Exodus 10:21-29 and Mark 8:27-30 (NLT)

Exodus 10:21-29
The Plague of Darkness

21  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” 

22  So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. 

23  During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.

24  Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the Lord,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.”
25  “No,” Moses said, “you must provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord our God.
26  All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the Lord our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the Lord until we get there.”
27  But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, and he would not let them go.
28  “Get out of here!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses. “I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die!”
29  “Very well,” Moses replied. “I will never see your face again.”

Mark 8:27-30
Peter's Confession of Christ

27  Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28  “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”
29  Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”  Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”
30  But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Exodus 10:1-20 and Mark 8:22-26 (NLT)

Exodus 10:1-20

The Plague of Locusts

1    Then the Lord said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. 

2    I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”

3    So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me.
4    If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country.
5    They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields.
6    They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7    Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8    So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”
9    Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord.”
10  Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan.
11  Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.
12  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.”
13  So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts.
14  And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it.
15  For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt.
16  Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you,” he confessed.
17  “Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the Lord your God to take away this death from me.”
18  So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the Lord.
19  The Lord responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt.
20  But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go.

Mark 8:22-30

The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22  When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. 

23  Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

24  The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”
25  Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.
26  Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.”

Exodus 9:13-35 and Mark 8:14-21 (NLT)

Exodus 9:13-35
The Plague of Hail

13  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 

14  If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 

15  By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. 

16  But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth. 

17  But you still lord it over my people and refuse to let them go. 

18  So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt. 

19  Quick! Order your livestock and servants to come in from the fields to find shelter. Any person or animal left outside will die when the hail falls.’”

20  Some of Pharaoh’s officials were afraid because of what the Lord had said. They quickly brought their servants and livestock in from the fields.
21  But those who paid no attention to the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open.
22  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt.”
23  So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The Lord sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt.
24  Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning.
25  It left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field—people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed.
26  The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.
27  Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he confessed. “The Lord is the righteous one, and my people and I are wrong.
28  Please beg the Lord to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.”
29  “All right,” Moses replied. “As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the Lord. Then the thunder and hail will stop, and you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord.
30  But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”
31  (All the flax and barley were ruined by the hail, because the barley had formed heads and the flax was budding.
32  But the wheat and the emmer wheat were spared, because they had not yet sprouted from the ground.)
33  So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and went out of the city. When he lifted his hands to the Lord, the thunder and hail stopped, and the downpour ceased.
34  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn.
35  Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

Mark 8:14-21
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

14  But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat.  

15  As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

16  At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread.
17  Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? 
18  ‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all?
19  When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?”  “Twelve,” they said.
20  “And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?”
“Seven,” they said.
21  “Don’t you understand yet?” he asked them.

Exodus 9:8-12 and Mark 8:1-13 (NLT)

Exodus 9:8-12
The Plague of Boils

8    Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches. 

9    The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.”

10  So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people and animals alike. 

11  Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians. 

12  But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.

Mark 8:1-13
Jesus Fees the Four Thousand

1    About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 

2    “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. 

3    If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”

4    His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?”
5    Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”  “Seven loaves,” they replied.
6    So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. 
7    A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.
8    They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 
9    There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. 
10  Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha.
11  When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
12  When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.” 
13  So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.

Exodus 9:1-7 and Mark 7:31-37 (NLT)

Exodus 9:1-7
Plague on Livestock

1  “Go back to Pharaoh,” the Lord commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 

2  If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go, 

3  the hand of the Lord will strike all your livestock—your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats—with a deadly plague. 

4  But the Lord will again make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel’s animals will die! 

5  The Lord has already set the time for the plague to begin. He has declared that he will strike the land tomorrow.’”

6  And the Lord did just as he had said. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal.
7  Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate, and they discovered that the Israelites had not lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he still refused to let the people go.

Mark 7:31-37
The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

31  Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. 

32  A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.

33  Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue.
34  Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” 
35  Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!
36  Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. 37  They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”

Exodus 8:20-32 and Mark 7:24-30 (NLT)

Exodus 8:20-32
The Plague of Flies

20  Then the Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand in Pharaoh’s way as he goes down to the river. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 

21  If you refuse, then I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and all the houses. The Egyptian homes will be filled with flies, and the ground will be covered with them. 

22  But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that I am present even in the heart of your land. 

23  I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”

24  And the Lord did just as he had said. A thick swarm of flies filled Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was thrown into chaos by the flies.
25  Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.”
26  But Moses replied, “That wouldn’t be right. The Egyptians detest the sacrifices that we offer to the Lord our God. Look, if we offer our sacrifices here where the Egyptians can see us, they will stone us.
27  We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, just as he has commanded us.”
28  “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far away. Now hurry and pray for me.”
29  Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will disappear from you and your officials and all your people. But I am warning you, Pharaoh, don’t lie to us again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30  So Moses left Pharaoh’s palace and pleaded with the Lord to remove all the flies.
31  And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms of flies to disappear from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly remained.
32  But Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to let the people go.

Mark 7:24-30
The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

24  Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. 

25  Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, 

26  and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.  Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, 

27  Jesus told her, “First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

28  She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates.”
29  “Good answer!” he said. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.

Exodus 8:16-19 and Mark 7:1-23 (NLT)

Exodus 8:16-19
The Plague of Gnats

16  So the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise your staff and strike the ground. The dust will turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” 

17  So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. When Aaron raised his hand and struck the ground with his staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the land of Egypt turned into gnats. 

18  Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered everyone, people and animals alike.

19  “This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted

Mark 7:1-23
Clean and Unclean

1    One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. 

2    They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. 

3    (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. 

4    Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.)

5    So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
6    Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
7    Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’

8    For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

9    Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 
10  For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ 
11  But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 
12  In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 
13  And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
14  Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 
15  It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
17  Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used.
18  “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 
19  Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)
20  And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 
21  For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 
22  adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 
23  All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

Exodus 8:1-15 and Mark 6:45-56 (NLT)

Exodus 8:1-15
The Plague of Frogs

1   Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 

2    If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs across your entire land. 

3    The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 

4    Frogs will jump on you, your people, and all your officials.’”

5    Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise the staff in your hand over all the rivers, canals, and ponds of Egypt, and bring up frogs over all the land.’” 

6    So Aaron raised his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the whole land! 

7    But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic. They, too, caused frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.

8    Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, “Plead with the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

9   “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. Then you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
10  “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.  “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 
11   The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
12   So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s palace, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had inflicted on Pharaoh. 
13   And the Lord did just what Moses had predicted. The frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields all died. 
14  The Egyptians piled them into great heaps, and a terrible stench filled the land. 
15  But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.

Mark 6:45-56
Jesus Walks on the Water

45  Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 

46  After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

47  Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land.
48  He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them,
49  but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost.
50  They were all terrified when they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” 
51  Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed,
52  for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
53  After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 
54  and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 
55  and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 
56  Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

Exodus 7:14-24 and Mark 6:30-44 (NLT)

Exodus 7:14-24
The Plague of Blood

14  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go. 

15  So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take along the staff that turned into a snake. 

16  Then announce to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, “Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” Until now, you have refused to listen to him. 

17  So this is what the Lord says: “I will show you that I am the Lord.” Look! I will strike the water of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the river will turn to blood. 

18  The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”

19  Then the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of Egypt—all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.’”

20  So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood!

21  The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 

22  But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted. 

23  Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. 

24  Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.

Mark 6:30-44
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

30  The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 

31  Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

32  So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 

33  But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 

34  Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35  Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 

36  Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

37  But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”
38  “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”  They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
39  Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
40  So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
41  Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share.
42  They all ate as much as they wanted,
43  and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish.
44  A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!

Exodus 7:8-13 and Mark 6:14-29 (NLT)

Exodus 7:8-13
Aaron's Staff Becomes a Snake

8    Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9    “Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’ When he does this, say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’”
10  So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent!
11  Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic.
12  They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
13  Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted.

Mark 6:14-29
John the Baptist Beheaded

14  Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.” 

15  Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.”

16  When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead.”
17  For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her.
18  John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.”
19  So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless,
20  for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.
21  Herodias’s chance finally came on Herod’s birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee.
22  Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. “Ask me for anything you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you.”
23  He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!”
24  She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”  Her mother told her, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!”
25  So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, “I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!”
26  Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn’t refuse her.
27  So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison,
28  brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother.
29  When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb.

Exodus 6:28-30 & Exodus 7:1-7 and Mark 6: 7-13 (NLT)

Exodus 6:28-30 & 7:1-7
Aaron Speaks for Moses
28  When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29  he said to him, “I am the Lord! Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I am telling you.”
30  But Moses argued with the Lord, saying, “I can’t do it! I’m such a clumsy speaker! Why should Pharaoh listen to me?”
Exodus 7:1-7
1    Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. 
2    Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. 
3    But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 
4    Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. 
5    When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”
6    So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. 
7    Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.


Mark 6:7-13
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

7    And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. 

8    He told them to "take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. 

9    He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.

10  “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. 
11  But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
12  So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.
13  And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

Exodus 6:13-27 and Mark 6:1-6 (NLT)

Exodus 6:13-27
Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13  But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.
14  These are the ancestors of some of the clans of Israel:

The sons of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their descendants became the clans of Reuben.

15  The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s mother was a Canaanite woman.) Their descendants became the clans of Simeon.

16  These are the descendants of Levi, as listed in their family records: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (Levi lived to be 137 years old.)

17  The descendants of Gershon included Libni and Shimei, each of whom became the ancestor of a clan.

18  The descendants of Kohath included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Kohath lived to be 133 years old.)

19  The descendants of Merari included Mahli and Mushi.  These are the clans of the Levites, as listed in their family records.

20  Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she gave birth to his sons, Aaron and Moses. (Amram lived to be 137 years old.)

21  The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.

22  The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23  Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she gave birth to his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24  The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. Their descendants became the clans of Korah.

25  Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to his son, Phinehas.

These are the ancestors of the Levite families, listed according to their clans.

26  The Aaron and Moses named in this list are the same ones to whom the Lord said, “Lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.” 

27  It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt.

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

1    Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 

2    The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 

3    Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

4    Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 
5    And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
6    And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Exodus 6:1-12 and Mark 5:21-43 (NLT)

Exodus 6:1-12
Promises of Deliverance

1    Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”

2    And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the Lord.’
3    I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.
4    And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.
5    You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.
6    “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.
7    I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.
8    I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”
9    So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.
10  Then the Lord said to Moses,
11  “Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his country.”
12  “But Lord!” Moses objected. “My own people won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker!”
Mark 5:21-43
Jesus Heals in Response to Faith
21  Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 
22  Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 
23  pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”
24  Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 
25  A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 
26  She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 
27  She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 
28  For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 
29  Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30  Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
31  His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32  But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 
33  Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 
34  And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
35  While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
36  But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
37  Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 
38  When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 
39  He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
40  The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 
41  Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 
42  And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 
43  Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.

Exodus 5:6-21 and Mark 5:1-20 (NLT)

Exodus 5:6-21
Making Bricks Without Straw

6    That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: 

7    “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! 

8    But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’

9    Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”

10  So the slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people: “This is what Pharaoh says: I will not provide any more straw for you.
11  Go and get it yourselves. Find it wherever you can. But you must produce just as many bricks as before!”
12  So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt in search of stubble to use as straw.
13  Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. “Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!” they demanded.
14  Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge of the work crews. “Why haven’t you met your quotas either yesterday or today?” they demanded.
15  So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. “Please don’t treat your servants like this,” they begged.
16  “We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand, ‘Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!”
17  But Pharaoh shouted, “You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’
18  Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.”
19  The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day.”
20  As they left Pharaoh’s court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them.
21  The foremen said to them, “May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!”

Mark 5:1-20
The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

1    So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 

2    When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. 

3    This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 

4    Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 

5    Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

6    When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him.
7    With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!”
8    For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
9    Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”  And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 
10  Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
11  There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.
12  “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”
13  So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.
14  The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened.
15  A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.
16  Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs.
17  And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
18  As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him.
19  But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”
20  So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Exodus 5:1-5 and Mark 4:35-41 (NLT)

Exodus 5:1-22
Moses and Aaron Speak to Pharaoh

1  After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.”

2  “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”
3  But Aaron and Moses persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.”
4  Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!
5  Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.”

Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm

35  As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 

36  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 

37  But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

38  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39  When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.
40  Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41  The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Exodus 4:18-31 and Mark 4:30-34 (NLT)

Exodus 4:18-31
Moses Returns to Egypt

18  So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.”  “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

19  Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.”
20  So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.
21  And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.
22  Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
23  I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’”
24  On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him.
25  But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
26  (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
27  Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God, and he embraced him.
28  Moses then told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the Lord had commanded him to perform.
29  Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called all the elders of Israel together.
30  Aaron told them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched.
31  Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Mark 4:30-34
Parable of the Mustard Seed

30  Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? 

31  It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, 

32  but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”

33  Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.
34  In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.