them. But he could not speak. So they knew that he had seen something special in the room. He was moving his head and his hands about, to tell them what had happened. But he remained quiet.
v23 When Zechariah had finished his work in the *Great House of God, he returned home. v24 Soon, a baby was growing inside his wife Elizabeth. She stayed in her house for 5 months. v25 ‘The *Lord has now given me a baby’, she said. ‘He has been kind to me. He has helped me to feel good about myself. Because of this, other people cannot say bad things about me any longer.’
v26 When Elizabeth’s baby had grown inside her for nearly 6 months, God sent the *angel Gabriel to Nazareth. Nazareth is a town in Galilee. v27 Gabriel went there to visit a young woman. Her name was Mary. She had never had sex with anyone. She had promised to marry a man called Joseph. He belonged to the *family of King David.
David had been a king of *Israel. We can read about him in 1 Samuel, chapter 16.
v28 Gabriel arrived. ‘Hello, Mary’, he said. ‘God loves you very much. He is very near to you.’
v29 Mary had a lot of problems in her mind about what Gabriel said. She did not understand why he said it. v30 ‘Do not be afraid, Mary’, Gabriel went on to say. ‘God has been kind to you. v31 Listen! A baby boy will grow inside you. When he is born, you will call him Jesus. v32 He will be great. The strong God above will call him his *Son. The *Lord God will make him king. He will rule as King David ruled. v33 He will rule over the *family of Jacob for all time. He will be king for all time.’
Both Joseph and Mary came from the *family of King David.
The *family of Jacob means all the *Jews.
v34 ‘How can this happen?’ Mary asked. ‘I have never had sex with anyone.’ v35 ‘The *Holy Spirit will come to you’, the *angel answered. ‘The power of God will cover you like a shadow. So, your child will be completely good. He will never do anything that is wrong. He will be called God’s *Son. v36 Another thing! Your cousin, Elizabeth, is very old. People said that she could not have a baby. Listen! She also will have a son. The baby has grown inside her now for nearly 6 months. v37 There is nothing that God cannot do.’
v38 ‘I am the servant of the *Lord’, Mary answered. ‘I have heard what you have said. I want the *Lord to cause it to happen to me.’ Then the *angel left her.
v39 After that, Mary prepared herself and she left on a journey. She hurried to a town in the hills of Judea. v40 When she arrived at the home of Zechariah, she said, ‘Hello’ to Elizabeth. v41 When Elizabeth heard Mary speak, she felt her baby move quickly inside her. The *Holy Spirit filled her. v42 Then she spoke to Mary in a loud voice, ‘God has made you very happy. He has been more good and kind to you than to other women. He has also been good and kind to your baby. v43 I am not an important person and you are the mother of my *Lord. So, it is a very good thing that you have visited me. v44 Listen! When I heard you say, “Hello” to me, the baby moved quickly inside me. He was very happy. v45 The *Lord told you what would happen. And you believed what he told you. This makes you a very happy person.’
v46 Then Mary said,
‘All of me wants to say to the *Lord, “How good and great you are!”
v47 I am happy because of God. It is he who saves me.
v48 I do not think that I am an important person.
God knows this, so he has looked at me with love.
Listen! From now on all people will say that
God has been very good and kind to me.
v49 After all, God has done great things for me.
He is very powerful and strong.
He is good in everything.
v50 He is kind to people that obey him.
He is also kind to all their children. He will do this for all time.
v51 He has shown how strong he is.
Some people think that they are very important.
But he has sent them away alone in different directions.
v52 Some people were ruling countries.
But he has taken their important jobs away from them.
He has given important work to people that do not feel important.
v53 He has fed hungry people with good things.
He has sent rich people away with nothing.
v54 He promised that he would never forget his people, *Israel.
Now he has helped them.
v55 He made a promise to Abraham and to our other *fathers.
“I will be kind to you for all time”, he said. Now he has done what he promised.’
Mary is very happy. She knows that God has been good to her and to Elizabeth. She sings about God. She sings about the great things that he has done. She sings that he will use his power to be kind. He will also use his power against people that do not obey him. Mary is a *Jew. She remembers God’s promise to the *Jews.
v56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. Then she returned to her home.
v57 Then it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby. She had a son. v58 Her family and the people that lived near her heard about her baby. They knew that the *Lord had been very kind to her. They saw that she was happy. So they were happy too. v59 When the child was 8 days old, they came to the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth. The child had to be *circumcised on that day. The people wanted to call the child Zechariah. This was the same name that his father had.
They *circumcised all baby boys in *Israel on the 8th day. It means to cut off the skin from the end of the sex part of a boy or a man. For the *Jews, it was a special mark. It showed that they were the people of God. Friends and people that lived near would also be there. They had a party and they gave a name to the boy. We can read about this in Genesis, chapter 17.
v60 ‘No’, said Elizabeth. ‘His name will be John.’
v61 ‘You cannot really want his name to be John!’ they said. ‘You do not have anybody in your family called John.’ v62 Then they moved their hands at his father. They wanted to know the boy’s name.
v63 So Zechariah asked for something to write on. He wrote, ‘His name is John.’ Everyone was very surprised at what he wrote. v64 Immediately, Zechariah could speak again. He could speak very well again. He began to tell God, ‘You are very great!’
Everything had happened quite as the *angel had said. We can read what the *angel said in 1:19-20.
v65 The people that lived near Zechariah and Elizabeth were surprised. They were surprised about what had happened. They saw how great God was. Many people that lived in the hills of Judea also talked about all these things. v66 Everyone that heard about these things thought about them. ‘What will this child be?’ they asked each other. After all, they could see that God really was with him.
v67 The *Holy Spirit filled John’s father. Then he spoke well about God. The *Holy Spirit helped him to speak this message.
v68 ‘The *Lord God of *Israel is a great God.
He has come to save his people.
v69 He has sent a very strong person that will save us.
This person is in the *family of David. David was his servant.
v70 Long ago, God gave his Spirit to good people so that they could tell us about this.
This is what they said:
v71 “God will save us from our enemies.
He will save us from everyone that *hates us.
v72 He has promised to be kind to our *fathers.
He will remember to do the things that he promised.”
v73 Yes, he will remember the promises that he said to Abraham.’
Because Christians are a part of the *family of Abraham, God promised this to them too.
v74 ‘ “I will keep you safe from your enemies.
Then you can work for me and not be afraid.
v75 You can work for me in the right way.
You can do this all your lives.” ’
v76 Zechariah then spoke to his child.
‘You, child, will be called a servant of the great God above.
The *Holy Spirit will give to you messages to speak.
You will go in front of the *Lord to prepare a way for him.
v77 You will tell his people how God can save them.
They have done wrong things but God will *forgive them.
v78 Our God will *forgive us because he is very kind.
He will send someone from the highest place.
This person will be like the sunrise to us.
v79 As the sun gives light to everybody, so he will shine on all people.
Some people are like people who are in the dark. They are living without God.
Some people are afraid to die.
But he will shine on everybody.
He will show us how to live so that we will not be afraid.’
Zechariah’s song shows how happy he is. God has been good to him and to Elizabeth. God has shown him how important John will be. Zechariah thanks God. He tells the people that God is great. Jesus is the strong person that God sent (1: 69).
The ‘sunrise’ (1:78) is a picture in words. It describes Jesus when he came to earth. God told Zechariah what John would do. John would speak to the people. He would tell them that Jesus was coming. Zechariah also knew why Jesus was coming to the earth.
v80 Zechariah’s child grew. God made him strong in his mind. He went and he lived in the *desert for many years. Later, God sent him to *Israel’s people, to teach them.
The word desert means a very dry place. People do not usually live there.
You can read what John taught the people in chapter 3.
v1 While Mary’s baby was growing inside her, Caesar Augustus was ruling the whole *Roman world. He *ordered his men, ‘Count everyone who is in the *Roman world.’ v2 This was the first time that the *Romans had counted everyone. Quirinius was the *Roman ruler of Syria at this time.
Caesar Augustus was the most powerful ruler of the whole *Roman world. He had a large army and he ruled over many countries. He lived in the big city called Rome. This was the capital of the *Roman world.
v3 So everyone went to his own home town for the *Romans to count them. v4 Joseph also went to his home town. He was living in the town called Nazareth in Galilee. He went to the town called Bethlehem in Judea. King David had been born there, so Bethlehem was called the town of David. Joseph belonged to the *family of David. That is why he went to Bethlehem.
v5 Joseph took Mary with him so that the *Romans could count them. She went because she had promised to marry him. She would soon have a baby.
v6 While they were in Bethlehem, her baby was born. v7 This was her first baby, and it was a boy. She put cloths round him. Then she put him in an animal’s feeding box. She did this because they could not stay in the hotel. There were no empty rooms for them.
The many people that came to Bethlehem filled the hotel. Mary and Joseph could not find an empty room. So, they had to rest where the animals lived.
v8 That night some people were living in the fields near Bethlehem. They were keeping their sheep safe. v9 Then an *angel of the *Lord appeared to them. A bright light from God shone all round them. So that frightened them very much. v10 ‘Do not be afraid’, the *angel said. ‘Listen! I bring you good news. This news will make everyone very happy. v11 Something happened today in the town of David. Someone special was born. It is he who will save you. He is the *Messiah. He is the *Lord. v12 I will tell you how you will know this baby. You will find him with cloths round him. He is lying in an animal’s feeding box.’
v13 Just then a lot more *angels also appeared. They were speaking about God.
v14 ‘God is beautiful and great and important’, they said.
‘He lives in the highest place.
He will be good to the people on earth that make him happy.
They will not have troubles in their minds or in their *spirits.’
v15 After that, the *angels returned to God’s home. Then these people said to each other, ‘Perhaps we should leave the sheep and go to Bethlehem immediately! The *Lord has sent *angels to tell us what has happened. We want to see this baby.’
v16 So they hurried to Bethlehem. There, they found Mary and Joseph with the baby. The baby really was lying in a feeding box. v17 After they had seen the baby, they told everybody about him. They told them what the *angel had said to them. v18 Many people heard what the men said. They were very surprised. v19 Mary remembered all that the men from the fields had said. She thought about everything for a long time. v20 The men then returned to their sheep. ‘How great you are!’ they were saying to God. ‘How good you are! Everything that the *angel told us was true! We have heard good news. We have seen very special things!’
v21 When the baby was 8 days old, it was time for the *priest to *circumcise him. His parents called him Jesus. The *angel had told Mary that she must call the baby, Jesus. He told her that before she had a baby inside her.
v22 Long ago, the *Lord gave Moses rules for his people to obey. One rule told how to become *clean after a baby was born. Now the time had come for Mary and Joseph to obey this rule. So, they took the baby Jesus to the *Great House of God in Jerusalem to show him to the *Lord.
v23 This is what the *Lord had said: ‘The first male baby born to a woman or to an animal is mine. So you must bring him to me. v24 When you do this, also bring two special birds for the *priest to kill.’ That is what Mary and Joseph did.
The *Jews had to obey this rule 40 days after a boy was born. The mother had to go to the *Great House of God. If she was poor, she gave two special birds to God. The *priests killed them and then they burned them on a special table. This stood outside the special room in the *Great House of God. God said that a *priest must do this. He said that it would make the mother clean again. We can read about this in Leviticus 12:2-8.
v25 At this time, a man called Simeon was living in Jerusalem. He was good and he always obeyed God. He had waited a long time to see the special person that would save *Israel. The *Holy Spirit was with Simeon. v26 ‘You will not die yet’, the *Holy Spirit had told him. ‘You know that God has promised to send the *Messiah. You will see him before you die.’ v27 Now the day had come. The *Holy Spirit told Simeon that he should go to the *Great House of God. Mary and Joseph were bringing the baby Jesus to do what the rule said. v28 Simeon went to them. He took Jesus from Mary and he held him in his arms. Then he thanked God.
v29 ‘Master, you have done what you promised to your servant. Now, I can die with no trouble in my mind.
v30 Now I really have seen the person that will save people.
v31 You have sent him to earth so that everyone will know about him.
v32 He will be like a light to people. He will show you to those that are not *Jews. They will then know you. And they will know what you want from them. Then they will know what you want them to do. He will also show that your people of *Israel are very special.’
v33 That is what Simeon said about Jesus. His message surprised Mary and Joseph very much.
v34 Then Simeon asked God to be good and kind to Mary and to Joseph. After that, he spoke just to Mary, the mother of Jesus. ‘God has chosen this baby. Many people in *Israel will become less important because of him. And many people will become alive again because of him. He will be like a sign that points to God. Many people will speak against him. v35 This will show their secret thoughts about God. This will make you very sad, too. It will seem that a sharp knife is cutting inside you. That is how sad you will be’, Simeon said to her.
v36 A very old lady called Anna was there in the *Great House of God, too. She often spoke messages that the *Holy Spirit gave to her. She was the daughter of Phanuel. She belonged to the *family of Asher. She had lived with her husband for 7 years and then he had died.
Asher was one of the sons of Jacob. We can read about the 12 sons of Jacob in Genesis, from chapter 26 to chapter 50.
v37 After that, she had lived alone until she was 84 years old. Now she never left the *Great House of God. She stayed there day and night to pray to God. Often she went without food so that she could pray better.
v38 At that moment, Anna came to where Mary and Joseph were standing. When Anna saw the baby, she began to thank God for him. Then she began to speak about him to other people. Many people were waiting for God to make Jerusalem *free. These were the people that she was speaking to.
v39 When Mary and Joseph had finished obeying all the rules, they returned home. They went back to the town called Nazareth in Galilee. v40 There the child grew. God was good and kind to him and God made him strong. He could then understand many things.
v41 Every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the *Passover week.
*Passover week is a very special time for the *Jews. A long time ago, they were slaves in a country called Egypt. The ruler would not let them leave Egypt. But God saved them. And he brought them to the country called *Israel. So every year, the *Jews remember this. They also eat special food. Their *fathers ate this food when they left Egypt. We can read about the first *Passover in Exodus, chapter 12.
v42 When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents took him with them to Jerusalem. They went as usual for the *Passover week. v43 When the week finished, everyone left to return home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know this. v44 They thought that he was with their group. So they travelled for a whole day. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends.
v45 They could not find him, so they went back to Jerusalem. They looked for him for three days, v46 before they found him in the *Great House of God. He was sitting among the teachers. He was listening to what they were saying. He was also asking them questions. v47 Everyone that was listening to Jesus was very surprised. He understood so many things and he could answer difficult questions. v48 When his parents saw him there, they were also very surprised. ‘My son’, said his mother, ‘why have you done this to us? Your father and I have looked everywhere for you. We have had a lot of troubles in our mind.’
v49 ‘You should not really have had to look for me’, Jesus answered. ‘I must be doing what my Father wants me to do. Really, you should have known that.’ v50 But they did not really understand what he was saying to them.
v51 Jesus returned to Nazareth with them and he obeyed them. Mary was careful to remember all the special things that had happened. She thought about them a lot. v52 Jesus grew into a man. He could understand more and more things. Everyone loved him and God also thought well of him.
v1 This report about John, the son of Zechariah, began while Tiberius Caesar was ruling the *Roman world. He had ruled for almost 15 years. Pontius Pilate was ruling the country called Judea. And Herod was ruling the land called Galilee. Philip was the brother of Herod. He was ruling the countries called Iturea and Traconitis. Lysanias was ruling Abilene. v2 While these men were ruling, the most important *priests were Annas and Caiaphas. At that time John, the son of Zechariah, was living in the *desert. He heard God speak to him.
Tiberius Caesar was the second man to rule the whole *Roman world. He began to rule in 11 *AD after Caesar Augustus died. (See Luke 2:1.) Luke wants us to know when John the *Baptist was teaching. So he tells us all these things about the rulers. This report about John began in 25-26 *AD.
Galilee, Iturea, Traconitis and Abilene were the names of some of the different parts of Palestine (or *Israel).
v3 John travelled to many places near to the river Jordan. ‘You are doing many bad things’, he taught everybody. ‘Stop doing them. You should be sorry for what you have done. If you are, I will *baptise you with water. God will then *forgive you.’
*Baptism is for a person that turns away from doing wrong things. He then turns to God. God promises to *forgive the person that now wants to obey him.
Some people think that John poured water over people to *baptise them. Other people think that they went right under the water.
v4 John was teaching as Isaiah had spoken a long time before. God gave him messages. Someone wrote down these messages in a book. Isaiah told people what would happen. He said:
‘People will hear someone who is shouting in the *desert:
“The *Lord is coming. Make the road ready for him.
Make it straight.
v5 Fill in every valley and make every mountain and hill flat.
Take away every curve so that the road is straight.
Take away all the rocks so that the road is flat.
v6 Then you will see how God will save you.” ’
John is using a picture to show people how to prepare themselves for the *Lord to come. At that time, people mended the roads before a ruler arrived. To be ready for Jesus, they should stop doing wrong things. And they should start to do what is right.
v7 Crowds of people were coming out into the *desert to hear John speak. They wanted John to *baptise them. ‘Yes’, he said, ‘God will soon *punish people that do wrong things. But you are as dangerous as snakes. v8 You have to show that you are sorry. You have to show it by how you live. Stop doing things that God does not like. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “God will not *punish us. After all, we are part of the *family of Abraham.” Listen! God can make children for Abraham out of these stones! v9 You are like trees that have bad fruit. People cut down bad trees and they throw them into the fire. In the same *way, God will *punish bad people. And he will do it very soon.’
The *Jews knew that they were God’s special people. But how they lived was important to God. God wanted them to live good lives. At that time, many of them did not seem to understand that. When they did not obey him, he was angry with them. He was ready to *punish those people, if they would not obey him.
The *Jews called themselves ‘children of Abraham’. God had used him many centuries before to start their *family.
v10 ‘So, what should we do?’ the crowd asked.
v11 ‘If you have two shirts, give one away. Give it to a man that does not have a shirt. If you have some food, give some of it away. Give some to a man that has no food.’
v12 In the crowd, there were people that took money on behalf of the government. These men also wanted John to *baptise them. ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ they asked. v13 ‘You must take the right amount of money from the people. You must not take more than the rules say.’
v14 Then some soldiers spoke. ‘What about us? What should we do?’
‘Do not rob people of their money’, John replied. ‘Do not say that a person has done something wrong, if he has not. It is wrong to get money by doing that. And you must be happy with the money that you get for your work.’
Many people who took money on behalf of the government were not honest. They often took too much money. They took it for themselves. John told them that they should be honest. God would then see that these people really wanted to obey him.
v15 ‘Is John the *Messiah?’ the people were thinking. ‘Is he the man that God will send to save *Israel?’ They were all hoping that he might be. v16 John knew what they were thinking. ‘I have only *baptised you with water’, he said. ‘But someone else is coming to *baptise people. He is much greater and more important than I am. He is so important that I am not good enough even to undo his shoes. He will *baptise some of you with the *Holy Spirit and with fire. v17 Think about a farmer that brings the *wheat home. Then he uses a tool to make the seeds separate from what remains. He stores all the seeds. But he burns all that remained. This person will be like that. He will come very soon. He will keep good people safe. But he will *punish bad people in the fire that nobody can put out.’
v18 John said many more things to the people. He was telling them the good news about how God could change their lives. v19 But the ruler Herod stopped him. John had told Herod that it was wrong for him to marry Herodias. She was the wife of his brother. John had also told Herod that he had done many other bad things.
v20 Then Herod did an even worse thing; he locked John up in prison.
Herod had married Herodias. She was already the wife of Philip. Philip was Herod’s brother.
v21 While John was *baptising all the people, he also *baptised Jesus. When Jesus was praying, the sky opened. v22 Then the *Holy Spirit came down. He seemed like a bird. He came and he rested on Jesus. People heard a voice from the sky. ‘You are my Son. I love you. You make me very happy.’
God called Jesus, ‘my Son’. Jesus often said that God was his father. It is part of the good news, that God is also our father.
v23 Jesus was about 30 years old when he started to tell the Good News. People thought that he was Joseph’s son.
He was Heli’s son.
v24 Heli was Matthat’s son.
Matthat was Levi’s son.
Levi was Melki’s son.
Melki was Jannai’s son.
Jannai was Joseph’s son.
v25 Joseph was Mattathias’ son.
Mattathias was Amos’s son.
Amos was Nahum’s son.
Nahum was Esli’s son.
Esli was Naggai’s son.
v26 Naggai was Maath’s son.
Maath was Mattathias’s son.
Mattathias was Semein’s son.
Semein was Josech’s son.
Josech was Joda’s son.
v27 Joda was Joanan’s son.
Joanan was Rhesa’s son.
Rhesa was Zerubbabel’s son.
Zerubbabel was Shealtiel’s son.
Shealtiel was Neri’s son.
v28 Neri was Melki’s son.
Melki was Addi’s son.
Addi was Cosam’s son.
Cosam was Elmadam’s son.
Elmadam was Er’s son.
v29 Er was Joshua’s son.
Joshua was Eliezer’s son.
Eliezer was Jorim’s son.
Jorim was Matthat’s son.
Matthat was Levi’s son.
v30 Levi was Simeon’s son.
Simeon was Judah’s son.
Judah was Joseph’s son.
Joseph was Jonam’s son.
Jonam was Eliakim’s son.
v31 Eliakim was Melea’s son.
Melea was Menna’s son.
Menna was Mattatha’s son.
Mattatha was Nathan’s son.
Nathan was David’s son.
v32 David was Jesse’s son.
Jesse was Obed’s son.
Obed was Boaz’s son.
Boaz was Salmon’s son.
Salmon was Nahshon’s son.
v33 Nahshon was Amminadab’s son.
Amminadab was Ram’s son.
Ram was Hezron’s son.
Hezron was Perez’s son.
Perez was Judah’s son.
v34 Judah was Jacob’s son.
Jacob was Isaac’s son.
Isaac was Abraham’s son.
Abraham was Terah’s son.
Terah was Nahor’s son.
v35 Nahor was Serug’s son.
Serug was Reu’s son.
Reu was Peleg’s son.
Peleg was Eber’s son.
Eber was Shelah’s son.
v36 Shelah was Cainan’s son.
Cainan was Arphaxad’s son.
Arphaxad was Shem’s son.
Shem was Noah’s son.
Noah was Lamech’s son.
v37 Lamech was Methuselah’s son.
Methuselah was Enoch’s son.
Enoch was Jared’s son.
Jared was Mahalaleel’s son.
Mahalaleel was Kenan’s son.
v38 Kenan was Enosh’s son.
Enosh was Seth’s son.
Seth was Adam’s son.
Adam was the son of God.
The names of all the people in a family were very important to the *Jews. In that way, they knew that they were *Jews. The list shows that Jesus was in the same *family as Judah, David and Abraham.
v1 Jesus was now full of the *Holy Spirit. When he returned from the river Jordan, the *Holy Spirit led him into the *desert. v2 He stayed there for 40 days and he did not eat anything. At the end of 40 days, he was very hungry. During this time the *devil tried to cause Jesus to do wrong things. They were things that God did not want him to do.
The *devil is an *angel that refused to obey God. He also tries to cause people to do bad things. Jesus was starting to do the work that God sent him to do.
v3 ‘If you are the *Son of God’, the *devil said, ‘change this stone into food.’
v4 ‘No!’ Jesus replied, ‘the book of God says that food alone cannot cause people to live.’
The *devil knew that Jesus was very hungry, so he gave him the idea to make stones into food. Jesus knew that he had power to do anything. But he wanted only to obey God. He could make stones into food. But that was not what God wanted. Our bodies are not the most important part of us. Jesus came to give us food for our *spirits. That part of us is more important. Jesus knew what God said in his book. And he answered the *devil with words from Deuteronomy 8:3.
v5 After that, the *devil led Jesus up to a high place. In one moment, he showed him all the countries in the whole world. v6 ‘I will let you rule the whole world’, the *devil said, ‘and I will give you power over everyone and over everything. It all belongs to me. So, I can give it to anyone that I choose. v7 Just bend your knee in front of me. And say that I am great and important. Then I will give you the whole world to rule over.’
v8 ‘No!’ Jesus replied. ‘This is what God says in his book:
“Bend your knee in front of the *Lord God. Tell him how great and important he is. Only obey him.” ’
Jesus was speaking the words in Deuteronomy 6:13.
The *devil was telling Jesus that his work could be easier. He would let Jesus rule the world now, if he would obey him. Jesus knew that this was wrong. He knew that he must obey only God.
v9 The *devil now took Jesus to Jerusalem. He led him to the highest part of the *Great House of God. Then he said, ‘If you are the *Son of God, jump down from here to the ground. v10 After all, it says in God’s book:
“God will *order his *angels to keep you safe.”
v11 It also says,
“They will hold you safe in their hands. They will not let you hurt your feet against a stone.” ’
The *devil was using the words from *Psalm 91:11-12. But he was not using them right.
v12 ‘No!’ replied Jesus. ‘That is not what God wants. His book says,
“Do not do something dangerous just to cause God to save you.” ’
Jesus was speaking words from Deuteronomy 6:16. He was standing on the highest part of the *Great House of God. This was 600 metres (2000 feet) above the ground. He knew that God did not want him to jump. We must not get into danger just to see God save us.
v13 The *devil tried to cause Jesus to do many things that God did not like. When the *devil had finished, he left Jesus alone for a time.
v14 The *Holy Spirit continued to make Jesus very powerful when he returned to Galilee. Everyone who lived in and near Galilee heard the news about him. v15 He taught in the *Jewish meeting places and everyone said good things about him.
*Jews used their meeting places to pray together and to learn more about God.
v16 Jesus came to Nazareth, the town where he had grown up. On the *Jewish day for rest, he went into the meeting place. He always did this. Then he stood up to read aloud from the *Old Testament.
The *Jewish day for rest is our Saturday. This was a special day for them, when nobody worked.
The Bible that the *Jews read was the *Old Testament. They wrote it on long pieces of paper or the skin of an animal. Each long piece had a piece of wood at each end. They rolled the paper or skin up round the wood. This was called a scroll. They would undo a small part when someone wanted to read from it.
v17 They gave him the book of messages that God had given to Isaiah. Jesus opened the book. He found the place where Isaiah wrote.
v18 ‘The Spirit from the *Lord God is upon me.
He has chosen me to tell good news to poor people.
He has sent me to tell people who are in prison, “You can go *free!”
I must say to people that cannot see, “See again!”
I must cause people that are like slaves to be *free.
v19 I must tell everyone, “This is the year when God will save his people.” ’
Jesus read the words from Isaiah 61:1-2.
v20 Jesus closed the book and he gave it back to an officer of the meeting place. Then he sat down to teach the people. Everyone in the meeting place was looking at him.
v21 ‘Today’, Jesus said to them, ‘this message has become true. It has happened while you were listening.’
v22 Everyone was saying good things about Jesus. They were surprised. ‘How well he spoke! And he is only the son of Joseph, is he not?’ they were asking each other.
v23 ‘Next’, Jesus replied, ‘you will be repeating the *proverb, “Doctor, make people well in your own town.” We have heard that you did many surprising things in Capernaum. This is your home town, so do the same things here! v24 People do not accept a person that comes from their home town. That really is true. They do not believe that he receives messages from God.
v25 What I shall tell you now is true. Elijah received messages from God. Elijah said that it would stop raining. And it did not rain for three and a half years. So there was no food or water to drink in all the country. There were many *widows in the country of *Israel at that time. v26 But God did not send Elijah to stay with a *widow in *Israel. Instead, God sent Elijah to the country called Sidon. There Elijah stayed with a *widow in a place called Zarephath.’
We can read about this widow in 1 Kings 17:7-24. A widow is a woman whose husband has died.
v27 ‘Here is another example. There were many people in *Israel with bad illnesses of the skin, when God’s servant Elisha was alive. But God did not make any of them well. Instead, he made a man from the country called Syria well. The man was called Naaman.’
We can read about Naaman in 2 Kings, chapter 5.
v28 The people in the meeting place heard what Jesus said. They became very angry. v29 They stood up and they caused him to leave the town. The town was on the top of a hill. So, they took him to the top and they wanted to throw him down. v30 But Jesus walked through the middle of the crowd and he went away.
Jesus told the people in the meeting place about himself. But they did not like the things that he was saying. They refused to believe that God had sent him.
v31 Jesus went down to a town in Galilee called Capernaum. On the *Jewish day for rest, he began to teach in the meeting place. v32 They were really surprised because his words had authority. v33 In the meeting place was a sick man. He had a bad *spirit that was living inside him. The *spirit caused him to shout and to make a lot of noise. v34 ‘Jesus of Nazareth, what do you want to do to us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the *Holy One. You come from God.’
v35 ‘Be quiet!’ Jesus replied. ‘Come out of the man.’ At this, the bad *spirit caused the man to fall to the ground in front of the people. Then it came out without hurting him.
v36 All the people were very surprised and they said to each other, ‘How can this man speak in that *way? He has power and authority. When he *orders bad *spirits to come out of people, they come out.’ v37 Then they began to tell everyone about Jesus. As a result, people in all the places near Capernaum heard the news about Jesus.
v38 Jesus then left the meeting place and he went into Simon’s home. The mother of Simon’s wife was sick with a very bad *fever. So, they asked Jesus to make her well. v39 Jesus came and he stood near her. He then *ordered the *fever to go away and it left her. So, she got up immediately and she began to prepare food for her visitors.
v40 When the sun began to go down, the people brought many sick people to see Jesus. They had many different illnesses. He put his hands on each person and they became well.
v41 Bad *spirits also came out of many people. The *spirits knew that he was the *Messiah. So, when they came out, they began to shout, ‘Jesus, you are the *Son of God.’ But Jesus stopped them shouting. He would not let them speak.
v42 Early the next morning, Jesus went alone to a quiet place. The people went to look for him. When they found him they said, ‘Do not leave us! Please stay with us in Capernaum.’ v43 ‘I cannot stay with you’, Jesus replied. ‘I must go to other towns to teach everyone the good news. I will tell them how God rules in the lives of his people. That is what God sent me to do.’
v44 Then he left them. And he started to teach in other *Jewish meeting places in the country called Judea.
v1 One day, Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. And a crowd was pushing to get near to him. They were listening to him. He was talking about the message of God.
‘Lake Gennesaret’ is another name for the ‘Sea of Galilee’. The town called Capernaum is on the shore of this lake.
v2 Jesus saw two fishing boats at the edge of the lake. The *fishermen had left the boats there and they were now washing their *nets.
The *fishermen caught fish from the lake with *nets. They tied thin *rope together to make these. They washed them after they had been out to catch fish. And then they mended them. The *nets were then ready for them to use again.
v3 One of the boats was Simon’s. So Jesus climbed into it. He then asked Simon to push it away a little from the shore. When Jesus had sat down in the boat, he started to teach the people again.
The boat was a good place for Jesus to sit. The people on the shore could see and hear him.
v4 When he finished teaching them, he spoke to Simon. ‘Now take the boat out into deep water’, he said. ‘Then put down the *nets into the water to catch some fish.’
v5 ‘Teacher’, Simon replied, ‘we worked all last night and we did not catch anything. But because you say it, I will put down the *nets.’ v6 So they went and they put the *nets down into the water. When they did that, they caught many fish. There were so many fish that the *nets began to break. v7 So Simon shouted to the other *fishermen that always worked with him. ‘Come’, he said, ‘we need you.’ When they saw that, the men came in their boat. They filled both boats with the fish. There were so many that the boats began to go down. v8 When Simon saw all the fish, he went down on his knees in front of Jesus. He was afraid. ‘Sir’, he said, ‘I am a bad man. So please leave me.’
Simon saw all the fish. Then he knew that God was with Jesus. So, he felt that he was a very bad man. He knew that God does not like bad things.
v9 Simon said this because he was very surprised. He was surprised because they had caught so many fish. His friends in the other boat were very surprised, too. v10 James and John were also very surprised. They were sons of Zebedee and they always worked with Simon. ‘Do not be afraid of me’, Jesus then said to Simon. ‘From now on you will catch men!’
v11 After that, they went and they pulled their boats up on the shore. Then they left everything and they went with Jesus.
Jesus wanted to teach Simon, James and John about ‘catching men’. They would learn how to tell people the good news about Jesus. They had brought fish out of the water. Now they would bring people to Jesus, so that they could believe in him.
v12 One day, Jesus was in a certain town. A man with an illness of his skin and bones that was called leprosy was there.
People with *leprosy could not live with other people. They lived outside the town.
When the man saw Jesus, he threw himself down on his knees in front of him. ‘Sir, if you want’, he said, ‘you can make me well. Please do it.’
v13 Jesus touched him with his hand. ‘I do want to’, he said. ‘Be well.’ Immediately, the illness was gone. v14 ‘Do not tell anyone about this’, Jesus said to him. ‘Instead, go and show yourself to the *priest. Take him a gift for God. Moses told people, “You must do this when you are better from this illness.” So give this gift to God. This will show everyone that you are now well.’
v15 After this, more and more people started to hear the news about Jesus. Crowds were coming to hear him teach. The sick ones also wanted him to make them well. v16 But he would go away from the crowd to pray in quiet places.
v17 One day, while Jesus was teaching in a house, many people were sitting there. Some were *Pharisees. Other people were teachers of God’s rules. They had come from many villages in Galilee, and from Judea and Jerusalem. At that time, the power of the *Lord was present for Jesus to make sick people well.
The *Pharisees were a group of *Jews. Many of them thought that they were obeying all God’s rules. But they were also obeying many rules that men had made. Those Pharisees did not like the things that Jesus taught. They did not like him because he did not obey all their rules.
v18 Then some men arrived. They were carrying a man on a small carpet. The man could not move his legs. They tried to get into the house, because they wanted to bring the man to Jesus. v19 But the house was full of people, and they could not get in. So, they carried the small carpet with the man on it to the flat roof of the house. Then they made a hole in the roof. After that, they put the small carpet down through the hole. The man was still lying on it. He came down in the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. v20 When Jesus saw this, he said to himself, ‘These men really believe in me.’ So, he spoke to the sick man. ‘My friend’, he said. ‘I *forgive you for all the bad things that you have done.’
v21 The *Pharisees and the teachers of God’s rules were there. They heard what Jesus said. So, they began to talk to each other about it. ‘What he says is wrong. He cannot *forgive people for the things that they have done. Only God can do that. And he is only a man.’ v22 Jesus knew what these men were saying. ‘You should not be thinking these things’, he told them. v23 ‘I said to this man, “I *forgive you for all the bad things that you have done.” But I could say to him, “Get up and walk.” I want to show you that my words are true. Which is the best one to say? v24 Now I will show you that I, the *Son of Man, have authority on earth. I can *forgive people for the bad things that they have done. I will show you that I can forgive them.’ Then he turned to the man that could not move his legs. ‘I say to you’, he said, ‘stand up. Take up your carpet and go home!’
v25 Immediately, the man stood up in front of them. He took the carpet that he had used to lie on. He went home. ‘How great and powerful God is’, he was saying. v26 What had happened surprised everyone. They were afraid. ‘How great and powerful God is’, they said to each other. ‘We have seen very strange and special things happen today.’
Jesus often spoke about himself as the *Son of Man. He used this to cause the people to think about some messages in the *Old Testament. You can read about the *Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14.
v27 After this happened, Jesus went for a walk. He saw a man that took money on behalf of the government. His name was Levi and he was working in his office. ‘Follow me’, Jesus said to him. v28 Levi got up and followed him. He left everything behind.
v29 Soon after this, Levi made a large meal for Jesus at his house. A big crowd of people also came and they were eating with them. Many of these people also took money on behalf of the government. v30 Some *Pharisees and teachers of God’s rules saw them. They did not like these people. So, they spoke to the men that followed Jesus. ‘You eat and drink with these bad people. That is not right. Some of them even take money on behalf of the government.’
v31 ‘People that are well do not need a doctor’, Jesus answered them. ‘It is sick people that need one. v32 I have not come for people that have not done wrong things. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me. I want them to stop doing wrong things. I want them to start doing right things.’
v33 When they heard this, they asked Jesus about something else. ‘Some people obey what John the *Baptist teaches. Those people often stop eating food to pray better. The people that obey the *Pharisees do the same. Why do those that obey you never go without their meals?’
John the *Baptist and the *Pharisees taught the people who obeyed them about how to pray. They taught them to go without food sometimes. This caused them to feel nearer to God when they prayed.
v34 Jesus used a picture story to answer their question. ‘When a man is marrying, he gives a big meal. His friends do not go without food then. v35 But the time will come when people will take him away from his friends. Then they will go without food.’
In this picture story, the man that is marrying is Jesus. His friends at the big meal are those that follow him. He will not always be with them. Then they will start to go without food to pray better.
v36 Then Jesus told them another picture story. ‘You do not tear a piece of cloth from a new coat to mend an old one. If you do that, you will have torn the new coat. Also, the new piece of cloth will not seem the same as cloth from the old coat.
Men were teaching people about the rules that God gave to them. The old cloth is what these men taught. The new cloth is what Jesus is teaching. God gave his rules to his people by Moses. Those that taught these rules often taught their own ideas instead. This was why Jesus so often spoke against them. He also spoke against what they taught.
v37 Bottles that people have made out of the skin of an animal teach us the same. Nobody pours new *wine into an old skin bottle. If they do, the new *wine will break the old bottle. The *wine will run out and they will lose it. And they will have destroyed the bottle. v38 Instead, people must put new *wine into a bottle that they have made out of new animal skin.
v39 Also, after he has drunk old *wine, nobody wants new *wine. He says, “The old *wine is much better.” ’
*Wine is a drink that you make from fruit. It contains alcohol. Some people keep *wine in bottles that they have made from the skin of an animal. *Wine grows while it is getting older. But old skins become hard. New *wine would cause them to break.
Jesus is teaching that the old rules are like old skin bottles. What he is teaching is new. And it is like a new skin bottle.
v1 On a *Jewish day for rest, Jesus was walking through some fields where *wheat was growing. Then the men that were following him began to pick some of the *wheat. They were *rubbing the seeds with their hands. Then they were eating the *wheat that remained.
v2 Some *Pharisees were walking along with them. ‘You should not be doing that’, they said. ‘You know that it is against God’s rules to work on our day for rest.’
v3 ‘Remember what David did. He did it when he and his men were hungry’, Jesus replied. ‘You have certainly read about it. v4 He went into the *Great House of God. And he took the special bread that was there. It is against God’s rules for anyone except the *priests to eat that bread. But he ate some of it and he also gave some to his friends.
v5 The *Son of Man has authority to say what people can do on the day for rest’, Jesus said.
We can read this report about David in 1 Samuel chapter 21.
v6 On another *Jewish day for rest, Jesus went into the meeting place and he taught. A man was there. His right hand was very small and weak. The man could not use this hand. v7 Some teachers of God’s rules and some *Pharisees were careful to watch Jesus. They wanted a reason to say that he was doing wrong things. If he made this man well, they would say, ‘Jesus is not obeying the rules that God gave. He works on the day for rest.’ v8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he spoke to the man. ‘Get up and stand in front of everyone.’ The man got up and he stood there. v9 ‘Let me ask you something’, Jesus then said to the people. ‘What should we do on the day for rest? Do God’s rules say that we should do good things? Or do they say that we should do bad things? Should we save the life of someone? Or should we destroy a life?’ v10 Nobody replied. So Jesus looked round at everyone. ‘Put out your hand’, he said to the man. When he put it out, it became well. He could use it again.
v11 Then the *Pharisees and those that taught God’s rules were very angry. They began to talk to each other. ‘What can we do to Jesus?’ they said.
v12 One day Jesus went up a hill to pray. He remained there all night and he was talking to God. v13 In the morning, he asked all those that were following him to come to him. Then he chose 12 of them that he would send out with his message. These 12 men were called *apostles. These are their names:
v14 Simon. Jesus called him Peter.
Andrew. He was the brother of Simon.
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
v15 Matthew,
Thomas,
James, the son of Alphaeus,
Simon the *Zealot,
v16 Judas, son of James,
Judas Iscariot. He sold Jesus to those who wanted to kill him.
Many people were following Jesus. Only 12 of these were called *apostles. The word *apostle means someone that is sent out to do a job. Jesus taught them how to tell the Good News about himself. Later, he sent them to do that.
v17 After Jesus had chosen the 12 men, they all came down the hill. He stopped and he stood on a flat place. A large crowd of those that were following stood with him. There were also many people from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judea and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. v18 These people had all come to hear Jesus teach. Those that were ill wanted him to make them well. He was also making well those people that had bad *spirits. v19 All the people were trying to touch him, because he was making each person well with his great power.
v20 Jesus looked at those that were following him. He spoke this message to them.
‘Listen, you that are poor. You are children of God, so be happy.’
Jesus was not only speaking about people that have no money. Matthew 5:3 shows us that. Some people know that they need God. He was also speaking about those people.
v21 ‘Listen, you that are hungry now. God will feed you, so be happy.’
Jesus was not only speaking about people that have nothing to eat. Matthew 5:6 shows us that. He was also speaking about people that really want to know more about God. They want all that God has to give them.
‘Listen, you that are crying now. God will cause you to laugh, so be happy!’
Matthew 5:4 shows that Jesus was not only speaking about sad people. Some people are sorry for the bad things that they have done. He was also speaking about those people.
v22 ‘People may *hate you, because you obey me, the *Son of Man. They may say that you are very bad. They may cause you to go away. They may do other bad things to you. When that happens, be happy. v23 After all, God will give you many good things when you go to his home. So, be very happy! Jump up and down because you are so happy. Think about those that do bad things to you now. It was their *fathers that also did the same bad things long ago. They did bad things to those that spoke messages from the *Holy Spirit.
v24 Listen, you that are rich now. And listen, you that have a comfortable life. Trouble will come to you.
v25 Listen, you that are full now. You will be hungry.
Listen, you that are laughing now. You will be sad and you will cry.
v26 Trouble will happen to you, if people always say good things about you. Your *families long ago said the same good things about bad people. Those bad people said that they spoke messages from the *Holy Spirit. But they did not.’
v27 ‘I say this to you who are listening carefully to me’, Jesus said. ‘Love people that want to hurt you. Do good things to people that *hate you. v28 Say good things to people that say bad things to you. Pray for people that do bad things to you.
v29 Someone may hit you on one side of your face. If he does, let him hit the other side of your face too. Someone may take away your coat. If he does, do not stop him from taking your shirt too. v30 Give to anyone that asks you for things. Someone may take things that are yours. If he does, let him keep them. Do not ask for them back again. v31 Do to other people the good things that you want them to do to you.
v32 Do you only love people that love you? If you do, you are not doing anything special. Do not want people to speak well about you because you love like that. After all, even bad people love those who love them. v33 Do you only do good things to people that do good things to you? If you do, you are not doing anything special. Do not want people to speak well about you for that. After all, even bad people do the same. v34 Do you lend things only to people that will give your things back? If you do that, you are not doing anything special. After all, even bad people lend things to other people. They believe that they will get them back again. v35 No! I am *telling you to love people that want to hurt you. Do good things to them. Lend things to them and do not want to get them back again. If you do this, the high God will give you a great gift. He is kind even to people that do not say “thank you”. He is even kind to bad people. So you will really be his sons. v36 So be kind, as God your Father is kind.
v37 Do not say to someone, “You are a bad person.” If you do not, God will not say to you, “You are bad person.” Do not say to people, “God should *punish you because you are bad.” If you do not, they will not say that to you. *Forgive other people and God will *forgive you. v38 Give to other people and God will give to you. He will give to you more than you gave. He will fill your pocket until no more will go in. It will be so full that it will come out over the top. How you give to other people, God will give to you.’
The people would leave part of their coat to hang over their belt. They used this as a large pocket. It was big enough to hold some food. A person may give someone a lot of food if he fills his pocket. Then he is doing what God does. God gives a lot to those that also give a lot. We choose how we will give to other people. Then God does the same to us.
v39 Jesus also used this picture story to teach the people. ‘A *blind man cannot lead another *blind man. If he does, they both will fall into a hole in the ground.
v40 A student is less important than his teacher is. But when the student has learned everything, he will be like his teacher.
v41 Perhaps you want to tell your brother about his mistake. If you want to do that, first remember your own mistakes. v42 If you do not, you are like this: You are like a person that has a piece of wood in his eye. That person then says, “Brother, you have some dirt in your eye. Let me take it out for you.” Do not be like that person. You say one thing but you do something different yourselves. First, make right your own mistakes. Only then can you know how to tell another person about his mistake.’
v43 ‘Good trees only make good fruit. Bad trees only make bad fruit. v44 So in this way you can know if a tree is good or bad. You can know by the fruit that it makes. You only pick good fruit from good fruit trees and bushes. *Figs do not grow on *thorn bushes. *Grapes do not grow on *briers.’
Figs and grapes are two kinds of fruit. They grow in the country called *Israel. They are good to eat. *Thorn bushes and *briers are small bushes. They do not make good fruit.
v45 ‘People are the same. A good man brings good things out of his mind. His good thoughts are very valuable. A bad man brings bad thoughts out of his mind. He values the bad things inside his mind. So, when a person speaks, his words show something. They show whether his mind is full of good thoughts or bad thoughts.’
v46 ‘Do not call me, “master, master”, and then not obey me’, said Jesus. v47 ‘Some people hear my message and they obey it. Let me tell you what those people are like. They are like a man who built a house. v48 This man dug down to the rocks. He put the first line of stones on the rock. After that, he built the house on top of the rock. Then a storm came and it brought a lot of water. The water hit the house but it could not move it. The water could not move the house because the man had built it very well.
v49 Some other people hear my message but they do not obey it. Let me tell you about those people. They are like another man who built a house. This man did not dig down deep to the rock. Instead, he put the first line of stones on the ground and he built on them. Then a storm came and it brought a lot of water. It hit this house and it fell down immediately. The water completely destroyed it.’
In the story, a storm happened to both houses. People are like that. God will look at everyone to see how we have lived our lives.
v1 After Jesus had finished speaking to the people, he went to Capernaum. v2 A *Roman officer there had a servant that he loved. The servant was very ill and he was dying.
The *Roman officer was a soldier in the army of Herod Antipas. He had authority over 100 men. The officer was a good man that took *care of his men. He was not a *Jew, but the *Jews spoke well about him. They did not usually speak good things about the *Romans.
v3 The officer heard about Jesus, so he sent some of the *Jewish leaders to speak to him. ‘Please go to Jesus’, he said to them. ‘I would like him to make my servant well. Ask him if he would come to do that.’ v4 The *Jewish leaders then went to Jesus. ‘Please would you do something for this *Roman officer’, they were saying. ‘Please would you go and make his servant well. v5 This man loves the *Jewish people. He himself built a meeting place for us.’
v6 So Jesus started to go with them. When he was not very far away from the house, the officer sent some friends to talk to him. He told them that they should say. ‘Sir, I do not want to be a trouble to you. I am not as important as you are. So you should not come into my house. v7 I did not come to talk to you myself, because I am not good enough. Instead, just say a word and my servant will be well again. v8 After all, someone also has authority over me. And so I have authority over other soldiers. I say to one soldier, “Go!” and he goes. I say to another one, “Come!” and he comes. And I say to my servant, “Do this!” and he does it.’
v9 When Jesus heard this message from the officer, he was very surprised. He turned towards the crowd that was following him. ‘Listen!’ he said. ‘I have not found anyone like this man in all of *Israel. Nobody else believes so well in me.’
v10 The friends of the officer returned to his house. Then they saw that the servant was well again.
v11 The next day, Jesus went to a town called Nain. Those that always followed him and a large group of other people went with him. v12 When he had almost reached the gate of the town, lots of people were coming out. They were carrying a dead man in a box to bury him. His mother had no other sons and her husband was also dead. A large crowd from the town was with her.
v13 When the *Lord Jesus saw her, he felt very sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’, he said. v14 He went to the box and he touched it. So the people that were carrying the box stopped. ‘Young man’, said Jesus, ‘get up, I say to you!’ v15 At this, the dead man sat up and he began to talk. Jesus then gave him back to his mother.
v16 Everyone that saw this was afraid. ‘How great and powerful God is’, they said. ‘An important servant of God has appeared among us. God has come to save his people.’
v17 This news about Jesus went all through Judea. It also reached the people in the countries that were near there.
v18 Then some men went to visit John the *Baptist in prison. Those people obeyed what he taught them. They told him about Jesus and about all that he was doing. So, John chose two of them. v19 ‘I want you to go to the *Lord Jesus for me’, he said. ‘Say to him, “John said that someone would come. John asks if you are that man. Are you the *Messiah? Or should we still look for someone else?” ’
v20 So the two men came to Jesus. ‘John the *Baptist has sent us to you’, they said. ‘He wants us to ask you, “Are you the man that would come? Or should we still look for someone else to appear?” ’
v21 At that time, Jesus made many people well. They had many different illnesses. Some had bad *spirits. Jesus also caused many that could not see to see again. v22 Then he replied to the two men that John had sent. ‘Go back to John’, he said. ‘Tell him what you have seen. And tell him what you have heard. People that could not see can see now. People that could not walk can walk now. Some had illnesses of the skin; they are now well. Some could not hear, but now they can. Some people were dead; they now live again. Poor people are hearing the good news. v23 If anyone continues to believe in me, he will be happy.’
John was alone in prison. He was afraid and he had troubles in his mind. He had thought, ‘Jesus is the person that God promised to send.’ He had told other people about him. Now he was not sure. He needed to know if it was true. So, he sent someone to find out. Jesus showed them the powerful work that he was doing. By this, John would know that God had sent Jesus.
v24 The two men that followed John left. Then Jesus began to speak to the crowd about him. ‘You went out to see John in the *desert. Think about what you went to see’, he said to them. ‘You certainly did not go to see a tall piece of grass. The wind blows grass about. John is not weak, as grass is. v25 If not that, think about what you went to see. You certainly did not go to see a man who was wearing expensive clothes. People like that have many beautiful things and they live in big houses. John is not like them. He lives in the *desert. v26 So think about what you went out to see. You went out to see a man that receives messages from God. Yes, and John was even more important than that. v27 A long time ago, God spoke about him. “Listen! I will send someone with a message from me. He will arrive first to prepare your way.” ’
Malachi wrote down what God said (Malachi 3:1). He was speaking to Jesus, the *Messiah. John the *Baptist had a very important job to do. He brought a message from God. He told people that they should prepare for Jesus. Jesus would be coming soon. God had promised that the *Messiah would come to earth. He promised that John would arrive first.
v28 Jesus also said to the people, ‘Yes, John is a very important person. He is greater than any man that has lived before. But there are people that are not great. But God rules in them. Any one of those people is more important than John.’
John came to tell people that Jesus was the *Messiah. God promised many times in the *Old Testament to send the *Messiah. Those that believe his message now know God as their king. They are part of the family of God. John did not know God like that. That is why Jesus said this.
v29 A lot of people heard what Jesus said. ‘What God says about us is right’, they said. So they asked John to *baptise them. Some of these people took money on behalf of the government. v30 The *Pharisees and the people that taught God’s rules did not want John to *baptise them. They did not believe the message that God was giving to them.
v31 So Jesus continued to teach. ‘I will talk to you about the people that are alive today. I will tell you what they are like’, he said. v32 ‘They are like children who are sitting in the market place. They are playing. They shout out to other children, “We made happy music on a *pipe for you, but you did not dance. We sang a sad song and you did not cry.” v33 You are like those children. When John the *Baptist came, he often went without food. He never drank *wine. So you said that he had a bad *spirit in him. v34 Then I, the *Son of Man, came. I both eat and drink. So you say about me, “Look at this man! He eats and drinks too much. He is a friend of those people who take money on behalf of the government. He is a friend of other bad people.” That is what you say about us. v35 But God is *wise and good. *Wise people understand and they agree with him.’
John and Jesus were very different. But they were both living as God wanted them to live. The *Pharisees thought of themselves as *wise. But they would not accept either John or Jesus.
v36 Then one of the *Pharisees asked Jesus to eat a meal with him. So Jesus went to his house and sat down to eat. v37 In that town was a woman that did many wrong things. She heard that Jesus was eating a meal at the house of the *Pharisee. So she took a small jar of *oil and she went there. The *oil was very expensive and it had a beautiful smell. Someone had made the small jar out of white stone. v38 When she went inside, she stood behind Jesus. She was crying and she made his feet wet with her *tears. Then she dried them with her hair and she kissed them. She then poured all the *oil out of the jar on to his feet. v39 When the *Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, ‘This man cannot be someone that receives messages from God. If he were, he would know all about this woman. He would not let her touch him. He would know that she is a very bad person.’
v40 ‘Simon’, said Jesus to him, ‘I want to tell you something.’ ‘Yes, Teacher, tell me’, replied Simon. So he told him a picture story about two men.
v41 ‘Someone had lent them money. He had lent one of them 500 *silver coins. He had lent the other one 50 coins.’
A man would pay someone one *silver coin if he worked for a day.
v42 ‘Neither of the men had the money to pay him back. Then the man that had lent them the money *forgave them. “You do not need to pay back my money”, he said to them both.
Which of these two men will love that man most?’ Jesus asked.
v43 ‘I think’, replied Simon, ‘that it is the first man. It is the man that needed to pay back the most money.’
‘You are right’, said Jesus. v44 Then he turned towards the woman. ‘You see this woman’, he said to Simon. ‘When I came into your house, you did not give me water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her *tears and she has dried them with her hair. v45 You did not welcome me with a kiss’, he went on to say. ‘But this woman began to kiss my feet when she came in. And she has not stopped. v46 You did not put *oil on my head. But she has brought expensive *oil with a sweet smell to put on my feet.’
When someone went into a house, a servant brought water. This was to wash his feet. The master of the house also kissed the visitor and he poured *oil on his head. These were the right things to do to welcome a visitor.
v47 ‘So I tell you this. This woman has done many bad things. But I have *forgiven them. She loves me a lot, because I have *forgiven her a lot. If I only *forgive a little, a person only loves me a little.’
v48 ‘Woman’, Jesus then said, ‘I *forgive you for all the bad things that you have done.’
v49 The other people at the meal talked among themselves. ‘Who is this man? Can he really *forgive the bad things that people have done?’
v50 ‘You believed that I could *forgive you!’ Jesus told the woman. ‘You will not have troubles in your mind any longer. You can go now.’
v1 After this, Jesus started to travel from one place to another. In each town or village, he spoke the good news to the people. ‘God wants to rule in your lives’, he was telling them. The 12 men that always followed Jesus were going with him. v2 Some women were also travelling with them. These women had been ill, but Jesus had made them well again. One of the women was Mary Magdalene. Jesus had sent 7 bad *spirits away from her. v3 Another of the women was Joanna, the wife of Chuza. Chuza had authority over all the people that worked in the house of King Herod. Another of the women was Susanna. These and other women were helping Jesus and the 12 men that he had chosen. They were using their own money to do this.
v4 Large crowds of people were coming to Jesus from many towns. A large number were already together when Jesus told this story.
v5 ‘A farmer went out to plant seeds in his field. While he was throwing the seeds, some fell on the path. Then people walked on them and the birds ate them. v6 Some seeds fell on ground with rocks in it. They started to grow, but the young plants had no *roots. Because there was no water in the ground, they died. v7 Some seeds fell among weeds. Then the weeds grew up with the young plants. They stopped the young plants from becoming strong, so they soon died. v8 But some seeds fell on good ground. Good, strong plants grew up from them. Each of these plants made one hundred seeds.’
When Jesus finished the picture story, he said, ‘You have ears. So listen well to what I say.’
v9 The men that always followed Jesus asked him about this story. They asked him what it meant. v10 ‘God helps you to understand what these stories mean’, he replied. ‘But they are a secret to other people. They do not understand how God rules in the lives of his people. So, I tell picture stories to teach them. They have their eyes wide open, but they do not really see. They hear the words, but they do not understand.’
v11 ‘This is what the story means’, he went on to say. ‘The seed is like the message of God.
v12 Some seeds fell on the path. Some people hear the message from God, but they do not think about it. They are like the path. The *devil comes and he takes the message away from them. Because he takes it away, they cannot believe it. Because they do not believe it, God does not save them