After calling Simon Peter, James, and John to follow Him, Jesus continues His ministry in Galilee, teaching in synagogues and healing the sick. He cleanses a leper and instructs him to show himself to the priest according to Mosaic law. News of Jesus spreads rapidly, drawing large crowds seeking healing and teaching. Jesus frequently withdraws to solitary places to pray. In Capernaum, He forgives and heals a paralyzed man lowered through a roof by his friends, demonstrating His authority to forgive sins, which astonishes the Pharisees and teachers of the law who question His divine claims. This miracle further establishes Jesus's authority and provokes increasing scrutiny from religious leaders who begin to monitor His activities closely.
[27] After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” [28] So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
[29] Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. [30] And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
[31] Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
[33] Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
[34] And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? [35] But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”
[36] Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. [37] And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. [38] But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. [39] And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
Peter writes this letter to Jewish Christians scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, regions in what is now modern-day Turkey. These believers had been dispersed from their homeland, likely due to persecution or economic pressures, and now lived as strangers in foreign lands. Peter addresses them as elect exiles who have been chosen by God the Father through the sanctifying work of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ. Writing from Babylon, traditionally understood as Rome, Peter seeks to encourage these suffering believers by reminding them of their living hope through Christ's resurrection and the imperishable inheritance awaiting them in heaven. The apostle wants to strengthen their faith during trials and help them understand the precious nature of their salvation, which even prophets of old searched and inquired about diligently.
[1] Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, [2] elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, [5] who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
[6] In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, [7] that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, [8] whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, [9] receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
[10] Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, [11] searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. [12] To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
Jesus is teaching His disciples and the crowds gathered on a mountainside in Galilee, delivering what becomes known as the Sermon on the Mount. He has been instructing them about righteous living that surpasses mere external observance, addressing topics including anger, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and love for enemies. He then warned against practicing righteousness for public recognition, specifically addressing almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus taught His disciples a model prayer, emphasized the importance of forgiving others, and contrasted genuine fasting with hypocritical displays. He instructed them not to store up earthly treasures but heavenly ones, explaining that one's heart follows their treasure and that no one can serve both God and money. Jesus is addressing the crowds and His disciples.
[22] “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. [23] But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
[24] “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
[25] “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
[28] “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; [29] and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
[31] “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
An angel of the Lord directs Philip the evangelist to travel south from Samaria along the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip has been preaching in Samaria with great success, performing miracles and bringing many to faith in Christ, including Simon the sorcerer. The apostles Peter and John had recently visited from Jerusalem to pray for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit, after which they returned to Jerusalem while preaching in many Samaritan villages. Now Philip receives this divine instruction to leave the fruitful Samaritan ministry and journey toward Gaza, though the purpose of this mission has not yet been revealed to him.
[26] Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. [27] So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, [28] was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. [29] Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
[30] So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
[31] And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. [32] The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
[33] In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
[34] So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” [35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. [36] Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
[37] Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
[38] So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. [39] Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. [40] But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
In the opening chapter of John's Gospel, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God and the Son of God. Jesus then calls His first disciples, including Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, who recognize Him through various titles such as Rabbi, Messiah, and King of Israel. Jesus promises Nathanael that he will see greater things, including heaven opened and angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Following these initial encounters with His disciples, Jesus travels to Galilee where a wedding celebration is taking place in the village of Cana, setting the stage for His first miraculous sign.
[1] On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [2] Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. [3] And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
[4] Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
[5] His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
[6] Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. [7] Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. [9] When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. [10] And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
[11] This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Jesus has recently returned to Capernaum after traveling through Galilee, preaching and healing. His fame has grown tremendously, drawing large crowds wherever he goes. Just before this passage, Jesus healed a paralyzed man who was lowered through a roof by his friends, demonstrating his authority to forgive sins. This miracle occurred in a house packed with people, including Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come from various regions to observe him. The religious leaders began questioning Jesus's authority to forgive sins, marking the beginning of growing tension between Jesus and the established religious authorities. The healing of the paralytic amazed everyone present and further established Jesus's reputation as both a teacher and miracle worker in the region of Galilee.
[13] Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. [14] As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
[15] Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. [16] And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
[17] When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
[18] The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
[19] And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. [20] But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. [21] No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. [22] And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”