THE BEGINNING OF THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD,
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AS IT IS WRITTEN IN ISAIAH THE PROPHET: 'I WILL SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY' --
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A VOICE OF ONE CALLING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD, MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS FOR HIM.''
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AND SO JOHN THE BAPTIST APPEARED IN THE WILDERNESS, PREACHING A BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
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THE WHOLE JUDEAN COUNTRYSIDE AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM WENT OUT TO HIM. CONFESSING THEIR SINS, THEY WERE BAPTIZED BY HIM IN THE JORDAN RIVER.
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JOHN WORE CLOTHING MADE OF CAMEL'S HAIR, WITH A LEATHER BELT AROUND HIS WAIST, AND HE ATE LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY.
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AND THIS WAS HIS MESSAGE: 'AFTER ME COMES THE ONE MORE POWERFUL THAN I, THE STRAPS OF WHOSE SANDALS I AM NOT WORTHY TO STOOP DOWN AND UNTIE.
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I BAPTIZE YOU WITH WATER, BUT HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.'
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AT THAT TIME JESUS CAME FROM NAZARETH IN GALILEE AND WAS BAPTIZED BY JOHN IN THE JORDAN.
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JUST AS JESUS WAS COMING UP OUT OF THE WATER, HE SAW HEAVEN BEING TORN OPEN AND THE SPIRIT DESCENDING ON HIM LIKE A DOVE.
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AND A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN: 'YOU ARE MY SON, WHOM I LOVE; WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.'
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AT ONCE THE SPIRIT SENT HIM OUT INTO THE WILDERNESS,
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AND HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS FORTY DAYS, BEING TEMPTED BY SATAN. HE WAS WITH THE WILD ANIMALS, AND ANGELS ATTENDED HIM.
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AFTER JOHN WAS PUT IN PRISON, JESUS WENT INTO GALILEE, PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD.
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THE TIME HAS COME,' HE SAID. 'THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS COME NEAR. REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS!'
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AS JESUS WALKED BESIDE THE SEA OF GALILEE, HE SAW SIMON AND HIS BROTHER ANDREW CASTING A NET INTO THE LAKE, FOR THEY WERE FISHERMEN.
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COME, FOLLOW ME,' JESUS SAID, 'AND I WILL SEND YOU OUT TO FISH FOR PEOPLE.'
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AT ONCE THEY LEFT THEIR NETS AND FOLLOWED HIM.
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WHEN HE HAD GONE A LITTLE FARTHER, HE SAW JAMES SON OF ZEBEDEE AND HIS BROTHER JOHN IN A BOAT, PREPARING THEIR NETS.
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WITHOUT DELAY HE CALLED THEM, AND THEY LEFT THEIR FATHER ZEBEDEE IN THE BOAT WITH THE HIRED MEN AND FOLLOWED HIM.
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THEY WENT TO CAPERNAUM, AND WHEN THE SABBATH CAME, JESUS WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE AND BEGAN TO TEACH.
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THE PEOPLE WERE AMAZED AT HIS TEACHING, BECAUSE HE TAUGHT THEM AS ONE WHO HAD AUTHORITY, NOT AS THE TEACHERS OF THE LAW.
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JUST THEN A MAN IN THEIR SYNAGOGUE WHO WAS POSSESSED BY AN IMPURE SPIRIT CRIED OUT,
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WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US, JESUS OF NAZARETH? HAVE YOU COME TO DESTROY US? I KNOW WHO YOU ARE--THE HOLY ONE OF GOD!'
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BE QUIET!' SAID JESUS STERNLY. 'COME OUT OF HIM!'
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THE IMPURE SPIRIT SHOOK THE MAN VIOLENTLY AND CAME OUT OF HIM WITH A SHRIEK.
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THE PEOPLE WERE ALL SO AMAZED THAT THEY ASKED EACH OTHER, 'WHAT IS THIS? A NEW TEACHING--AND WITH AUTHORITY! HE EVEN GIVES ORDERS TO IMPURE SPIRITS AND THEY OBEY HIM.'
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NEWS ABOUT HIM SPREAD QUICKLY OVER THE WHOLE REGION OF GALILEE.
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AS SOON AS THEY LEFT THE SYNAGOGUE, THEY WENT WITH JAMES AND JOHN TO THE HOME OF SIMON AND ANDREW.
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SIMON'S MOTHER-IN-LAW WAS IN BED WITH A FEVER, AND THEY IMMEDIATELY TOLD JESUS ABOUT HER.
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SO HE WENT TO HER, TOOK HER HAND AND HELPED HER UP. THE FEVER LEFT HER AND SHE BEGAN TO WAIT ON THEM.
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THAT EVENING AFTER SUNSET THE PEOPLE BROUGHT TO JESUS ALL THE SICK AND DEMON-POSSESSED.
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THE WHOLE TOWN GATHERED AT THE DOOR,
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AND JESUS HEALED MANY WHO HAD VARIOUS DISEASES. HE ALSO DROVE OUT MANY DEMONS, BUT HE WOULD NOT LET THE DEMONS SPEAK BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHO HE WAS.
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VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING, WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK, JESUS GOT UP, LEFT THE HOUSE AND WENT OFF TO A SOLITARY PLACE, WHERE HE PRAYED.
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SIMON AND HIS COMPANIONS WENT TO LOOK FOR HIM,
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AND WHEN THEY FOUND HIM, THEY EXCLAIMED: 'EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR YOU!'
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JESUS REPLIED, 'LET US GO SOMEWHERE ELSE--TO THE NEARBY VILLAGES--SO I CAN PREACH THERE ALSO. THAT IS WHY I HAVE COME.'
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SO HE TRAVELED THROUGHOUT GALILEE, PREACHING IN THEIR SYNAGOGUES AND DRIVING OUT DEMONS.
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A MAN WITH LEPROSY CAME TO HIM AND BEGGED HIM ON HIS KNEES, 'IF YOU ARE WILLING, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN.'
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JESUS WAS INDIGNANT. HE REACHED OUT HIS HAND AND TOUCHED THE MAN. 'I AM WILLING,' HE SAID. 'BE CLEAN!'
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IMMEDIATELY THE LEPROSY LEFT HIM AND HE WAS CLEANSED.
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JESUS SENT HIM AWAY AT ONCE WITH A STRONG WARNING:
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SEE THAT YOU DON'T TELL THIS TO ANYONE. BUT GO, SHOW YOURSELF TO THE PRIEST AND OFFER THE SACRIFICES THAT MOSES COMMANDED FOR YOUR CLEANSING, AS A TESTIMONY TO THEM.'
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Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.