After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led him into the desert. There, He was tempted by the Devil for 40 days and nights. He ate nothing. The Devil tried to tempt Jesus with food, power and testing God. Jesus quoted passages from Deuteronomy in response and the Devil left Him for a while. Jesus went all over the countryside preaching and word spread about Him. He came to Nazareth and went in the synagogue on the Sabbath. They gave Him the scroll of Isaiah to read and He chose chapter 61:1-2. Jesus sat down and told the people that passage He had just read had come true that day. They realized He was Joseph's son, then He told them a prophet isn't welcome in His own hometown. Jesus told them about Elijah and Elisha offering God's blessings to non-Jews, who were believers, and the people got really mad. They wanted to kill Jesus right then. The Bible doesn't really explain exactly why that was so offensive. Jesus went to other towns and taught and healed and blessed the people who believed in Him.
One day Jesus was standing on a lakeshore where people began to gather to hear His teachings. There were a couple of boats nearby, so Jesus got in one and taught from the boat a little way out in the water. When He finished speaking Jesus told the owner of the boat, Simon Peter, to go out further and drop the nets. Simon Peter argued, but did it anyway, and was shocked when he caught so many fish the boat almost sank! Simon Peter was afraid, but Jesus told him not to be and to come with Him and He would make them catch people. Peter's partners, James and John went too. They just dropped everything and followed Jesus. In a town there was a man with a terrible skin disease, who asked Jesus to heal him if He wanted to. Jesus told the man that He did want to and the man was healed. Jesus told him to make the proper cleansing offerings as the Law of Moses instructed. (Lev.14-Feb 4th entry) Jesus was teaching and Pharisees and teachers of the Law had come from all over to hear Him. Some other men came carrying a paralyzed man for Jesus to heal. They couldn't get into the room, so they lowered him through the roof. Jesus noticed the faith of the man and forgave his sins. The Pharisees decided that this must be blasphemy, and Jesus knew what they were thinking. To prove that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth he also healed the man and told him to pick up his bed and walk. So he did. Jesus went out from there and saw a tax collector (think loan shark) and told him to follow Him. So he did. (Luke and Mark call him Levi, Matthew calls him Matthew.) People asked Jesus why He ate and drank with outcasts. He told them that He had been sent for outcasts. (People who aren't sick don't need a doctor!) People asked Jesus why the disciples didn't fast like John's or the Pharisees' disciples. Jesus told them that while the bridegroom is at the party, you eat! He told them a parable about old and new. When something new comes along, you do things differently. The Pharisees were nitpicking about the Sabbath and Jesus told them, "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." On another Sabbath, a man with a paralyzed hand came to be healed. The Pharisees wanted to make it wrong for Jesus to help the man, but Jesus set them straight. They got mad and started talking about what to do to Jesus. Jesus went up a hill and prayed all night. In the morning He called his disciples and chose 12 as His apostles. Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon, Judas and Judas Iscariot. People came from all over to be healed by Jesus. Jesus talked about happiness and sorrow and how a difficult life on earth suggests a great reward in heaven. (It takes a lot of courage to be poor.)
Tomorrow read Luke 6:27-8:25
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