Compassion That Touches and Cleanses

¹The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

²As it is written in the prophets,

³the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

⁴John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.

⁵All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.

⁶John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.

⁸I baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”

⁹In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

¹⁰Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

¹¹A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

¹²Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.

¹³He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving him.

¹⁴Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom,

¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”

¹⁶Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.”

¹⁸Immediately they left their nets, and followed him.

¹⁹Going on a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.

²⁰Immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

²¹They went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught.

²²They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³Immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,

²⁴saying, “Ha! What do we have to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God!”

²⁵Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”

²⁶The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

²⁷They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What can this new doctrine be? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”

²⁸The report of him went out immediately into all the region of Galilee and its surrounding area.

²⁹Immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

³⁰Now Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.

³¹He came and took her by the hand and raised her up. The fever left her immediately, and she served them.

³²At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by demons.

³³All the city was gathered together at the door.

³⁴He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. He didn’t allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.

³⁵Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there.

³⁶Simon and those who were with him searched for him.

³⁷They found him and told him, “Everyone is looking for you.”

³⁸He said to them, “Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.”

³⁹He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.

⁴⁰A leper came to him, begging him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”

⁴¹Being moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I want to. Be made clean.”

⁴²When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean.

⁴³He strictly warned him and immediately sent him out,

⁴⁴and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵But he went out, and began to proclaim it much, and to spread about the matter, so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places. People came to him from everywhere.