Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Accordingly He went on board, and crossing over came to His own town. Here they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, my child; your sins are pardoned." "Such language is impious," said some of the Scribes among themselves. read more.
Knowing their thoughts Jesus said, "Why are you cherishing evil thoughts in your hearts? Why, which is easier? --to say, 'Your sins are pardoned,' or to say 'Rise up and walk'? But, to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins" --He then says to the paralytic, "Rise, and take up your bed and go home." And he got up, and went off home. And the crowds were awe-struck when they saw it, and ascribed the glory to God who had entrusted such power to a man. Passing on thence Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the Toll Office, and said to him, "Follow me." And he arose, and followed Him. And while He was reclining at table, a large number of tax-gathers and notorious sinners were of the party with Jesus and His disciples. The Pharisees noticed this, and they inquired of His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with the tax-gatherers and notorious sinners?" He heard the question and replied, "It is not men in good health who require a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means, 'It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice'; for I did not come to appeal to the righteous, but to sinners." At that time John's disciples came and asked Jesus, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?" "Can the bridegroom's party mourn," He replied, "as long as the bridegroom is with them? But other days will come (when the Bridegroom has been taken from them) No one ever mends an old cloak with a patch of newly woven cloth. Otherwise, the patch put on would tear away some of the old, and a worse hole would be made. Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins would split, the wine would escape, and the skins be destroyed. But they put new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved." While He was thus speaking, a Ruler came up and profoundly bowing said, "My daughter is just dead; but come and put your hand upon her and she will return to life." And Jesus rose and followed him, as did also His disciples. But a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with haemorrhage came behind Him and touched the tassel of His cloak; for she said to herself, "If I but touch His cloak, I shall be cured." And Jesus turned and saw her, and said, "Take courage, daughter; your faith has cured you." And the woman was restored to health from that moment. Entering the Ruler's house, Jesus saw the flute-players and the crowd loudly wailing, and He said, "Go out of the room; the little girl is not dead, but asleep." And they laughed at Him. When however the place was cleared of the crowd, Jesus went in, and on His taking the little girl by the hand, she rose up. And the report of this spread throughout all that district.

After their arrival at Capernaum the collectors of the half-shekel came and asked Peter, "Does not your Teacher pay the half-shekel?"

So they came to Capernaum, and on the next Sabbath He went to the synagogue and began to teach. The people listened with amazement to His teaching--for there was authority about it: it was very different from that of the Scribes-- when all at once, there in their synagogue, a man under the power of a foul spirit screamed out: read more.
"What have you to do with us, Jesus the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--God's Holy One." But Jesus reprimanded him, saying, "Silence! come out of him." So the foul spirit, after throwing the man into convulsions, came out of him with a loud cry. And all were amazed and awe-struck, so they began to ask one another, "What does this mean? Here is a new sort of teaching--and a tone of authority! And even to foul spirits he issues orders and they obey him!" And His fame spread at once everywhere in all that part of Galilee. Then on leaving the synagogue they came at once, with James and John, to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill in bed with a fever, and without delay they informed Him about her. So He went to her, and taking her hand He raised her to her feet: the fever left her, and she began to wait upon them. When it was evening, after sunset people came bringing Him all who were sick and the demoniacs; and the whole town was assembled at the door. Then He cured numbers of people who were ill with various diseases, and He drove out many demons; not allowing the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. In the morning He rose early, while it was still quite dark, and leaving the house He went away to a solitary place and there prayed. And Simon and the others searched everywhere for Him. When they found Him they said, "Every one is looking for you." "Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns," He replied, "that I may proclaim my Message there also; because for that purpose I came from God." And He went through all Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and expelling the demons. One day there came a leper to Jesus entreating Him, and pleading on his knees. "If you are willing," he said, "you are able to cleanse me." Moved with pity Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. "I am willing," He said; "be cleansed." The leprosy at once left him, and he was cleansed. Jesus at once sent him away, strictly charging him, and saying, "Be careful not to tell any one, but go and show yourself to the Priest, and for your purification present the offerings that Moses appointed as evidence for them." But the man, when he went out, began to tell every one and to publish the matter abroad, so that it was no longer possible for Jesus to go openly into any town; but He had to remain outside in unfrequented places, where people came to Him from all parts.

At another time, when He went to the synagogue, there was a man there with one arm shrivelled up. They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him. "Come forward," said He to the man with the shrivelled arm. read more.
Then He asked them, "Are we allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? to save a life, or to destroy one?" They remained silent. Grieved and indignant at the hardening of their hearts, He looked round on them with anger, and said to the man, "Stretch out your arm." He stretched it out, and the arm was completely restored. But no sooner had the Pharisees left the synagogue than they held a consultation with the Herodians against Jesus, to devise some means of destroying Him.

After He had finished teaching all these things in the hearing of the people, He went into Capernaum. Here the servant of a certain Captain, a man dear to his master, was ill and at the point of death; and the Captain, hearing about Jesus, sent to Him some of the Jewish Elders, begging Him to come and restore his servant to health. read more.
And they, when they came to Jesus, earnestly entreated Him, pleading, "He deserves to have this favour granted him, for he loves our nation, and at his own expense he built our synagogue for us." Then Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the Captain sent friends to Him with the message: "Sir, do not trouble to come. I am not worthy of having you come under my roof; and therefore I did not deem myself worthy to come to you. Only speak the word, and let my young man be cured. For I too am a man obedient to authority, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this or that,' and he does it." Jesus listened to the Captain's message and was astonished at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I tell you that not even in Israel have I found faith like that." And the friends who had been sent, on returning to the house, found the servant in perfect health.

So He came once more to Cana in Galilee, where He had made the water into wine. Now there was a certain officer of the King's court whose son was ill at Capernaum. Having heard that Jesus had come from Judaea to Galilee, he came to Him and begged Him to go down and cure his son; for he was at the point of death. "Unless you and others see miracles and marvels," said Jesus, "nothing will induce you to believe." read more.
"Sir," pleaded the officer, "come down before my child dies." "You may return home," replied Jesus; "your son has recovered." He believed the words of Jesus, and started back home; and he was already on his way down when his servants met him and told him that his son was alive and well. So he inquired of them at what hour he had shown improvement. "Yesterday, about seven o'clock," they replied, "the fever left him." Then the father recollected that that was the time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son has recovered," and he and his whole household became believers.

There they got on board a boat, and pushed off to cross the Lake to Capernaum. By this time it had become dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. The Lake also was getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing. When, however, they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water and coming near the boat. read more.
They were terrified; but He called to them. "It is I," He said, "do not be afraid." Then they were willing to take Him on board; and in a moment the boat reached the shore at the point to which they were going. Next morning the crowd who were still standing about on the other side of the Lake found that there had been but one small boat there, and they had seen that Jesus did not go on board with His disciples, but that His disciples went away without Him. Yet a number of small boats came from Tiberias to the neighbourhood of the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. When however the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they themselves also took boats and came to Capernaum to look for Jesus. So when they had crossed the Lake and had found Him, they asked Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Jesus said all this in the synagogue while teaching at Capernaum.


Yet a number of small boats came from Tiberias to the neighbourhood of the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.


Next morning the crowd who were still standing about on the other side of the Lake found that there had been but one small boat there, and they had seen that Jesus did not go on board with His disciples, but that His disciples went away without Him. Yet a number of small boats came from Tiberias to the neighbourhood of the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. When however the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they themselves also took boats and came to Capernaum to look for Jesus. read more.
So when they had crossed the Lake and had found Him, they asked Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" "In most solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that you are searching for me not because you have seen miracles, but because you ate the loaves and had a hearty meal. Bestow your pains not on the food which perishes, but on the food that remains unto the Life of the Ages--that food which will be the Son of Man's gift to you; for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." "What are we to do," they asked, "in order to carry out the things that God requires?" "This," replied Jesus, "is above all the thing that God requires--that you should be believers in Him whom He has sent." "What miracle then," they asked, "do you perform for us to see and become believers in you? What do you *do*? Our forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat'." "In most solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that Moses did not give you the bread out of Heaven, but my Father is giving you the bread--the true bread--out of Heaven. For God's bread is that which comes down out of Heaven and gives Life to the world." "Sir," they said, "always give us that bread." "I am the bread of Life," replied Jesus; "he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never, never thirst. But it is as I have said to you: you have seen me and yet you do not believe. Every one whom the Father gives me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will never on any account drive away. For I have left Heaven and have come down to earth not to seek my own pleasure, but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that of all that He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it to life on the last day. For this is my Father's will, that every one who fixes his gaze on the Son of God and believes in Him should have the Life of the Ages, and I will raise him to life on the last day." Now the Jews began to find fault about Him because of His claiming to be the bread which came down out of Heaven. They kept asking, "Is not this man Joseph's son? Is he not Jesus, whose father and mother we know? What does he mean by now saying, 'I have come down out of Heaven'?" "Do not thus find fault among yourselves," replied Jesus; "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; then I will raise him to life on the last day. It stands written in the Prophets, 'And they shall all of them be taught by God'. Every one who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me. No one has ever seen the Father--except Him who is from God. He has seen the Father. "In most solemn truth I tell you that he who believes has the Life of the Ages. I am the bread of Life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, and they died. Here is the bread that comes down out of Heaven that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread come down out of Heaven. If a man eats this bread, he shall live for ever. Moreover the bread which I will give is my flesh given for the life of the world." This led to an angry debate among the Jews. "How can this man," they argued, "give us his flesh to eat?" "In most solemn truth I tell you," said Jesus, "that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no Life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has the Life of the Ages, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me, and I remain in union with him. As the ever-living Father has sent me, and I live because of the Father, so also he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of Heaven; it is unlike that which your forefathers ate--for they ate and yet died. He who eats this bread shall live for ever." Jesus said all this in the synagogue while teaching at Capernaum. Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is hard to accept. Who can listen to such teaching?" But, knowing in Himself that His disciples were dissatisfied about it, Jesus asked them, "Does this seem incredible to you? What then if you were to see the Son of Man ascending again where He was before? It is the spirit which gives Life. The flesh confers no benefit whatever. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are Life. But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. So He added, "That is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it be granted him by the Father."


Yet a number of small boats came from Tiberias to the neighbourhood of the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.