Mark 1:14-45

¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee. He preached the good news of God. ¹⁵“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Turn away from your sins and believe the good news!” ¹⁶One day Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. There he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake. They were fishermen. ¹⁷“Come and follow me,” Jesus said. “I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸At once they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹Then Jesus walked a little farther. As he did, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat preparing their nets. ²⁰Right away he called out to them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men. Then they followed Jesus. ²¹Jesus and those with him went to Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue. There he began to teach. ²²The people were amazed at his teaching. That’s because he taught them like one who had authority. He did not talk like the teachers of the law. ²³Just then a man in their synagogue cried out. He was controlled by an evil spirit. He said, ²⁴“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God!” ²⁵“Be quiet!” said Jesus firmly. “Come out of him!” ²⁶The evil spirit shook the man wildly. Then it came out of him with a scream. ²⁷All the people were amazed. So they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching! And with so much authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸News about Jesus spread quickly all over Galilee. ²⁹Jesus and those with him left the synagogue. Right away they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever. They told Jesus about her right away. ³¹So he went to her. He took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her. Then she began to serve them. ³²That evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who were sick. They also brought all who were controlled by demons. ³³All the people in town gathered at the door. ³⁴Jesus healed many of them. They had all kinds of sicknesses. He also drove out many demons. But he would not let the demons speak, because they knew who he was. ³⁵It was very early in the morning and still dark. Jesus got up and left the house. He went to a place where he could be alone. There he prayed. ³⁶Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. ³⁷When they found him, they called out, “Everyone is looking for you!” ³⁸Jesus replied, “Let’s go somewhere else. I want to go to the nearby towns. I must preach there also. That is why I have come.” ³⁹So he traveled all around Galilee. He preached in their synagogues. He also drove out demons. ⁴⁰A man who had a skin disease came to Jesus. On his knees he begged Jesus. He said, “If you are willing to make me ‘clean,’ you can do it.” ⁴¹Jesus became angry. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing to do it,” Jesus said. “Be ‘clean’!” ⁴²Right away the disease left the man, and he was “clean.” ⁴³Jesus sent him away at once. He gave the man a strong warning. ⁴⁴“Don’t tell this to anyone,” he said. “Go and show yourself to the priest. Offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded. It will be a witness to the priest and the people that you are ‘clean.’ ” ⁴⁵But the man went out and started talking right away. He spread the news to everyone. So Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. He stayed outside in lonely places. But people still came to him from everywhere.