Historical
Jesus Heals a Man Who Had a Skin Disease
8 Jesus came down from the mountainside. Large crowds followed him. 2 A man who had a skin disease came and got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, if you are willing to make me ‘clean,’ you can do it.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing to do it,” he said. “Be ‘clean’!” Right away the man was healed of his skin disease. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone. Go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded. It will be a witness to everyone.”
A Roman Commander Has Faith
5 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman commander came to him. He asked Jesus for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home and can’t move. He is suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The commander replied, “Lord, I am not good enough to have you come into my house. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 I myself am a man under authority. And I have soldiers who obey my 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.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those following him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. In Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west. They will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of heaven. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 12 But those who think they belong in the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness. There they will weep and grind their teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the Roman commander, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Jesus Heals Many People
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law. She was lying in bed. She had a fever. 15 Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and began to serve him.
16 When evening came, many people controlled by demons were brought to Jesus. He drove out the spirits with a word. He healed all who were sick. 17 This happened so that what Isaiah the prophet had said would come true. He had said,
“He suffered the things we should have suffered.
He took on himself the sicknesses that should have been ours.” (Isaiah 53:4)
The Cost of Following Jesus
18 Jesus saw the crowd around him. So he gave his disciples orders to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him. He said, “Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another follower said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me. Let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms the Storm
23 Jesus got into a boat. His disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a terrible storm came up on the lake. The waves crashed over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up. They said, “Lord! Save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “Your faith is so small! Why are you so afraid?” Then Jesus got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop. It became completely calm.
27 The 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
28 Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the area of the Gadarenes. Two men controlled by demons met him. They came from the tombs. The men were so wild that no one could pass that way. 29 “Son of God, what do you want with us?” they shouted. “Have you come here to punish us before the time for us to be judged?”
30 Not very far away, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons came out of the men and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank. They ran into the lake and drowned in the water. 33 Those who were tending the pigs ran off. They went into the town and reported all this. They told the people what had happened to the men who had been controlled by demons. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their area.
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Man Who Could Not Walk
9 Jesus stepped into a boat. He went over to the other side of the lake and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a man who could not walk. He was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that they had faith. So he said to the man, “Don’t lose hope, son. Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Then some teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is saying a very evil thing!”
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’? Or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he spoke to the man who could not walk. “Get up,” he said. “Take your mat and go home.” 7 The man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with wonder. They praised God for giving that kind of authority to a human being.
Jesus Chooses Matthew and Eats With Sinners
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 Jesus heard this. So he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Sick people do. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ (Hosea 6:6) I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me.”
Jesus Is Asked About Fasting
14 One day John’s disciples came. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees often go without eating. Why don’t your disciples go without eating?”
15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
16 “People don’t sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. The new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse. 17 People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst. The wine will run out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. No, people pour new wine into new wineskins. Then both are saved.”
Jesus Heals a Dead Girl and a Suffering Woman
18 While Jesus was saying this, a synagogue leader came. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, “My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him. So did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman came up behind Jesus. She had a sickness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years. She touched the edge of his clothes. 21 She thought, “I only need to touch his clothes. Then I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Dear woman, don’t give up hope,” he said. “Your faith has healed you.” The woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house, he saw the noisy crowd and people playing flutes. 24 He said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is sleeping.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been sent outside, Jesus went in. He took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News about what Jesus had done spread all over that area.
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They called out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When Jesus went indoors, the blind men came to him. He asked them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes. He said, “It will happen to you just as you believed.” 30 They could now see again. Jesus strongly warned them, “Be sure that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news. They talked about him all over that area.
32 While they were going out, another man was brought to Jesus. A demon controlled him, and he could not speak. 33 When the demon was driven out, the man spoke. The crowd was amazed. They said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the power of the prince of demons.”
There Are Only a Few Workers
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were treated badly and were helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers. 38 So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field.”
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