Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split apart. Graves were opened. The bodies of many saints who slept rose up and, after His resurrection, went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurions who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that were done, they became afraid and said, Truly this was the Son of G.o.d.

Many of the women who followed Jesus of Galilee and ministered to Him were there looking on. Among them was Mary Magdalene; another Mary; and the mother of Zebedee's children. When evening came, a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who was also Jesus' disciple arrived. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which was hewn out of rock. He rolled a great stone across the door of the sepulchre and departed. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sat alongside the sepulchre.

The next day following the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and said, Sir, that deceiver, while he was yet alive, said that, in three days, He would rise up again. Command that the sepulchre be made secure until the third day lest His disciples come by night, steal Him away, and tell the people that He is risen from the dead. Then the last error will be worse than the first.

Pilate said to them, Ye have a watch. Go your way. Make it as secure as ye can. The chief priests and the Pharisees went and made the sepulchre secure by sealing the stone and setting guards to watch.

28 After the sabbath, near dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the sepulchre. Behold, there was a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning with raiment white as snow. The guards shook with fear of Him and became as dead men.

The angel said to the women, Fear not for I know that ye seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here for, as He said, He is risen. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. Behold, He goes before you into Galilee. There ye shall see Him. Lo, I have told you.

The women quickly left the sepulchre filled with both fear and great joy. They ran to bring word to Jesus' disciples. As they went along Jesus met them and greeted them. They went to Him, held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him. Then Jesus said to them, Be not afraid. Go and tell my brethren to go into Galilee and there they shall see me.

Some of the guards on watch went into the city and told the chief priests the things that were done. After an a.s.sembly of the elders the soldiers were offered a large amount of money to say that Jesus'

disciples came by night and stole Him away while they slept. The soldiers were a.s.sured they would be protected if this came to the governor's ears. They took the money and did as they were told. This report is common among the Jews until this day.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain appointed by Jesus. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him. Jesus came to them and said, All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and teach all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all the things I have commanded you.

I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Amen.

The Gospel of Mark

1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of G.o.d; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger who shall prepare the way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. After confessing their sins many from the land of Judaea and from Jerusalem were baptized by him in the river of Jordan.

John was clothed with camel's hair and wore animal hides around his loins and he ate locusts and wild honey. He preached, saying, There comes one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I have baptized you with water but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

And it came to pa.s.s in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the river of Jordan. Immediately, upon His coming up out of the water, John saw the heavens open and the Spirit, like a dove, descend upon Him. And there came a voice from heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

The spirit drove Him into the wilderness. There, among wild beasts, He was tempted by Satan for forty days. Then the angels ministered to Him.

Now, after that, John was put in prison and Jesus came into Galilee. He began preaching the gospel of the kingdom of G.o.d and saying, The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of G.o.d is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.

He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, Come ye after me and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

When He had gone on a little farther, He saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a boat mending their nets. Jesus called them.

They immediately left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.

They went into Capernaum. On the sabbath day He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His doctrine for He taught them as one with authority and not as the scribes. And in their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit. He cried out and said, Let us alone. What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of G.o.d. And Jesus rebuked him and said, Hold thy peace and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

The people were amazed, so much so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? What new doctrine is this? He even commands with authority the unclean spirits and they obey Him.

Immediately His fame spread throughout the region around Galilee.

After they left the synagogue, they went to the house of Simon and Andrew. Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and presently they told Jesus about her. He came and took her by the hand. Then He lifted her up and, immediately, the fever left her. And she, then, ministered to them.

That evening around sunset, many people were brought to Him who were diseased and some who were possessed with devils. And all the city gathered together at the door. Jesus healed many that were sick of divers diseases. He cast out many devils and did not allow the devils to speak because they knew Him.

The next morning, rising before dawn, He went to a solitary place to pray. Simon and those who were with him followed. When they found Him, they said, All men seek for thee. And Jesus said to them, Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

And Jesus preached in the synagogues throughout Galilee, and cast out devils. There came to Him a leper. Kneeling down and beseeching Him, the leper said, If thou wilt, thou can make me clean. Jesus was moved with compa.s.sion. He put out His hand, touched him, and said, I will. Be thou clean.

And, as soon as He had spoken, the leprosy departed and the man was cleansed. Jesus directly charged him to say nothing to any man. Jesus said, Go thy way. Show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony to them.

But he went out and began to broadcast the matter. He said so much that Jesus could no more openly enter the city but had to stay out in desert places. And they came to Him from every quarter.

2 After some days Jesus entered Capernaum again and His arrival was widely announced. The people knew that He returned to the house.

And, immediately, many gathered, so much that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as outside the door. Jesus preached the word to them.

There came to Him one sick with palsy who was carried by four others.

When they could not get near Jesus because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof above where Jesus stood. Having broken through, they lowered down the bed wherein the sick man lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick man, Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.

There were certain of the scribes sitting there. They wondered, Why does this man speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but G.o.d only?

When Jesus realized that they so reasoned, He said to them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether it is easier to say to the sick man, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or, Arise. Take up thy bed and walk?

So that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (Jesus turned to the sick man and said,) I say to thee, Arise.

Take up thy bed and go thy way to thine own house. At that moment, he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all. They were amazed. They glorified G.o.d, saying, We never saw anything like this.

Jesus went to the seaside again and the mult.i.tude gathered around Him, and He taught them. Later, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed Him.

And it came to pa.s.s, that, as Jesus sat at supper in Levi's house, many publicans and sinners also joined together with Jesus and His disciples. There now were many who followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with publicans and sinners, they asked His disciples, How is it that He eats and drinks with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard this, He said to them, Those who are whole have no need of a physician, only those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked, Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples do not? And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the day will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.

No man sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up takes away from the old and the rent is made worse.

And no man puts new wine into old bottles: else the new wine bursts the bottles, the wine is spilled, and the bottles are marred. New wine must be put into new bottles.

And it came to pa.s.s, that He went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and His disciples began to pluck the ears of corn as they went along. The Pharisees said to Him, Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the sabbath day? And Jesus responded, Have ye never read what David, and they that were with him, did when they had need and were hungry? How he went into the house of G.o.d in the days of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the s...o...b..ead? How this was only lawful for the priests to eat? And how David also gave it to those who were with him? Then Jesus said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath; therefore, the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath also.

3 Then Jesus entered the synagogue again. Inside was a man with a withered hand. They watched to see if Jesus would heal him on the sabbath day so they might accuse Him. And Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, Step Forward. Then Jesus said to them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill? But they remained silent.

Jesus looked at them with anger and was grieved for the hardness of their hearts. He said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. As the man stretched it out, his hand was restored as whole as his other hand.

The Pharisees left and immediately took counsel with the Herodians about how they might get rid of Him. But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. A great mult.i.tude from Galilee, Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan, and those around Tyre and Sidon came to Him when they heard all the things He did.

Jesus told His disciples He needed to get out into a small boat lest the mult.i.tude should throng Him. For He had healed many and many who had plagues now pressed upon Him just to touch Him. Unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried, Thou art the Son of G.o.d. Jesus directly charged them that they should not make Him known.

Then Jesus went up into a mountain. He called to whom He would and they came to Him. Here He ordained twelve to be with Him, and that He might send forth to preach, to heal sickness, and to cast out devils. Then He took these twelve into a house: Simon surnamed Peter; James, the son of Zebedee, John, the brother of James (He named them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder); Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Then the mult.i.tude came again so that they could not eat bread undisturbed. When His friends heard about this, they lay hold of Him and said, This is too much. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, by the prince of the devils, He casts out devils.

Jesus called them to Him and said, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand and is finished. Nor can a man enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods unless he first binds up the strong man so he can then spoil his house.

Verily I say to you, All sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies also, however they blaspheme. But he that blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal d.a.m.nation. He said this because they said, He has an unclean spirit.