Matthew 9
9
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
1Jesus got into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed. The man was lying on his mat. Jesus saw that these people had great faith, so he said to the paralyzed man, “Be happy, young man. Your sins are forgiven.”
3Some of the teachers of the law heard this. They said to themselves, “This man speaks as if he were God—that is blasphemy!”# Saying things against God.
4Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why are you thinking evil thoughts? 5Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up. Take your mat and go home.” 7And the man stood up and went home. 8The people saw this and were amazed. They praised God for giving power like this to men.
Jesus Chooses Matthew
9When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew. Matthew was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew stood up and followed Jesus.
10Jesus had dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with Jesus and his followers. 11The Pharisees saw this and asked Jesus’ followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
12Jesus heard the Pharisees ask this. So he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. Only the sick need a doctor. 13Go and learn what this means: ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’# Quotation from Hosea 6:6. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
Jesus Is Not Like Other Jews
14Then the followers of John# John the Baptist, who preached to people about Christ’s coming (Matthew 3; Luke 3). came to Jesus. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees often give up eating.# This is called “fasting.” The people would give up eating for a special time of prayer and worship to God. It was also done to show sadness. But your followers don’t. Why?”
15Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then his friends are sad, and they will give up eating.
16“When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. 17Also, people never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the old bags will break. The wine will spill, and the wine bags will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into new wine bags. Then the wine and the wine bags will continue to be good.”
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18While Jesus was saying these things, a ruler of the synagogue came to him. The ruler bowed down before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and touch her with your hand, and she will live again.”
19So Jesus stood up and went with the ruler. Jesus’ followers went too.
20Then a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat. 21She was thinking, “If I can touch his coat, then I will be healed.”
22Jesus turned and saw the woman. He said, “Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed.” And the woman was healed at once.
23Jesus continued along with the ruler and went into the ruler’s house. Jesus saw people there who play music for funerals. And he saw many people there crying. 24Jesus said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only asleep.” But the people laughed at Jesus. 25After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He took her hand, and she stood up. 26The news about this spread all around the area.
Jesus Heals More People
27When Jesus was leaving there, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “Show kindness to us, Son of David!”
28Jesus went inside, and the blind men went with him. He asked the men, “Do you believe that I can make you see again?”
They answered, “Yes, Lord.”
29Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You believe that I can make you see again. So this will happen.” 30Then the men were able to see. But Jesus warned them very strongly, saying, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31But the blind men left and spread the news about Jesus all around that area.
32When the two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not talk because he had a demon in him. 33Jesus forced the demon to leave the man. Then the man who couldn’t talk was able to speak. The crowd was amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel.”
34But the Pharisees said, “The leader of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons out.”
35Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues and told people the Good News about the kingdom. And he healed all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. 36He saw the crowds of people and felt sorry for them because they were worried and helpless. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37Jesus said to his followers, “There are many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers to help harvest them. 38God owns the harvest. Pray to him that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest.”# As a farmer sends workers to harvest the grain, Jesus sends his followers to bring people to God.
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Matthew 9: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Matthew 9
9
1 And climbing into a boat, he crossed the sea, and he arrived at his own city.
2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Be strengthened in faith, son; your sins are forgiven you."
3 And behold, some of the scribes said within themselves, "He is blaspheming."
4 And when Jesus had perceived their thoughts, he said: "Why do you think such evil in your hearts?
5 Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk?'
6 But, so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he then said to the paralytic, "Rise up, take up your bed, and go into your house."
7 And he arose and went into his house.
8 Then the crowd, seeing this, was frightened, and they glorified God, who gave such power to men.
9 And when Jesus passed on from there, he saw, sitting at the tax office, a man named Matthew. And he said to him, "Follow me." And rising up, he followed him.
10 And it happened that, as he was sitting down to eat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners arrived, and they sat down to eat with Jesus and his disciples.
11 And the Pharisees, seeing this, said to his disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12 But Jesus, hearing this, said: "It is not those who are healthy who are in need of a physician, but those who have maladies.
13 So then, go out and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the just, but sinners."
14 Then the disciples of John drew near to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast frequently, but your disciples do not fast?"
15 And Jesus said to them: "How can the sons of the groom mourn, while the groom is still with them? But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them. And then they shall fast.
16 For no one would sew a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. For it pulls its fullness away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.
17 Neither do they pour new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wineskins rupture, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are destroyed. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins. And so, both are preserved."
18 As he was speaking these things to them, behold, a certain ruler approached and adored him, saying: "Lord, my daughter has recently passed away. But come and impose your hand upon her, and she will live."
19 And Jesus, rising up, followed him, with his disciples.
20 And behold, a woman, who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years, approached from behind and touched the hem of his garment.
21 For she said within herself, "If I will touch even his garment, I shall be saved."
22 But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said: "Be strengthened in faith, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
23 And when Jesus had arrived in the house of the ruler, and he had seen the musicians and the tumultuous crowd,
24 he said, "Depart. For the girl is not dead, but asleep." And they derided him.
25 And when the crowd had been sent away, he entered. And he took her by the hand. And the girl rose up.
26 And the news of this went out to that entire land.
27 And as Jesus passed from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, "Take pity on us, Son of David."
28 And when he had arrived at the house, the blind men approached him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you trust that I am able to do this for you?" They say to him, "Certainly, Lord."
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith, so let it be done for you."
30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus warned them, saying, "See to it that no one knows of this."
31 But going out, they spread the news of it to all that land.
32 Then, when they had departed, behold, they brought him a man who was mute, having a demon.
33 And after the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds wondered, saying, "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel."
34 But the Pharisees said, "By the prince of demons does he cast out demons."
35 And Jesus traveled throughout all of the cities and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every illness and every infirmity.
36 Then, seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them, because they were distressed and were reclining, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples: "The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few.
38 Therefore, petition the Lord of the harvest, so that he may sent out laborers to his harvest."
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