Episode 237: Let the dead bury the dead

Matthew 8-9

Jesus cleans a leper

8 ¹ When Jesus finished his sermon, he came down the mountain, with a crowd following him.

² And a leper came to him and said, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."

³ Jesus touched him and said, "I’d like to, so be clean."

And immediately the man was clean.

⁴ Jesus said to him, "Don't tell anyone."

The centurion's servant

⁵ When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him and said,

⁶ Lord, my servant is at home tormented and paralyzed.

⁷ Jesus said, "I'll come heal him."

⁸ The centurion said,

I'm not worthy for you to visit my house. Just say the word and my servant will be healed.

¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said,

I've never seen so great a faith in Israel.

^11-12 Many will go to heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness where they will weep and gnash their teeth.

¹³ Jesus said to the centurion, "What you have believed will be done to you."

And the servant was healed at the same hour.

Peter's mother-in-law

^14-15 When Jesus came to Peter's house, he saw that his mother-in-law was sick. So he touched her hand and healed her. Then she got up and served them.

Jesus casts out devils and heals the sick

¹⁶ That evening, they brought many who were possessed with devils, and Jesus cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all who were sick.

Let the dead bury the dead

²¹ One of Jesus's disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

²² Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead."

Jesus calms a storm

^23-24 Jesus and his disciples were on a boat when a storm came up. But Jesus was asleep.

²⁵ So they woke him and said to him, "Lord, save us or we'll die."

²⁶ Jesus said, "Why are you afraid? You don't have much faith."

Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

²⁷ His disciples marveled, and said,

What kind of man is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!

Jesus casts out more devils (and drowns some pigs)

²⁸ When Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, he was met by two men who were possessed by devils.

²⁹ When they saw Jesus, they cried out, saying,

What do we have to do with you, Jesus, the Son of God?

Have you come here to torment us before our time?

³⁰ In the distance there was a herd of swine feeding.

³¹ The devils said to Jesus, "If you're going to cast us out, let us go into the herd of swine."

³² Jesus said to the devils, "Go."

And the devils went into the pigs, who ran over a cliff and drowned in the sea below.

³³ The owners of the pigs ran into the city and told everyone what happened.

³⁴ The whole city came to meet Jesus and asked him to leave.

A paralyzed man

9 ² A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus, and he said to him, "Be happy. Your sins have been forgiven."

³ When some of the scribes heard Jesus, they said to themselves, "This man blasphemes."

⁴ Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,

⁵ Is it easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven" or "Get up and walk"?

⁶ But to show that the Son of man has the power to forgive sins, Jesus said to the man,

Arise, take your bed and go home.

⁷ And the man got up and went home.

The call of Matthew

⁹ Next Jesus saw a man named Matthew, who was collecting taxes. He said to him, "Follow me."

And Matthew followed Jesus.

Why Jesus and his disciples didn't fast

¹⁰ Later, Jesus ate dinner at Matthew's house with many tax collectors and sinners.

¹¹ When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples,

Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?

¹² Jesus heard them say that, and he said to them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do."

¹⁴ The disciples of John (the Baptist) came to Jesus and said, "We and the Pharisees fast often. Why don't your disciples fast?"

¹⁵ Jesus said to them,

Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is with them?

When the bridegroom is gone, they will fast.

¹⁶ No one puts a new cloth in an old garment, or new wine into old bottles.

The ruler's daughter and a woman with an issue of blood

¹⁸ A ruler came to Jesus and said to him,

My daughter is dead. Come lay your hand on her and she will live.

¹⁹ So Jesus and his disciples followed him.

²⁰ As they walked, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched his robe.

²² Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Your faith has made you well."

And the woman was healed within an hour.

²³ When Jesus arrived at the ruler's house, he said, ²⁴ The girl isn't dead. She’s sleeping."

And everyone laughed at him.

²⁵ But Jesus took the girl by the hand, and she arose.

Two blind men

²⁷ When Jesus left, two blind men followed him, crying, "Son of David, have mercy on us."

²⁸ Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can do this?"

They answered, "Yes, Lord."

²⁹ Jesus touched their eyes, and said, "Let it be done to you according to your faith."

³⁰ And the blind men could see.

Jesus said to them, "Don't tell anyone about this."

³¹ But they told everyone about it.

A dumb man possessed with a devil

³² As they went out, a mute man who was possessed with a devil was brought to him.

³³ Jesus cast out the devil, and the man spoke. Everyone was amazed.

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, "He casts out devils through the prince of devils."

Jesus heals every sickness

³⁵ Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel, and healing every sickness and disease among the people.

³⁶ But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved to compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷ Then Jesus said to his disciples,

The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.

³⁸ Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send laborers.