Mark 6

Rejected in Nazareth

He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. ²On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?" ³But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "He's just a carpenter--Mary's boy. We've known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?" They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.

⁴Jesus told them, "A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child." ⁵Jesus wasn't able to do much of anything there--he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that's all. ⁶He couldn't get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.

The sending of the twelve

⁷Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. ⁸He sent them off with these instructions: "Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple. ⁹"And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave.

¹⁰"If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way." ¹¹Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; ¹²right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.

¹³King Herod heard of all this, for by this time the name of Jesus was on everyone's lips. He said, "This has to be John the Baptizer come back from the dead--that's why he's able to work miracles!"

The death of John the Baptist

¹⁴Others said, "No, it's Elijah." Others said, "He's a prophet, just like one of the old-time prophets." ¹⁵But Herod wouldn't budge: "It's John, sure enough. I cut off his head, and now he's back, alive." ¹⁶Herod was the one who had ordered the arrest of John, put him in chains, and sent him to prison at the nagging of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

¹⁷For John had provoked Herod by naming his relationship with Herodias "adultery." ¹⁸Herodias, smoldering with hate, wanted to kill him, but didn't dare ¹⁹because Herod was in awe of John. Convinced that he was a holy man, he gave him special treatment. Whenever he listened to him he was miserable with guilt--and yet he couldn't stay away. Something in John kept pulling him back.

²⁰But a portentous day arrived when Herod threw a birthday party, inviting all the brass and bluebloods in Galilee. ²¹Herodias's daughter entered the banquet hall and danced for the guests. She dazzled Herod and the guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me anything. I'll give you anything you want." ²²Carried away, he kept on, "I swear, I'll split my kingdom with you if you say so!"

²³She went back to her mother and said, "What should I ask for?Ask for the head of John the Baptizer." ²⁴Excited, she ran back to the king and said, "I want the head of John the Baptizer served up on a platter. And I want it now!" ²⁵That sobered the king up fast. But unwilling to lose face with his guests, he caved in and let her have her wish.

²⁶The king sent the executioner off to the prison with orders to bring back John's head. He went, cut off John's head, ²⁷brought it back on a platter, and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother. ²⁸When John's disciples heard about this, they came and got the body and gave it a decent burial.

²⁹The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught.

Jesus feeds five thousand

³⁰Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. ³¹So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. ³²Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them.

³³When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke--like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them. ³⁴When his disciples thought this had gone on long enough--it was now quite late in the day--they interrupted: "We are a long way out in the country, and it's very late. ³⁵Pronounce a benediction and send these folks off so they can get some supper."

³⁶Jesus said, "You do it. Fix supper for them." They replied, "Are you serious? You want us to go spend a fortune on food for their supper?" ³⁷But he was quite serious. "How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory." That didn't take long. "Five," they said, "plus two fish." ³⁸Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred--they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass!

³⁹He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. ⁴⁰They all ate their fill. ⁴¹The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers.

⁴²More than five thousand were at the supper. ⁴³As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation. ⁴⁴After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray.

Jesus walks on the water

⁴⁵Late at night, the boat was far out at sea; Jesus was still by himself on land. ⁴⁶He could see his men struggling with the oars, the wind having come up against them. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. He intended to go right by them. ⁴⁷But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and screamed, scared out of their wits.

⁴⁸Jesus was quick to comfort them: "Courage! It's me. Don't be afraid." ⁴⁹As soon as he climbed into the boat, the wind died down. They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on. ⁵⁰They didn't understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.

⁵¹They beached the boat at Gennesaret and tied up at the landing. ⁵²As soon as they got out of the boat, word got around fast.

Healings at Gennesaret

⁵³People ran this way and that, bringing their sick on stretchers to where they heard he was. ⁵⁴Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat--that's all. And whoever touched him became well.