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Read (and listen!) through the New Testament in 8 weeks with your small group or on your own.
Immerse: Messiah is the first of six volumes in Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience. Messiah takes the reader on a unique journey through every book of the New Testament. Each section of Messiah begins with one of the Gospels, and together they combine to provide a life-changing reading experience centered on Jesus. 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, can be experienced in Messiah through the rich variety of lenses provided by the books of the new covenant.
The Immerse Bible Series is the proud winner of the prestigious Bible of the Year award from the ECPA Christian Book Awards. Immerse: The Reading Bible is specially crafted for a distraction-free listening and reading experience, helping you dive in and get immersed in Scripture. You’ll have a great experience using Immerse by yourself. But for an even richer experience, try reading with friends.
Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience is an invitation to a different kind of community interaction with the Bible. Less like a Bible study, more like a book club.
- 8 or 16-week Bible listening plans take you through a large section of the Bible like the New Testament or the Torah
- Meet once a week for a free-flowing discussion about the text
- Wrestle with questions and celebrate ‘aha!’ moments together
Nothing impacts spiritual growth more than spending time in Scripture. Immerse removes many of the barriers that make Bible reading difficult and invites communities to become transformed together through the power of God’s word.
Welcome to Immerse Messiah Reading for week one. Day one, Part of the saddleback church anchored life challenge which can also by found on the saddleback companion app or by purchasing the immerse messiah book from tyndale.
The anchored life challenge includes speakers such as Andy Wood, Rick Warren, and Stacie Wood.
Welcome to Immerse Messiah Reading for week one, day two. 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 that 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. Certainly, there were many needy widows in Israel in 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 Sidon, and many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian. 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 got up at once and prepared a meal for them. As the sun 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 in other towns too, because that is why I was sent. So he continued to travel around, preaching 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. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Now 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 lead 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 Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, Don't be afraid. From now on you'll be fishing for people. And 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. 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 Baptist's 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 wineskins. 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. On 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 planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the 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. At 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 twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names. Simon, whom he named Peter. Andrew, Peter's brother. James, John, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alpheus.
Simon, who was called the Zealot, Judas, son of James, 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 seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon.
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. Do 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 is 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 will all come back against you.
Amen. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full, pressed 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 the 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 will 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. 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.
One day, Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Take nothing for your journey, he instructed them. Don't take a walking stick, a traveler's bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes.
Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave, to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate. So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the good news and healing the sick. When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled.
Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead. I beheaded John, Herod said. So who is this man about whom I hear such stories? And he kept trying to see him. When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done.
Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the kingdom of God. And he healed those who were sick. Late in the afternoon, the twelve disciples came to him and said, Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms.
So they can find food and lodging for the night. There was nothing to eat here in this remote place. But Jesus said, You feed them, but we have only five loaves of bread and two fish. They answered, Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd? For there were about five thousand men there.
Jesus replied, Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each. So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. Looked up toward heaven and blessed them, then breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.
They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. One day, Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only His disciples were with Him. And He asked them, Who do people say I am? Well, they replied, Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.
Then He asked them, But who do you say I am? Peter replied, You are the Messiah sent from God. Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things, he said. He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed.
But on the third day, he will be raised from the dead. Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but are yourself lost or destroyed?
If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in His glory, and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God. About eight days later, Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray.
And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed. And his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.
Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, Master, it's wonderful for us to be here. Let's make three shelters as memorials, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, a terror gripped them as the cloud covered them. Then a voice from the cloud said, This is my son, my chosen one, listen to him. When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn't tell anyone at that time what they had seen. The next day after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus.
A man in the crowd called out to him, Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn't do it.
Jesus said, You faithless and corrupt people. How long must I be with you and put up with you? Then he said to the man, Bring your son here. As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father.
All gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God's power. While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, Listen to me, and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. But they didn't know what he meant.
Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn't understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them, Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me.
And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest. John said to Jesus, Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't in our group. But Jesus said, Don't stop him. Anyone who is not against you is for you.
This concludes today's Immerse Reading Experience. Thank you for joining us.