Harmony of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST Part 6

 Chapter 6

 

Immediately JESUS made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side while He sent the multitudes away. When He had sent the multitudes away He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came He was there alone and the boat was now in the middle of the sea tossed by the waves for the wind was contrary. In the fourth watch of the night (just before dawn) JESUS went to them walking on the sea, when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea they were troubled saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out for fear. Immediately JESUS spoke to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I do not be afraid.” Peter said, “LORD, if it is You command me to come to You on the water.” So JESUS said, “Come.” and when Peter had climbed out of the boat he walked on the water to go to JESUS. When Peter saw that the wind was boisterous he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried out, “LORD save me!” Immediately JESUS stretched out His hand and caught him and said to him, “O you of little faith why did you doubt?”  When they got into the boat the wind ceased then those who were in the boat came and worshipped JESUS saying, “Truly You are the Son of GOD.”

 

When they had crossed over they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. When they came out of the boat immediately the people recognized Him and ran through that whole surrounding region and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was, wherever He entered into villages, cities, or the country. They laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment and as many as touched Him were made well.

 

The people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there beside the one which His disciples had entered and that JESUS had not entered the boat with His disciples but that His disciples had gone away alone. However other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they ate the bread that JESUS had given thanks for. When the people saw that JESUS was not there or His disciples they got into boats and came to Capernaum seeking JESUS. When they found Him on the other side of the sea they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” JESUS said to them, “Truthfully you seek Me not because you saw the signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life which the Son of Man will give you because GOD the Father has set His seal on Him.” Then they said to Him, “What shall we do that we may work the works of GOD?” JESUS answered them, “This is the work of GOD that you believe in Him whom He sent.” They said to Him, “What sign will You perform then that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then JESUS said, “Truthfully, I say to you Moses did not give you the bread from Heaven but My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. The bread of GOD is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “LORD give us this bread always.” JESUS answered, “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. I have come down from Heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day. This is the will of Him who sent Me that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day.”

 

The Jews then complained about Him because He said, “I am the bread which came down from Heaven.” They said, “Is this not JESUS the son of Joseph whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from Heaven’?” JESUS answered them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by GOD.’ So that everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except He who is from GOD, He has seen the Father. Truly I say to you he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of Life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the Bread which comes down from Heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread he will live forever and the Bread that I give is My flesh which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” Then JESUS said, “Truthfully I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. My flesh is food indeed and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him. As the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this Bread will live forever.” These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Then many of His disciples when they heard this said, “This is a hard saying who can understand it?” When JESUS knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life the flesh profits nothing. The Words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are Life. There are some of you who do not believe.” For JESUS knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray Him. He said, “I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then JESUS said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” Simon Peter answered, “LORD to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the CHRIST the Son of the living GOD.” JESUS said to them, “Did I not choose you the twelve and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. After these things JESUS walked in Galilee for He did not want to walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill Him.

 

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came to Him having come from Jerusalem. When they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the religious Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash and there are many other things which they have received and do like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and couches. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat bread with unwashed hands?” JESUS answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites as it is written: ‘This people honor Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me. In vain they worship Me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of GOD you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups and many other such things.” He continued, “All too well you reject the commandment of GOD that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and, ‘He who curses father or mother let him be put to death.’ You say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”’ (that is a gift to GOD), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother making the word of GOD of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down and many other things you do.” When He had called the multitude to Himself He said to them, “Hear Me everyone and understand there is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear let him hear!”

 

When He had entered a house away from the crowd Peter asked Him concerning the parable. So He said, “Are you still without understanding? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him because it does not enter his heart but his stomach and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods? What comes out of a man that defiles a man. From within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Then His disciples said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He said, “Every plant which My Heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone they are blind leaders of the blind and if the blind leads the blind both will fall into a ditch.”

 

Then JESUS went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Syro-Phoenician woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him saying, “Have mercy on me O LORD, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” He did not say a word so His disciples came and urged Him saying, “Send her away for she cries out after us.” He said to her, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him saying, “LORD, help me!” He answered, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” She said, “Yes LORD, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then JESUS said to her, “Woman great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” and her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

Departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech and they begged Him to put His hand on him. He took him aside from the multitude and put His fingers in his ears and He spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one yet the more He commanded them the more widely they proclaimed it. They were astonished beyond measure saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

 

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by JESUS and he was perplexed because some said that John the Baptist had risen from the dead, some said that Elijah had appeared and others said that one of the prophets of old had risen from the dead. Herod said, “John I have beheaded so who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he tried to see him.