Matthew 9
9
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
1Jesus got into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed. The man was lying on his mat. Jesus saw that these people had great faith, so he said to the paralyzed man, “Be happy, young man. Your sins are forgiven.”
3Some of the teachers of the law heard this. They said to themselves, “This man speaks as if he were God—that is blasphemy!”# Saying things against God.
4Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why are you thinking evil thoughts? 5Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up. Take your mat and go home.” 7And the man stood up and went home. 8The people saw this and were amazed. They praised God for giving power like this to men.
Jesus Chooses Matthew
9When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew. Matthew was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew stood up and followed Jesus.
10Jesus had dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with Jesus and his followers. 11The Pharisees saw this and asked Jesus’ followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
12Jesus heard the Pharisees ask this. So he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. Only the sick need a doctor. 13Go and learn what this means: ‘I want faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices.’# Quotation from Hosea 6:6. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
Jesus Is Not Like Other Jews
14Then the followers of John# John the Baptist, who preached to people about Christ’s coming (Matthew 3; Luke 3). came to Jesus. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees often give up eating.# This is called “fasting.” The people would give up eating for a special time of prayer and worship to God. It was also done to show sadness. But your followers don’t. Why?”
15Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then his friends are sad, and they will give up eating.
16“When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. 17Also, people never pour new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If they do, the old bags will break. The wine will spill, and the wine bags will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into new wine bags. Then the wine and the wine bags will continue to be good.”
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18While Jesus was saying these things, a ruler of the synagogue came to him. The ruler bowed down before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and touch her with your hand, and she will live again.”
19So Jesus stood up and went with the ruler. Jesus’ followers went too.
20Then a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat. 21She was thinking, “If I can touch his coat, then I will be healed.”
22Jesus turned and saw the woman. He said, “Be happy, dear woman. You are made well because you believed.” And the woman was healed at once.
23Jesus continued along with the ruler and went into the ruler’s house. Jesus saw people there who play music for funerals. And he saw many people there crying. 24Jesus said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is only asleep.” But the people laughed at Jesus. 25After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He took her hand, and she stood up. 26The news about this spread all around the area.
Jesus Heals More People
27When Jesus was leaving there, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “Show kindness to us, Son of David!”
28Jesus went inside, and the blind men went with him. He asked the men, “Do you believe that I can make you see again?”
They answered, “Yes, Lord.”
29Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You believe that I can make you see again. So this will happen.” 30Then the men were able to see. But Jesus warned them very strongly, saying, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31But the blind men left and spread the news about Jesus all around that area.
32When the two men were leaving, some people brought another man to Jesus. This man could not talk because he had a demon in him. 33Jesus forced the demon to leave the man. Then the man who couldn’t talk was able to speak. The crowd was amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel.”
34But the Pharisees said, “The leader of demons is the one that gives him power to force demons out.”
35Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues and told people the Good News about the kingdom. And he healed all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. 36He saw the crowds of people and felt sorry for them because they were worried and helpless. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37Jesus said to his followers, “There are many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers to help harvest them. 38God owns the harvest. Pray to him that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest.”# As a farmer sends workers to harvest the grain, Jesus sends his followers to bring people to God.
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Matthew 9: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Matthew 9
9
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7Then the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
The Calling of Matthew
9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’#9:13 Hosea 6:6 For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus Questioned About Fasting
14Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
15Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
23When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26News of this spread through all that region.
Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
32While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
34But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
The Workers Are Few
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.