Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day three.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power.
Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region.
He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual
to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the scriptures.
The scroll of Isaiah, the prophet was handed to him.
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written.
The spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free, and at the time of the Lord's favor has come.
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down all eyes
in the synagogue, looked at him intently, and then he began to speak to them.
The scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day.
Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious
words that came from his lips.
How can this be?
They asked, isn't this Joseph's son?
Then he said, You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb, physician heal
yourself, meaning do miracles here in your hometown, like those you did in Capernaum.
But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
The, certainly there were many needy widows in Israel and Elijah's
time when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a
severe famine devastated the land.
Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them.
He was sent instead to a foreigner, a widow of Zarephath in the land of Saan,
and many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the
only one healed was Neiman Assyrian.
When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious, jumping up.
They mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built.
They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through
the crowd and went on his way.
Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee and taught there in the
synagogue every Sabbath day there too.
The people were amazed at his teaching for he spoke with authority
once when he was in the synagogue.
A man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit, cried out, shouting, go away.
Why are you interfering with us?
Jesus of Nazareth, have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are, the holy one of God.
But Jesus reprimanded him.
Be quiet.
Come out of the man.
He ordered at that the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched, then
it came out of him without hurting him.
Further amazed the people exclaimed what authority and
power this man's words possess.
Even evil spirits obey him and they flee at his command.
The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.
After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon's home
where he found Simon's mother-in-law, very sick with a high fever.
Please heal her.
Everyone begged standing at her bedside.
He rebuked the fever and had left her and she'd got up at once
and prepared a meal for them.
As the son went down that evening.
People throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus.
No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed everyone.
Many were possessed by demons, and the demons came out at his command
shouting, you are the son of God.
But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and
refused to let them speak early.
The next morning, Jesus went out to an isolated place.
The crowd searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they
begged him not to leave them, but he replied, I must preach the good news
of the Kingdom of God and other towns too, because that is why I was sent.
So he continued to travel around preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.
One day, as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee,
great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.
He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge for the fishermen had
left them and were washing their nets, stepping into one of the boats.
Jesus asked Simon its owner to push it out into the water, so he sat
in the boat and taught the crowds.
From there the, when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, no,
go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish.
Master Simon replied, we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing.
But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again.
And this time, their nets were so full of fish, they began to tear a shout for
help, brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled
with fish and on the verge of sinking.
When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before
Jesus and said, oh Lord, please leave me.
I'm such a sinful man.
For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught,
as were the others with him.
His partners, James and John, the sons of Zedi, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, don't be afraid.
From now on you'll be fishing for people that as soon as they landed,
they left everything and followed Jesus.
In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy.
When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground begging to be healed.
Lord.
He said, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.
Jesus reached out and touched him.
I am willing.
He said, be healed, and instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened.
He said, go to the priest and let him examine you.
Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those
who have been healed of leprosy.
This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.
But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster.
And vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.
But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of
religious law were sitting nearby.
It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee
and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.
And the Lord's healing power was strongly with Jesus.
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat.
They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn't reach him because of
the crowd, so they went up to the roof and took off some tiles, and then they
lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd right in front of Jesus.
Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, young man, your sins are forgiven.
But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves,
who does he think he is?
That's blasphemy.
Only God can forgive sins.
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, why do you
question this in your hearts?
Is it easier to say your sins are forgiven or stand up and walk?
So I will prove to you that the son of man has the authority
on earth to forgive sins.
Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, stand up.
Pick up your mat, and go home.
And immediately as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his
mat, and went home praising God.
Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God exclaiming.
We have seen amazing things today.
Later.
As Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting
at his tax collector's booth.
Follow me and be my disciple.
Jesus said to him, so Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as a guest of honor.
Many of Levi's fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.
But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly
to Jesus disciples, why do you eat and drink with such scum?
Jesus answered them.
Healthy people don't need a doctor.
Sick people do I have come to call, not those who think they are
righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.
One day some people said to Jesus, John the Baptists disciples fast
and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees.
Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?
Jesus responded.
Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom?
Of course not, but someday the groom will be taken away from
them and then they will fast.
Then Jesus gave them this illustration.
No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses
it to patch an old garment.
For then the new garment would be ruined and the new patch wouldn't
even match the old garment.
And no one puts new wine into old wine skins for the new wine would
burst the wine skins spilling the wine and ruining the skins.
New wine must be stored in new wine skins, but no one who drinks the
old wine seems to want the new wine.
The old is just fine.
They say One Sabbath day, as Jesus was walking through some grain
fields, his disciples broke off, heads of grain, rubbed off the husks
in their hands and ate the grain.
But some Pharisees said, why are you breaking the law by
harvesting grain on the Sabbath?
Jesus replied, haven't you read in the scriptures what David did when
he and his companions were hungry?
He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of
bread that only the priests can eat.
He also gave some to his companions and Jesus added the son of man is Lord.
Even over the Sabbath, a another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand
was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching the teachers of religious law
and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely.
If he healed the man's hand, they plan to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
But Jesus knew their thoughts.
He said to the man with a deformed hand come and stand in front of everyone.
So the man came forward.
Then Jesus said to his critics, I have a question for you.
Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath?
Or is it a day for doing evil?
Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?
He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, hold out your hand.
So the man held out his hand and it was restored that this, the enemies
of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him
one day soon afterward, Jesus went up on a mountain to pray and he
prayed to God all night at Daybreak.
He called together all of his disciples and chose 12 of them to be apostles.
Here are their names Simon whom he named Peter Andrew Peter's brother
James John Philip Bartholomew, Matthew Thomas James son of Alphi
Simon, who was called the zealot.
Judas son of James Ju.
Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed him.
When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a
large level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds.
There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem, and from as far
north as the Seacoast of Tyre and sadden.
They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those
troubled by evil spirits were healed.
Everyone tried to touch him because healing power went out
from him and he healed everyone.
Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, God blesses you who are poor.
For the kingdom of God is yours.
God blesses you who are hungry now for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep.
Now for in due time you will laugh.
What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you
and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the son of man.
When that happens, be happy.
Yes.
Leap for joy, for a great reward, awaits you in heaven.
And remember their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.
What sorrow awaits you, who are rich for you, have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now for a
time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now for your laughing will
turn to mourning and sorrow.
What sorrow awaits you, who are praised by the crowds for their
ancestors also praised false prophets.
But to you who are willing to listen, I say love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who hurt you.
If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek.
Also, if someone demands your coat, offer your shirt.
Also give to anyone who asks and when things are taken away from you, don't
try to get them back due to others as you would like them to do to you.
If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit?
Even sinners do that much.
And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit?
Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
Love your enemies.
Do good to them, lend to them without expecting to be repaid.
Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as
children of the most high for he's kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
You must be compassionate.
Just as your father is compassionate.
Do not judge others and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn others, or it'll all come back against you, forgive
others, and you will be forgiven.
Give and you will receive.
Your gift will return to you in full press down shaken together to make room for more
running over and poured into your lap.
The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
Then Jesus gave the following illustration.
Can one blind person lead another?
Won't they both fall into a ditch?
Students are not greater than their teacher, but the student who is fully
trained will become like the teacher.
And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when
you have a log in your own?
How can you think of saying, friend, let me help you.
Get rid of that speck in your eye.
When you can't see past the log in your own eye hypocrite.
First, get rid of a log in your own eye.
Then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.
A good tree can't produce bad fruit and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.
A tree is identified by its fruit.
Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes and grapes are
not picked from bramble bushes.
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and
an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.
What you say flows from what is in your heart.
So why do you keep calling me, Lord, Lord, when you don't do what I say?
I'll show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to
my teaching, and then follows it.
It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays
the foundation on solid rock.
When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands
firm because it is well-built.
But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house right
on the ground without a foundation.
When the floods sweep down against that house, it will
collapse into a heap of ruins.
This concludes today's Immer reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.