Matthew 8 — AAB

The Leper’s Prayer

8Verse 1When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.^{Verse 2}Suddenly a leper⁺came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”^{Verse 3}Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.^{Verse 4}Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”⁺

The Faith of the Centurion

^{Verse 5}When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him,^{Verse 6}“Lord, my servant⁺lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.”^{Verse 7}“I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.^{Verse 8}The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.^{Verse 9}For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”^{Verse 10}When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.^{Verse 11}I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.^{Verse 12}But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”^{Verse 13}Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Jesus Heals at Peter’s House

^{Verse 14}When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.^{Verse 15}So He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.^{Verse 16}When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.^{Verse 17}This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmitiesand carried our diseases.”⁺

The Cost of Discipleship

^{Verse 18}When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.^{+Verse 19}And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”^{Verse 20}Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”^{Verse 21}Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”^{Verse 22}But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

^{Verse 23}When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.^{Verse 24}Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.^{Verse 25}The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”^{Verse 26}“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.^{Verse 27}The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

The Demons and the Pigs

^{Verse 28}When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,⁺He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.^{Verse 29}“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”^{Verse 30}In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding.^{Verse 31}So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”^{Verse 32}“Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.^{Verse 33}Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men.^{Verse 34}Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.