Daily Text and Bible Reading: Sunday, October 19 [Press play below]

Chapter 14

14.1 At that time Herod, the district ruler, heard the report about Jesus

14.2 and said to his servants: “This is John the Baptist. He was raised up from the dead, and this is why these powerful works are operating in him.”

14.3 Herod had arrested John and had bound him and imprisoned him because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother.

14.4 For John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

14.5 However, although he wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they took him for a prophet.

14.6 But when Herod’s birthday was being celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced for the occasion and pleased Herod so much

14.7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

14.8 Then she, at her mother’s prompting, said: “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

14.9 Grieved though he was, the king, out of regard for his oaths and for those dining with him, commanded it to be given.

14.10 So he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

14.11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

14.12 Later his disciples came and removed his corpse and buried him; then they came and reported to Jesus.

14.13 At hearing this, Jesus departed from there by boat into an isolated place to be alone. But the crowds, getting to hear of it, followed him on foot from the cities.

14.14 When he came ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt pity for them, and he cured their sick ones.

14.15 But when evening fell, his disciples came to him and said: “The place is isolated and the hour is already late; send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”

14.16 However, Jesus said to them: “They do not have to leave; you give them something to eat.”

14.17 They said to him: “We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish.”

14.18 He said: “Bring them here to me.”

14.19 And he instructed the crowds to recline on the grass. Then he took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said a blessing, and after breaking the loaves, he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

14.20 So they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up the leftover fragments, 12 baskets full.

14.21 Now those eating were about 5,000 men, as well as women and young children.

14.22 Then, without delay, he made his disciples board the boat and go ahead of him to the opposite shore, while he sent the crowds away.

14.23 After sending the crowds away, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

14.24 By now the boat was many hundreds of yards away from land, struggling against the waves because the wind was against them.

14.25 But in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

14.26 When they caught sight of him walking on the sea, the disciples were troubled, saying: “It is an apparition!” And they cried out in their fear.

14.27 But at once Jesus spoke to them, saying: “Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid.”

14.28 Peter answered him: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you over the waters.”

14.29 He said: “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and walked over the waters and went toward Jesus.

14.30 But looking at the windstorm, he became afraid. And when he started to sink, he cried out: “Lord, save me!”

14.31 Immediately stretching out his hand, Jesus caught hold of him and said to him: “You with little faith, why did you give way to doubt?”

14.32 After they got up into the boat, the windstorm abated.

14.33 Then those in the boat did obeisance to him, saying: “You really are God’s Son.”

14.34 And they crossed over and came to land in Gennesaret.

14.35 On recognizing him, the men of that place sent word into all that surrounding country, and people brought him all those who were ill.

14.36 And they pleaded with him that they might just touch the fringe of his outer garment, and all those who touched it were made completely well.

Chapter 15

15.1 Then there came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying:

15.2 “Why do your disciples overstep the tradition of the men of former times? For example, they do not wash their hands when about to eat a meal.”

15.3 In reply he said to them: “Why do you overstep the commandment of God because of your tradition?

15.4 For example, God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Let the one who speaks abusively of his father or mother be put to death.’

15.5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother: “Whatever I have that could benefit you is a gift dedicated to God,”

15.6 he need not honor his father at all.’ So you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition.

15.7 You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said:

15.8 ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me.

15.9 It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”

15.10 With that he called the crowd near and said to them: “Listen and get the sense of it:

15.11 It is not what enters into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but it is what comes out of his mouth that defiles him.”

15.12 Then the disciples came and said to him: “Do you know that the Pharisees were stumbled at hearing what you said?”

15.13 In reply he said: “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.

15.14 Let them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

15.15 Peter responded: “Make the illustration plain to us.”

15.16 At this he said: “Are you also still without understanding?

15.17 Are you not aware that whatever enters into the mouth passes through the stomach and is discharged into the sewer?

15.18 However, whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and those things defile a man.

15.19 For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings: murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.

15.20 These are the things that defile a man; but to take a meal with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

15.21 Leaving there, Jesus now went into the region of Tyre and Sidon.

15.22 And look! a Phoenician woman from that region came and cried out: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is cruelly demon possessed.”

15.23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. So his disciples came and began to urge him: “Send her away, because she keeps crying out after us.”

15.24 He answered: “I was not sent to anyone except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

15.25 But the woman came and did obeisance to him, saying: “Lord, help me!”

15.26 In answer he said: “It is not right to take the bread of the children and throw it to the little dogs.”

15.27 She said: “Yes, Lord, but really the little dogs do eat of the crumbs falling from the table of their masters.”

15.28 Then Jesus replied to her: “O woman, great is your faith; let it happen to you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour on.

15.29 Departing from there, Jesus next came near the Sea of Galilee, and after going up on the mountain, he was sitting there.

15.30 Then large crowds approached him, bringing along people who were lame, maimed, blind, speechless, and many others, and they laid them at his feet, and he cured them.

15.31 So the crowd felt amazement as they saw the speechless speaking and the maimed being made sound and the lame walking and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.

15.32 But Jesus called his disciples to him and said: “I feel pity for the crowd, because they have already stayed with me for three days and they have had nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for they may give out on the road.”

15.33 However, the disciples said to him: “Where in this isolated place are we going to get enough bread to satisfy a crowd of this size?”

15.34 At this Jesus said to them: “How many loaves do you have?” They said: “Seven, and a few small fish.”

15.35 So after instructing the crowd to recline on the ground,

15.36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after offering thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

15.37 And all ate and were satisfied, and they took up seven large baskets full of leftover fragments.

15.38 Now those eating were 4,000 men, as well as women and young children.

15.39 Finally, after sending the crowds away, he got into the boat and came into the region of Magadan.

Chapter 16

16.1 Here the Pharisees and Sadducees approached him, and to test him, they asked him to display to them a sign from heaven.

16.2 In reply he said to them: “When evening falls, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is fire-red,’

16.3 and in the morning, ‘It will be wintry, rainy weather today, for the sky is fire-red but gloomy.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but the signs of the times you cannot interpret.

16.4 A wicked and adulterous generation keeps seeking a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” With that he went away, leaving them behind.

16.5 Now the disciples crossed to the other side and forgot to take bread along.

16.6 Jesus said to them: “Keep your eyes open and watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

16.7 So they began to reason among themselves, saying: “We did not take any loaves along.”

16.8 Knowing this, Jesus said: “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you have no loaves, you with little faith?

16.9 Do you not yet see the point, or do you not remember the five loaves in the case of the 5,000 and how many baskets you took up?

16.10 Or the seven loaves in the case of the 4,000 and how many large baskets you took up?

16.11 How is it you do not discern that I did not speak to you about bread? But watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

16.12 Then they grasped that he said to watch out, not for the leaven of bread, but for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

16.13 When he had come into the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who are men saying the Son of man is?”

16.14 They said: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

16.15 He said to them: “You, though, who do you say I am?”

16.16 Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

16.17 In response Jesus said to him: “Happy you are, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father in the heavens did.

16.18 Also, I say to you: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my congregation, and the gates of the Grave will not overpower it.

16.19 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you may bind on earth will already be bound in the heavens, and whatever you may loosen on earth will already be loosened in the heavens.”

16.20 Then he sternly instructed the disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Christ.

16.21 From that time forward, Jesus began explaining to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised up.

16.22 At this Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying: “Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this happen to you at all.”

16.23 But turning his back, he said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you think, not God’s thoughts, but those of men.”

16.24 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and keep following me.

16.25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

16.26 Really, what good will it do a man if he gains the whole world but loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

16.27 For the Son of man is to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his behavior.

16.28 Truly I say to you that there are some of those standing here who will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his Kingdom.”

Chapter 17

17.1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and James and his brother John along and led them up into a lofty mountain by themselves.

17.2 And he was transfigured before them; his face shone as the sun, and his outer garments became brilliant as the light.

17.3 And look! there appeared to them Moses and Elijah conversing with him.

17.4 Then Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, it is fine for us to be here. If you wish, I will erect three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

17.5 While he was still speaking, look! a bright cloud overshadowed them, and look! a voice out of the cloud said: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved. Listen to him.”

17.6 At hearing this, the disciples fell facedown and became very much afraid.

17.7 Then Jesus came near, and touching them, he said: “Get up. Have no fear.”

17.8 When they looked up, they saw no one but Jesus himself.

17.9 As they were descending from the mountain, Jesus commanded them: “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of man is raised up from the dead.”

17.10 However, the disciples put the question to him: “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

17.11 In reply he said: “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things.

17.12 However, I say to you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did whatever they wanted with him. In this way also, the Son of man is going to suffer at their hands.”

17.13 Then the disciples perceived that he spoke to them about John the Baptist.

17.14 When they came toward the crowd, a man approached him, knelt down to him, and said:

17.15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and is ill. He falls often into the fire and often into the water.

17.16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

17.17 In reply Jesus said: “O faithless and twisted generation, how long must I continue with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”

17.18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

17.19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said: “Why could we not expel it?”

17.20 He said to them: “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard grain, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

17.21 ——

17.22 It was while they were gathered together in Galilee that Jesus said to them: “The Son of man is going to be betrayed into men’s hands,

17.23 and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were very much grieved.

17.24 After they arrived in Capernaum, the men collecting the two drachmas tax approached Peter and said: “Does your teacher not pay the two drachmas tax?”

17.25 He said: “Yes.” However, when he entered the house, Jesus spoke to him first and said: “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive duties or head tax? From their sons or from the strangers?”

17.26 When he said: “From the strangers,” Jesus said to him: “Really, then, the sons are tax-free.

17.27 But that we do not cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a fishhook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a silver coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”