Mark 6

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 6

Jesus in Nazareth

Verses 1-6

Everywhere that Jesus went, the crowds came. They wanted to see the things that he did. They wanted to hear the things that he taught. Ill people wanted to become well again. People with bad *spirits needed Jesus’ help. Everyone thought that Jesus was important.

But this did not happen in Nazareth. Jesus’ family lived there. And Jesus had been a worker in that town. So those people did not think that Jesus was important. They did not believe that he had God’s message. Instead, they sent Jesus away.

Jesus sends the *disciples

Verses 7-13

Jesus had taught the *disciples for several months. Then he asked them to go to some towns that he had not visited. He wanted them to teach God’s message there too.

Jesus gave them authority to do this work. They too would make ill people well again. They too would cause bad *spirits to leave people.

Jesus asked them not to take money or food. Then they would know that God was with them. He would give them the things that they needed each day. Some people wanted to hear God’s message. Those people would ask the *disciples to stay. And those people would make meals for the *disciples.

But sometimes the *disciples would go to a town like Nazareth. The people in Nazareth had sent Jesus away. And the people in other towns may send the *disciples away. They should leave those towns. But first, the *disciples should tell the people that they (the people) have done something wrong. They have refused God’s message. So the *disciples must clean the dirt from their feet. This would show the people that God would be their *judge. They were doing something dangerous if they refused to obey his message.

John the *Baptist dies

Verses 14-29

Jesus had done some very powerful things. So people wanted to know who he really was. Even the king wanted to know who Jesus was.

The people had many different ideas. The *Jews did not believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the idea that a person can be born many times. But the *Jews did believe that God can make dead people alive again. And many *Jews thought that this had already happened to Jesus.

King Herod was very afraid. He thought that God had made John the *Baptist alive again. And so Herod believed that God was very angry with him. This was because Herod had caused John’s death.

This Herod was a son of the king who tried to kill the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:16). Like his father, this Herod was a cruel king.

Herod had taken another man’s wife. John said that this was against God’s *law. So Herod put John into a prison. But Herod did not want to hurt John.

Herod’s wife was called Herodias. She was angry with John, and she wanted to kill him. But Herod would not let her.

Herodias waited until Herod’s birthday. Herod had drunk much alcohol. And he wanted his visitors to think that he was a great king. But Herod was a fool. He made a promise to Herodias’s daughter. He should have never made that promise.

The daughter seems even worse than her mother was. She told Herod that she wanted John’s death. Herod should have refused. But he had made a promise. And his visitors had heard it. Herod did not want them to think that he was a fool. So he did the thing that Herodias’s daughter wanted. He sent a soldier to kill John.

Food for 5000 men

Verses 30-44

Jesus had sent the *disciples to some towns and villages. The *disciples went. They told God’s message to the people there. Then the *disciples returned to Jesus again.

Perhaps they returned because people had told them about John’s death. John was a great servant of God. John had taught many of Jesus’ *disciples about God. So the *disciples would be very sad. They needed to be with Jesus. And they needed to rest.

But the *disciples were not able to rest. Jesus was very busy. There were many visitors. Many people wanted to speak to Jesus. There was no time even to eat. The *disciples could not rest there.

Jesus said that they should all go into the *countryside. They should find somewhere away from the crowds. There, it would be quiet. And the *disciples, with Jesus, would be able to rest.

So the *disciples left the town in a boat. Jesus was with them. But the crowds saw them. And they walked along the coast. They too wanted to be with Jesus. They too needed his help. So they went round the lake to find Jesus.

So they found Jesus. And he did not send them away. An old song says, ‘There is no love like the love of Jesus.’ Jesus wanted to help all these people. So he taught them. He stayed with them for the whole day.

Because the people left so quickly, they had no food with them. But God gave them food. He gave even more food than the people needed. Sometimes God does something that people cannot do. We call special events like these: ‘miracles’. God does these things because he is kind and good. And he does these things because he wants to help people.

This should not surprise us. God gives food to everything that is alive. Without his gifts, nobody and nothing would be alive. We should all accept the gifts that God gives. He is always good and kind.

Jesus walks on water

Verses 45-52

It was evening, and Jesus wanted to pray. So he asked the crowd to go back to their homes. And he asked the *disciples to leave in the boat.

There was a bad storm during that night. The *disciples’ boat was still in the middle of the lake. Jesus was on the land. But he saw that the *disciples were in difficulties. The storm was too strong for them.

So Jesus came towards them. He walked across the water. He did not want to get into the boat. He only wanted to go near to his *disciples. If he was near, the *disciples would believe God.

But the *disciples saw him. They knew that no man can walk on water. So they were very afraid. They did not think that it was Jesus. Instead, they thought that a *spirit had appeared.

So Jesus spoke to them. Immediately, the storm stopped. And he got into the boat.

The *disciples had seen how God gave food to the crowd. And then they saw this event. They should have learnt that God is kind to his people. But the *disciples could not understand these events. And so they felt surprised and afraid.

Verses 53-56

Everywhere that Jesus went, he helped the people. He showed them that God is kind.

Jesus made all these sick people well again. He was always doing God’s work.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
spirit ~ the part of a person that is alive, but which we cannot see. There are also bad spirits and good spirits. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit.
holy ~ special for God.
disciple ~ a student of a great teacher. Usually, the disciple travelled with his teacher and he worked for his teacher.
judge ~ to say what is right or wrong, good or bad; A judge is a person with authority to say if another person is right or wrong.
Baptist ~ John was called John the Baptist because he baptised people.
baptise ~ to wash a person in a special way while people pray for that person. John baptised the people who came to him. The people were sorry for all the wrong things that they had done. And they wanted to obey God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
law ~ a country’s rules; the rules that God gave to Moses; one of these rules. The Jews had to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
countryside ~ a place that is not near the towns.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 6

The people in Nazareth refuse to accept Jesus 6:1-6

v1 Jesus went away from there and he came to his own home town called Nazareth. His *disciples went with him. v2 On God’s rest day, he began to teach in the *Jewish meeting place. Many people who heard him were astonished. They asked, ‘Where did this man get all of this from? What is this wisdom that he has received? What *miracles he does! v3 He is only the *carpenter. He is Mary’s son, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. His sisters live here among us.’ They were offended and they refused to believe him. v4 Jesus said to them, ‘A *prophet receives honour everywhere except in his own town, among his own relatives, or in his own home!’ v5 Jesus could not do any *miracles there. He was only able to lay his hands on a few sick people and cure them. v6 Jesus was astonished by their lack of *faith. Then Jesus went out from village to village and he was teaching the people.

Verse 1 Jesus went from Capernaum to his home town, Nazareth. He was not just on a private visit to his family. His *disciples were with him. So he went in order to teach.

Verses 2-3 The people in Nazareth recognised that he was wise. And they recognised that he could perform *miracles. But they could not believe that he came with God’s message. He was only the *carpenter. The word that we have translated ‘*carpenter’ is the *Greek word ‘tekton’. It means more than someone who worked with wood. A ‘tekton’ was a skilled man. A ‘tekton’ could build or repair anything. God, when he came to earth, became a real human person. He worked with his hands, as most people did. But Jesus had worked among them. So the people thought that he could not be anyone special.

The people in Nazareth also knew Jesus’ family. They called Jesus ‘Mary’s son’. They do not refer to Joseph, so he had probably already died. There is a note about Jesus’ brothers and sisters after Mark 3:31. James began to believe in Jesus after the *resurrection. He became a leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.

The people may have been jealous of Jesus. They also thought that God could not work in a special way by means of someone like him. That was because they knew him.

Verse 4 People did not respect *prophets who lived among them. Jesus reminded them about that. Even now, it may be difficult to accept as important someone who is familiar.

Verse 5 Jesus could not do any *miracles there. This does not mean that he had no power. But not even Jesus could help people who were not willing to trust and obey him.

Verse 6 The people refused to believe that Jesus came from God. Jesus was astonished about that. Jesus was inviting them to enter his *kingdom. Their prejudice prevented them from accepting his invitation.

Jesus sends out the 12 *disciples 6:7-13

v7 Jesus called the 12 men to him. He began to send them out in pairs. He gave them authority over evil *spirits. v8 He ordered them to take nothing for the journey except a stick to help them walk. They must not take any food, a traveller’s bag or any money in their belts. v9 He told them to wear shoes but not to take an extra shirt. v10 He said, ‘When you enter a house, stay there. Stay there until you leave the place. v11 Some places may not give you a welcome or listen to you. Then, when you leave, shake the dust from your feet. That will be evidence against them.’ v12 So they went out. And they *preached that people should *repent. v13 They threw out many evil *spirits. They put oil on many sick people’s bodies and cured them.

Verse 7 ‘Began to’ means that Jesus sent out the 12 *disciples on more than one occasion. Because they went in pairs, the *disciples could encourage each other Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). They could help each other, especially when people would not listen to them.

Verse 8 They had to trust God for all that they needed. The traveller’s bag might be a bag in which to take food for a few days. It might mean a bag to collect money in. The *disciples were going to give people good news. They should not ask for people’s money. They should not take any money with them. People made a pocket by pulling up their clothing over their belt. And they kept their money in that.

Verse 10 It was a duty for people to invite strangers into their homes. So the *disciples would receive a place to stay. But they must not waste time by moving from house to house. They must give all their attention to the people in the place where they were guests. They must not move to a place where there might be better food or more comfort.

Verse 11 They must not waste their time on people who would not give them a welcome. *Jews who returned from a *Gentile town or country would shake the dust from their feet. This was a custom to show that they separated themselves from *Gentile ideas. The *disciples must do this. They were separating themselves from anyone who refused to believe God’s message. The *disciples were responsible to give people the opportunity to believe the good news. It was not their fault if anyone refused to believe their message.

Verse 12 The *disciples urged people to turn away from wrong behaviour and to come into God’s *kingdom.

Verse 13 They also helped people to become well in mind and body. They gave people freedom from fear when they sent evil *spirits out of them. People used oil to cure an injury. The *disciples put oil on sick people in order to cure them. James tells the leaders of a Christian church to pray for a sick person. He tells them to put oil on the person (James 5:13-14).

Herod and John the *Baptist 6:14-29

v14 King Herod heard about this, because Jesus’ name was now well-known. Some people were saying, ‘John the *Baptist has come back from death. That is why Jesus has the power to do *miracles.’ v15 But other people said, ‘It is Elijah.’ Other people said, ‘He is a *prophet. He is like one of the *prophets of a long time ago.’ v16 But when Herod heard about all this, he said, ‘I cut John’s head off. He has come back from death.’ v17 Herod had given orders to arrest John. He made his soldiers tie John up. And they put John in prison. Herod did this because he had married Herodias. She was the wife of his brother Philip. v18 And John had said, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ v19 Herodias was still angry with John and she wanted to kill him. But she could not succeed, v20 because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a holy man. And John did what was right. So Herod kept him safe. When Herod heard him, he was very confused. But he liked to listen to John.

v21 But the opportunity for Herodias came when Herod gave a big party on his birthday. He invited his officials, army leaders and the important men in Galilee. v22 Herodias’s daughter came in and she danced. She pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything that you would like. And I will give it to you.’ v23 And he made a very serious promise, ‘I will give you whatever you ask me for. I will give you up to half of my *kingdom!’ v24 She went out and she said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She answered, ‘The head of John the *Baptist.’ v25 At once the girl rushed back to ask the king. She said, ‘I want you to give me immediately the head of John the *Baptist on a plate.’ v26 The king was very sorry. But because of his serious promise in front of his guests, he did not like to refuse her. v27 So the king sent a palace guard with orders to bring John’s head. The soldier went to the prison and he cut off John’s head. v28 He brought John’s head back on a plate and he gave it to the girl. She gave it to her mother. v29 John’s *disciples heard what had happened. So they came and they took his body. They laid it in a special cave, called a tomb.

Verse 14 Herod was Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. He ruled Galilee and Perea. Although Mark calls him ‘king’, the *Romans would not let Herod use that word about himself.

Verse 15 People believed that Elijah would come to announce the arrival of the *Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Some people believed that Jesus was a *prophet. He spoke with authority. He was therefore like the *Old Testament *prophets.

Verse 16 Public opinion had confused Herod. He also had a guilty conscience. He had ordered the death of John. He worried that Jesus might be John, alive again. Later he had an opportunity to see Jesus. Pilate had to decide whether Jesus was guilty. He sent Jesus to Herod so that he could help him to decide (Luke 23:6-12).

Verses 17-19 Herod had first married the daughter of king Aretas, who ruled a country in Arabia (2 Corinthians 11:32). But he left her and he married Herodias. She was the wife of his half brother Philip. They were both sons of Herod the Great but they had different mothers. Salome was the daughter of Herodias. John had said that Herod was wrong to marry Herodias. She could not forgive John for that. She wanted Herod to kill John. She persuaded Herod to put John in prison at the castle of Machaerus near the Dead Sea.

Verse 20 Herod was afraid of John, but he respected him. He recognised that John was a good man. He hated John’s message, but he could not stop listening to John. He tried to protect him from the anger of Herodias.

Verses 21-22 Herodias encouraged Salome to dance alone in front of Herod and his guests. It is possible that he had drunk too much wine. He promised Salome anything that she asked for. He did not think about what she might ask.

Verse 23 He could not give Salome ‘half his *kingdom’, because he only ruled with the authority of the *Romans. But he made his promise sound very serious.

Verses 24-25 Herodias now had her opportunity to murder John. The girl asked for John’s head ‘immediately’. She wanted it at once. She did not want Herod to have time to change his mind.

Verse 26 Usually it is right to *keep a promise. But Herod’s promise had been a foolish one. So it would have been right not to do it. But he was afraid that his guests would laugh at him. So he was too proud to refuse. And so he made his soldiers kill John.

Jesus feeds five thousand men 6:30-44

v30 The *apostles returned to Jesus. They told him all that they had done. And they told him all that they had taught. v31 Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. Then you can have a rest.’ Many people were coming and going. That is why he said that. Jesus and the *disciples did not even have a chance to eat. v32 So they went away in the boat to a quiet place. v33 But many people saw them leave and they recognised them. They ran from all the towns and they arrived there before Jesus and the *disciples. v34 When Jesus came to the shore, he saw a great crowd. They were like sheep without anyone to look after them. So he felt a great pity for them. So he began to teach them many things. v35 When it was late in the day, his *disciples came to Jesus. They said, ‘This is a lonely place. It is already very late. v36 Send the people away so that they can buy something to eat in the country and the villages round here.’ v37 But Jesus answered his *disciples, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to Jesus, ‘Shall we go and spend six months’ pay on bread for them?’ v38 Jesus said, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five loaves and two fish’. v39 Then Jesus ordered them to make the people sit down on the green grass. v40 So they sat down in groups of 100 and groups of 50. v41 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and he gave thanks for them. He broke the loaves into pieces. And he gave them to the *disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. v42 Everyone ate until they had enough. v43 The *disciples collected 12 baskets full of the broken pieces of bread and fish that remained. v44 The number of men who had eaten was five thousand.

Verse 30 Mark calls the 12 men ‘*apostles’ for the first time here.

Verses 30-31 The *disciples were tired. And they wanted to tell Jesus all that had happened to them on their journey. But the crowds of people prevented them. They did not even have time for a meal. Jesus suggested that they should cross the lake by boat. They would then have some quiet and rest.

Verse 33 To cross the lake by boat might take a long time. It might take more time than to run round to the other side. So the people arrived before Jesus and the *disciples.

Verse 34 Sheep without anyone to look after them soon wander away from the right path. These people did not have a leader to stop them wandering away from God. They needed someone to teach them the right way to live. A man who looks after sheep is called a ‘shepherd’. The *religious leaders were like those leaders that Ezekiel described. They were like bad shepherds who did not take care of their sheep (Ezekiel 34:4-6). But Jesus is the good shepherd who cares about his sheep (John 10:11). So Jesus had great pity for the crowd. They had stopped his plan for a rest. But he was willing to teach them.

Verse 37 The *disciples were astonished that Jesus should ask them to provide food for the hungry crowd. Someone calculated that they would need more than two hundred days wages for that. Mark does not tell us who calculated that. John records that it was Philip (John 6:7).

Verse 38 It was Andrew who found the food. John also tells us that. A boy had five loaves and two fish (John 6:9). Jesus broke the fish (Luke 9:16). So we think that they may have been dried fish.

Verse 39 Jesus gave them a command. That command would make it easy for the *disciples to give out the food. The people had to sit in groups on the ‘green’ grass. The only time that the grass was green would be in the spring, in April. John said that this event happened near the time of the *Jewish *Passover. The *Passover *feast was in the spring (John 6:4-14).

Verse 40 The *Greek word that we have translated as ‘groups’ described rows of vegetables in a garden. Peter probably told Mark his memory of what the people looked like on the ‘green’ grass.

Verse 41 Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. *Jews always thanked God before a meal for providing the food.

Verses 42-43 The very small amount of food became enough for the crowd of over five thousand people to have plenty to eat. There were even 12 baskets of pieces left over. There was enough for each of the 12 *disciples to fill one basket each.

This event is in all four *Gospels. The writers believed that it was important.

Some people try to deny that Jesus created more food by a *miracle. They say that one boy offered his small supply. And then, all the people began to share their food. But everyone had plenty to eat and there were 12 baskets left over. Every year, God supplies the harvest. What happened here was the harvest *miracle in a short time. God’s provision of food is plentiful. But often some people are hungry because some other people are greedy.

The *Jews believed that the *Messiah would feed them with ‘bread from heaven’. In Moses’ time, God had fed the *Jewish people in the desert. Then, they were on their way to the country that he had promised to them (Exodus 16:14-18). Jesus had fed the crowd in a desert place. So, they believed that he was the *Messiah. He was bringing the ‘promised country’ of a *kingdom where they would share in the *Messiah’s splendid dinner. So they tried to make Jesus king (John 6:14-15).

At the Last Supper, Jesus ‘broke the bread’ as he had broken the loaves on this occasion (verse 41). The Christian Church has always remembered what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Different churches call it different names, for example: the *Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Holy Communion, the Breaking of Bread. It is called ‘the breaking of bread’ in Acts (2:42; 20:7) and in Paul’s letter (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:24). At such times, Christians remember that Christ himself is the ‘Bread’. He gives *spiritual life. He helps that *spiritual life to become stronger, as bread helps us to grow in a *physical way.

Jesus walks on the water 6:45-52

v45 Immediately, Jesus made his *disciples get into the boat. He made them go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he sent the crowd away. v46 When he had left his *disciples, he went up into the hills. He went into the hills in order to pray. v47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake. Jesus was alone on land. v48 It was very difficult for the *disciples to use their oars. Jesus saw that. This was because the wind was blowing against them. About the fourth period in the night, Jesus came to them. He was walking on the lake. He intended to pass by them. v49 But the *disciples saw Jesus as he was walking on the lake. And they thought that it was a *spirit. They cried out. v50 They were all very frightened when they saw him. But at once Jesus said to them, ‘Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.’ v51 He got into the boat with them. The wind stopped. They were completely astonished. v52 This was because they had not understood the *miracle of the loaves. They had not learned anything when Jesus fed the 5000 men. They could not understand who Jesus was.

Verse 45 Jesus saw that the crowd were preparing to make him king. He did not want his *disciples to share in a popular effort to lead the nation against the *Romans. So he sent them away.

Jesus needed to pray. He had many problems. The *religious leaders opposed him. Herod Antipas was a cruel man who was afraid of Jesus. Now there were the people who wanted to make him a national leader. Again Jesus had to refuse the *temptation to choose power rather than love. He did not want the crowds to stop him giving people freedom from *sin.

Verse 48 The *Jewish night had four periods. They began at six o’clock in the evening. They were three hours each. Jesus came in the fourth period, about three o’clock in the early morning. It was near the time of *Passover, when the whole of the moon would be shining. So there was probably some light from the moon on the lake. Jesus could therefore see that the *disciples were struggling against a strong wind to reach the other side.

Verse 50 The *Greek words that we have translated ‘It is I’ mean ‘I am’. It is possible that Mark used the name of God here (Exodus 3:14). He was reminding his readers that Jesus has the same power as God. God ‘walks on the waves of the sea’ (Job 9:8).

Verses 51-52 The *disciples were no longer afraid when Jesus came into the boat. But they were confused. They had not understood from the *miracle of the loaves who Jesus was. They were not able to recognise that his power over nature was the power of God.

This incident encourages Christians who are in any kind of trouble. They may believe, like the *disciples in the boat, that they are struggling alone. But Jesus came to the *disciples in their difficulty. Christians should remember that Jesus is with them. Then Jesus will give peace to them too.

The crowds want Jesus to help them 6:53-56

v53 They crossed over the lake and they landed at Gennesaret. They tied up the boat. v54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus. v55 They rushed round the whole of that area and they began to carry sick people to him on their mats. People were telling them where Jesus was. And they brought the sick people to that place. v56 Jesus went into villages, towns and the country. Wherever he went, people laid their sick friends in the market places. They kept asking Jesus to let them touch just the edge of his clothing. All the people who touched it became well again.

Verse 53 Gennesaret was a small plain on the west side of the lake. It was south of Capernaum. So the wind had probably made the *disciples land away from their usual landing place.

Verse 56 Jesus cured a sick woman (5:25-34). He knew that power had gone from him. She had touched the edge of his clothing. Here many other people did the same.

disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that someone does by God’s power.
carpenter ~ a worker in wood or large trees, for houses, boats and buildings.
prophet ~ a person who told people what God wanted.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
spirit ~ the part of a person who is alive that we cannot see. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
preach ~ to tell and explain the good news about Jesus to someone or to a group of people.
repent ~ to change; to stop doing wrong things and to start to obey God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people (like John the Baptist).

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person in water, or to put water on a person. It is to show that they want to follow Christ.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.

'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
apostle ~ one of the 12 special men that Jesus sent out.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Passover ~ the important day when Jews remember that God freed them. He freed them from being slaves in Egypt at the time of Moses.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
feast ~ a special meal; a religious ceremony.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.'spiritual, spiritually ~ about the part of us that never dies.
physical ~ about the body.
temptation ~ something that tries to make us do wrong things.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.