Matthew 8
8
Jesus Heals a Man With a Skin Disease
1Jesus came down from the mountainside, and large crowds followed him. 2A man who had a skin disease came and knelt down in front of Jesus. “Lord,” he said, “if you’re willing, you can make me clean.”
3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I’m willing,” he said, “be clean!” Right away the man was healed of his skin disease. 4Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a witness to everyone.”
A Roman Commander Has Faith
5When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman commander came and asked him for help. 6“Lord,” he said, “my servant can’t get out of bed. He isn’t able to move, and he’s suffering terribly.”
7Jesus asked, “Do you want me to come and heal him?”
8The commander replied, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have you come into my house. Just give the command, and my servant will be healed. 9I know that orders from people in authority have to be obeyed. I have soldiers who obey my own orders. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to the people following him, “Truly I tell you, I haven’t met anyone in Israel whose faith is this great. 11I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where they will weep and grind their teeth.”
13Then Jesus said to the Roman commander, “Go! It will be done for you just as you have believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Jesus Heals Many People
14When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he found Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.
16When evening came, many people controlled by demons were brought to Jesus. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17This happened to make the words of Isaiah the prophet come true. He had said,
“He took away our weakness
and carried off our sickness.”
The Cost of Following Jesus
18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he told his disciples to get ready to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms a Storm
23Then Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him. As they were sailing across the lake, 24suddenly a terrible storm began. The wind was so strong that waves came crashing over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him up. They cried out, “Lord! Save us! We’re going to drown!”
26He replied, “You have such little faith! Why are you so afraid?” Then Jesus got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and it became completely calm.
27The disciples were amazed. They asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Men Controlled by Demons
28They went across the Sea of Galilee to the area of the Gadarenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, two men controlled by demons came out of the tombs to meet him. These men were so dangerous that no one could go near them. 29“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “It’s not time for us to be punished yet!”
30Off in the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
32Jesus told them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned in the water. 33Those who were tending the pigs ran into town and reported everything, including what had happened to the men who’d been controlled by the demons. 34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave.
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Matthew 8
8
Jesus heals a man
(Mark 1.40-45; Luke 5.12-16)
1As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. 2Suddenly a man with leprosy#8.2 leprosy: In biblical times the word “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases. came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”
3Jesus put his hand on the man and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” At once the man's leprosy disappeared. 4Jesus told him, “Don't tell anyone about this, but go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple just as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed.”#8.4 everyone will know that you have been healed: People with leprosy had to be examined by a priest and told that they were well (that is “clean”) before they could once again live a normal life in the Jewish community. The gift that Moses commanded was the sacrifice of some lambs together with flour mixed with olive oil.#Lv 14.1-32.
Jesus heals an army officer's servant
(Luke 7.1-10; John 4.43-54)
5When Jesus was going into the town of Capernaum, an army officer came up to him and said, 6“Lord, my servant is at home in such terrible pain that he can't even move.”
7“I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.
8But the officer said, “Lord, I'm not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. 9I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.”
10When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you that in all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith! 11Many people will come from everywhere to enjoy the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.#Lk 13.29. 12But the ones who should have been in the kingdom will be thrown out into the dark. They will cry and grit their teeth in pain.”#Mt 22.13; 25.30; Lk 13.28.
13Then Jesus said to the officer, “You may go home now. Your faith has made it happen.”
At once his servant was healed.
Jesus heals many people
(Mark 1.29-34; Luke 4.38-41)
14Jesus went to the home of Peter, where he found that Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. 15He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served Jesus a meal.
16That evening many people with demons in them were brought to Jesus. And with only a word he forced out the evil spirits and healed everyone who was sick. 17So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,#Is 53.4.
“He healed our diseases
and made us well.”
Some who wanted to go with Jesus
(Luke 9.57-62)
18When Jesus saw the crowd,#8.18 saw the crowd: Some manuscripts have “large crowd”. Others have “large crowds”. he went across Lake Galilee. 19A teacher of the Law of Moses came up to him and said, “Teacher, I'll go anywhere with you!”
20Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own.”
21Another disciple said to Jesus, “Lord, let me wait till I bury my father.”
22Jesus answered, “Come with me, and let the dead bury their dead.”#8.22 let the dead bury their dead: For the Jewish people a proper burial of their dead was a very important duty. But Jesus teaches that following him is even more important.
A storm
(Mark 4.35-41; Luke 8.22-25)
23After Jesus left in a boat with his disciples, 24a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake, and waves started splashing into their boat.
Jesus was sound asleep, 25so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said, “Lord, save us! We're going to drown!”
26But Jesus replied, “Why are you so afraid? You don't have much faith.” Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm.
27The men in the boat were amazed and said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him.”
Two men with demons in them
(Mark 5.1-20; Luke 8.26-39)
28After Jesus had crossed the lake, he came to shore near the town of Gadara#8.28 Gadara: Some manuscripts have “Gergesa”. Others have “Gerasa”. and started down the road. Two men with demons in them came to him from the tombs.#8.28 tombs: It was thought that demons and evil spirits lived in tombs and in caves that were used for burying the dead. They were so fierce that no one could travel that way. 29Suddenly they shouted, “Jesus, Son of God, what do you want with us? Have you come to punish us before our time?”
30Not far from there a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31So the demons begged Jesus, “If you force us out, please send us into those pigs!” 32Jesus told them to go, and they went out of the men and into the pigs. All at once the pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
33The people taking care of the pigs ran to the town and told everything, especially what had happened to the two men. 34Everyone in town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their part of the country.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012