Teaching at Nazareth

(A)Jesus went out from there and *came into [a](B)His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. And when the Sabbath came, He began (C)to teach in the synagogue; and [b]the (D)many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man learn these things, and what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, and such [c]miracles as these performed by His hands? Is this not (E)the carpenter, (F)the son of Mary and brother of [d]James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are (G)His sisters not here with us?” And they took (H)offense at Him. Jesus said to them, (I)A prophet is not dishonored except in [e](J)his hometown and among his own relatives, and in his own household.” And He could not do any [f]miracle there except that He (K)laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.

(L)And He was going around the villages, teaching.

The Twelve Sent Out

(M)And (N)He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out (O)in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; (P)and He instructed them that they were to take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no [g]bag, no money in their belt— but [h]to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not wear two [i]tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you [j]leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, (Q)shake the dust [k]off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 (R)And they went out and [l]preached that people are to repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and (S)were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

John’s Fate Recalled

14 (T)And King Herod heard about it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “(U)John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” 15 But others were saying, “He is (V)Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is (W)a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard about it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

17 For Herod himself had sent men and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of (X)Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “(Y)It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And (Z)Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, and could not do so; 20 for (AA)Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he had been protecting him. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; and yet he [m]used to enjoy listening to him. 21 An opportune day came when Herod, on his birthday, (AB)held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders, and the leading people (AC)of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of (AD)Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and [n]his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you, up to (AE)half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And although the king was very sorry, because of his oaths and [o]his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and carried away his body, and laid it in a tomb.

30 (AF)The (AG)apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and (AH)they did not even have time to eat.) 32 (AI)And they went away in (AJ)the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Five Thousand Men Fed

33 The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went [p]ashore, He (AK)saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because (AL)they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. 35 And when it was already late, His disciples came up to Him and said, “[q]This place is secluded and it is already late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves [r]something to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” (AM)And they *said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred [s](AN)denarii on bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 But He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they *said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 And He ordered them all to recline by groups on the green grass. 40 They reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He (AO)blessed the food and broke the loaves and He gave them to the disciples again and again to set before them; and He divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied; 43 and they picked up twelve full (AP)baskets of the broken pieces of bread, and of the fish. 44 There were (AQ)five thousand [t]men who ate the loaves.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 (AR)And immediately Jesus had His disciples get into (AS)the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, to (AT)Bethsaida, while He Himself *dismissed the crowd. 46 And after (AU)saying goodbye to them, He left (AV)for the mountain to pray.

47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them [u]straining at the oars—for the wind was against them—at about the [v](AW)fourth watch of the night, He *came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were [w]terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, (AX)Take courage; it is I, (AY)do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into (AZ)the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for (BA)they [x]had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but [y]their hearts (BB)were hardened.

Healing at Gennesaret

53 (BC)When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored at the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran about that entire country and began carrying here and there on their pallets those who were sick, [z]to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He entered villages, or cities, or a countryside, they were laying the sick in the marketplaces and imploring Him that they might just (BD)touch (BE)the fringe of His cloak; and all who touched it were being [aa]healed.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:1 Or His own part of the country
  2. Mark 6:2 One early ms many listeners
  3. Mark 6:2 Or works of power
  4. Mark 6:3 Or Jacob
  5. Mark 6:4 Or his own part of the country
  6. Mark 6:5 Or work of power
  7. Mark 6:8 Or knapsack; or beggar’s bag
  8. Mark 6:9 Lit having tied on
  9. Mark 6:9 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  10. Mark 6:10 Lit go out from there
  11. Mark 6:11 Lit under your feet
  12. Mark 6:12 Or proclaimed as heralds
  13. Mark 6:20 Lit was hearing him gladly
  14. Mark 6:22 Lit those who reclined at the table with him
  15. Mark 6:26 Lit those reclining at the table
  16. Mark 6:34 Lit out
  17. Mark 6:35 Lit The
  18. Mark 6:36 Lit what they may eat
  19. Mark 6:37 The denarius was a day’s wages for a laborer
  20. Mark 6:44 I.e., 5,000 men plus women and children, cf. Matt 14:21
  21. Mark 6:48 Lit tormented in rowing
  22. Mark 6:48 I.e., 3-6 a.m.
  23. Mark 6:50 Or troubled
  24. Mark 6:52 Lit had not understood on the basis of
  25. Mark 6:52 Lit heart was hardened; or their mind was closed, made dull; or insensible
  26. Mark 6:55 Lit where they were hearing that He
  27. Mark 6:56 Lit saved

Teaching at Nazareth

Jesus left there and came to His hometown [Nazareth]; and His disciples followed Him.(A) When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things [this knowledge and spiritual insight]? What is this wisdom [this confident understanding of the Scripture] that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is this not the carpenter, [a]the son of Mary, and the brother of [b]James and Joses and [c]Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. He wondered at their unbelief.

And He was going around in the villages teaching.

The Twelve Sent Out

And He called the twelve [disciples] and began to send them out [as His special messengers] two by two, and gave them authority and power over the unclean spirits. He told them to take nothing for the journey except a mere walking stick—no bread, no [traveler’s] bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals; and [He told them] not to wear [d]two tunics. 10 And He told them, “Wherever you go into a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 Any place that does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, [e]shake the dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them [breaking all ties with them because they rejected My message].”(B) 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent [that is, think differently, recognize sin, turn away from it, and live changed lives]. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them.

John’s Fate Recalled

14 King Herod [Antipas] heard about this, for Jesus’ name and reputation had become well known. People were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” 15 But others were saying, “He is [f]Elijah!” And others were saying, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets [of old].” 16 But when Herod heard [of it], he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen [from the dead]!”

17 For Herod himself had sent [guards] and had John arrested and shackled in prison because of [g]Herodias, the wife of his [half-] brother Philip, because he (Herod) had married her.(C) 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful [under Mosaic Law] for you to have your brother’s wife.”(D) 19 Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not, 20 because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he continually kept him safe. When he heard John [speak], he was very perplexed; but he enjoyed listening to him. 21 But an opportune time [finally] came [for Herodias]. Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his officials (nobles, courtiers) and [h]military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 Now [Salome] the daughter of Herodias came in and danced [for the men]. She pleased and beguiled Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the [i]girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give it to you; [j]up to half of my kingdom.”(E) 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And Herodias replied, “The head of John the Baptist!” 25 And she rushed back to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter!” 26 The king was deeply grieved, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests [who might have regarded him as weak], he was unwilling to [break his word and] refuse her. 27 So the king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring back John’s head. And he went and had John beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away John’s body and laid it in a tomb.

Five Thousand Fed

30 The apostles [who had been sent out on a mission] gathered together with Jesus and told Him everything that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while”—for there were many [people who were continually] coming and going, and they could not even find time to eat. 32 And they went away by themselves in the boat to a secluded place.(F) 33 Many [people] saw them leaving, and recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the [surrounding] cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd [waiting], and He was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd [lacking guidance]; and He began to teach them many things. 35 When the day was nearly gone, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is an isolated place, and it is already late; 36 send the crowds away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But He replied, “You give them something to eat!” And they asked Him, “Shall we go and buy 200 [k]denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”(G) 38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five [loaves], and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. 40 They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties [so that the crowd resembled an orderly arrangement of colorful garden plots]. 41 Taking the five loaves and two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing [of praise and thanksgiving to the Father]. Then He broke the loaves and [repeatedly] gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and He divided up the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied. 43 And the disciples picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces [of the loaves], and of the fish. 44 Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men [not counting the women and children].

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 Jesus immediately insisted that His disciples get into the boat and go ahead [of Him] to the other side to Bethsaida, while He was dismissing the crowd.(H) 46 And after He said goodbye to them, He went to the mountain to pray.

47 Now when evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. 48 Seeing the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) He came to them, walking on the sea. And [acted as if] He intended to pass by them.(I) 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost, and cried out [in horror]; 50 for they all saw Him and were shaken and terrified. But He immediately spoke with them and said, “Take courage! It is I (I Am)! Stop being afraid.”(J) 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased [as if exhausted by its own activity]; and they were completely overwhelmed, 52 because they had not understood [the miracle of] the loaves [how it revealed the power and deity of Jesus]; but [in fact] their heart was hardened [being oblivious and indifferent to His amazing works].

Healing at Gennesaret

53 When they had crossed over [the sea], they reached the land of Gennesaret and anchored at the shore. 54 They got out of the boat and immediately people recognized Him, 55 and ran throughout that surrounding countryside and began to carry around on their mats those who were sick, to any place where they heard He was. 56 And wherever He came into villages, or cities, or the countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places and pleading with Him [to allow them] just to touch the fringe (tassel with a blue cord) of His robe; and all who touched it were healed.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:3 This question was intended as an insult because a Jewish man was never referred to as his mother’s son even if she was a widow.
  2. Mark 6:3 James later became a leader in the Jerusalem church and authored the epistle of James.
  3. Mark 6:3 Heb Judah, authored the epistle of Jude.
  4. Mark 6:9 It was common for travelers to wear two tunics which could be switched.
  5. Mark 6:11 A symbolic act expressing contempt for a place that had rejected the message of salvation.
  6. Mark 6:15 Many of the Jews believed that the prophet Elijah would return before the Messiah appeared.
  7. Mark 6:17 See note Matt 14:3.
  8. Mark 6:21 Gr chiliarchois, originally referring to a commander of 1,000, but in Roman times of 600.
  9. Mark 6:22 Salome was probably only fourteen or fifteen years old.
  10. Mark 6:23 This was intended as an expression of generosity rather than a literal offer. In reality Herod was a tetrarch, a puppet ruler under Rome, and did not have authority over a “kingdom.”
  11. Mark 6:37 One denarius was about a day’s wage.

A Prophet Without Honor(A)

Jesus left there and went to his hometown,(B) accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came,(C) he began to teach in the synagogue,(D) and many who heard him were amazed.(E)

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon?(F) Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.(G)

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”(H) He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on(I) a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(J)

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.(K) Calling the Twelve to him,(L) he began to send them out two by two(M) and gave them authority over impure spirits.(N)

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet(O) as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent.(P) 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil(Q) and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded(R)(S)

14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,[b] “John the Baptist(T) has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”(U)

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,(V) like one of the prophets of long ago.”(W)

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.(X) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”(Y) 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.(Z) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet(AA) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.(AB) 22 When the daughter of[d] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”(AC)

24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand(AD)(AE)

30 The apostles(AF) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.(AG) 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat,(AH) he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat(AI) to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.(AJ) So he began teaching them many things.

35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”(AK)

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages[e]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”(AL)

39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.(AM) Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Jesus Walks on the Water(AN)(AO)

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat(AP) and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida,(AQ) while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.(AR)

47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.(AS) They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”(AT) 51 Then he climbed into the boat(AU) with them, and the wind died down.(AV) They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.(AW)

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.(AX) 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak,(AY) and all who touched it were healed.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 6:3 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
  2. Mark 6:14 Some early manuscripts He was saying
  3. Mark 6:20 Some early manuscripts he did many things
  4. Mark 6:22 Some early manuscripts When his daughter
  5. Mark 6:37 Greek take two hundred denarii