1 Some time later Jesus travelled around to different places. He went to towns and to small villages and told people the good news that God would become ruler over all his people. The twelve disciples also went with him.

2 Some time before this, Jesus had made evil spirits come out of some women and he had healed others. One day he made seven evil spirits come out of one woman called Mary. They called her Mary Magdalene because she came from Magdala. And those women also went with Jesus. 3 Another woman called Joanna went too. Her husband was called Chuza, and he was an important man who worked for King Herod. Another woman was called Susanna. Many women went with Jesus and his disciples. They took their own food and money, so that they could look after the men and give them food.

4 At that time many people kept coming to Jesus from all different places. And when a big crowd of people gathered he told them this story.

5 Once a man decided to grow some seeds for food. He put the little seeds in a bag and went off. As he went along he threw them on the ground, scattering them freely around everywhere for the plants to grow.

As he went along scattering them, some of the seeds fell on the path. In a little while when people came along they trod on them, and the birds came and picked them up and ate them.

6 Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground. Then when the seeds began to grow they dried up because the ground was dry.

7 Some of the seeds fell in the middle of some thorns. Then the thorny plants and the good plants both began to grow and so they grew up together. But the thorny plants grew more quickly and took up all the room. Then the good plants couldn't grow properly and didn't produce any food.

8 But some seeds fell on good ground and began to grow, and then they grew up and produced lots of food.

Jesus told the people this story, and then at the end he told them these strong words. “You must think carefully about that story I have told you,” he said. “Don't let it go in one ear and out the other, but keep thinking carefully about it.”

9 Jesus' disciples said to him, “What does the story mean?”

10 Jesus said to them, “That word of God's about him becoming King was hidden at first. And now God has shown it to you. But other people hear about it in stories. Even if they look they can't see, and even if they hear they can't understand.”

11 Then Jesus explained the story to his disciples. He said, “Those seeds are like God's words. 12 Some people hear them, but Satan comes along and takes those words away from their minds. So those people are like the seeds that fell on the path. And Satan is like the birds that take the seeds. Satan takes God's message away from people so that they won't know it and they won't believe in God, and so that God can't save them.

13 “Some people hear God's message and they feel happy and accept it. But the message doesn't stay with them for long. They believe in God for a little while, but when Satan tests them they don't believe in him any longer. So those people are like the seeds that fell on the rocky ground.

14 “Some people hear God's words, but they are worried about fighting and always thinking about money and things and having fun. Things like that are more important to them, and they push God's words right out of their minds. Those people are like the seeds that fell among the thorns and grew up and produced fruit, but it didn't ripen.

15 “Some people hear God's words and always hold on to them. They obey God all the time and always do the right thing. They are like the seeds that fell on the good ground and grew up and produced good fruit.” We shouldn't be like people who hide a lamp.

16 Then Jesus went on speaking to his disciples and some other people. He told them about lamps and about words. He said, “When you and I light a lamp inside the house we put it up high so that people can have a good, strong light. When we light it we don't hide it, we don't put a tin on top of it and we don't hide it under a bed. We put it up high so that it lights up the whole room. Then when people come inside the house they see the light.”

17 Then Jesus went on to say, “Anything that is hidden now will be made clear later. 18 So you should listen very carefully to me today and you should always obey me.

“Any of you who listen carefully to me and never disobey me will keep my words in your mind all the time. And I will help you so that you can know more. If any of you think, ‘I know all those words,’ but you don't listen to them properly and don't obey them, then I won't help you. And then you will forget them all. So that is why you must listen very carefully to me today.”

19 Then Jesus' mother and his younger brothers came to the house where Jesus was staying, but they couldn't get near him because there were so many people there inside. 20 Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are here. They are standing outside and they want you.”

21 Jesus said to all the people, “My mother and my brothers are here, are they? I call all people who hear God's word and obey it my mother and my brothers.”

22 One day Jesus and his disciples went to a big freshwater lake and they got into a boat. “Let's go across the lake to the other side,” said Jesus. And they put up the sail and started out.

23 As they were sailing along, Jesus went to sleep. But suddenly a big wind hit them. It was very strong and the waves came up high and the water began coming into the boat. The boat began to fill with water and they were about to drown.

24 The disciples went to Jesus and woke him up. They said, “Master! Master! We are going to drown! Get up!”

Jesus got up and he spoke strong words to the wind and to the water. “Be still!” he said. Then the wind died down and the water became calm too.

25 Jesus said to his disciples, “Why can't you trust me?”

But they were amazed and frightened. “Who is this man?” they said to each other. “He speaks to the wind and the waves and they obey him!”

26 Jesus and his disciples sailed on across the lake to go to a place called Gerasa which is on the other side of the lake from Galilee.

When they arrived, 27-29 Jesus jumped from the boat on to the shore and a man came towards him. He belonged to Gerasa but he had many evil spirits in him. They had been in him for a very long time and had grabbed hold of him many times. His people had tied his hands and feet with chains but he kept breaking them. The spirits used to drive him away into the desert and he used to go around without any clothes on. He wouldn't stay at home and he kept away from houses and people. He used to sleep in the caves where they put dead bodies.

When the man came close to him, Jesus spoke to the evil spirits and said, “Come out!” But the man screamed and bowed down in front of Jesus.

He shouted, “Jesus, Son of God, what are you going to do to me? Don't punish me! Leave me alone!”

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is ‘Mob,’ ” he answered, because many evil spirits had gone into him.

31 The evil spirits said, “Please, don't send us away, don't shut us up in a bad place!”

32 There were many pigs nearby. They were eating together up on a hill. So the evil spirits said to Jesus, “Please let us go into those pigs over there.” And Jesus let them go.

33 The spirits came out of the man and went over to the pigs. They went into the pigs and the pigs rushed off and ran down the side of the cliff and dived into the water and drowned.

34 The men who had been looking after the pigs saw them running down to the water and diving in and drowning. So they ran off and told the people who lived in the town, and others who were living away from the town.

35 Then many people went to the place where the pigs had drowned. When they arrived where Jesus was, they found the man sitting down with him. He was the same man who had been healed, but now he was wearing clothes and listening to Jesus, because his mind was all right now. Everyone was very frightened. 36 Then the men who had looked after the pigs and seen them drown told the people that the man was healed. They told them that Jesus had made him better.

37 Then all the people of Gerasa said to Jesus, “Leave our country and go away.” They said this because they were all very frightened. So Jesus got into the boat to go away, 38 but the man who had been healed came to him and stopped him. “Please let me go with you,” he said.

But Jesus sent him home and said, 39 “Go home and tell people that God has healed you.”

Then the man went and told the people of Gerasa that Jesus had healed him. He went all over the town until all the people of Gerasa knew about it. But Jesus and his disciples left that place and went away.

40 Then Jesus and his disciples crossed over the water again and went back from Gerasa to Galilee. The people of Galilee had been waiting and waiting for him. So when Jesus arrived they were very pleased to see him.

41 Then a man called Jairus came along. He was a ruler of the synagogue. He bowed down at Jesus' feet. And he said to him, “Please come to my house, 42 because my only daughter is very sick. She is twelve years old and she is dying.”

So Jesus went with Jairus to his house. Many other people also went there, walking close to Jesus, crowding around him as they went.

43 There was a woman with them who had been sick for a long time. She had been bleeding badly for twelve years. Many people had tried to help her but they couldn't make her better.

44 As she was going with everyone along the road, she came up close to Jesus from behind and touched the edge of his coat that was hanging down. Her bleeding stopped at once.

45 Jesus said to all the people, “Who touched me?”

Everyone said that they hadn't touched him. And Peter said, “Master, people are all around you touching you.”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me. I know because power went from me to that person.”

47 Then the woman knew that she couldn't hide herself. She was shaking all over but she came to the front and bowed down with her face to the ground where Jesus was standing. And she spoke to him so that other people could also hear her words. She told Jesus that she had touched him because she was sick, and that she was healed straight away while she was still touching him.

48 Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, don't be upset. Because you trusted in me you have become better. So go in peace.”

49 While Jesus was speaking to her, a man came from Jairus' house. He said to Jairus, “Your daughter has just died. Don't worry the Teacher. He doesn't need to come to your house now.”

50 But Jesus heard him and said to Jairus, “Don't be afraid. Only believe that she will get better.”

51 Jesus and many other people kept on going to Jairus' house. When they arrived, Jesus took Peter, James and John inside and also Jairus and his wife, but he wouldn't let anyone else go in. He said to all the people, “The rest of you don't come in, but stay out here.”

52 Everyone there was crying and wailing for the little girl. So Jesus said to them, “Don't cry because she is not really dead, but only sleeping for a little while.”

53 They all laughed at Jesus, because they knew that she was really dead. 54 But Jesus went inside and took her hand and called out to her, “Get up!” 55 And her spirit came back and she came alive again, and got up straight away. And Jesus said to her family, “Now give her some food to eat.”

56 Her father and mother were amazed that the little girl was alive. But Jesus said to them, “Don't tell anyone that I have made this girl alive again.”