Mark 6

Jesus left there and went to his home town, with his disciples following him.

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What's this wisdom that's been given him? What are these remarkable things he's doing?

Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?” And they took offence at him.

And Jesus said to them, “A prophet isn't without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”

He couldn't do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went round teaching from village to village.

And he called the Twelve to him and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over unclean spirits.

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.

“Whenever you go into a house,” he said, “stay there until you leave that town.

And if any place won't have you or listen to you, leave, and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

So they went out and preached that people should turn around.

They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

King Herod heard about this, because Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that's why these powers are at work in him.”

Others said, “He's Elijah.” And still others said, “He's a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead.”

Because Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did it because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he'd married.

Because John had been saying to Herod, “It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.”

So Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn't,

because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John he was greatly puzzled, and yet he liked to listen to him.

Finally the opportunity came. On his birthday Herod put on a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you.”

And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I'll give you, up to half my kingdom.”

She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she said.

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.”

The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oath and his dinner guests he didn't want to refuse her.

So he sent an executioner at once with orders to bring John's head. The man went and beheaded John in the prison,

and brought back his head on a platter. He gave it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.

When John's disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to him everything they'd done and taught.

And because so many people were coming and going that they didn't even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

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.

Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “That'd take more than half a year's wages. Are we supposed to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them?”

“How many loaves have you got?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five — and two fish.”

Then Jesus told them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set in front of the people. He divided the two fish among them all as well.

They all ate and had enough,

and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces of bread and fish.

The number of men who'd eaten was five thousand.

Straight away Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he sent the crowd away.

After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.

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 go past them,

but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,

because they all saw him and were terrified. Straight away he spoke to them and said, “Take heart. It's me. Don't be afraid.”

Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And they were completely amazed,

because they hadn't understood about the loaves. Their hearts were hardened.

When they'd crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.

As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus.

They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

And wherever he went — into villages, towns or countryside — they put the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.