The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw a large crowd[a](A) around him, he gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. 19 A scribe approached him and said,(B) “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man(C) has no place to lay his head.”

21 “Lord,” another of his disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Wind and Waves Obey Jesus

23 As he got into the boat,(D) his disciples(E) followed him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping. 25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”

26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea,(F) and there was a great calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey(G) him!”

Demons Driven Out by Jesus

28 When he had come to the other side,(H) to the region of the Gadarenes,[b] two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us,[c] Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (I)

30 A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 “If you drive us out,” the demons begged him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 “Go!” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.(J)

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.(K) Just then(L) some men[d] brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”(M)

At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming!” (N)

Perceiving their thoughts,(O) Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[e] For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then he told the paralytic, “Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.” So he got up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck[f][g] and gave glory(P) to God, who had given such authority to men.

The Call of Matthew

As Jesus went on from there,(Q) he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.(R)

10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.(S) 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (T)

12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.(U) 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.[h](V) For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”[i]

A Question about Fasting

14 Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” (W)

15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests[j] be sad while the groom is with them? The time[k] will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. 17 And no one puts[l] new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed

18 As he was telling them these things,(X) suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter just died,[m] but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”(Y) 19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and followed(Z) him.

20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe,(AA) 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I’ll be made well.”[n](AB)

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” he said. “Your faith has saved you.”[o](AC) And the woman was made well from that moment.[p]

23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.(AD) 24 “Leave,” he said, “because the girl is not dead but asleep.”(AE) And they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.(AF) 26 Then news of this spread throughout that whole area.(AG)

Healing the Blind

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (AH)

28 When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe(AI) that I can do this?”

They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out.”(AJ) 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area.

Driving Out a Demon

32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him.(AK) 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”(AL)

The Lord of the Harvest

35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,(AM) and healing every[q] disease and every sickness.[r][s] 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected,(AN) like sheep without a shepherd.(AO) 37 Then he said to his disciples,(AP) “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Footnotes

  1. 8:18 Other mss read saw large crowds
  2. 8:28 Other mss read Gergesenes
  3. 8:29 Other mss add Jesus
  4. 9:2 Lit then they
  5. 9:4 Or minds
  6. 9:8 Other mss read amazed
  7. 9:8 Lit afraid
  8. 9:13 Hs 6:6
  9. 9:13 Other mss add to repentance
  10. 9:15 Lit the sons of the bridal chamber
  11. 9:15 Lit days
  12. 9:17 Lit And they do not put
  13. 9:18 Lit daughter has now come to the end
  14. 9:21 Or be saved
  15. 9:22 Or has made you well
  16. 9:22 Lit hour
  17. 9:35 Or every kind of
  18. 9:35 Other mss add among the people
  19. 9:35 Or physical ailment

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