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Read Matthew Chapter 8

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1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

5And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

6And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

14And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

15And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

16When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

18Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

19And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

28And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

30And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.

31So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

32And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

33And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

34And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

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Explanation

Matthew 8

In short

Jesus comes down from a mountain followed by crowds, and performs a series of miraculous healings. He also teaches his followers about the cost of discipleship, calms a storm, and delivers people from demons, showing his power over sickness, nature, and evil spirits.

What the text says

A leper approaches Jesus, saying if Jesus is willing, he can make him clean. Jesus touches him and says "I will; be thou clean," and the leprosy disappears immediately (verses 2-3). Jesus tells him to go to a priest and make an offering as Moses commanded, rather than telling others about the healing (verse 4).

In Capernaum, a Roman centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant who is paralyzed and suffering. Jesus offers to come to the house, but the centurion says he is not worthy of this and asks Jesus simply to speak the word instead. He explains that he understands authority, since he commands soldiers who obey him (verses 5-9). Jesus praises this faith, saying he has not found such faith even in Israel, and predicts that many from east and west will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in God's kingdom, while "the children of the kingdom shall be cast out" (verses 10-12). The servant is healed at that moment (verse 13).

Jesus then heals Peter's mother-in-law of a fever by touching her hand (verses 14-15). In the evening, many sick and demon-possessed people are brought to him, and he heals all of them (verses 16-17).

Seeing large crowds, Jesus orders his disciples into a boat to go to the other side of the sea. A scribe says he will follow Jesus anywhere; Jesus replies that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head (verses 18-20). Another disciple asks to first go bury his father; Jesus tells him to follow instead and let "the dead bury their dead" (verses 21-22).

During the crossing, a violent storm arises and covers the ship with waves while Jesus sleeps. The disciples wake him in fear; Jesus asks why they are fearful with so little faith, then rebukes the wind and sea, and there is a great calm (verses 23-26). The men marvel, asking what kind of man commands even winds and sea (verse 27).

On the other side, in the country of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessed men meet Jesus, coming from tombs and so fierce that no one can pass that way. They cry out asking if Jesus has come to torment them before their time (verses 28-29). They ask Jesus to send them into a nearby herd of swine rather than cast them out of the region. Jesus says "Go," and the demons enter the swine, which run violently down a steep place into the sea and perish (verses 30-32). The swineherds flee and tell the city what happened (verse 33). The whole city comes out and asks Jesus to leave their coasts (verse 34).

Takeaways

  • Jesus performs healings and displays authority over nature and spiritual forces, which the text presents as proof of who he is.
  • Faith in Jesus is what moves him to act, whether the faith comes from a Jewish leper, a Roman centurion, or his disciples.
  • Following Jesus demands radical commitment that may conflict with other loyalties or obligations.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.