The apostles rejoined Jesus and reported all they had done and all their teaching. He said to them: Come with me, you only, to a private place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going and they had no opportunity even to eat. And they went away on their ship, privately, to a deserted place. But many saw them going and were aware of them, and from all the cities they ran together on foot to that place, and arrived there before them. When he came ashore, he saw a great multitude, and he was sorry for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them at length. As it was growing very late, his disciples came to him and said: This is a lonely place and the time is late. Send them away so they may go to the farms and the villages round about and buy themselves something to eat. He answered and said to them: You give them something to eat. They said to him: Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of loaves and give them to them to eat? But he said to them: How many loaves do you have? Go and see. When they had found out, they said: Five, and two fish. He gave them orders that all should be set down party by party on the green grass; and they took their places group by group, fifty and a hundred at a time. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looked up into the sky, and gave a blessing, and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and he divided the two fish among all. And all ate, and were fed; and they took up enough broken pieces of bread and fish to fill twelve baskets. Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Immediately then he made his disciples board the ship and go on before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he was dismissing the multitude. When he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. When it was evening the ship was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. And seeing that they had to struggle to row, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a phantom, and cried out; for they all saw him and ' they were shaken. At once he talked with them and said: Take heart, it is I. Do not fear. He went aboard the ship and was among them, and the wind fell. But they were still all too much disturbed, for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had become impenetrable.
They crossed over to the other shore and came to Gen- nesaret and moored there. And when they disembarked, people at once recognized him, and overran that whole country and began to bring their afflicted out on litters wherever they heard that he was. And wherever he went, into villages and cities and farms, and in the public places, they set down their sick, and begged that these might only touch the hem of his mantle. And those who touched it were healed.
•1 Then the Pharisees gathered to him, and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, seeing that some of the disciples were eating their bread with profane, that is, unwashed, hands: for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, will not eat unless they have washed hand against fist, thus keeping the tradition of their elders; and when they come from the marketplace they will not eat unless they have purified themselves, and there are many other observances that are traditional with them, the washing of cups and vessels both wooden and bronze: the Pharisees and the scribes asked him: Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of our elders, but eat their bread with profane hands? He said to them: Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me; they worship me vainly, teaching doctrines which are the precepts of men: relinquishing the commandment of God you cling to the tradition of men. And he said to them: You do well to reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said: Give due right to your father and mother; and: Let him who speaks rudely to his father or mother be put to death. But you say: If a man says to his father or his mother: Whatever I owe you is Corban, which means "gift to God/' then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making void the word of God through that tradition which you hand down. And you do many other things of such a nature as this.
Then he summoned the multitude once again and said to them: Listen to me and understand. There is nothing which can go into a man from the outside and defile him; but it is what comes out of a man that defiles him. And when he went indoors, away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them: Are even you so unable to understand? Do you not see that anything that goes into a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it passes not into the heart but into the belly, and thence goes into the privy? Thus he made all food clean. Then he said: What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him; for from inside the hearts of men proceed the vile thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, greedy dealings, vices, trickery, laxity, the vicious eye, blasphemy, pride, wildness. All these vicious things come from inside, and they defile a man.
He removed from there and went to the region around Tyre. There he entered a house and wished that no one should know him, but he could not remain hidden. Immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard about him, and she came and threw herself at his feet. This was a Greek woman, by birth a Phoenician from Syria; and she asked him to drive out the demon from her daughter. He said to her: First let the children be fed; for it is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs. But she answered him and said: Yes, Lord, even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. He said to her: Because of this saying, go; the demon has left your daughter. And she went back to her house and found the child lying on her bed, and the demon was gone.
Returning again from the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee through the middle of the Decapolis territory. They brought him a man who was deaf and could barely speak, and entreated him to lay his hand upon him. Then taking him away from the throng by himself, he put his fingers into the man's ears, and spat, and touched his tongue, and looked up into the sky and groaned and said to him: Ephphatha, which means: Be opened. And his ears were opened, and the binding of his tongue was dissolved, and he spoke normally. He charged them to tell no one but the more he charged them the more they spread the news. And they were very much astonished, saying: He has done everything well, and he makes the deaf hear and the speechless speak.
•1 In those days, when there was once again a great multitude and they did not have anything to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them: I have pity for the multitude, because it is now three days they have stayed with me, and they have nothing to eat; and if I send them home hungry they will give out on the way. And some of them come from far away. His disciples answered him, saying: How shall we have enough bread in the desert to be able to feed these people? He asked them: How many loaves do you have? They said: Seven. Then he gave the word to the people to settle on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and gave thanks and broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the multitude. And they had a few small fish; and he blessed them and told them to serve these also. And they ate and were fed, and they picked up what was left over from the broken pieces, seven baskets full. There were about four thousand people. Then he sent them away; and immediately embarking on the ship with his disciples he made for Dalmanutha and those parts.
Then the Pharisees came forth and began to argue with him, demanding that he give them a sign from the sky, making trial of him. He groaned in his spirit and said: Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign shall be given to this generation. Then he left them, and going on board once more he crossed over to the other side. They had forgotten to take bread and except for one loaf they had nothing with them on the ship. He enjoined them, saying: Look to it, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
They were talking among themselves about not having bread. And he was aware of it and said to them: Why do you talk about not having bread? Do you not yet see, do you not understand? Are your hearts impenetrable? Do you have eyes, but do not see, and ears, but do not hear? And do you not remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments you picked up? And they told him: Twelve. And when it was seven for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of fragments did you pick up? And they told him: Seven. And he said to them: Do you still not understand?
They came to Bethsaida. And they brought him a blind man and entreated him to touch him. And he took the blind man's hand and brought him away outside the village, and spat in his eyes, and laid his hands on him, and asked him: Do you see anything? He looked again and said: I see people, like seeing trees walking about. Then again he put his hands over his eyes, and the man looked hard, and recovered, and saw all things clearly. And Jesus sent him home, saying: Do not even go into the village.
Then Jesus and his disciples went forth to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he questioned his disciples, asking them: Who do people say that I am? They answered and said: John the Baptist; and others say Elijah, and others one of the prophets. Then he asked them: And you, who do you say I am? Peter answered and said to him: You are the Christ. Then he warned them to tell no one about him.
Then he began to explain to them that the son of man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders and the high priests and the scribes, and be killed, and rise up after three days. He was telling them frankly. And Peter laid his hand upon him and tried to warn him, and he turned about and looked at his disciples and reproved Peter and said: Go behind me, Satan; because you do not think the thoughts of God, but of men.
Then summoning the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If anyone wishes to go after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For he who wishes to save his life shall lose it; and he who loses his life for the sake of me and the gospel shall save it. For what does it advantage a man to gain the whole world and pay for it with his life? What can a man give that is worth as much as his life? He who is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the son of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels.
•1 And he said to them: Truly I tell you that there are some of those who stand here who will not taste of death until they see the Kingdom of God arrived in power.
Then after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up on a high mountain, alone, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothing turned very white, gleaming with a whiteness no fuller on earth could give. And Elijah was seen by them, with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter spoke forth and said to Jesus: Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say, for they were very frightened. And there came a cloud that covered them, and there came a voice from the cloud: This is my son whom I love; listen to him. And suddenly looking around they could no longer see anyone with them, except Jesus alone. As they came down from the mountain he charged them that they should tell no one what they had seen, except when the son of man should rise up from the dead. And they kept his commandment, while questioning among themselves what it might mean to rise from the dead. And they questioned him, saying: What do the scribes mean that first Elijah must come? He said to them: Elijah shall come first and restore all things. And how is it written about the son of man, that he must suffer much and be set at nought? But I say to you that Elijah came and they did with him as they wished, as it is written about him.
As they returned to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them. And as soon as they saw him all the multitude were greatly amazed, and at once they ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them: What are you discussing with them? A man in the crowd answered him: Master, I have brought my son to you. He has a speechless spirit. And when this seizes upon him, it batters him, and he foams and his teeth chatter, and he wastes away. I told your disciples to drive it out, and they were not able to. He answered and said to them: О generation without faith, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I endure you? Bring him to me. And they brought him to him. When he saw Jesus, the spirit at once convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming. Then Jesus asked the father: How long has this been happening to him? He said: Since he was little; and many times it has thrown him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can, take pity on us and help us. Jesus said to him: If you can? All things are possible to him who believes. At once the father of the boy cried out and said: I believe. Help my unbelief. Jesus seeing that the crowd was growing around him admonished the unclean spirit, saying to it: You speechless deaf spirit, I command you, go forth from him, and never enter him again. And the spirit, with much screaming and struggling, went out of the boy; and he became like a corpse, so that most of the people said he had died. But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up, and he stood. When he had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately: Why were we not able to drive it out? He said to them: This kind cannot be made to go forth except by prayer.
Going from there they proceeded through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to be aware of them; for he was teaching his disciples, and telling them: The son of man will be turned over into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and three days after being killed he will rise up. But they did not understand what he said, and they were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum; and when he was indoors, he asked them: What were you talking about on the way? They were silent, for they had been talking on the way about who was the greatest. He sat down and called the twelve and said to them: Whoever wishes to be first must be last of all and servant of all. And taking a child he set him in the midst of them, and embraced him, and said: Whoever accepts a child like one of these in my name, accepts me; and he who accepts me accepts not me but him who sent me.
John said to him: Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not one of our following. But Jesus said: Do not stop him; for there is no one who will exercise power in my name and then will be able to speak ill of me. For he who is not against us is for us. For if anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you are named as being Christ's, truly I tell you he shall not lose his reward. And if anyone misleads one of these little ones who have faith, it were better for him to have a millstone hung about his neck and be thrown into the sea. And if your hand makes you go amiss, cut it off; it is better for you to go into life one-handed than with both hands to wander off into Gehenna, into the quenchless fire. And if your foot makes you go amiss, cut it off; it is better for you to go into life lame than with both feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye makes you go amiss, pluck it out; it is better for you to go one-eyed into the Kingdom of God than with both eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt is salt no more, with what will you season it? Keep the salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.
tl Removing from there, he went into the territory of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and again crowds gathered about him, and again he taught them as he was accustomed to do. And Pharisees came to him and asked him whether it were lawful for a man to divorce his wife, making trial of him. He answered and said to them: What did Moses decree for you? They said: Moses permitted a man to write a note of divorce, and so divorce her. But Jesus said to them: It was for your hardness of heart that he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. Because of this a man will
leave his father and his mother, and they will be two in one flesh. So that they are no longer two but one flesh. Then what God has joined together let man not separate. At the house his disciples questioned him again about this. And he told them: He who divorces his wife and marries another is committing adultery against her, and if she has divorced her husband and marries another she is committing adultery.
And they brought children to him, so that he might lay his hands on them. And his disciples scolded them. But seeing this, Jesus was vexed and said to them: Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I tell you, he who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child may not enter into it. And he embraced them and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.
As he set forth on his way, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him: Good master, what must I do to inherit life everlasting? Jesus answered: Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud; honor your father and your mother. He said to him: Master, I have kept all these commandments from my youth. Jesus looked at him with affection and said: One thing you lack: go sell all you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have a treasury in heaven; and come and follow me. He was downcast at that saying and went sadly away; for he was one who had many possessions. Jesus looked around at his disciples and said: How hard it will be for those with money to enter the Kingdom of God. His disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus spoke forth again and said to them: My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God; it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. They were very much astonished and asked him: Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said: For men it is impossible, but not for God, since for God all things are possible. Peter began to say to him: See, we have given up everything and followed you. And Jesus said: Truly I tell you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for the sake of me and the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold [now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions], and in the time to come life everlasting. And many who are first shaU be last, and many who are last shall be first.
The New Testament Page 3