Mark 6:7-56
View Full Chapter
7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
8These were his instructions:
11
13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
John the Baptist Beheaded
14King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,
15Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”
16But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,
20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled
22When the daughter of
23And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
24She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
25At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.
29On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,
34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late.
36Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37But he answered,
38
44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
Jesus Walks on the Water 45Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
46After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. 47Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,
50because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said,
52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.