Feb 20th

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(The Message)

Mark 2

1 After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home. 2A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word.3 They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. 4 When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher.5 Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, "Son, I forgive your sins." 6 Some religion scholars sitting there started whispering among themselves, 7 "He can't talk that way! That's blasphemy! God and only God can forgive sins." 8 Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, "Why are you so skeptical? 9 Which is simpler: to say to the paraplegic, 'I forgive your sins,' or say, 'Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking'? 10 Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both . . ." (he looked now at the paraplegic),11 "Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home." 12 And the man did it - got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous - and then praised God, saying, "We've never seen anything like this!" 13 Then Jesus went again to walk alongside the lake. Again a crowd came to him, and he taught them. 14 Strolling along, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." He came. 15 Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers. 16 The religion scholars and Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company and lit into his disciples: "What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riff-raff?" 17 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."18 The disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees made a practice of fasting. Some people confronted Jesus: "Why do the followers of John and the Pharisees take on the discipline of fasting, but your followers don't?" 19 Jesus said, "When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but not now. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!" 20 21 He went on, "No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. 22 And you don't put your wine in cracked bottles." 23 One Sabbath day he was walking through a field of ripe grain. 24 As his disciples made a path, they pulled off heads of grain. The Pharisees told on them to Jesus: "Look, your disciples are breaking Sabbath rules!" 25 Jesus said, "Really? Haven't you ever read what David did when he was hungry, along with those who were with him? 26 How he entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, with the Chief Priest Abiathar right there watching - holy bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat - and handed it out to his companions?" 27 Then Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren't made to serve the Sabbath. 28 The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath. He's in charge!"

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Feb 19th

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(The Message)

Mark 1:23-45

23 Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, 24 "What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to! You're the Holy One of God, and you've come to destroy us!" 25 Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of him!" 26 The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly - and got out. 27 Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. "What's going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!" 28 News of this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee. 29 Directly on leaving the meeting place, they came to Simon and Andrew's house, accompanied by James and John. 30Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed, burning up with fever. They told Jesus. 31 He went to her, took her hand, and raised her up. No sooner had the fever left than she was up fixing dinner for them. 32 That evening, after the sun was down, they brought sick and evil-afflicted people to him,33 the whole city lined up at his door! 34 He cured their sick bodies and tormented spirits. Because the demons knew his true identity, he didn't let them say a word. 35 While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. 36 Simon and those with him went looking for him. 37 They found him and said, "Everybody's looking for you."38 Jesus said, "Let's go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is why I've come." 39 He went to their meeting places all through Galilee, preaching and throwing out the demons. 40 A leper came to him, begging on his knees, "If you want to, you can cleanse me." 41Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." 42 Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. 43 Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: 44 "Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people." 45 But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over.

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Feb 18th

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(The Message)

Mark 1:1-22

1 The good news of Jesus Christ - the Message! - begins here, 2 following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. 3 Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! 4 John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. 5 People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. 6 John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. 7 As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. 8 I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism - a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit - will change you from the inside out." 9 At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. 11 Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." 12 At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. 13 For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him. 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: 15"Time's up! God's kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message." 16 Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. 17 Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." 18 They didn't ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed. 19 A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee's sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets. 20Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed. 21 Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. 22 They were surprised at his teaching - so forthright, so confident - not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars.

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Feb 17th

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(The Message)

Matthew 28

1 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. 2 Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. 3 Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. 4 The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move. 5 The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. 6 He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. 7 "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message." 8 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. 9 Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there." 11 Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. 12 They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, 13 bribing them to say, "His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping." 14 They assured them, "If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don't get blamed." 15 The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around. 16 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. 17 The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally. 18 Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: 19 Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20 Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

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Feb 15th

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(The Message)

Matthew 27:27-50

27 The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor's palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun. 28 They stripped him and dressed him in a red toga. 29 They plaited a crown from branches of a thorn bush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: "Bravo, King of the Jews!" they said. "Bravo!" 30 Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick. 31 When they had had their fun, they took off the toga and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion. 32 Along the way they came on a man from Cyrene named Simon and made him carry Jesus' cross. 33 Arriving at Golgotha, the place they call "Skull Hill,"34 they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn't drink it. 35 After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes. 36 37 Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. 39 People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: 40 "You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days - so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!" 41 The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him:42 "He saved others - he can't save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We'll all become believers then! 43 He was so sure of God - well, let him rescue his 'Son' now - if he wants him! He did claim to be God's Son, didn't he?" 44 Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery. 45 From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. 46Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" 47 Some bystanders who heard him said, "He's calling for Elijah." 48 One of them ran and got a sponge soaked in sour wine and lifted it on a stick so he could drink. 49 The others joked, "Don't be in such a hurry. Let's see if Elijah comes and saves him." 50 But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.

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Feb 14th

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(The Message)

Matthew 27:1-26

1 In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. 2 Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor. 3 Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, 4 saying, "I've sinned. I've betrayed an innocent man." They said, "What do we care? That's your problem!" 5 Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself. 6 The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn't know what to do with them. "It wouldn't be right to give this - a payment for murder! - as an offering in the Temple." 7 They decided to get rid of it by buying the "Potter's Field" and use it as a burial place for the homeless. 8 That's how the field got called "Murder Meadow," a name that has stuck to this day. 9 Then Jeremiah's words became history: They took the thirty silver pieces, The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel, 10And they purchased the potter's field. And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter. 11 Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" Jesus said, "If you say so." 12 But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing. 13 Pilate asked him, "Do you hear that long list of accusations? Aren't you going to say something?" 14 Jesus kept silence - not a word from his mouth. The governor was impressed, really impressed. 15 It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd. 16 At the time, they had the infamous Jesus Barabbas in prison. 17 With the crowd before him, Pilate said, "Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?" 18 He knew it was through sheer spite that they had turned Jesus over to him. 19 While court was still in session, Pilate's wife sent him a message: "Don't get mixed up in judging this noble man. I've just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him." 20 Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. 21 The governor asked, "Which of the two do you want me to pardon?" They said, "Barabbas!" 22 "Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?" They all shouted, "Nail him to a cross!" 23 He objected, "But for what crime?" But they yelled all the louder, "Nail him to a cross!" 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, "I'm washing my hands of responsibility for this man's death. From now on, it's in your hands. You're judge and jury." 25 The crowd answered, "We'll take the blame, we and our children after us." 26 Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.

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Feb 13th

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(The Message)

Matthew 26:51-73

51 One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest's servant, cut off his ear. 52 Jesus said, "Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. 53 Don't you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies - more, if I want them - of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? 54 But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?" 55 Then Jesus addressed the mob: "What is this - coming out after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I have been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. 56 You've done it this way to confirm and fulfill the prophetic writings." Then all the disciples cut and ran. 57 The gang that had seized Jesus led him before Caiaphas the Chief Priest, where the religion scholars and leaders had assembled. 58 Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest's courtyard. Then he slipped in and mingled with the servants, watching to see how things would turn out. 59 The high priests, conspiring with the Jewish Council, tried to cook up charges against Jesus in order to sentence him to death. 60 But even though many stepped up, making up one false accusation after another, nothing was believable. 61 with this: "He said, 'I can tear down this Temple of God and after three days rebuild it.'" 62 The Chief Priest stood up and said, "What do you have to say to the accusation?" 63 Jesus kept silent. Then the Chief Priest said, "I command you by the authority of the living God to say if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." 64 Jesus was curt: "You yourself said it. And that's not all. Soon you'll see it for yourself: The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One, Arriving on the clouds of heaven." 65 At that, the Chief Priest lost his temper, ripping his robes, yelling, "He blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses to accuse him? You all heard him blaspheme! 66 Are you going to stand for such blasphemy?" They all said, "Death! That seals his death sentence." 67 Then they were spitting in his face and banging him around. They jeered as they slapped him: 68 "Prophesy, Messiah: Who hit you that time?" Denial in the Courtyard 69 All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean." 70 In front of everybody there, he denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about." 71 As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene." 72 Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: "I swear, I never laid eyes on the man." 73 Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. "You've got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away."

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