Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

   1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.

   2 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

   3 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

  4  Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,

  5 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

  6 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

                  

   7  When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 

  8  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

   9 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

 10 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

                                     Praise The Lord

              The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

     1 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

   2 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 

    3 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”

    4 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

   5 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

   6 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

    7  Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

                      

     8 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

   9  Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.

 10  I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”



                                    Praise The Lord

                The Savior of the World

     1 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

        2  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

        3 And many more believed because of His own word.

                     


     4  Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”



                                  Praise The Lord

                The Conversion of Saul

    1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

  2 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

  3 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

  4 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.  Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 

  5 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

                   

   6 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 

  7 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 

  8  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

  9 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

  10 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

11  and taking food, he was strengthened.


                                   Praise The Lord