Mat 8 | HCSB | STEP | When He came down from the mountain , large crowds followed Him .

Matthew 8

A Man Cleansed

1 When He came down from the mountain, large crowds ^a followed Him. 2 Right away ^b a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, ^c saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me ^{▼▼clean: When something is clean, it is holy or acceptable to God. When it is unclean, it is unholy (such as an unclean spirit). The term can be used in a ritual sense to apply to moral standards for living.}clean.”

3 Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was healed. ^{▼▼Lit cleansed} 4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; ^f but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.” ^g

A Centurion’s Faith

5 When He entered Capernaum, ^h a ^{▼▼centurion: A Roman officer who commanded about 100 soldiers}centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!”

7 “I will come and heal him,” He told him.

8 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. ^j 9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. ^{▼▼Lit under me} I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my ^{▼▼slave: The strong Greek word doulos cannot be accurately translated in English by "servant" or "bond servant"; the HCSB translates this word as "slave," not out of insensitivity to the legitimate concerns of modern English speakers, but out of a commitment to accurately convey the brutal reality of the Roman empire's inhumane institution as well as the ownership called for by Christ.}slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “ ^{▼▼I assure you: This is a phrase used only by Jesus to testify to the certainty and importance of His words; in Mt, Mk and Lk it is literally Amen, I say to you, and in Jn it is literally Amen, amen, I say to you.}I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! 11 I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ⁿ 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ^o 13 Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, ^p let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment. ^{▼▼Or that hour; lit very hour}

Healings at Capernaum

14 When Jesus went into Peter’s house, ^r He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him. 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits ^s with a word and healed all who were sick, ^t 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

He Himself took our weaknesses
and carried our diseases. ^{u
,} ^v

Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw large crowds ^{▼▼Other mss read saw a crowd
,} ^x around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. ^{▼▼= Sea of Galilee} 19 A ^{▼▼scribe(s): A professional group in Judaism that copied the law of Moses and interpreted it, especially in legal cases}scribe approached Him and said, ^aa “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go!”

20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man ^ab has no place to lay His head.”

21 “Lord,” another of His disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.” ^{▼▼Not necessarily meaning his father was already dead}

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Wind and Wave Obey the Master

23 As He got into the ^{▼▼Other mss read to a} boat, ^ae His disciples ^af followed Him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. 25 So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”

26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. ^ag And there was a great calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? – even the winds and the sea obey ^ah Him!”

Demons Driven Out by the Master

28 When He had come to the other side, ^ai to the region of the Gadarenes, ^{▼▼Other mss read Gergesenes} two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do You have to do with us, ^{▼▼Other mss add Jesus
,} ^{▼▼Lit What to us and to You} Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” ^am

30 Now a long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 “If You drive us out,” the demons begged Him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 “Go!” He told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs. And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything – especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region. ^an