Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 44.
then Jesus began to tell them that the son of man must suffer many
terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests,
and the teachers of religious law.
He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.
As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began
to reprimand him for saying such things.
Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples.
Then reprimanded Peter, get away from me, Satan.
He said, you are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's then
calling the crowd to join his disciples.
He said, if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way.
Take up your cross 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 and for the sake of
the good news, you will save it.
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
Is anything worth more than your soul?
If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the
son of man will be ashamed of that person.
When he returns in the glory of his father with the holy angels,
Jesus went on to say, I tell you the truth, some standing here right
now will not die before they see the kingdom of God arrive in great power.
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them
up a high mountain to be alone.
As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed and his clothes became
dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them.
Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus Peter Exclaimed
Rabbi, 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.
He said this because he didn't really know what else to say
for, they were all terrified.
Then a cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said,
this is my dearly loved son.
Listen to him.
Suddenly when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and
they saw only Jesus with them.
As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone
what they had seen until the son of man had risen from the dead.
So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what
he meant by rising from the dead.
Then they asked him, why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah
must return before the Messiah comes?
Jesus responded, Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready.
Yet why do the scriptures say that the son of man must suffer greatly
and be treated without her contempt?
But I tell you, Elijah has already come and they chose to abuse him just
as the scriptures predicted when they returned to the other disciples, they
saw a large crowd surrounding them.
And some teachers of religious law were arguing with them.
When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with
awe and they ran to greet him.
What is all this arguing about?
Jesus asked.
One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, teacher.
I brought my son so you could heal him.
He is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk.
And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground.
Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.
So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it.
Jesus said to them, you faithless people.
How long must I be with you?
How long must I put up with you?
Bring the boy to me.
So they brought the boy, but when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into
a violent convulsion and he fell to the ground, riving and foaming at the mouth.
How long has this been happening?
Jesus asked the boy's father, he replied since he was a little boy,
the spirit often throws him into the fire or into water trying to kill him.
Have mercy on us and help us if you can.
What do you mean?
If I can?
Jesus asked anything is possible if a person believes.
The Father instantly cried out, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.
When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit.
Listen you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak he said.
I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again.
Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another
violent convulsion and left him.
The boy appeared to be dead, a murmur ran through the crowd as people said he's
dead, but Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
Afterward.
When Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, why
couldn't we cast out that evil spirit?
Jesus replied, this kind can be cast out only by prayer leaving that region.
They traveled through Galilee.
Jesus didn't want anyone to know he was there for.
He wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them.
He said to them, the son of man is going to be betrayed
into the hands of his enemies.
He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.
They didn't understand what he was saying however, and they were
afraid to ask him what he meant.
After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus
asked his disciples, what were you discussing out on the road?
But they didn't answer because they had been arguing about
which of them was the greatest.
He sat down, called the 12 disciples over to him and said, whoever wants
to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.
Then he put a little child among them, taking the child in his arms.
He said to them, anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my
behalf, Welcomes me and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me,
but also my father who sent me.
John said to Jesus, teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast
out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn't in our group.
Don't stop him.
Jesus said, no one who performs a miracle in my name will soon
be able to speak evil of me.
Anyone who is not against us is for us.
If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the
Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into
sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large
millstone hung around your neck.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the
unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.
If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
It's better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be
thrown into hell with two feet.
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.
It's better to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes
and be thrown into hell where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.
For everyone will be tested with fire.
Salt is good for seasoning, but if it loses its flavor,
how do you make it salty?
Again, you must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and
live in peace with each other.
Then Jesus left Capernaum and went down to the region of Judea and into
the area east of the Jordan River.
Once again, crowds gathered around him and as usual he was teaching them.
Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question, should
a man be allowed to divorce his wife?
Jesus answered them with a question.
What did Moses say in the law about divorce?
Well, he permitted it.
They replied.
He said, A man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and
send her away, but Jesus responded.
He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts,
but God made them male and female from the beginning of creation.
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his
wife and the two are united into one.
Since they're no longer two, but one, let no one split apart
what God has joined together.
Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they
brought up the subject again.
He told them whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else,
commits adultery against her.
And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone
else, she commits adultery.
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch
and bless them, but the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples.
He said to them, let the children come to me.
Don't stop them.
For the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
I tell you the truth.
Anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child, We'll never enter it.
Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands
on their heads and blessed them.
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him,
knelt down, and asked, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
Why do you call me good?
Jesus asked Only God is truly good.
But to answer your question, you know the commandments.
You must not murder.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must not testify falsely.
You must not cheat anyone.
Honor your father and mother, teacher, the man replied.
I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young.
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
There is still one thing you haven't done.
He told him.
Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come follow me at this.
The man's face fell and he went away sad for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how hard it is for the
rich to enter the kingdom of God.
This amazed them.
But Jesus said again, dear children, it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God.
In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a
rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
The disciples were astounded than who in the world can be saved.
They asked.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, humanly speaking, it is impossible.
But not with God.
Everything is possible with God.
Then Peter began to speak up.
We've given up everything to follow you.
He said, yes, Jesus replied, and I assure you that everyone who has given up house
or brothers or sisters, or mother or father, or children or property, for
my sake and for the good news, We will receive now in return a hundred times
as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property along
with persecution and in the world to come.
That person will have eternal life, but many who are the greatest now
will be least important then, and those who seem least important
now will be the greatest then.
They were now on the way up to Jerusalem and Jesus was walking ahead of them.
The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following
behind were overwhelmed with fear.
Taking the 12 disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything
that was about to happen to him.
Listen, he said, we're going up to Jerusalem.
Where the son of man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers
of religious law, they will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.
They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip and kill him.
But after three days, he will rise again.
Then James and John, the sons of Zedi, came over and spoke to him.
Teacher, they said, we want you to do us a favor.
What is your request?
He asked, they replied, when you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit
in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.
But Jesus said to them, you don't know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering?
I'm about to drink.
Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering?
I must be baptized with, oh yes, they replied.
We are able.
Then Jesus told them, you will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be
baptized with my baptism of suffering.
But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left.
God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.
When the 10 other disciples heard what James and John had
asked, they were indignant.
So Jesus called them together and said, you know that the rulers
in this world lorded over their people and officials flaunt their
authority over those under them.
But among you, it will be different.
Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.
And whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.
For even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve others and to
give his life as a ransom for many.
Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left
town, a large crowd followed him.
A blind beggar named Baria, son of Tamas, was sitting beside the road.
When Bart heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout Jesus,
son of David, have mercy on me.
Be quiet.
Many of the people yelled at him, but he only shouted louder.
Son of David have mercy on me.
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, tell him to come here.
So they called the blind man, cheer up.
They said, come on, he's calling you Baram Meas threw aside his
coat, jumped up and came to Jesus.
What do you want me to do for you?
Jesus asked my rabbi.
The blind man said, I want to see, and Jesus said to him, go for your faith has
healed you instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
This concludes today's Immer Reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.