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Read (and listen!) through the amazing story of Luke and Acts!
Immerse: Luke and Acts is part of Immerse: The Reading Bible, which takes you on a new and unique journey through the books of Luke and Acts in the New Testament. This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New Testament’s fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah. The Son of God, who fulfills all the longings and promises of the collected Scriptures. The goal of Bible reading is to understand the sacred writings in depth so we can learn to live with them. Using the text of the New Living Translation (NLT) from Tyndale Publishing, now you can experience Luke and Acts the same way the original readers did and be fully immersed in the most amazing story of all time!
Samantha: Welcome to Immerse
Luke and Acts, Day four, Week one
.
When Jesus had finished saying all this
to the people, He returned to Capernaum.
At that time, the highly valued slave of
a Roman officer was sick and near death.
When the officer heard about Jesus,
he sent some respected Jewish elders
to ask Him to come and heal his slave.
So they earnestly begged
Jesus to help the man.
If anyone deserves your help, He does,
they said, for He loves the Jewish
people and even built a synagogue for us.
So Jesus went with them, but just before
they arrived at the house, the officer
sent some friends to say, Lord, don't
trouble yourself by coming to my home,
for I am not worthy of such an honor.
I am not even worthy to come and meet you.
Just say the word from where you
are, and my servant will be healed.
I know this, because I am under the
authority of my superior officers,
and I have authority over my soldiers.
I only need to say, go, and
they go, or come, and they come.
And if I say to my slaves,
do this, they do it.
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed.
Turning to the crowd that was following
him, he said, I tell you, I haven't
seen faith like this in all Israel.
And when the officer's friends
returned to his house, They found
the slave completely healed.
Soon afterward, Jesus went with his
disciples to the village of Nain,
and a large crowd followed him.
A funeral procession was coming out
as he approached the village gate.
The young man who had died was a
widow's only son, and a large crowd
from the village was with her.
When the Lord saw her, his heart
overflowed with compassion.
Don't cry, he said.
Then he walked over to the coffin and
touched it, and the bearers stopped.
Young man, he said, I tell you, get up.
Then the dead boy sat up
and began to talk, and Jesus
gave him back to his mother.
Great fear swept the crowd, and
they praised God, saying, A mighty
prophet has risen among us, and
God has visited his people today.
And the news about Jesus spread throughout
Judea and the surrounding countryside.
The disciples of John the Baptist told
John about everything Jesus was doing, so
John called for two of his disciples, and
he sent them to the Lord to ask him, Are
you the Messiah we've been expecting, or
should we keep looking for someone else?
John's two disciples found Jesus
and said to Him, John the Baptist
sent us to ask, Are you the Messiah
we've been expecting, or should
we keep looking for someone else?
At that very time, Jesus cured many
people of their diseases, illnesses,
and evil spirits, and he restored
sight to many who were blind.
Then he told John's disciples,
Go back to John and tell him
what you have seen and heard.
The blind see, the lame walk, those with
leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the
dead are raised to life, and the good
news is being preached to the poor.
And he added, God blesses those
who do not fall away because of me.
After John's disciples left, Jesus
began talking about him to the crowds.
What kind of man did you go
into the wilderness to see?
Was he a weak reed, swayed
by every breath of wind?
Or were you expecting to see a
man dressed in expensive clothes?
No, people who wear beautiful clothes
and live in luxury are found in palaces.
Were you looking for a prophet?
Yes, and he is more than a prophet.
John is the man to whom the scriptures
refer when they say, Look, I am sending
my messenger ahead of you, and he
will prepare your way before you.
I tell you, of all who have ever
lived, none is greater than John,
yet even the least person in the
kingdom of God is greater than he is.
When they heard this, all the
people, even the tax collectors,
agreed that God's way was right,
for they had been baptized by John.
But the Pharisees and experts in religious
law rejected God's plan for them,
for they had refused John's baptism.
To what can I compare the
people of this generation?
Jesus asked.
How can I describe them?
They are like children playing
a game in the public square.
They complain to their friends.
We played wedding songs,
and you didn't dance.
So we played funeral
songs, and you didn't weep.
For John the Baptist didn't spend his
time eating bread or drinking wine.
And you say, he's possessed by a demon.
The Son of Man, on the other
hand, feasts and drinks.
And you say, he's a glutton and
a drunkard, and a friend of tax
collectors and other sinners.
But wisdom is shown to be right by
the lives of those who follow it.
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to
have dinner with him, so Jesus went
to his home and sat down to eat.
When a certain immoral woman from
that city heard he was eating there,
she brought a beautiful alabaster
jar filled with expensive perfume.
Then she knelt behind
him at his feet, weeping.
Her tears fell on his feet, and
she wiped them off with her hair.
Then she kept kissing his feet
and putting perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him
saw this, he said to himself, If this
man were a prophet, he would know
what kind of woman is touching him.
She's a sinner.
Then Jesus answered his thoughts.
Simon, he said to the Pharisee,
I have something to say to you.
Go ahead, teacher, Simon replied.
Then Jesus told him this story.
A man loaned money to two people,
500 pieces of silver to one
and 50 pieces to the other, but
neither of them could repay him.
So he kindly forgave them
both, cancelling their debts.
Who do you suppose loved
him more after that?
Simon answered, I suppose the one for
whom he cancelled the larger debt.
That's right, Jesus said.
Then he turned to the woman and said to
Simon, Look at this woman kneeling here.
When I entered your home, you didn't offer
me water to wash the dust from my feet.
But she has washed them with her
tears, and wiped them with her hair.
You didn't greet me with a kiss,
but from the time I first came in,
she has not stopped kissing my feet.
You neglected the courtesy of olive
oil to anoint my head, but she has
anointed my feet with rare perfume.
I tell you, her sins, And they
are many, have been forgiven.
So she has shown me much love.
But a person who is forgiven
little, shows only little love.
Then Jesus said to the woman,
Your sins are forgiven.
The men at the table said among
themselves, Who is this man, that
he goes around forgiving sins?
And Jesus said to the woman,
Your faith has saved you.
Go in peace.
Soon afterward, Jesus began a tour
of the nearby towns and villages,
preaching and announcing the good
news about the kingdom of God.
He took his twelve disciples with him,
along with some women who had been
cured of evil spirits and diseases.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, from
whom he had cast out seven demons.
Joanna, the wife of Cusa, Herod's business
manager, Susanna, and many others who
were contributing from their own resources
to support Jesus and his disciples.
One day Jesus told a story in the form
of a parable to a large crowd that had
gathered from many towns to hear him.
A farmer went out to plant his seed.
As he scattered it across his field,
some seed fell on a footpath where it
was stepped on and the birds ate it.
Other seed fell among rocks that
began to grow, but the plant soon
wilted and died for lack of moisture.
Other seed fell among thorns that grew up
with it and choked out the tender plants.
Still other seed fell on fertile soil.
This seed grew and produced a
crop that was a hundred times
as much as had been planted.
When he had said this, he called
out, Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand.
His disciples asked him
what this parable meant.
He replied, You are permitted
to understand the secrets of the
kingdom of God, but I use parables
to teach the others so that the
scriptures might be fulfilled.
When they look, they won't really see.
When they hear, they won't understand.
This is the meaning of the parable.
The seed is God's word.
The seeds that fell on the footpath
represent those who hear the message
only to have the devil come and take
it away from their hearts and prevent
them from believing and being saved.
The seeds on the rocky soil
represent those who hear the
message and receive it with joy.
But since they don't have deep roots,
they believe for a while, then they
fall away when they face temptation.
The seeds that fell among the thorns
represent those who hear the message,
but all too quickly the message
is crowded out by the cares and
riches and pleasures of this life.
And so they never grow into maturity,
and the seeds that fell on the good
soil represent honest, good hearted
people who hear God's word, cling to it,
and patiently produce a huge harvest.
No one lights a lamp, and then covers
it with a bowl or hides it under a bed.
A lamp is placed on a stand,
where its light can be seen
by all who enter the house.
For all that is secret will eventually
be brought into the open, and everything
that is concealed will be brought
to light and made known to all.
So pay attention to how you hear.
To those who listen to my teaching,
more understanding will be given.
But for those who are not listening,
even what they think they understand
will be taken away from them.
Then Jesus mother and brothers
came to see him, but they couldn't
get to him because of the crowd.
Someone told Jesus, Your mother
and your brothers are standing
outside, and they want to see you.
Jesus replied, My mother and
my brothers are all those who
hear God's word and obey it.
One day Jesus said to his disciples,
Let's cross to the other side of the lake.
So they got into a boat and started out.
As they sailed across, Jesus
settled down for a nap, but soon a
fierce storm came down on the lake.
The boat was filling with water,
and they were in real danger.
The disciples went and woke
him up, shouting, Master,
Master, we're going to drown.
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked
the wind and the raging waves.
Suddenly the storm
stopped, and all was calm.
Then he asked them, Where is your faith?
The disciples were terrified and amazed.
Who is this man, they asked each other.
When he gives a command, even
the wind and waves obey him.
So they arrived in the region of the
Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee.
As Jesus was climbing out of the
boat, a man who was possessed
by demons came out to meet him.
For a long time he had been
homeless and naked, living in
the tombs outside the town.
As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked
and fell down in front of him.
Then he screamed, Why are you interfering
with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God?
Please, I beg you, don't torture me.
For Jesus had already commanded
the evil spirit to come out of him.
This spirit had often
taken control of the man.
Even when he was placed under
guard and put in chains and
shackles, he simply broke them and
rushed out into the wilderness,
completely under the demon's power.
Jesus demanded, What is your name?
Legion, he replied, for he
was filled with many demons.
The demons kept begging Jesus not to
send them into the bottomless pit.
There happened to be a large herd
of pigs feeding on the hillside
nearby, and the demons begged him
to let them enter into the pigs.
So Jesus gave them permission.
Then the demons came out of the
man and entered the pigs, and the
entire herd plunged down the steep
hillside into the lake and drowned.
When the herdsman saw it, they fled
to the nearby town in the surrounding
countryside, spreading the news.
As they ran, people rushed
out to see what had happened.
A crowd soon gathered around
Jesus and they saw the man who
had been freed from the demons.
He was sitting at Jesus' feet
fully clothed and perfectly
sane, and they were all afraid.
Then those who had seen what
happened told the others how the
demon possessed man had been healed.
And all the people in the region
of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to
go away and leave them alone, for a
great wave of fear swept over them.
So Jesus returned to the boat
and left, crossing back to
the other side of the lake.
The man who had been freed from the
demons begged to go with him, but
Jesus sent him home, saying, No, go
back to your family and tell them
everything God has done for you.
So he went all through the
town, proclaiming the great
things Jesus had done for him.
On the other side of the lake,
the crowds welcomed Jesus, because
they had been waiting for him.
Then a man named Jairus, a leader
of the local synagogue, came
and fell at Jesus feet, pleading
with him to come home with him.
His only daughter, who was about
twelve years old, was dying.
As Jesus went with him, He
was surrounded by the crowds.
A woman in the crowd had suffered
for twelve years with constant
bleeding, and she could find no cure.
Coming up behind Jesus, she
touched the fringe of his robe.
Immediately the bleeding stopped.
Who touched me?
Jesus asked.
Everyone denied it, and Peter
said, Master, this whole crowd
is pressing up against you.
But Jesus said, Someone
deliberately touched me, for I
felt healing power go out from me.
When the woman realized that she could
not stay hidden, she began to tremble
and fell to her knees in front of him.
The whole crowd heard her explain
why she had touched him and that
she had been immediately healed.
Daughter, he said to her,
your faith has made you well.
Go in peace.
While he was still speaking to her,
a messenger arrived from the home of
Jairus, the leader of the synagogue.
He told him, Your daughter is dead.
There's no use troubling the teacher now.
But when Jesus heard what had happened,
he said to Jairus, Don't be afraid.
Just have faith, and she will be healed.
When they arrived at the house, Jesus
wouldn't let anyone go in with him
except Peter, John, James, and the
little girl's father and mother.
The house was filled with
people weeping and wailing,
but he said, Stop the weeping.
She isn't dead.
She's only asleep.
But the crowd laughed at him
because they all knew she had died.
Then Jesus took her by the hand and
said in a loud voice, My child, get up!
And at that moment her life returned,
and she immediately stood up.
Then Jesus told them to
give her something to eat.
Her parents were overwhelmed,
but Jesus insisted that they not
tell anyone what had happened.
Oliver: This concludes today's
Immerse Reading Experience.
Thank you for joining us.