The Women Who Followed Jesus
After this, Jesus began traveling from town to town and village to village, teaching people and announcing the good news about God's kingdom. His twelve disciples traveled with him on these journeys. Several women also joined them—women who had been cured of evil spirits and various illnesses. Among them was Mary, who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been cast out. There was also Joanna, whose husband Chuza managed King Herod's household, and a woman named Susanna, along with many other women. These women supported Jesus and his disciples by providing for their needs with their own money and resources.
The Parable of the Sower
Large crowds were gathering around Jesus, with people coming from town after town to hear him speak. Seeing all these people, Jesus told them this story: "A farmer went out to plant his seeds. As he scattered the seed across his field, some of it fell on the walking path. People trampled on this seed, and the birds came down and ate it all up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground. These seeds started to grow, but soon the young plants dried up and died because there wasn't enough water in the rocky soil. Some of the seeds fell among thorn bushes. The thorns grew up alongside the seed, but they crowded out the young plants and killed them. But other seeds fell on rich, fertile soil. These seeds grew strong and healthy, producing a harvest that was a hundred times larger than what was originally planted." When Jesus finished telling this story, he called out in a loud voice, "Anyone who has ears to hear should listen carefully!"
The Purpose of Parables
His disciples came to Him and asked what this story meant. Jesus answered them, "You have been given the ability to understand the secret truths about God's kingdom, but for everyone else, I tell these stories in a way that even when they look, they won't really see what's happening, and even when they listen, they won't truly understand what it means."
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Now here is what the parable means: The seed represents the word of God. The seeds that fell along the path represent people who hear God's word, but then the devil comes and steals the word from their hearts so they won't believe and be saved. The seeds that landed on rocky ground represent people who hear the word and welcome it with joy, but they have no deep roots. They believe for a while, but when hard times and testing come, they give up and walk away. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent people who hear the word, but as they continue living their lives, they get choked and overwhelmed by life's worries, the pursuit of wealth, and the pleasures of this world, so they never grow to produce mature fruit. But the seeds that fell on good soil represent people who have honest and good hearts. They hear the word, hold onto it firmly, and through patient endurance, they produce a harvest.
A Lamp on a Stand
When someone lights a lamp, they don't cover it with a clay pot or shove it under a bed. That would be foolish. Instead, they put the lamp up on a lamp stand where it can shine brightly, so that anyone who walks into the room can see by its light. You see, nothing that is hidden will stay hidden forever. Everything that has been covered up will eventually be uncovered and revealed. All secrets will come out into the open where everyone can see them. So be very careful about how you listen to what I'm teaching you. Those who truly understand and receive what they hear will be given even more understanding. But those who don't really listen—who only think they understand—will lose even what little they believe they have.
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn't get through to him because of the large crowd of people gathered around. Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you." Jesus answered, "My mother and my brothers are the people who listen to God's word and do what it says."
Jesus Calms the Storm
One day Jesus told his followers, "Let's go across to the other side of the lake." So he climbed into a boat with them and they pushed off from shore. While they were sailing across the water, Jesus fell asleep. Suddenly a fierce windstorm swept down onto the lake. The waves crashed over the sides of their boat, filling it with water, and they were in terrible danger of drowning. The disciples rushed to Jesus and shook him awake, shouting, "Master! Master! We're going to die!" Jesus stood up and spoke sternly to the howling wind and the violent, churning waters. Instantly the wind stopped blowing and the waves became still. Everything was perfectly calm. Then Jesus turned to his disciples and asked, "Where is your faith?" They were both terrified and amazed by what they had just witnessed. They whispered to each other, "Who is this man? Even the winds and the water do whatever he tells them to do!"
The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac
Jesus and his followers sailed across the lake to the land of the Gerasenes, which was on the opposite shore from Galilee. As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man from the nearby town came to meet him. This man was controlled by demons and had been living this way for a very long time. He wore no clothes and didn't live in a house like other people, but instead made his home among the burial caves. When the man saw Jesus, he screamed and threw himself down in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I'm begging you—don't torture me!" The man said this because Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This demon had taken control of the man many times before. People had tried to restrain him with chains and shackles, but he would break free from them and the demon would drive him out into lonely, deserted places where no one else would go. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" The man answered, "Legion"—because many demons had entered into him. The demons pleaded with Jesus not to send them away to the bottomless pit. Nearby on the hillside, a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs instead, and Jesus gave them permission to do this. The demons immediately left the man and went into the pigs. The entire herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. When the men who had been taking care of the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told everyone about it in the town and throughout the surrounding countryside. People came out to see for themselves what had taken place. When they reached Jesus, they found the man who had been freed from the demons sitting calmly at Jesus' feet, wearing clothes and completely sane. This frightened them greatly. The people who had witnessed everything told the others exactly how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people from that region asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overwhelmed with fear. So Jesus got back into the boat to return across the lake. The man who had been freed from the demons begged Jesus to let him come along. But Jesus sent him away with these words: "Go back home and tell people how much God has done for you." So the man left and traveled throughout the entire town, telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him.
Jairus's Daughter and the Woman with the Issue of Blood
When Jesus came back, a crowd of people welcomed him warmly because they had all been waiting for him to return. Right then, a man named Jairus, who was a leader at the local synagogue, came forward and threw himself down at Jesus' feet. He desperately begged Jesus to come to his house because his only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus walked with Jairus toward his house, crowds of people pushed and pressed around them from every direction. Among all these people was a woman who had been bleeding continuously for twelve years. She had spent every bit of money she owned on doctors, but none of them had been able to cure her condition. This woman quietly came up behind Jesus in the crowd and reached out to touch the edge of his robe. The instant she touched it, her bleeding completely stopped. "Who touched me?" Jesus suddenly asked. Everyone around him said they hadn't touched him. Peter spoke up and said, "Master, there are people crowding and pushing against you from all sides." But Jesus insisted, "Someone definitely touched me, because I felt power flow out of me." When the woman realized she couldn't hide what she had done, she came forward trembling with fear and fell down in front of Jesus. Right there, with everyone watching and listening, she told the whole story of why she had touched him and how she had been healed instantly. Jesus looked at her with kindness and said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go and live in peace." While Jesus was still talking to the woman, someone came running from Jairus's house with terrible news. He told Jairus, "Your daughter has died. There's no need to bother the Teacher anymore." But Jesus heard what the messenger said and immediately turned to Jairus. "Don't be afraid," he told him. "Just believe, and she will be made well." When they reached the house, Jesus wouldn't let anyone come inside with him except Peter, John, James, and the child's parents. Everyone else was outside weeping loudly and mourning for the girl. But Jesus told them, "Stop crying. She isn't dead—she's only sleeping." The people laughed at him scornfully because they knew for certain that she was dead. Jesus went over to where the girl was lying, took her hand in his, and called out clearly, "Little girl, get up!" Her spirit immediately came back into her body, and she got up right away. Then Jesus told her parents to give her something to eat. Her mother and father were completely amazed by what had happened, but Jesus gave them strict instructions not to tell anyone what they had witnessed.