Beginning
Authority to Pardon Sins
9 After getting into a boat, Yeshua crossed over and came to His own town. 2 Just then, some people brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a cot. And seeing their faith, Yeshua said to the paralyzed man, “Take courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Then some of the Torah scholars said among themselves, “This fellow blasphemes!”
4 And knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said, “Why are you entertaining evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins...” Then He tells the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your cot and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw it, they were afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
A Physician for Sinners
9 As Yeshua was passing by from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he got up and followed Him.
10 Now it happened that when Yeshua was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Yeshua and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why does this Teacher of yours eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when He heard this, Yeshua said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick do. 13 Now go and learn what this means: ‘Mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.’[a] For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but the sinful.”
Teaching New Ways
14 Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”[b]
15 And Yeshua said to them, “The guests of the bridegroom cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 “And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment and a worse tear happens. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, and the wine spills out and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Compassion in the Shepherd’s Touch
18 Just as He was saying these things to them, a synagogue leader came and began to bow before Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 And Yeshua got up and began to follow him, with His disciples.
20 Just then a woman, losing blood for twelve years,[c] came from behind and touched the tzitzit of His garment. 21 For she kept saying to herself, “If only I touch His garment, I will be healed.”
22 But then Yeshua turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” He said, “your faith has made you well.” That very hour the woman was healed.
23 When Yeshua came into the synagogue leader’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said, “Go away, for the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they began jeering at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been cleared out, He went in and took her hand, and the girl got up. 26 And news of this spread all around that region.
27 As Yeshua went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Ben-David, have mercy on us!”
28 When He went into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Master,” they said to Him.
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith, let it be done for you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Yeshua warned them sternly, “See that no one knows.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him all around that region.
32 As they were going out, a mute man plagued by a demon was brought to Him. 33 After the demon was driven out, the mute man started speaking. The crowds were astounded, saying, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “By the prince of demons He drives out demons.”
35 Now Yeshua was going around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [d] 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send out workers into His harvest field.”
Instructions to the Twelve
10 Yeshua summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, so they could drive them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 Now these are the names of the twelve emissaries: first, Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; Jacob the son of Zebedee and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; Jacob, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot,[e] and Judah the man from Kriot,[f] the one who also betrayed Him.
5 Yeshua sent out these twelve and ordered them, “Do not go to the Gentiles, and do not enter into any Samaritan town. 6 But go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near!’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with tzara’at, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 Do not get gold or silver or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for the journey, or two shirts,[g] or sandals, or a walking stick; for the worker is entitled to his food.
11 “Whatever town or village you shall enter, find out who in it is worthy and stay there until you leave. 12 As you come into the house, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your shalom come upon it. But if it’s not worthy, let your shalom return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, as you leave that house or that town, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Amen, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah[h] on the Day of Judgment than for that town.
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog[i] you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you should say, for it shall be given to you in that hour what you should say. 20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end shall be saved. 23 Whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next. Amen, I tell you, you will never finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
26 “So do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in your ear, proclaim from the housetops! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.[j]
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[k] Yet not one of them shall fall to the ground apart from your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring shalom on the earth; I did not come to bring shalom, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set
‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, and
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.’[l]
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me isn’t worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me isn’t worthy of Me. 38 And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me isn’t worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a tzaddik in the name of a tzaddik shall receive a tzaddik’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, amen I tell you, he shall never lose his reward.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.