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Matthew 8

Chapter 8

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy

1 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside.

2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.t This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

The Faith of a Roman Officer

5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officert came and pleaded with him,

6 “Lord, my young servantt lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.

9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.

12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Jesus Heals Many People

14 When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever.

15 But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.
16 That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.

17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,
“He took our sicknesses
and removed our diseases.”t

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.

19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Mant has no place even to lay his head.”

21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.t

Jesus Calms the Storm

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men

28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes,t two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so violent that no one could go through that area.

29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”
30 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance.

31 So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”

32 “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.
33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men.

34 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

MATTHEW 8

Jesus Heals a Man

(Mark 1.40-45; Luke 5.12-16)

1 As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds.

2 Suddenly a man with leprosyt came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”
3 Jesus put his hand on the man and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” At once the man's leprosy disappeared.

4 t Jesus 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.”t

Jesus Heals //an Army Officer's Servant

(Luke 7.1-10; John 4.43-54)


5 When 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.
8 But 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.

9 t I 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.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you in all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith! 11 t Many people will come from everywhere to enjoy the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

12 t But 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.”

13 Then Jesus said to the officer, “You may go home now. Your faith has made it happen.”
Right then his servant was healed.

Jesus Heals Many People

(Mark 1.29-34; Luke 4.38-41)


14 Jesus went to the home of Peter, where he found that Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever.

15 He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served Jesus a meal.
16 That 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.

17 t So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
“He healed our diseases
and made us well.”

Some Who Wanted To Go //with Jesus

(Luke 9.57-62)


18 When Jesus saw the crowd, t he went across Lake Galilee.

19 A teacher of the Law of Moses came up to him and said, “Teacher, I'll go anywhere with you!”

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own.”

21  t Another disciple said to Jesus, “Lord, let me wait till I bury my father.”

22 Jesus answered, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”t

A Storm

(Mark 4.35-41; Luke 8.22-25)


23 After Jesus left in a boat with his disciples,

24 a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake, and waves started splashing into their boat.
Jesus was sound asleep,

25 so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said, “Lord, wake up! Save us before we drown!”

26 But Jesus replied, “Why are you so afraid? You surely don't have much faith.” Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm.

27 The 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)


28 After Jesus had crossed the lake, he came to shore near the town of Gadarat and started down the road. Two men with demons in them came to him from the tombs.t They were so fierce that no one could travel that way.

29 Suddenly they shouted, “Jesus, Son of God, what do you want with us? Have you come to punish us before our time?”
30 Not far from there a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 So the demons begged Jesus, “If you force us out, please send us into those pigs!”

32 Jesus 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.
33 The people taking care of the pigs ran to the town and told everything, especially what had happened to the two men. 34 Everyone in town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their part of the country.

About the New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale house Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.