A Prophet’s Unfortunate Homecoming
Mark 6He left that place and went to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to him? What kind of power comes through his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor. Except in his hometown, among his own relatives and in his own home.” He could do no mighty work there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He marveled because of their unbelief.
Then he went around the villages teaching.
Jesus Gives the Twelve Authority and Mission
He called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, and no money in their belts. “Wear sandals, but don’t y’all put on two tunics.” He said to them, “Wherever y’all enter a house, y’all should stay there until y’all leave the area. If a place doesn’t welcome y’all or listen to y’all, as y’all leave that place, shake off the dust off y’all’s feet as a testimony against them.”
They went out and preached that people should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed many who were sick with oil and healed them.
John the Baptizer Beheaded
King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said, “John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, and that is why these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet or like one of the prophets.” But Herod, when he heard this, said, “This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead.” For Herod himself had sent for John to be arrested and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” So Herodias set herself against John and wanted to kill him. But she wasn’t able to, because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was perplexed, yet he enjoyed listening to him.
Then an opportune day came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the leaders of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those sitting with him.
He swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my empire.”
She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask?”
She said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”
Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and requested, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter right now.”
The king became very sorrowful, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he didn’t want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
The apostles gathered together with Jesus, and they told him all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Y’all come with me to a secluded place and rest for a while.” For there were many people coming and going, and they had not had an opportunity to eat. They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. But many saw them leaving and recognized them, so they ran together on foot from all the cities, and they arrived ahead of them. When Jesus came ashore and saw the large crowd, he felt gut-wrenching sympathy for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things. When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it is late in the day. You must send them away, so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
But he answered them, “Y’all give them something to eat.”
They asked him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii+6:37 200 denarii was about have a year’s wages for an agricultural laborer. worth of bread and give them something to eat?”
He said to them, “How many loaves do y’all have? Go look!”
When they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
He directed them to have everyone sit down in groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. He took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute them, and he divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied.
They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.
Jesus Walks on the Water
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he sent the crowd away. After leaving them, he went up the mountain to pray.
When evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. But he immediately spoke with them and said to them, “Y’all take courage! I am! Don’t y’all be afraid.” He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astonished, because they hadn’t understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. When they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized him. They ran throughout that whole region, and began to bring the sick on their mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—into villages, cities, or the country—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were healed.