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Knights of Columbus
Beaver Valley Chapter
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The New Jerusalem Bible with Apocrypha
The Gospel According to Mark

Mark is often considered the earliest gospel to have been written. If so, Mark is responsible for evolving a new type of literature, neither history nor biography but the imparting of the Good News (the Old English word is 'Gospel') of the reign of God in Jesus. It is the most compact gospel, concentrating not on Jesus' teaching but on the mystery of his person, the gradual way in which the disciples reach an understanding of him which still remains hidden from the crowds. The paradox is that Jesus is acknowledged as Son of God by the Father and by evil spirits, and yet he is rejected by the leaders of the Jews and is even misunderstood by his own disciples. The gospel has been called a passion narrative with extended introduction; or it may be seen in two halves, the first being the revelation that Jesus is Messiah, the second-after the decisive turning-point at Caesarea Philippi (8:29)-being the revelation of his role of suffering. Mark shows that the rejection was an essential part of God's plan, foretold in the Scriptures, and crowned by Jesus' awesome resurrection.

Chapter 1

PRELUDE TO THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS
The proclamation of John the Baptist

^1:1The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ²It is written in the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you. ^{*[Ml 3:1 followed by Is 40:3]} ³A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁴John the Baptist was in the desert, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. ⁶John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. ⁷In the course of his preaching he said, 'After me is coming someone who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. ⁸I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.'
Jesus is baptised

⁹It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰And at once, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.'
Testing in the desert

¹²And at once the Spirit drove him into the desert ¹³and he remained there for forty days, and was put to the test by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels looked after him.
THE GALILEAN MINISTRY
Jesus begins to proclaim the message

¹⁴After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the gospel from God saying, ¹⁵'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel.'
The first four disciples are called

¹⁶As he was walking along by the Lake of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon's brother Andrew casting a net in the lake-for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you into fishers of people.' ¹⁸And at once they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending the nets. ²⁰At once he called them and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
Jesus teaches in Capernaum and cures a demoniac

²¹They went as far as Capernaum, and at once on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²²And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority. ²³And at once in their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shouted, ²⁴'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.' ²⁵But Jesus rebuked it saying, 'Be quiet! Come out of him!' ²⁶And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. ²⁷The people were so astonished that they started asking one another what it all meant, saying, 'Here is a teaching that is new, and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.' ²⁸And his reputation at once spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.
Cure of Simon's mother-in-law

²⁹And at once on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. ³¹He went in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them.
A number of cures

³²That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. ³³The whole town came crowding round the door, ³⁴and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.
Jesus quietly leaves Capernaum and travels through Galilee

³⁵In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. ³⁶Simon and his companions set out in search of him, ³⁷and when they found him they said, 'Everybody is looking for you.' ³⁸He answered, 'Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came.' ³⁹And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils.
Cure of a man suffering from a virulent skin-disease

⁴⁰A man suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to him and pleaded on his knees saying, 'If you are willing, you can cleanse me.' ⁴¹Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said to him, 'I am willing. Be cleansed.' ⁴²And at once the skin-disease left him and he was cleansed. ⁴³And at once Jesus sternly sent him away and said to him, ⁴⁴'Mind you tell no one anything, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing prescribed by Moses as evidence to them.' ⁴⁵The man went away, but then started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places. Even so, people from all around kept coming to him.
Chapter 2

Cure of a paralytic

^2:1When he returned to Capernaum, some time later word went round that he was in the house; ²and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them ³when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, ⁴but as they could not get the man to him through the crowd, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. ⁵Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'My child, your sins are forgiven.' ⁶Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ⁷'How can this man talk like that? He is being blasphemous. Who but God can forgive sins?' ⁸And at once, Jesus, inwardly aware that this is what they were thinking, said to them, 'Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? ⁹Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven" or to say, "Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk"? ¹⁰But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority to forgive sins on earth'- ¹¹he said to the paralytic-'I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.' ¹²And the man got up, and at once picked up his stretcher and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astonished and praised God saying, 'We have never seen anything like this.'
The call of Levi

¹³He went out again to the shore of the lake; and all the people came to him, and he taught them. ¹⁴As he was walking along he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him.
Eating with sinners

¹⁵When Jesus was at dinner in his house, a number of tax collectors and sinners were also sitting at table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them among his followers. ¹⁶When the scribes of the Pharisee party saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, 'Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?' ¹⁷When Jesus heard this he said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the upright, but sinners.'
A discussion on fasting

¹⁸John's disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, when some people came to him and said to him, 'Why is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?' ¹⁹Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot fast while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast. ²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. ²²And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine into fresh skins!'
Picking corn on the Sabbath

²³It happened that one Sabbath day he was taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to make a path by plucking ears of corn. ²⁴And the Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they doing something on the Sabbath day that is forbidden?' ²⁵And he replied, 'Have you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry- ²⁶how he went into the house of God when Abiathar ^{*[In fact his father, Ahimelech, was high priest, 1 S 21:1-7]} was high priest, and ate the loaves of the offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?' ²⁷And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; ²⁸so the Son of man is master even of the Sabbath.'
Chapter 3

Cure of the man with a withered hand

^3:1Another time he went into the synagogue, and there was a man present whose hand was withered. ²And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath day, hoping for something to charge him with. ³He said to the man with the withered hand, 'Get up and stand in the middle!' ⁴Then he said to them, 'Is it permitted on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?' But they said nothing. ⁵Then he looked angrily round at them, grieved to find them so obstinate, and said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out and his hand was restored. ⁶The Pharisees went out and began at once to plot with the Herodians ^{*[Supporters of the Herodian dynasty, campaigning for
the return of all Palestine to their rule.]} against him, discussing how to destroy him.
The crowds follow Jesus

⁷Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him. From Judaea, ⁸and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea and Transjordan and the region of Tyre and Sidon, great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him. ⁹And he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed. ¹⁰For he had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him. ¹¹And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and shout, 'You are the Son of God!' ¹²But he warned them strongly not to make him known.
The appointment of the Twelve

¹³He now went up onto the mountain and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him ¹⁴and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to proclaim the message, ¹⁵with power to drive out devils. ¹⁶And so he appointed the Twelve, Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, ¹⁷James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or 'Sons of Thunder'; ¹⁸Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.
His family are concerned about Jesus

²⁰He went home again, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. ²¹When his relations heard of this, they set out to take charge of him; they said, 'He is out of his mind.'
Allegations of the scribes

²²The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, 'Beelzebul is in him,' and, 'It is through the prince of devils that he drives devils out.' ²³So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ²⁴'How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. ²⁵And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never last. ²⁶Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot last either-it is the end of him. ²⁷But no one can make his way into a strong man's house and plunder his property unless he has first tied up the strong man. Only then can he plunder his house. ²⁸'In truth I tell you, all human sins will be forgiven, and all the blasphemies ever uttered; ²⁹but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin.' ³⁰This was because they were saying, 'There is an unclean spirit in him.'
The true kinsmen of Jesus

³¹Now his mother and his brothers arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. ³²A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, 'Look, your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.' ³³He replied, 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' ³⁴And looking at those sitting in a circle round him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. ³⁵Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.'
Chapter 4

Parable of the sower

^4:1Again he began to teach them by the lakeside, but such a huge crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat on the water and sat there. The whole crowd were at the lakeside on land. ²He taught them many things in parables, and in the course of his teaching he said to them, ³'Listen! Imagine a sower going out to sow. ⁴Now it happened that, as he sowed, some of the seed fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some seed fell on rocky ground where it found little soil and at once sprang up, because there was no depth of earth; ⁶and when the sun came up it was scorched and, not having any roots, it withered away. ⁷Some seed fell into thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. ⁸And some seeds fell into rich soil, grew tall and strong, and produced a good crop; the yield was thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.' ⁹And he said, 'Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
Why Jesus spoke in parables

¹⁰When he was alone, the Twelve, together with the others who formed his company, asked what the parables meant. ¹¹He told them, 'To you is granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, ¹²so that they may look and look, but never perceive; listen and listen, but never understand; to avoid changing their ways and being healed.' ^{*[Is 6:9-10]}
The parable of the sower explained

¹³He said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴What the sower is sowing is the word. ¹⁵Those on the edge of the path where the word is sown are people who have no sooner heard it than Satan at once comes and carries away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Similarly, those who are sown on patches of rock are people who, when first they hear the word, welcome it at once with joy. ¹⁷But they have no root deep down and do not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, at once they fall away. ¹⁸Then there are others who are sown in thorns. These have heard the word, ¹⁹but the worries of the world, the lure of riches and all the other passions come in to choke the word, and so it produces nothing. ²⁰And there are those who have been sown in rich soil; they hear the word and accept it and yield a harvest, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.'
Receiving and handing on the teaching of Jesus

²¹He also said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a tub or under the bed? Surely to be put on the lamp-stand? ²²For there is nothing hidden, but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. ²³Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
Parable of the measure

²⁴He also said to them, 'Take notice of what you are hearing. The standard you use will be used for you-and you will receive more besides; ²⁵anyone who has, will be given more; anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.'
Parable of the seed growing by itself

²⁶He also said, 'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the land. ²⁷Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. ²⁸Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹And when the crop is ready, at once he starts to reap because the harvest has come.'
Parable of the mustard seed

³⁰He also said, 'What can we say that the kingdom is like? What parable can we find for it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. ³²Yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.'
The use of parables

³³Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. ³⁴He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were by themselves.
The calming of the storm

³⁵With the coming of evening that same day, he said to them, 'Let us cross over to the other side.' ³⁶And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. ³⁷Then it began to blow a great gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. ³⁸But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. ³⁹They woke him and said to him, 'Master, do you not care? We are lost!' And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Quiet now! Be calm!' And the wind dropped, and there followed a great calm. ⁴⁰Then he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?' ⁴¹They were overcome with awe and said to one another, 'Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.'
Chapter 5

The Gerasene demoniac

^5:1They reached the territory of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, ²and when he disembarked, a man with an unclean spirit at once came out from the tombs towards him. ³The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain, ⁴because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. ⁵All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. ⁶Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet ⁷and shouted at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? In God's name do not torture me!' ⁸For Jesus had been saying to him, 'Come out of the man, unclean spirit.' ⁹Then he asked, 'What is your name?' He answered, 'My name is Legion, for there are many of us.' ¹⁰And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district. ¹¹Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding, ¹²and the unclean spirits begged him, 'Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.' ¹³So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. ¹⁴The men looking after them ran off and told their story in the city and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. ¹⁵They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there-the man who had had the legion in him-properly dressed and in his full senses, and they were afraid. ¹⁶And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. ¹⁷Then they began to implore Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. ¹⁸As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. ¹⁹Jesus would not let him but said to him, 'Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.' ²⁰So the man went off and proceeded to proclaim in the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.
Cure of the woman with a haemorrhage
The daughter of Jairus raised to life

²¹When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake. ²²Then the president of the synagogue came up, named Jairus, and seeing him, fell at his feet ²³and begged him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her that she may be saved and may live.' ²⁴Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him. ²⁵Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; ²⁶after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his cloak from behind, thinking, ²⁸'If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.' ²⁹And at once the source of the bleeding dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. ³⁰And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?' ³¹His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, "Who touched me?" ' ³²But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. ³³Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ³⁴'My daughter,' he said, 'your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your complaint.' ³⁵While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the president of the synagogue to say, 'Your daughter is dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?' ³⁶But Jesus overheard what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.' ³⁷And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸So they came to the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. ³⁹He went in and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.' ⁴⁰But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. ⁴¹And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.' ⁴²The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with astonishment, ⁴³and he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
Chapter 6

A visit to Nazareth

^6:1Leaving that district, he went to his home town, and his disciples accompanied him. ²With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, 'Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? ³This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?' And they would not accept him. ⁴And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is despised only in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house'; ⁵and he could work no miracle there, except that he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. ⁶He was amazed at their lack of faith.
The mission of the Twelve

He made a tour round the villages, teaching. ⁷Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. ⁸And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff-no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. ⁹They were to wear sandals but, he added, 'Don't take a spare tunic.' ¹⁰And he said to them, 'If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. ¹¹And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as evidence to them.' ¹²So they set off to proclaim repentance; ¹³and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.
Herod and Jesus

¹⁴King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.' ¹⁵Others said, 'He is Elijah,' others again, 'He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.' ¹⁶But when Herod heard this he said, 'It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.'
John the Baptist beheaded

¹⁷Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom he had married. ¹⁸For John had told Herod, 'It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife.' ¹⁹As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so, ²⁰because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him. ²¹An opportunity came on Herod's birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. ²²When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, 'Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.' ²³And he swore her an oath, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.' ²⁴She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.' ²⁵The girl at once rushed back to the king and made her request, 'I want you to give me John the Baptist's head, immediately, on a dish.' ²⁶The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. ²⁷At once the king sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John's head. ²⁸The man went off and beheaded him in the prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹When John's disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
First miracle of the loaves

³⁰The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. ³¹And he said to them, 'Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while'; for there were so many coming and going that there was no time for them even to eat. ³²So they went off in the boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. ³³But people saw them going, and many recognised them; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. ³⁴So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. ³⁵By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, 'This is a lonely place and it is getting very late, ³⁶so send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to buy themselves something to eat.' ³⁷He replied, 'Give them something to eat yourselves.' They answered, 'Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?' ³⁸He asked, 'How many loaves have you? Go and see.' And when they had found out they said, 'Five, and two fish.' ³⁹Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass, ⁴⁰and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and began handing them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all. ⁴²They all ate as much as they wanted. ⁴³They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish. ⁴⁴Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
Jesus walks on the water

⁴⁵And at once he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side near Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. ⁴⁶After saying goodbye to them he went off into the hills to pray. ⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was far out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸He could see that they were hard pressed in their rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the sea. He was going to pass them by, ⁴⁹but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰for they had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke to them and said, 'Courage! It's me! Don't be afraid.' ⁵¹Then he got into the boat with them and the wind dropped. They were utterly and completely dumbfounded, ⁵²because they had not seen what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed.
Cures at Gennesaret

⁵³Having made the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored there. ⁵⁴When they disembarked people at once recognised him, ⁵⁵and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went, to village or town or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were saved.
Chapter 7

The traditions of the Pharisees

^7:1The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round him, ²and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. ³For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, keep the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; ⁴and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them to keep, concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. ⁵So the Pharisees and scribes asked him, 'Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?' ⁶He answered, 'How rightly Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites in the passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. ⁷Their reverence of me is worthless; the lessons they teach are nothing but human commandments. ^{*[Is 29:13]} ⁸You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions.' ⁹And he said to them, 'How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said: Honour your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. ^{*[Ex
20:12; 21:17]} ¹¹But you say, "If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Korban ^{*[Nothing
Korban could be used for anyone else-a convenient legal fiction.]} (that is, dedicated to God)," ¹²then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother. ¹³In this way you make God's word ineffective for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.'
On clean and unclean

¹⁴He called the people to him again and said, 'Listen to me, all of you, and understand. ¹⁵Nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean; it is the things that come out of someone that make that person unclean. ¹⁶Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!' ¹⁷When he had gone into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. ¹⁸He said to them, 'Even you-don't you understand? Can't you see that nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean, ¹⁹because it goes not into the heart but into the stomach and passes into the sewer?' (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.) ²⁰And he went on, 'It is what comes out of someone that makes that person unclean. ²¹For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, ²²adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.'
JOURNEYS OUTSIDE GALILEE
The daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman healed

²⁴He left that place and set out for the territory of Tyre. There he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there; but he could not pass unrecognised. ²⁵At once a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him and came and fell at his feet. ²⁶Now this woman was a gentile, by birth a Syro-Phoenician, and she begged him to drive the devil out of her daughter. ²⁷And he said to her, 'The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.' ²⁸But she spoke up, 'Ah yes, sir,' she replied, 'but little dogs under the table eat the scraps from the children.' ²⁹And he said to her, 'For saying this you may go home happy; the devil has gone out of your daughter.' ³⁰So she went off home and found the child lying on the bed and the devil gone.
Healing of the deaf man

³¹Returning from the territory of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon towards the Lake of Galilee, right through the Decapolis territory. ³²And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. ³³He took him aside to be by themselves, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man's ears and touched his tongue with spittle. ³⁴Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' ³⁵And his ears were opened, and at once the impediment of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. ³⁶And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they proclaimed it. ³⁷Their admiration was unbounded, and they said, 'Everything he does is good, he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.'
Chapter 8

Second miracle of the loaves

^8:1And now once again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples to him and said to them, ²'I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.' ⁴His disciples replied, 'Where could anyone get these people enough bread to eat in a deserted place?' ⁵He asked them, 'How many loaves have you?' And they said to him, 'Seven.' ⁶Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handing them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd. ⁷They had a few small fishes as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed too. ⁸They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over. ⁹Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away ¹⁰and at once, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.
The Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven

¹¹The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with him; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to put him to the test. ¹²And with a profound sigh he said, 'Why does this generation demand a sign? In truth I tell you, no sign shall be given to this generation.' ¹³And, leaving them again, he re-embarked and went away to the other side.
The yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod

¹⁴The disciples had forgotten to take any bread and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. ¹⁵Then he gave them this warning, 'Keep your eyes open; look out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.' ¹⁶And they said to one another, 'It is because we have no bread.' ¹⁷And Jesus knew it, and he said to them, 'Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not understand, still not realise? Are your minds closed? ¹⁸Have you eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear? ^{*[Jr 5:21; Ezk 12:2]}Or do you not remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?' They answered, 'Twelve.' ²⁰'And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?' And they answered, 'Seven.' ²¹Then he said to them, 'Do you still not realise?'
Cure of a blind man at Bethsaida

²²They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom they begged him to touch. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then, putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, 'Can you see anything?' ²⁴The man, who was beginning to see, replied, 'I can see people; they look like trees as they walk around.' ²⁵Then he laid his hands on the man's eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly. ²⁶And Jesus sent him home, saying, 'Do not even go into the village.'
Peter's profession of faith

²⁷Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say I am?' ²⁸And they told him, 'John the Baptist, others Elijah, others again, one of the prophets.' ²⁹'But you,' he asked them, 'who do you say I am?' Peter spoke up and said to him, 'You are the Christ.' ³⁰And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
First prophecy of the Passion

³¹Then he began to teach them that the Son of man was destined to suffer grievously, and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; ³²and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter tried to rebuke him. ³³But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.'
The condition of following Christ

³⁴He called the people and his disciples to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶What gain, then, is it for anyone to win the whole world and forfeit his life? ³⁷And indeed what can anyone offer in exchange for his life? ³⁸For if anyone in this sinful and adulterous generation is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.'
Chapter 9

^9:1And he said to them, 'In truth I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.'
The Transfiguration

²Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: ³his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. ⁴Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. ⁵Then Peter spoke to Jesus, 'Rabbi,' he said, 'it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' ⁶He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. ⁷And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud there came a voice, 'This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.' ⁸Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
The question about Elijah

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what 'rising from the dead' could mean. ¹¹And they put this question to him, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' ¹²He said to them, 'Elijah is indeed first coming to set everything right again; yet how is it that the scriptures say about the Son of man that he must suffer grievously and be treated with contempt? ¹³But I tell you that Elijah has come and they have treated him as they pleased, just as the scriptures say about him.'
The epileptic demoniac

¹⁴As they were rejoining the disciples they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵At once, when they saw him, the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. ¹⁶And he asked them, 'What are you arguing about with them?' ¹⁷A man answered him from the crowd, 'Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, ¹⁸and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to drive it out and they were unable to.' ¹⁹In reply he said to them, 'Faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.' ²⁰They brought the boy to him, and at once the spirit of dumbness threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. ²¹Jesus asked the father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' 'From childhood,' he said, ²²'and it has often thrown him into fire and into water, in order to destroy him. ²³But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.' ²⁴'If you can?' retorted Jesus. 'Everything is possible for one who has faith.' At once the father of the boy cried out, 'I have faith. Help my lack of faith!' ²⁵And when Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit. 'Deaf and dumb spirit,' he said, 'I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.' ²⁶Then it threw the boy into violent convulsions and came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, 'He is dead.' ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. ²⁸When he had gone indoors, his disciples asked him when they were by themselves, 'Why were we unable to drive it out?' ²⁹He answered, 'This is the kind that can be driven out only by prayer.'
Second prophecy of the Passion

³⁰After leaving that place they made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, ³¹because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, 'The Son of man will be delivered into the power of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.' ³²But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
Who is the greatest?

³³They came to Capernaum, and when he got into the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?' ³⁴They said nothing, because on the road they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. ³⁵So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.' ³⁶He then took a little child whom he set among them and embraced, and he said to them, ³⁷'Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'
On using the name of Jesus

³⁸John said to him, 'Master, we saw someone who is not one of us driving out devils in your name, and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.' ³⁹But Jesus said, 'You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in my name could soon afterwards speak evil of me. ⁴⁰Anyone who is not against us is for us.
Generosity shown to Christ's disciples

⁴¹'If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
On leading others astray

⁴²'But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck. ⁴³And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that ⁴⁴ can never be put out. ^{*[Omitting, with the best MSS, vv. 44 and 46 (Vulg.), as repetitions of v. 48]}
⁴⁵And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you
⁴⁶ to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ^{*[Omitting, with the best MSS, vv. 44 and 46 (Vulg.), as repetitions of v. 48]}
⁴⁷And if your eye should be your downfall, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell
⁴⁸where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out. ^{*[Is 66:24. The word for hell is 'Gehenna', the rubbish-dump
of Jerusalem, with its perpetual fires.]} ⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.'
Chapter 10

The question about divorce

^10:1After leaving there, he came into the territory of Judaea and Transjordan. And again crowds gathered round him, and again he taught them, as his custom was. ²Some Pharisees approached him and asked, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' They were putting him to the test. ³He answered them, 'What did Moses command you?' ⁴They replied, 'Moses allowed us to draw up a writ of dismissal in cases of divorce.' ^{*[Dt 24:1]} ⁵Then Jesus said to them, 'It was because you were so hard hearted that he wrote this commandment for you. ⁶But from the beginning of creation he made them male and female. ⁷This is why a man leaves his father and mother, ⁸and the two become one flesh. ^{*[Gn 1:27; 2:24]} They are no longer two, therefore, but one flesh. ⁹So then, what God has united, human beings must not divide.' ¹⁰Back in the house the disciples questioned him again about this, ¹¹and he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. ¹²And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.'
Jesus and the children

¹³People were bringing little children to him, for him to touch them. The disciples scolded them, ¹⁴but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵In truth I tell you, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' ¹⁶Then he embraced them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.
The rich young man

¹⁷He was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, 'Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' ¹⁸Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.' ^{*[Ex 20:12-16]} ²⁰And he said to him, 'Master, I have kept all these since my earliest days.' ²¹Jesus looked steadily at him and he was filled with love for him, and he said, 'You need to do one thing more. Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' ²²But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
The danger of riches

²³Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' ²⁴The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, 'My children,' he said to them, 'how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.' ²⁶They were more astonished than ever, saying to one another, 'In that case, who can be saved?' ²⁷Jesus gazed at them and said, 'By human resources it is impossible, but not for God: because for God everything is possible.'
The reward of renunciation

²⁸Peter took this up. 'Look,' he said to him, 'we have left everything and followed you.' ²⁹Jesus said, 'In truth I tell you, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel ³⁰who will not receive a hundred times as much, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land-and persecutions too-now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life. ³¹Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.'
Third prophecy of the Passion

³²They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him, ³³'Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles, ³⁴who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.'
The sons of Zebedee make their request

³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. 'Master,' they said to him, 'We want you to do us a favour.' ³⁶He said to them, 'What is it you want me to do for you?' ³⁷They said to him, 'Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.' ³⁸But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I shall drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I shall be baptised?' ³⁹They replied, 'We can.' Jesus said to them, 'The cup that I shall drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I shall be baptised you shall be baptised, ⁴⁰but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.'
Leadership with service

⁴¹When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, ⁴²so Jesus called them to him and said to them, 'You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. ⁴³Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. ⁴⁵For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
The blind man of Jericho

⁴⁶They reached Jericho; and as he left Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus-that is, the son of Timaeus-a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and cry out, 'Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.' ⁴⁸And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.' ⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him here.' So they called the blind man over. 'Courage,' they said, 'get up; he is calling you.' ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus spoke, 'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man said to him, 'Rabbuni, let me see again.' ⁵²Jesus said to him, 'Go; your faith has saved you.' And at once his sight returned and he followed him along the road.
Chapter 11

THE JERUSALEM MINISTRY
The Messiah enters Jerusalem

^11:1When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ²and said to them, 'Go to the village facing you, and as you enter it you will at once find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³If anyone says to you, "What are you doing?" say, "The Master needs it and will send it back here at once." ' ⁴They went off and found a colt tethered near a door in the open street. As they untied it, ⁵some men standing there said, 'What are you doing, untying that colt?' ⁶They gave the answer Jesus had told them, and the men let them go. ⁷Then they took the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back, and he mounted it. ⁸Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others greenery which they had cut in the fields. ⁹And those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord! ^{*[Ps 118:25-26]} ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of David our father! ^{*[2 S 7:16]} Hosanna in the highest heavens!' ¹¹He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple; and when he had surveyed it all, as it was late by now, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
The barren fig tree

¹²Next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. ¹³Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴And he addressed the fig tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples heard him say this.
The expulsion of the dealers from the Temple

¹⁵So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out the men selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers. ¹⁶Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. ¹⁷And he taught them and said, 'Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples? But you have turned it into a bandits' den.' ^{*[Is 56:7 followed by Jr 7:11]} ¹⁸This came to the ears of the chief priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way of doing away with him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his teaching. ¹⁹And when evening came he went out of the city.
The fig tree withered. Faith and prayer

²⁰Next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered to the roots. ²¹Peter remembered. 'Look, Rabbi,' he said to Jesus, 'the fig tree that you cursed has withered away.' ²²Jesus answered, 'Have faith in God. ²³In truth I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Be pulled up and thrown into the sea," with no doubt in his heart, but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴I tell you, therefore, everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. ²⁵And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so ^26thatyour Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.' ^{*[Some authorities add a v. borrowed from Mt 6:15]}
The authority of Jesus is questioned

²⁷They came to Jerusalem again, and as Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, ²⁸and they said to him, 'What authority have you for acting like this? Or who gave you authority to act like this?' ²⁹Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; answer me and I will tell you my authority for acting like this. ³⁰John's baptism, what was its origin, heavenly or human? Answer me that.' ³¹And they argued this way among themselves, 'If we say heavenly, he will say, "Then why did you refuse to believe him?" ³²But dare we say human?'-they had the people to fear, for everyone held that John had been a real prophet. ³³So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.' And Jesus said to them, 'Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.'
Chapter 12

Parable of the wicked tenants

^12:1He went on to speak to them in parables, 'A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. ²When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. ³But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty handed. ⁴Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. ⁵And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. ⁶He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, "They will respect my son." ⁷But those tenants said to each other, "This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours." ⁸So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰Have you not read this text of scripture: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; ¹¹this is the Lord's doing, and we marvel at it ?' ^{*[Ps 118:22-23]} ¹²And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.
On tribute to Caesar

¹³Next they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. ¹⁴These came and said to him, 'Master, we know that you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because human rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or not?' ¹⁵Recognising their hypocrisy he said to them, 'Why are you putting me to the test? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.' ¹⁶They handed him one and he said to them, 'Whose portrait is this? Whose title?' They said to him, 'Caesar's.' ¹⁷Jesus said to them, 'Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar-and God what belongs to God.' And they were amazed at him.
The resurrection of the dead

¹⁸Then some Sadducees-who deny that there is a resurrection-came to him and they put this question to him, ¹⁹'Master, Moses prescribed for us that if a man's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. ²⁰Now there were seven brothers; the first married a wife and then died leaving no children. ²¹The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, ²²and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. ²³Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?' ²⁴Jesus said to them, 'Surely the reason why you are wrong is that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God. ²⁵For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. ²⁶Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? ^{*[Ex 3:6]} ²⁷He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.'
The greatest commandment of all

²⁸One of the scribes who had listened to them debating appreciated that Jesus had given a good answer and put a further question to him, 'Which is the first of all the commandments?' ²⁹Jesus replied, 'This is the first: ^{*[Dt 6:4-5]} Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, ³⁰and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. ³¹The second is this: ^{*[Lv 19:18.]} You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.' ³²The scribe said to him, 'Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true, that he is one and there is no other. ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.' ³⁴Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And after that no one dared to question him any more.
Jesus not only son but also Lord of David

³⁵While teaching in the Temple, Jesus said, 'How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of David? ³⁶David himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand till I have made your enemies your footstool. ^{*[Ps 110:1]} ³⁷David himself calls him Lord; in what way then can he be his son?' And the great crowd listened to him with delight.
The scribes condemned by Jesus

³⁸In his teaching he said, 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares, ³⁹to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; ⁴⁰these are the men who devour the property of widows and for show offer long prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.'
The widow's mite

⁴¹He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. ⁴²A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. ⁴³Then he called his disciples and said to them, 'In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; ⁴⁴for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.'
Chapter 13

The eschatological discourse: Introduction
^{*[By contrast with Mt 24-25, Mk's discourse concerns only the destruction of Jerusalem as an act of God delivering his
people.]}

^13:1As he was leaving the Temple one of his disciples said to him, 'Master, look at the size of those stones! Look at the size of those buildings!' ²And Jesus said to him, 'You see these great buildings? Not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be pulled down.' ³And while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, facing the Temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew questioned him when they were by themselves, ⁴'Tell us, when is this going to happen, and what sign will there be that it is all about to take place?'
The beginning of sorrows

⁵Then Jesus began to tell them, 'Take care that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come using my name and saying, "I am he," and they will deceive many. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet. ⁸For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is the beginning of the birth-pangs. ⁹'Be on your guard: you will be handed over to sanhedrins; you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as evidence to them, ¹⁰since the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹'And when you are taken to be handed over, do not worry beforehand about what to say; no, say whatever is given to you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; it is the Holy Spirit. ¹²Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will come forward against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³You will be universally hated on account of my name; but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved.
The great tribulation of Jerusalem

¹⁴'When you see the appalling abomination ^{*[Dn 9:27; 11:31; 12:11]} set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains; ¹⁵if a man is on the housetop, he must not come down or go inside to collect anything from his house; ¹⁶if a man is in the fields, he must not turn back to fetch his cloak. ¹⁷Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come! ¹⁸Pray that this may not be in winter. ¹⁹For in those days there will be great distress, unparalleled since ^{*[Dn 12:1]} God created the world, and such as will never be again. ²⁰And if the Lord had not shortened that time, no human being would have survived; but he did shorten the time, for the sake of the elect whom he chose. ²¹'And if anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ" or, "Look, he is there," do not believe it; ²²for false Christs and false prophets will arise and produce signs and portents to deceive the elect, if that were possible. ²³You, therefore, must be on your guard. I have given you full warning.
The coming of the Son of man

²⁴'But in those days, after that time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, ²⁵the stars will come falling out of the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ^{*[Dn 7:13-14]} ²⁷And then he will send the angels to gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of the sky. ^{*[Dt 30:4]}
The time of this coming

²⁸'Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, right at the gates. ³⁰In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. ³¹Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³²'But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.
Be on the alert

³³'Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from his home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn; ³⁶if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. ³⁷And what I am saying to you I say to all: Stay awake!'
Chapter 14

PASSION AND RESURRECTION
The conspiracy against Jesus

^14:1It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death. ²For they said, 'It must not be during the festivities, or there will be a disturbance among the people.'
The anointing at Bethany

³He was at Bethany in the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a virulent skin-disease; he was at table when a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment on his head. ⁴Some who were there said to one another indignantly, 'Why this waste of ointment? ⁵Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor'; and they were angry with her. ⁶But Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is a good work. ⁷You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. ⁸She has done what she could: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. ⁹In truth I tell you, wherever throughout all the world the gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as well, in remembrance of her.'
Judas betrays Jesus

¹⁰Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, approached the chief priests with an offer to hand Jesus over to them. ¹¹They were delighted to hear it, and promised to give him money; and he began to look for a way of betraying him when the opportunity should occur.
Preparations for the Passover supper

¹²On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him, 'Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?' ¹³So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, ¹⁴and say to the owner of the house which he enters, "The Master says: Where is the room for me to eat the Passover with my disciples?" ¹⁵He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there.' ¹⁶The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.
The treachery of Judas foretold

¹⁷When evening came he arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸And while they were at table eating, Jesus said, 'In truth I tell you, one of you is about to betray me, one of you eating with me.' ^{*[Ps 41:9]} ¹⁹They were distressed and said to him, one after another, 'Not me, surely?' ²⁰He said to them, 'It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping into the same dish with me. ²¹Yes, the Son of man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born.'
The institution of the Eucharist

²²And as they were eating he took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. 'Take it,' he said, 'this is my body.' ²³Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them, and all drank from it, ²⁴and he said to them, 'This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many. ²⁵In truth I tell you, I shall never drink wine any more until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.'
Peter's denial foretold

²⁶After the psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. ²⁷And Jesus said to them, 'You will all fall away, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered; ^{*[Zc 13:7]} ²⁸however, after my resurrection I shall go before you into Galilee.' ²⁹Peter said, 'Even if all fall away, I will not.' ³⁰And Jesus said to him, 'In truth I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.' ³¹But he repeated still more earnestly, 'If I have to die with you, I will never disown you.' And they all said the same.
Gethsemane

³²They came to a plot of land called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Stay here while I pray.' ³³Then he took Peter and James and John with him. ³⁴And he began to feel terror and anguish. And he said to them, 'My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and stay awake.' ³⁵And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. ³⁶'Abba, ^{*[An affectionate Aramaic word, address of child to father.]} Father!' he said, 'For you everything is possible. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.' ³⁷He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to stay awake one hour? ³⁸Stay awake and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak.' ³⁹Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. ⁴⁰And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him. ⁴¹He came back a third time and said to them, 'You can sleep on now and have your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is not far away.'
The arrest

⁴³And at once, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up and with him a number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴Now the traitor had arranged a signal with them saying, 'The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest him, and see he is well guarded when you lead him away.' ⁴⁵So when the traitor came, he went up to Jesus at once and said, 'Rabbi!' and kissed him. ⁴⁶The others seized him and arrested him. ⁴⁷Then one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the high priest's servant and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸Then Jesus spoke. 'Am I a bandit,' he said, 'that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs? ⁴⁹I was among you teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid a hand on me. But this is to fulfil the scriptures.' ⁵⁰And they all deserted him and ran away. ⁵¹A young man followed with nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, ⁵²but he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin

⁵³They led Jesus off to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled there. ⁵⁴Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the high priest's palace, and was sitting with the attendants warming himself at the fire. ⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus in order to have him executed. But they could not find any. ⁵⁶Several, indeed, brought false witness against him, but their evidence was conflicting. ⁵⁷Some stood up and submitted this false evidence against him, ⁵⁸'We heard him say, "I am going to destroy this Temple made by human hands, and in three days build another, not made by human hands." ' ⁵⁹But even on this point their evidence was conflicting. ⁶⁰The high priest then rose before the whole assembly and put this question to Jesus, 'Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?' ⁶¹But he was silent and made no answer at all. The high priest put a second question to him saying, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' ⁶²'I am,' said Jesus, 'and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.' ^{*[Dn 7:13; Ps 110:1]} ⁶³The high priest tore his robes and said, 'What need of witnesses have we now? ⁶⁴You heard the blasphemy. What is your finding?' Their verdict was unanimous: he deserved to die. ⁶⁵Some of them started spitting at his face, hitting him and saying, 'Play the prophet!' And the attendants struck him too.
Peter's denials

⁶⁶While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the high priest's servant-girls came up. ⁶⁷She saw Peter warming himself there, looked closely at him and said, 'You too were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.' ⁶⁸But he denied it. 'I do not know, I do not understand what you are talking about,' he said. And he went out into the forecourt, and a cock crowed. ⁶⁹The servant-girl saw him and again started telling the bystanders, 'This man is one of them.' ⁷⁰But again he denied it. A little later the bystanders themselves said to Peter, 'You are certainly one of them! Why, you are a Galilean.' ⁷¹But he started cursing and swearing, 'I do not know the man you speak of.' ⁷²And at once the cock crowed for the second time, and Peter recalled what Jesus had said to him, 'Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.' And he burst into tears.
Chapter 15

Jesus before Pilate

^15:1First thing in the morning, the chief priests, together with the elders and scribes and the rest of the Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate. ²Pilate put to him this question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' He replied, 'It is you who say it.' ³And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. ⁴Pilate questioned him again, 'Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing against you!' ⁵But, to Pilate's surprise, Jesus made no further reply. ⁶At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, any one they asked for. ⁷Now a man called Barabbas was then in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the uprising. ⁸When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favour, ⁹Pilate answered them, 'Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?' ¹⁰For he realised it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. ¹¹The chief priests, however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for them instead. ¹²Then Pilate spoke again, 'But in that case, what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?' ¹³They shouted back, 'Crucify him!' ¹⁴Pilate asked them, 'What harm has he done?' But they shouted all the louder, 'Crucify him!' ¹⁵So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, after having Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Jesus crowned with thorns

¹⁶The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together. ¹⁷They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him. ¹⁸And they began saluting him, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' ¹⁹They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage. ²⁰And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes.
The way of the cross

They led him out to crucify him. ²¹They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, ^{*[cf. Rm 16:13.]} who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. ²²They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.
The crucifixion

²³They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. ²⁴Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get. ²⁵It was the third hour when they crucified him. ²⁶The inscription giving the charge against him read, 'The King of the Jews'. ²⁷And they crucified two bandits with him, one on his right and one on his left.[28] ^{*[Some authorities add a verse similar
to Lk 22:37]}
The crucified Jesus is mocked

²⁹The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said, 'Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! ³⁰Then save yourself; come down from the cross!' ³¹The chief priests and the scribes mocked him among themselves in the same way with the words, 'He saved others, he cannot save himself. ³²Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.' Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.
The death of Jesus

³³When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. ³⁴And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, eloi, ^{*[This Aramaic form cf. Ps 22:1, explains the soldiers' pun about Elijah better than Mt's Hebr form eli.]} lama sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' ³⁵When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, 'Listen, he is calling on Elijah.' ³⁶Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink saying, 'Wait! And see if Elijah will come to take him down.' ³⁷But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸And the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, 'In truth this man was Son of God.'
The women on Calvary

⁴⁰There were some women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary who was the mother of James the younger and Joset, and Salome. ⁴¹These used to follow him and look after him when he was in Galilee. And many other women were there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.
The burial

⁴²It was now evening, and since it was Preparation Day-that is, the day before the Sabbath- ⁴³there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent member of the Council, who himself lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God, and he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴Pilate, astonished that he should have died so soon, summoned the centurion and enquired if he had been dead for some time. ⁴⁵Having been assured of this by the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph ⁴⁶who bought a shroud, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. ⁴⁷Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joset took note of where he was laid.
Chapter 16

The empty tomb. The angel's message

^16:1When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. ²And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³They had been saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' ⁴But when they looked they saw that the stone-which was very big-had already been rolled back. ⁵On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. ⁶But he said to them, 'There is no need to be so amazed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him. ⁷But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you will see him, just as he told you." ' ⁸And the women came out and ran away from the tomb because they were frightened out of their wits; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ^{*[Originally Mk probably ended abruptly on this note of awe and wonder. The next 12 vv., missing in some MSS, are a summary of material
gathered from other NT writings.]}
Appearances of the risen Christ

⁹Having risen in the morning on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils. ¹⁰She then went to those who had been his companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. ¹¹But they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him. ¹²After this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their way into the country. ¹³These went back and told the others, who did not believe them either. ¹⁴Lastly, he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. ¹⁵And he said to them, 'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up snakes in their hands and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.' ¹⁹And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven; there at the right hand of God he took his place, ²⁰while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.

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The New Jerusalem Bible with Apocrypha The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 1

PRELUDE TO THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS The proclamation of John the Baptist

Jesus is baptised

Testing in the desert

THE GALILEAN MINISTRYJesus begins to proclaim the message

The first four disciples are called

Jesus teaches in Capernaum and cures a demoniac

Cure of Simon's mother-in-law

A number of cures

Jesus quietly leaves Capernaum and travels through Galilee

Cure of a man suffering from a virulent skin-disease

Chapter 2

Cure of a paralytic

The call of Levi

Eating with sinners

A discussion on fasting

Picking corn on the Sabbath

Chapter 3

Cure of the man with a withered hand

The crowds follow Jesus

The appointment of the Twelve

His family are concerned about Jesus

Allegations of the scribes

The true kinsmen of Jesus

Chapter 4

Parable of the sower

Why Jesus spoke in parables

The parable of the sower explained

Receiving and handing on the teaching of Jesus

Parable of the measure

Parable of the seed growing by itself

Parable of the mustard seed

The use of parables

The calming of the storm

Chapter 5

The Gerasene demoniac

Cure of the woman with a haemorrhageThe daughter of Jairus raised to life

Chapter 6

A visit to Nazareth

The mission of the Twelve

Herod and Jesus

John the Baptist beheaded

First miracle of the loaves

Jesus walks on the water

Cures at Gennesaret

Chapter 7

The traditions of the Pharisees

On clean and unclean

JOURNEYS OUTSIDE GALILEE The daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman healed

Healing of the deaf man

Chapter 8

Second miracle of the loaves

The Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven

The yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod

Cure of a blind man at Bethsaida

Peter's profession of faith

First prophecy of the Passion

The condition of following Christ

Chapter 9

The Transfiguration

The question about Elijah

The epileptic demoniac

Second prophecy of the Passion

Who is the greatest?

On using the name of Jesus

Generosity shown to Christ's disciples

On leading others astray

Chapter 10

The question about divorce

Jesus and the children

The rich young man

The danger of riches

The reward of renunciation

Third prophecy of the Passion

The sons of Zebedee make their request

Leadership with service

The blind man of Jericho

Chapter 11

THE JERUSALEM MINISTRY The Messiah enters Jerusalem

The New Jerusalem Bible with Apocrypha
The Gospel According to Mark

PRELUDE TO THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS
The proclamation of John the Baptist

THE GALILEAN MINISTRY
Jesus begins to proclaim the message

Cure of the woman with a haemorrhage
The daughter of Jairus raised to life

JOURNEYS OUTSIDE GALILEE
The daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman healed

THE JERUSALEM MINISTRY
The Messiah enters Jerusalem

The eschatological discourse: Introduction
^{*[By contrast with Mt 24-25, Mk's discourse concerns only the destruction of Jerusalem as an act of God delivering his
people.]}

PASSION AND RESURRECTION
The conspiracy against Jesus