One Sabbath in Galilee, there was someone in the synagogue with a demonic, unclean spirit, and it shouted out, “Aaah! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to wipe us out? I know who you are— you are the Holy One of God!”
“Silence!” Jesus commanded. “Get out of him!” The demon hurled the person down in front of them, caused the person to convulse, shouted out, and then left without doing him any harm. They were all shocked and said to each other, “What kind of speaking is this, that has authority and power to exorcise unclean spirits?” And reports of this spread rapidly to every spot in the surrounding area.
Jesus went up from the synagogue and entered the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was gripped with a high fever. They asked him about her, and he bent over above her and rebuked the fever. Instantly the fever left her, and she got up to wait on them. At sunset, people brought to Jesus everyone who was disabled or had various diseases or demon possession; the whole city was at the door! He placed his hands on each of them and healed them. Demons came out of many of them, shouting, “You are the God-Man!” But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Anointed One. In this way he fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah, “He took away our illnesses and lifted our burdens.”
Just before daybreak he left to pray in a secluded place, but Simon and the crowd searched diligently for him. When they found him they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”, and they tried to keep him from leaving. Then he told them, “Let’s go somewhere else, into the towns. I must take the good news about the kingdom of God to other cities; this is the purpose for which I was sent.” And he continued to proclaim it in the synagogues of Judea.
Then Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and announcing the good news of the kingdom, and he also healed all sorts of diseases and weaknesses the people had. His fame spread throughout Syria, and they brought him all the people afflicted with various serious diseases and torments, including the demonized, those with convulsions, and the paralyzed; he healed them all. A large crowd followed him from Galilee, the Ten Cities, Jerusalem, Judea, and the other side of the Jordan.
On one occasion when the crowd was pressing in around him to hear the word of God, he was standing beside Lake Gennesaret. He saw two ships docked at the edge, and the sailors had disembarked to wash their nets. He got into the ship that belonged to Simon and asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down in the ship and taught the crowd. As he finished speaking he said to Simon, “Go out to deeper waters and lower your nets for a catch.”
“Exalted One,” Simon replied, “We worked the whole night and caught nothing. But just because you said it, I will lower the nets.” And when they did, they caught a huge number of fish, yet the nets didn’t tear. So they motioned to their partners in the other ship to help them. The haul filled both ships to the point that they almost sank! When Simon Peter saw this, he dropped to his knees before Jesus and said, “Please stay away from me, Master, I’m a very sinful man!” He and everyone with him were awestruck about the huge haul of fish they had caught, including his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. And Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t worry; from now on you’ll be catching people!” When the ships landed, they left everything and followed him.
He went back to Capernaum in those days, but they heard he was in a house there, and so many people came that the house was packed (you couldn’t even get in the door). So he started teaching them, including religious leaders from every village in Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Master was there for healing, when along came some men carrying a paralyzed person on a stretcher. They intended to place him before Jesus, but they couldn’t find a way through the crowd. So they went up to the top of the house and lowered him on his stretcher through the roofing tiles, right in front of Jesus.
When he saw their faith he told the paralyzed one, “Cheer up, child, your sins are forgiven!” But some of the religious leaders reacted by thinking to themselves, “How can he say such a thing? He is calling himself God! Who else can forgive sins but the one true God?” But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “What evil thought is in your heads? Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? But just to show you what authority the Human has here on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralyzed one, “Get up; pick up your cot and go home!” He got up in front of them, picked up the stretcher he had been on, and went home praising God. Everyone was completely amazed and gave honor to God for giving such authority to someone. They were filled with awe and said, “We’ve seen amazing things today!”
Jesus left again and went to the seaside. The whole crowd came with him, and he taught them. As he passed by he saw Levi, son of Alpheus, sitting in his tax contractor’s office. So he said to him, “Follow me!” and he got up and followed. Levi also threw a big party for him and his disciples in his home. Among the guests reclining at the table were many other tax contractors and riffraff who had been following Jesus. But when the religious leaders saw what kind of people Jesus was eating with, they complained to his disciples: “Why does this teacher of yours eat with tax contractors and riffraff?”
Jesus heard this and said to them, “Sick people are the ones who need a physician, not healthy people. It’s the riffraff I came to call, not the righteous! Now go and learn what this means: ‘I want compassion, not sacrifice’.”
But they went on: “The disciples of John and of the religious leaders frequently go without food and pray earnestly, but yours eat and drink.”
“You can’t expect the groom’s guests to fast while they’re with him,” Jesus replied. “But the time will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Then he gave this analogy: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old one. Otherwise, the new cloth pulls away from the old and creates an even bigger tear than before. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will burst the old wineskins and spill out, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they put new wine into new wineskins. And no one who has drunk old wine would choose new; they’d say that the old wine is better.”
Now it happened on one of the Sabbaths that he was passing alongside some grain fields, and his disciples were picking heads of grain along the way. But the religious leaders complained, “Look! What they’re doing is forbidden on the Sabbath.”
“Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and his men were hungry, during the time of Abiathar the ruling priest?” Jesus asked. “He went into the temple and ate the bread that was presented as an offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and fed it to those with him as well. And haven’t you read that according to the law, the priests violate every Sabbath without being held guilty? But I say to you that there is someone here who is greater than the temple! And if you had known what this means, ‘I want compassion rather than sacrifice’, you would not condemn the innocent. The Sabbath is for the benefit of people, not people for the benefit of the Sabbath. And the Human is Master of the Sabbath.”
On yet another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught, and there was someone there with a deformed right hand. The religious leaders were watching Jesus like a hawk, to see if he’d heal on the Sabbath so they could have grounds to accuse him. But he said to them, “If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, which of you would not grab it and pull it out? And how much more important is a person than a sheep? So then, it is permissible to do good on the Sabbath.”
Jesus looked around at them angrily, irritated by their cold hearts. He knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up here in front.” When he did, Jesus said to the others, “I ask you: Is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do malice, to save a life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them all and said to the man, “Hold out your hand!” He did so, and it was suddenly restored just like the other hand. But they completely lost their minds and convened a council with the Herodians, to concoct a plot to kill Jesus.
But Jesus and his disciples went to the sea. A huge crowd from Galilee followed, along with people from Judea, Jerusalem, the area of Idumea, from the other side of the Jordan, and from around Tyre and Sidon. They all came to him because of what they’d heard about him, so he told his disciples to keep a boat handy so the crowd wouldn’t crush him. In fact, he had healed many, and more were pressing in on him to be healed as well. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out as they left, “You are the God-Man!” But he sternly warned them not to reveal who he was, in order to fulfill what was written by the prophet Isaiah:
“Look at my chosen child, the one I love and am pleased with! I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim righteousness to the nations. He will not fight or shout; his voice will not be heard in the streets. He will not even step on a reed and break it, nor snuff out a smoldering wick, until his victory brings justice and the nations put confidence in his name.”
It was in those days that Jesus retreated up into the mountain to pray, and he spent the entire night in prayer to God. The next day he summoned his disciples and chose twelve from among them, designating them Apostles, who would be his inner circle. They would also proclaim the kingdom and have authority to expel demons and heal people. Their names were Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James and John the sons of Zebedee (he called them Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew the tax contractor, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James (also called Thaddaios), and Judas from Kerioth, who would become a traitor.
A short while later he started going through one city or town after another, proclaiming and announcing the good news about the kingdom of God. He was accompanied by the Twelve, as well as some women who were cured from evil spirits and diseases: Mary of Magdala from whom seven demons had come out, Joanna the wife of Chuza (the legal guardian under Herod), Susanna, and many others who supported them from their own means.
When Jesus saw the crowd, he went up into the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them:
“Happy are the poor and lowly, for the heavenly kingdom is theirs.
“Happy are the grieving, for they will be consoled.
“Happy are the even-tempered, for they will inherit the earth.
“Happy are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
“Happy are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
“Happy are those with clean minds, for they will see God.
“Happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
“Happy are those who are persecuted for doing right, for the heavenly kingdom is theirs.
“Happy are those who, on my account, are disgraced, persecuted, defamed, and lied about. Yes, be very happy and overjoyed, because you’ll have great reward in the heavens. This is the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
“In contrast, woe to you who are rich, because you’ve already received your comfort. Woe to you who are satisfied for now, because you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh for now, because you will grieve and sob. Woe to you if everyone speaks highly of you, because their ancestors also spoke well of the false prophets.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It’s good for nothing but being thrown outside where people will trample it. You are the light of the world. A city on a high hill cannot be hidden; no one lights a lamp and then puts a box over it. Rather, they set it on a lampstand so it provides light to everyone in the house. Likewise, let your light shine for everyone so they can see the good that you do and give honor to your Father in the heavens.
“Don’t think that I have come to annul he Law and the Prophets; I have not come to annul them but to fulfill them. Let me make this clear: As long as the earth and sky remain, not even the smallest letter or stroke of a pen will be taken away from the Law before everything is accomplished. So if anyone tries to weaken even the smallest part of these commands and teaches others the same, that person will be the smallest in the heavenly kingdom. However, the one who practices them and teaches others the same will be the greatest in the heavenly kingdom.
“I tell you that if your righteousness isn’t any better than that of the religious leaders, you will never enter the heavenly kingdom! You have heard that people a long time ago were told, ‘You must not murder, and whoever murders will be held to account’. But I tell you that whoever is angry with a sister or brother for no reason will be held to account. Whoever says to them, ‘You’re worthless!’, will have to stand before the court, and whoever says to them, ‘Idiot!’, will be thrown into the eternal fire.
“If you’re ever on your way to make an offering and remember that your brother or sister has a reason to be upset with you, leave your gift at the altar and first go back and reconcile with them; then you can make your offering. Reach a quick settlement with the one bringing you to court, while you’re still on the way there. Otherwise your opponent might hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the deputy, who will throw you into prison. And I tell you that you won’t get out of there until you pay every last bit of what you owe!
“You have heard it said, ‘You must not commit adultery’. But I say that whoever lusts after a woman has already committed it in his mind. So if your right eye or hand is a trap for you, get rid of it! It’s better for you to lose a body part than for your whole body to be thrown into the eternal fire.
“It has been said that whoever wants to be rid of his wife only needs to give her a divorce notice. But I say that whoever gets rid of his faithful wife makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries her also commits adultery.
“Another thing you’ve heard that was said long ago: ‘Do not swear an oath you don’t intend to keep; you must fulfill your oaths to the Master.’ But I say not to swear any oath at all— not by heaven (the throne of God), not by earth (the footstool of God), not by Jerusalem (the city of the Great King), and not even by your own head, since you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and mean it; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
“You’ve heard the saying, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say not to take an adversarial stance against an aggressor. If they slap you on the right cheek, present the other side as well. If someone takes you to court and wins your shirt, give them your coat as well. And if someone conscripts you to go with them for a thousand paces, go along for two thousand. Give to the one who asks of you, and lend to the one who wants to borrow from you. Give people what they ask of you, and don’t demand that they return what they take from you. In other words, treat people the way you’d like them to treat you; this is what the Law and the Prophets are all about. If you do these things, you will be complete, just as the heavenly Father is complete.
“You’ve heard the saying, ‘Love your neighbor and despise your enemy.’ But I say to love your enemies and pray for those who insult and persecute you, so that you will be children of your Father in the heavens. After all, the sun rises on good and bad people alike, and rain falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you only love those who love you, do you expect to be rewarded? Even tax contractors do that! And if you only love and welcome your sisters and brothers, what great thing have you done? Even the people of other nations do that! And if you only lend to those who can pay you back, what credit is that to you? After all, scoundrels lend to each other and expect to be repaid.
“So then, love your enemies; be good to others and lend without expecting anything in return. Then you will earn generous wages and you will be called Children of the Highest, because he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Don’t be judgmental, and you won’t be treated that way. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you— filled up, packed solid, and spilling over! This is what they will give to you personally, because the level of generosity you show to others will be shown to you in return.
“Be careful that you don’t do good deeds just to impress people; if you do, you won’t get any reward from your Father in the heavens. So whenever you give to charity, don’t advertise it like those show-offs who go to the synagogues and streets where they can impress people. I can assure you that they’ve been paid in full! Instead, do your giving discreetly; keep it secret. Then your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
“And whenever you pray, don’t be like the show-offs who love to pray standing in the synagogues and city squares so people can see them. I can assure you that they’ve been paid in full! Instead, whenever you pray, go into a small room and lock the door so you can pray to your Father in secret. Then your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
“By the way, don’t repeat the same prayers endlessly like the other nations do, who think that all their words get them attention. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. Pray more like this: ‘Our Father in the heavens, may your name be revered! May your kingdom come to earth, and may your intentions be carried out on earth just as they are in heaven. Give us what we need for the day, and forgive our sins and debts to you, just as we forgive sins done to us and debts owed to us. Please don’t put us to the test but get us safely away from the evil one.’ After all, if you forgive other people’s blunders, your Father in heaven will forgive your blunders; and if you don’t, he won’t.
“Whenever you fast, don’t be like the show-offs who go around with sad faces so everyone thinks they’re pious. I can assure you that they’ve been paid in full! But when you fast, put on a pleasant fragrance and wash your face so people don’t know you’re fasting. And your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
“Your eye is the light of your body. So if your eye is innocent, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be filled with darkness. So if the light in you is really darkness, what deep darkness it is!
“No one can serve two masters; they’d love one and hate the other, or despise one and support the other. You cannot serve both God and Wealth. Don’t store up valuables here on earth, where moth and rust corrode, and where thieves break in and steal. Instead, store them in heaven where that can’t happen. Sell your possessions and donate them to the poor. Make for yourselves money pouches that don’t wear out, a limitless treasure in the heavens, because your mind will be on what you value.
“What I’m telling you is not to worry, whether it’s about where your food and drink will come from, or what clothes you’ll have. Doesn’t your life mean much more than food, and your body much more than clothing? Observe the birds of the sky; they don’t plant seeds, they don’t harvest, and they don’t put food in storage, yet your Father in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth far more than birds? And which of you can prolong your life by worrying?
“Why do you also worry about clothing? Study the wild flowers and how they grow; they don’t do any work or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his majesty was as well-dressed as one of those flowers! So if the grass of the field is here one day and thrown into an oven the next, won’t God clothe you all the more, you skeptics? So then, stop worrying about what you’ll eat, what you’ll drink, or what you’ll wear. The people of other nations are always looking for these things, but your Father in heaven knows you need them. If you make the kingdom of God and his righteousness your priority, all these other things will be provided for you. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself; don’t borrow tomorrow’s problems today.
“Be careful how you judge others, since whatever judgment you make may be used to judge you, and whatever measurement you use will be used to measure you. Why do you obsess over the splinter in your brother’s or sister’s eye, when there’s a whole plank of wood in your own eye? How can you say to your sister or brother, ‘Here, let me get that splinter out of your eye’ while there’s a plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get that plank out of your own eye so you can clearly see how to get the splinter out of your brother or sister’s eye.
“Don’t throw your pearls to pigs; don’t give what is holy to those who will just treat it like garbage and then turn and attack you.
“Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will open. After all, which of you would give your child a rock if they asked for bread? Who would give them a snake if they asked for fish? Now if you evildoers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in the heavens give good things to those who ask him!
“Go in through the narrow gate. There are many who go through the wide gate and travel the smooth road to ruin. But the rocky road to life is through the narrow gate, and few find it.
“Beware of false prophets, who seem to be sheep but are actually ravenous wolves. Here’s how to identify them: You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, and you don’t pick figs from thistles. A good tree gives appealing fruit, but a rotten tree gives disgusting fruit, and neither can produce the other’s fruit. Trees that don’t make good fruit are chopped down and thrown into the fire. So you can identify them by what they do.
“Not everyone who calls me Master will be admitted into the heavenly kingdom, but only those who do what my Father in the heavens wants. In that day, many will say to me, ‘Master, Master! Didn’t we prophesy in your name, and didn’t we throw out demons and perform many powerful deeds in your name?’ And I will have to reply, ‘I never knew you; get away from me, all you lawless people!’
“So everyone who practices what I preach is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain came down on it, the water rushed toward it, and the wind blew against it, but it stood strong because it was founded on rock. But the one who doesn’t practice what I preach is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came, the water rushed, and the wind blew, pounding against that house. It fell, and what a huge crash it was!”
Now when Jesus had finished saying all these things, everyone in the crowd was awestruck by his teachings. Unlike their religious leaders, he taught with authority.
As Jesus went down the mountain, he was followed by a large crowd. Suddenly a leper came toward him, dropped to his knees, and said, “Sir, if you choose, you can make me clean!”
“I so choose!” said Jesus, reaching out to touch him. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was completely gone. Then Jesus added, “See to it that you speak to no one, but go straight to show yourself to the priest and confirm your healing by offering the gift commanded by Moses.” But instead he went off and blabbed to everyone, such that Jesus could no longer openly enter a city but instead had to stay outside in desolate places. They kept coming to him from everywhere, and he kept retreating to deserted areas to pray.
Then Jesus entered Capernaum, where he was approached by a Roman army captain whose highly-esteemed assistant was sick and about to die. When he heard about Jesus, he sent out Judean elders to ask him to come and heal his assistant. When they approached Jesus they begged him with great emotion, “This person is worthy of your help, because he loves our nation and built us a synagogue.“ The captain also pleaded, “Sir, my assistant is paralyzed and homebound, suffering terribly!”
“I will come to heal him,” said Jesus.
So Jesus went along with them. But when he was only a short distance from the house, the Roman army captain sent friends to him to say, “Sir, don’t go to all this trouble, because I am unworthy to have you come under my roof. This is why I didn’t come to you myself. All you need to do is say the word and my assistant will be miraculously healed. After all, I am under someone else’s authority and have soldiers under me as well. I tell one of them to go and he goes; I tell another to come and he comes; I tell my assistant to do something and he does it. So just say the word and he will be healed.”
When Jesus heard this, he was very surprised and said to those following him, “I sure haven’t found anyone in Israel with that much faith! And I tell you this: Many will come from east and west to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens, yet the subjects will be exiled to the darkness outside, where people will wail and grind their teeth.” Then he said to the Roman officer, “Go! You have what you believed.” And his assistant was healed that very hour.
The next day he happened to go into a city called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd. As he approached the city gate, there was a funeral procession for the only son of his mother, who was a widow. A large number of people from the city were with her. The sight of her moved the Master to compassion, and he said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up to the coffin and touched it, and the ones carrying it stood still. Then Jesus said, “Young one, I tell you to awaken!” and the dead one sat up and began to talk! Then Jesus presented him to his mother, and they all were gripped with fear and honored God: “A great prophet has been raised up among us!” and “God has visited his people!” Word about him spread throughout Judea and the surrounding area.
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave the order to go to the other side of the lake. Then a religious leader came up to him and said, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have burrows to live in, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Human has no place to sleep tonight.”
Another one of his disciples said to him, “Master, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus replied, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Yet another person said to Jesus, “Master, first let me say goodbye to the people in my household.” But he replied, “No one who puts their hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus got into a boat and his disciples followed him. Then they set sail, and Jesus fell asleep. But suddenly there was a tremendous storm at sea, such that the boat was about to be overcome by the waves. Somehow Jesus was sleeping through it, so they went and woke him up and said, “Master, help us! We are about to die!”
“What cowards you are!” he replied. “Such doubters!” So he got up and rebuked the wind and sea, and there was a great calm. They were astounded and said, “Who is this, that the wind and the sea listen to him?!”
When they got to the other side in the area of the Gerasenes, they encountered two demonized people coming out from among the graves. They could no longer be restrained, even with chains and ankle irons. They were able to break them apart, and no one was strong enough to control them. They stayed night and day among the tombs and mountains, screaming and pounding themselves with stones. They were so ferocious that no one was able to pass through there.
Suddenly one of them saw Jesus in the distance, so he ran and bowed before him and screamed, “What do you want with us, God-Man? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” (He said this because Jesus had told the unclean spirit to get out of him, since it had taken control of him many times.)
“What is your name?” Jesus asked.
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And they kept begging him not to send them out of the area, or to order them to go into the Abyss.
There was a herd of hogs in the distance, so the demons begged him, “If you’re going to throw us out, send us into that herd of hogs.” He told them to go ahead, and they went into the hogs. Suddenly the whole herd stampeded over the cliff and into the sea, where they all drowned. The herders ran away into the city and told them everything that had happened, especially about the demonized people.
Then the whole city came to Jesus and saw the one who had been possessed by Legion sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. The ones who saw all this told them what had happened to the possessed person and the hogs, so they begged Jesus to leave their territory. When Jesus stepped into the boat, the one who had been possessed asked to go along. But Jesus didn’t allow him: “Go back to your home and your people, and report to them all that the Master has done and how he showed compassion to you.” So he went off to the Ten Cities and proclaimed all that Jesus had done, and they were amazed.
Jesus then took the boat back to the other side, and a large crowd gathered to him by the sea. One of the synagogue rulers by the name of Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house. His only daughter, who was twelve years old, was dying. And as Jesus went along, the crowd pressed in all around him.
In the crowd was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhaging for twelve years. She had spent her entire livelihood on physicians, but none of them could cure her; in fact, she only got worse. Now she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his clothing, I will be healed.” So she approached Jesus from behind and touched the hem of his garment, and instantly the flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
Everyone denied it, and Peter said to him, “Exalted One, the crowd is pressing in all around you, and you wonder who touched you?”
But Jesus replied, “Someone touched me, because I know that power went out of me.”
When the woman realized that she could not escape notice, she began to shake with fear and fell before him. In front of the whole crowd she told why she had touched him, and that she had been healed instantly. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has restored you; go in peace.”
While he was still speaking, someone from Jairus’ household came and said, “Your daughter has died; there is no more need to bother the teacher.” But Jesus ignored the report and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe, and she will be restored to you.”
Jesus arrived at the house to find all the mourners sobbing and grieving for her, but he said, “Don’t cry, because she is not dead but only sleeping.” They laughed at him, since they knew very well that she had died. But after he had thrown them all out except Peter, John, James, and the girl’s parents, he took her firmly by the hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (which means, “Young girl, I tell you to arise!”). Instantly her spirit returned and she got up, and he told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were beside themselves, but he instructed them not to tell anyone what happened. Even so, the news about this went out all over that whole land.
One time when Jesus was in one of the cities, along came a man absolutely covered with leprosy, He dropped to the ground and pleaded, “Sir, if you’re willing, you can make me clean!” Jesus, moved with compassion, held out his hand and touched him and said, “I am willing; be clean!” Right away the leprosy left him and he was clean. But Jesus sent him off with a stern warning: “See to it that you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer the cleansing sacrifice commanded by Moses as a testimony.” But he went off and blabbed to everyone, such that Jesus could no longer openly enter a city. Even though he had to stay outside in desolate places, they came to him from everywhere, and he kept retreating to deserted areas to pray.
Jesus returned to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water into wine. There was a certain royal official in Capernaum, whose son was sick and dying. Upon hearing that Jesus arrived from Judea into Galilee, the official went to him and asked that he would go down to heal his son.
Jesus said to him, “You people have no faith unless you see amazing miracles.”
“But sir, please come before my little one dies!” the offical begged.
Then Jesus replied, “On you way! Your son lives.”
The offical believed what Jesus told him and went. On the way his servants met up with him and said, “Your child is alive!” He asked them what hour it was when he got better, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday just after noon.” Then the father realized that this was when Jesus said “Your son lives.” And so he and his entire household believed. This was the second miracle Jesus did when he came out of Judea into Galilee.
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