The Mission of John the Baptist
Isaiah 40:1–5; Matthew 3:1–17; Luke 3:1–22; John 1:19–34
1This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.+ 2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”+ 3“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”+ 4John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.+ 5People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.+ 6John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.+ 7And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.+ 8I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”+ 9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.+ 10As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.+ 11And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”+The Temptation and Preaching of Jesus
12At once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness,+ 13and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him.+ 14After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.+ 15“The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”+The First Disciples
Matthew 4:18–22; Luke 5:1–11; John 1:35–42
16As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.+ 17“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”+ 18And at once they left their nets and followed Him.+ 19Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets.+ 20Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.+Jesus Expels an Unclean Spirit
21Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.+ 22The people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.+ 23Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue:+ 24“What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy One of God!”+ 25But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!”+ 26At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.+ 27All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”+ 28And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.+Jesus Heals at Peter’s House
29As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.+ 30Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and they promptly told Jesus about her.+ 31So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.+ 32That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed,+ 33and the whole town gathered at the door.+ 34And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.+Jesus Prays and Preaches
35Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray.+ 36Simon and his companions went to look for Him, 37and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You!”+ 38But Jesus answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns so I can preach there as well, for that is why I have come.”+ 39So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.+The Leper’s Prayer
Leviticus 14:1–32; Matthew 8:1–4; Luke 5:12–16
40Then a leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”+ 41Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!”+ 42And immediately the leprosy left him, and the man was cleansed.+ 43Jesus promptly sent him away with a stern warning:+ 44“See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”+ 45But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.+